(A) BACTERIA, THE FUTURE! A time-travelling Twine game to save Hugh-manity

You awake to find yourself in (link: "a dark room.")[a dark room. You don’t feel yourself, (link: "somehow...")[somehow... (link: "What were you doing yesterday?")[What were you doing yesterday? The memories are (link: "hazy and unsettled.")[hazy and unsettled, as though waking from a (link: "deep, dreamless sleep.")[deep, dreamless sleep. Before you have a chance to gather your thoughts, a voiceless communication (link: "enters your mind...")[enters your mind: <div class="fleming"><< Initiating calibration. Please open your eyes, (print: $name). >></div> <div class="player">[[(open your eyes)|Lights]]</div> ]]]]]]

You (link: "try to raise your eyelids.")[try to raise your eyelids, but it’s like moving a lost limb.] The room (link: "remains dark...")[remains dark, but the effort to see allows you some awareness of (link: "your surroundings.")[your surroundings: The space before you is small, a cockpit perhaps. A bucket seat in the centre is surrounded by (link: "a few items.")[a few items: a **simple control panel** in front, a hanging **piece of purple clothing** to one side, and a **small satchel** on the other. (live: 3s)[(stop:) You (link: "hear that voice from before.")[hear that voice from before. <div class="fleming"><< Please walk to the pilot seat. >></div> <div class="player">[[(walk forwards)|Walk]]</div>] ]]]]

You attempt to walk forwards but instead fall to the floor, your **seven tentacle-like lower limbs** (link: "tangling beneath you.")[tangling beneath you. The sensation brings to mind strong memories of pot noodles, long ago... Wait, (link: "didn’t you have two legs, before?")[didn't you have two legs, before? <div class="fleming"><< Please proceed to the pilot seat, (print: $name). >></div> <div class="player">[[(get up)|Walk Two]]</div> ]]

You push yourself up with an additional pair of noodles, finding your soft, jelly bean-like body light enough to be moved along by the pulsating movement of the ‘legs’. With relief, you (link: "fall into the seat.")[fall into a seat that fits your form perfectly.] A harness (link: "lowers from above.")[lowers from above, and you’re reminded of the smell of metal and oil, sounds of laughing children... Hold on, (link: "didn’t you used to have a nose, and ears?")[didn’t you used to have a nose, and ears? <div class="fleming"><< Please initiate launch sequence. >></div> (live: 2s)[You become aware of a large, glowing red button which occupies most of the rudimentary control panel in front of you.] (live: 4s)[<div class="player">[[(initiate launch)|Launch Sequence 1]]]</div> ]]

Your right noodle reaches out to (link: "press the button.")[press the button. The room starts to (set: $s to (text-style: "rumble"))$s[hum] and $s[vibrate] around you. (live: 3s)[(stop:)A deep electrical buzzing begins from somewhere below your noodles, and starts slowly ascending in pitch. (live: 3s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< Calibration complete. Congratulations, (print: $name). >></div> (live: 2s)[(stop:)The voice continues to somehow communicate clearly to you above the now cacophonous activity of the ship, like subtitles on an action movie. (live: 3s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< My name is Fleming, an advanced telepathic AI system developed by the United Nations in the year 2050 to help facilitate the Human Microbe Temporal Taskforce project. Your consciousness has been selected as a compatible specimen from the year 2020 to travel back in time inside a bacterial host, to help save humanity. >> </div> [[>>>>|Launch Sequence 1a]] ]]]]]

<div class="fleming"><< Fortunately, necessity is the mother of invention, and two recent breakthroughs in the 2040's have given us a faint hope. (live: 3s)[(stop:)Firstly, we solved the **Hard Problem of Consciousness**, allowing us to isolate, study and even transmute the mind in ways we [[never thought possible|Launch Sequence 2a]]. >></div>]

With the ship’s engine’s calm, a holographic screen appears above the control panel in front of you, displaying a (link: "normal kitchen, not too dissimilar to your own in the 2020s.")[normal kitchen, not too dissimilar to your own in the 2020s. A yawning, middle-aged man carries a freshly poured coffee to a table, absently (link: "unlocking his phone.")[unlocking his phone. You catch a peek of the lock screen before his social media appears: (link: "7:00 am, (current-date:).")[7:00 am, (current-date:). You manage to (link: "form words in your mind.")[form words in your mind: <div class="player">[[Where am I?|Kitchen]]</div> ]]]]

You observe Hugh pick his nose absently, unaware that he is being watched. (live: 2s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< We were able to trace the genetic mutation of three bacteria into new resistant strains inside this man, Hugh Mungus, occurring within the next thirty minutes. (live: 4s)[(stop:)We are currently floating microscopically in Hugh’s apartment, our ship no larger than a speck of dust. >></div> (live: 3s)[(stop:)[[How did this bacterial genetic mutation happen?|Kitchen 2]]] ]]

<div class="fleming"><< Having stockpiled antibiotics from a previous illness, Hugh decided to take a few pills to treat a common cold, ignorant of antibiotics’ lack of effect on viruses. The result is the destruction of his **gut microbiome**, accelerating the evolution of the bacteria. If left to their own devices, these particular resistant bacteria will multiply many times over, killing an estimated 23 million people. >></div> <div class="player">[[Including me?|Kitchen 3]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< We can’t be sure, but your suitability for this mission is in part based on this likelihood >></div> You look at Hugh with a new found sense of judgement, though you can’t remember being too proactive yourself in the 2020s to stop antimicrobial resistance occurring, either... <div class="player">[[What do I do to the bacteria when I find them?|Kitchen 4]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< Take a look inside your provided micro-satchel >></div> (link: '<div class="player">(search micro-satchel)</div>')[You reach a noodle to your side and rummage in the satchel you saw earlier. Inside you see three aerosol canisters, each labelled **‘SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423’**, along with a fourth, **smaller canister** with a skull and crossbones printed on it. ] (live: 6s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< Here you will find a small amount of synthetic antibiotics that we created for treating this particular resistant strain. (live: 3s)[(stop:)It is one of the most expensive substances on earth, and so only available in these microscopic quantities. (live: 3s)[(stop:)Using it here in the past is the only way to stop the contagion before it spreads, saving countless lives. >></div> (live: 3s)[(stop:)(link: '<div class="player">What about this other, smaller, canister?</div>')[What about this other, smaller, canister? <div class="fleming"><< Hopefully that won’t prove necessary. For now, pay it no mind. >></div> <div class="player">[[What happens now?|Kitchen 5]]</div>]]]]]

<div class="fleming"><< We have limited time to waste. Soon, Hugh will take a sip of his morning coffee. This is your point of ingress — the ship’s autopilot will accelerate you through to his colon where we’ve pin-pointed the three bacterias’ locations. >></div> (live: 4s)[(stop:)You look again at Hugh, who shifts his behind slightly in his chair while watching a viral video of a cat. <div class="player">[[Why do I have a bad feeling about this...|Kitchen 6]]</div> ]

<div class="fleming"><< Don’t worry –– your bacterial host, E. Coli, is highly adapted to the conditions inside a human large intestine. Once the targets have been **medicated**, your ship is equipped with an **electrical device** to trigger Hugh’s **myenteric defecation reflex**, giving you your one and only chance of escape. >></div> (live: 5s)[(stop:)<div class="player">I guess I have no choice but accept this noble call of doody... [[what if he tries to, you know, hold it in?|Kitchen 7]]</div> ]

<div class="fleming"><< A valid concern. However, fortunately the myenteric defecation reflex is one of two in the human rectum, and is outside of Hugh’s conscious control. Additionally, given that this is Hugh’s first coffee of the day, we don’t anticipate much resistance. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">Lovely. What then?</div')[Lovely. What then? <div class="fleming"><< The Tachyon Drive is programmed to automatically activate once safely outside of the subject’s body, using its in-built temporal homing beacon. >></div> <div class="player">[[OK, I’m ready.|Kitchen 8]]</div>]

<div class="fleming"><< Before we go any further, I need you to put on your (link: "hazard protection jetsuit.>>")[hazard protection jetsuit. E. Coli cannot survive some of the harsh environment of the human digestive system, and wearing the suit will protect you from harmful stomach acids on the way down. Once in the gut, it will help you move to the resistant bacteria locations faster. >></div> <div class="player">[[(put on your suit)|Suit Up]]</div> ]

You pull the provided suit, a glittering purple colour, over each of your nine limbs, before using one appendage to operate the generously-sized zip that (link: "seals you inside.")[seals you inside. Luckily, it doesn’t stop you from ‘seeing’ what you’re doing.] (live: 5s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< OK, activating ship micro-thrusters now >></div>] (live: 7s)[(stop:)[[The ship zooms down towards Hugh's coffee.|Into Coffee]]]

Due to your negligible weight, you accelerate quickly towards Hugh’s steaming cup of coffee, time-jump still ringing where your ears should be. You (link: "observe the coffee approaching on screen.")[observe the coffee approaching on screen, ever increasing in size until all you can see is an (link: "ocean of black...")[ocean of black. Hugh’s titanic face looming above like a (link: "pimpled moon cresting the horizon.")[pimpled moon cresting the horizon <div class="fleming"><< Brace, brace. Ingestion imminent. Good luck, (print: $name) >></div> [[Brace yourself for impact|Coffee Impact]]]]]

You plunge into Hugh's coffee. The machine is the only thing keeping you afloat on the (link: "surface of the coffee.")[surface of the coffee, a vast ocean of black.] You sense a change in the currents as Hugh lifts his coffee to his mouth, the (link: "black horizon rocking back and forth.")[black horizon rocking back and forth. Like a micro-sized Jonah, you (link: "ride the great waves of coffee.")[ride the waves of coffee... In past Hugh’s $s[**monumentally large jiggling epiglottis**] and down into his **oesophagus**. You (link: "hear the ship’s micro-thrusters firing continually on all sides.")[hear the ship’s micro-thrusters firing continually on all sides, the autopilot keeping your tiny cockpit upright. <div class="fleming"><< Entering Hugh’s stomach now >></div> [[You feel the ship plunge into an acidic liquid.|Into Stomach]]]]] (set: $s to (text-style: "rumble"))

You plunge into the acidic liquid, noticing (link: "large dissolving icebergs.")[large dissolving icebergs, Hugh’s morning toast churning inside.] The ship keeps you away from the (link: "shaking stomach walls.")[shaking stomach walls. They are undergoing peristalsis on an unimaginable scale.] (live: 5s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< Prepare for submersion >></div>] (live: 7s)[(stop:)You briefly wonder whether E. Coli get the bends before the ship rockets downwards, [[blasting through the opening of the small intestine...|Through Small Intestine]]]

You bank around the many corners, twists, and turns of the small intestine... (live: 2s)[(stop:)You shoot straight through walls of digesting food at breakneck speed...] (live: 4s)[(stop:)It has all the makings of Hollywood’s smallest blockbuster movie yet!] (live: 6s)[(stop:)At first, it's like an exciting rollercoaster ride, but soon enough, [[you start to feel nauseous...|Into Large Intestine]]]

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name), wake up, we’re here >></div> You awake and wonder whether it was all a dream, but your new found reality comes (link: "flooding back into focus:")[flooding back into focus: Your (link: "consciousness...")[consciousness has been resurrected.] Your (link: "human body...")[human body is long dead due to antimicrobial resistance.] Your (link: "mind...")[mind was transmuted into a host E. Coli bacterium, before being sent back into the past to save the future present.] You must have passed out on the entry into the colon, the drama perhaps being too much for your tiny bacterium host to take. [[Fleming?|Exit Ship 1]] ]

<div class="fleming"><< It’s time for you to exit the ship, (print: $name), and seek out the resistant bacteria. I can guide you towards the targets, and you can administer the antibiotic medicine from your satchel then. There isn’t much time before Hugh will take his toiletry needs into his own hands, so it’s important that you deal with all three resistant bacteria in time. >></div> The harness keeping you in the bucket seat lifts, and you unsteadily [[stand up on your noodles|Exit Ship 2]].

(link: '<div class="player">(pick up satchel)</div>')[You hoop the satchel over an arm-like noodle, (link: "slinging it over one shoulder.")[slinging it over one shoulder. Your purple bodysuit softly (link: "shimmers in the glow of the ship lights.")[shimmers in the glow of the ship lights. Antimicrobial resistance may be rampant, but at least fashion isn’t dead in (link: "the future...")[the future... <div class="player">[[(exit the ship)|Exit Ship 3]]</div> ]]]]

You exit the ship into (link: "a barren landscape.")[a barren landscape. The ground looks soft and moist but your light bacterial form creates very little indent in (link: "the surface.")[the surface. Colonic muscles rise like mountains in the distance, climbing all the way up to (link: "meet those on the opposite side.")[meet those on the opposite side. You feel a strange sense of belonging, though why... (link: "you’re not sure.")[you're not sure. Suddenly, a $t[tremor] ripples beneath you. <div class="player">[[What was that?!|Large Intestine]]</div> ]]]] (set: $t to (text-style: "shudder"))

<div class="fleming"><< A light peristalsis, resulting from the stretching of receptors in the rectal tissue. Behold, there, in the distance. >></div> You strain the bacterium’s visual senses before you first (link: "see it.")[see it: an $v[**awe-inspiring, planetoid-sized poo**], crammed edge-to-edge in the huge circular cavern from (link: "where you just came.")[where you just came. <div class="player">[[That tiny ship made it through all that in one piece?!|Crossroads]]</div> ]] (set: $v to (text-style: "shadow"))

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name), I don’t mean to panic you but given the catalytic nature of Hugh’s morning coffee it is imperative that you now use your jetsuit to seek out the targets before it’s too late... (live: 4s)[(stop:)The ship has landed roughly equidistant to the resistant bacterias’ three locations.] (live: 7s)[(stop:)One is somewhere in the **goblet swamps**, to the north. Another is in the east, hiding somewhere in the **faecal highlands**. A third we believe to be somewhere on the **windswept plains** to the west. >></div>] (live: 9s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< **Where would you like to search?** Activate your jetsuit to fly. >></div> <div class="player">[[(Goblet Swamps)|Goblet Swamps]]</div> <div class="player">[[(Faecal Highlands)|Faecal Highlands]]</div> <div class="player">[[(Windswept Plains)|Windswept Plains]]</div>] (set: $kill to 0)

(if: (count: (history:), "Goblet Swamps") is 0)[(If: $kill is 0)[You jet over the barren landscape of Hugh's colon. Suddenly, you feel sadness well up out of nowhere, taking you by surprise. (link: '<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div>')[<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div> <div class="fleming"><< Interesting... It is a known possible side effect of the consciousness transmutation that elements of the host’s consciousness can mix with that of the other. >></div> (link:'<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div>')[<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed. A consequence of our breakthroughs in understanding the mind is the discovery that many living things are in possession of a consciousness, in proportion to their biological complexity. In the case of bacteria, they possess a rudimentary emotional consciousness, which in this case is mixing with your own. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div>')[<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div> <div class="fleming"><< My best guess, (print: $name), is that following his misuse of antibiotics, Hugh has needlessly wiped out the majority of bacteria in his gut. The large intestine should have about 1.5kg of microorganisms, happily extracting essential nutrients from Hugh’s digested food for his benefit. Perhaps the bacterium is grieving. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div>')[<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed, a course of antibiotics is like a hard reset for your gut bacteria, affecting both useful and harmful in the process. It should be seen as a last resort, but the human population didn’t realise this until too late. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div>')[<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div> <div class="fleming"><< A random mutation in a bacterium can create resistance to antibiotics at any time. By us wiping out all their competition to survive, these resistant bacteria can then thrive and multiply and create **‘super-bugs’**, such as the one that infected (or will infect) and kill your human body in the 2030s. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">If only we––</div>')[<div class="player">If only we––</div> <div class="fleming"><< Sorry to interrupt, (print: $name), but we’re close to the first target now. >></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Goblet Swamps]]]]]]]]](If: $kill is 1)[You jet across the barren landscape once more. This time, you daydream of a time when the landscape was bustling, (link: "filled with 100's of species of bacteria.")[filled with 100's of species of bacteria. A healthy, diverse community, each bacteria having its role and keeping one another in check... (link: "all only wanting to survive in any way they can...")[all only wanting to survive in any way they can... ...or is this your (link: "human memory?")[human memory? (link: "Both?")[Both? It's hard to distinguish your own memories from your bacterium. (link: "Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different.")[Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different. (link: "Your sadness grows.")[Your sadness grows. <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the second target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Goblet Swamps]] ]]]]]]]](If: $kill is 2)[You jet across the barren landscape to your last target. (link: "Your sadness only continues to grow.")[Your sadness only continues to grow. You know that the bacterium you're within is not as complex a being compared to a human, but you can't help but (link: "feel for it, a feeling of loss.")[feel for it, a feeling of loss. Bacteria are neither good or bad, they are only trying survive, like us, (link: "like all living things.")[like all living things. If using antibiotics are only causing them to fight back (link: "by developing defense weapons,")[by developing defense weapons, should we even continue fighting against them? They are (link: "only fighting to survive,")[only fighting to survive, to keep (link: "existing.")[existing. (link: "Aren't we all?")[Aren't we all? Is there a way to work alongside them? To use the helpful bacteria who call us their home (link: "against the harmful?")[against the harmful? <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the third target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Goblet Swamps]]]]]]]]]]]

(If: $kill is 0)[Suddenly, jetting over the barren landscape of Hugh’s colon, you feel sadness well up out of nowhere, taking you by surprise. (link: '<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div>')[<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div> <div class="fleming"><< Interesting... It is a known possible side effect of the consciousness transmutation that elements of the host’s consciousness can mix with that of the other. >></div> (link:'<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div>')[<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed. A consequence of our breakthroughs in understanding the mind is the discovery that many living things are in possession of a consciousness, in proportion to their biological complexity. In the case of bacteria, they possess a rudimentary emotional consciousness, which in this case is mixing with your own. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div>')[<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div> <div class="fleming"><< My best guess, (print: $name), is that following his misuse of antibiotics, Hugh has needlessly wiped out the majority of bacteria in his gut. The large intestine should have about 1.5kg of microorganisms, happily extracting essential nutrients from Hugh’s digested food for his benefit. Perhaps the bacterium is grieving. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div>')[<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed, a course of antibiotics is like a hard reset for your gut bacteria, affecting both useful and harmful in the process. It should be seen as a last resort, but the human population didn’t realise this until too late. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div>')[<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div> <div class="fleming"><< A random mutation in a bacterium can create resistance to antibiotics at any time. By us wiping out all their competition to survive, these resistant bacteria can then thrive and multiply and create **‘super-bugs’**, such as the one that infected (or will infect) and kill your human body in the 2030s. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">If only we––</div>')[<div class="player">If only we––</div> <div class="fleming"><< Sorry to interrupt, (print: $name), but we’re close to the first target now. >></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Faecal Highlands]]]]]]]]](If: $kill is 1)[You jet across the barren landscape once more. This time, you daydream of a time when the landscape was bustling, (link: "filled with 100's of species of bacteria.")[filled with 100's of species of bacteria. A healthy, diverse community, each bacteria having its role and keeping one another in check... (link: "all only wanting to survive in any way they can...")[all only wanting to survive in any way they can... ...or is this your (link: "human memory?")[human memory? (link: "Both?")[Both? It's hard to distinguish your own memories from your bacterium. (link: "Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different.")[Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different. (link: "Your sadness grows.")[Your sadness grows. <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the second target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Faecal Highlands]] ]]]]]]](If: $kill is 2)[You jet across the barren landscape to your last target. (link: "Your sadness only continues to grow.")[Your sadness only continues to grow. You know that the bacterium you're within is not as complex a being compared to a human, but you can't help but (link: "feel for it, a feeling of loss.")[feel for it, a feeling of loss. Bacteria are neither good or bad, they are only trying survive, like us, (link: "like all living things.")[like all living things. If using antibiotics are only causing them to fight back (link: "by developing defense weapons,")[by developing defense weapons, should we even continue fighting against them? They are (link: "only fighting to survive,")[only fighting to survive, to keep (link: "existing.")[existing. (link: "Aren't we all?")[Aren't we all? Is there a way to work alongside them? To use the helpful bacteria who call us their home (link: "against the harmful?")[against the harmful? <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the third target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Faecal Highlands]]]]]]]]]]]

(If: $kill is 0)[Suddenly, jetting over the barren landscape of Hugh’s colon, you feel sadness well up out of nowhere, taking you by surprise. (link: '<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div>')[<div class="player">Fleming, what’s going on? I feel like I’m going to cry.</div> <div class="fleming"><< Interesting... It is a known possible side effect of the consciousness transmutation that elements of the host’s consciousness can mix with that of the other. >></div> (link:'<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div>')[<div class="player">So you’re saying, this sadness, it’s the bacterium’s?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed. A consequence of our breakthroughs in understanding the mind is the discovery that many living things are in possession of a consciousness, in proportion to their biological complexity. In the case of bacteria, they possess a rudimentary emotional consciousness, which in this case is mixing with your own. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div>')[<div class="player">Why is this bacterium so sad?</div> <div class="fleming"><< My best guess, (print: $name), is that following his misuse of antibiotics, Hugh has needlessly wiped out the majority of bacteria in his gut. The large intestine should have about 1.5kg of microorganisms, happily extracting essential nutrients from Hugh’s digested food for his benefit. Perhaps the bacterium is grieving. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div>')[<div class="player">That’s terrible. So the antibiotics aren’t very selective?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Indeed, a course of antibiotics is like a hard reset for your gut bacteria, affecting both useful and harmful in the process. It should be seen as a last resort, but the human population didn’t realise this until too late. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div>')[<div class="player">And the resistant bacteria...?</div> <div class="fleming"><< A random mutation in a bacterium can create resistance to antibiotics at any time. By us wiping out all their competition to survive, these resistant bacteria can then thrive and multiply and create **‘super-bugs’**, such as the one that infected (or will infect) and kill your human body in the 2030s. >></div> (link: '<div class="player">If only we––</div>')[<div class="player">If only we––</div> <div class="fleming"><< Sorry to interrupt, (print: $name), but we’re close to the first target now. >></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Windswept Plains]]]]]]]]](If: $kill is 1)[You jet across the barren landscape once more. This time, you daydream of a time when the landscape was bustling, (link: "filled with 100's of species of bacteria.")[filled with 100's of species of bacteria. A healthy, diverse community, each bacteria having its role and keeping one another in check... (link: "all only wanting to survive in any way they can...")[all only wanting to survive in any way they can... ...or is this your (link: "human memory?")[human memory? (link: "Both?")[Both? It's hard to distinguish your own memories from your bacterium. (link: "Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different.")[Or perhaps bacteria and human are not so different. (link: "Your sadness grows.")[Your sadness grows. <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the second target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Windswept Plains]] ]]]]]]](If: $kill is 2)[You jet across the barren landscape to your last target. (link: "Your sadness only continues to grow.")[Your sadness only continues to grow. You know that the bacterium you're within is not as complex a being compared to a human, but you can't help but (link: "feel for it, a feeling of loss.")[feel for it, a feeling of loss. Bacteria are neither good or bad, they are only trying survive, like us, (link: "like all living things.")[like all living things. If using antibiotics are only causing them to fight back (link: "by developing defense weapons,")[by developing defense weapons, should we even continue fighting against them? They are (link: "only fighting to survive,")[only fighting to survive, to keep (link: "existing.")[existing. (link: "Aren't we all?")[Aren't we all? Is there a way to work alongside them? To use the helpful bacteria who call us their home (link: "against the harmful?")[against the harmful? <div class="fleming"><< We’re closing in on the third target now, (print: $name).>></div> [[(Make a landing)|Land Windswept Plains]]]]]]]]]]]

An expanse of (link: "colon stretches out before you.")[colon stretches out before you, littered with puddles and lakes of bubbling mucus.] You pick your way carefully through the gaps between pools, as the floor is (link: "slippery with slime.")[slippery with slime. Slime rains down from the intestinal wall far above.] The wells at your feet (link: "seem bottomless.")[seem bottomless, disappearing deep into the tissue below.] (live: 11s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< Stay alert, bacterial life form detected. >></div>] (live:15s)[(stop:)You suddenly sense the movement of something nearby, and turn as a creature straight out of a nightmare begins [[hauling itself out of a slimy goblet pit a few microns away.|Goblet Swamps Two]]]

You land on a large flat plain, your jetsuit barely able to fight against (link: "the powerful winds blowing down the rectal cavern.")[The powerful winds blowing down the rectal cavern. The air currents kick up clouds of colonic dust, (link: "obscuring your vision to just a few microns in front of you.")[obscuring your vision to just a few microns in front of you. You shudder at the realisation of the 'wind' you're smelling, butt yet, (link: "it seems so fresh and homely.")[it seems so fresh and homely. <div class="player">[[Fleming, how is it possible that this place smells so pleasant?|Windswept Plains Two]]</div> ]]]

You touchdown in the (link: "highlands of the rectal wall.")[highlands of the rectal wall, the ship a small shining dot on the cavern floor many hundreds of microns away. Large dried boulders of (link: "faecal matter litter the landscape.")[faecal matter litter the landscape, set into (link: "colonic ridges.")[colonic ridges. (link: "You see the ground occasionally rippling in response to hidden nervous electricity.")[You see the ground occasionally rippling in response to hidden nervous electricity. <div class="fleming"><< Careful, (print: $name), those faecal boulders aren’t fixed and Hugh’s proximity to a morning poo is making things very unstable. >></div> <div class="player">[[Thanks, Fleming, I’ll stay alert.|Faecal Highlands Two]]</div> ]]]]

(link: "Pale tentacles")[Pale tentacles, too numerous to count,] tangle around a (link: "central form.")[central form, not too dissimilar to your own, except longer, and thinner. It (link: "lashes out with a strong arm.")[lashes out with a strong arm, and you stumble back into the slime. <div class="player">[[Fleming, what is that?!|Goblet Swamps Three]]</div>]]

<div class="fleming"><< Quick (print: $name), this is the resistant form of the bacteria Salmonella, a top predator in this ecosystem weakened by antibiotics. Administer a synthetic antibiotic spray before it can grab you. >></div> <div class="player">[[(use SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423)|Goblet Swamps Four]]</div>

The Salmonella (link: "makes a second lunge.")[makes a second lunge. A long, thin arm (link: "breaks free of the tangled mass to ensnare you.")[breaks free of the tangled mass to ensnare you. You scrabble back in the slime, and (link: "fumble for your micro-satchel.")[fumble for your micro-satchel. Luckily, the horror (link: "seems slowed down by the slime still clinging to its many tentacles.")[seems slowed down by the slime still clinging to its many tentacles. (link: "This is your chance.")[This is your chance. [[(Unleash a fine spray of futuristic antibiotics over the beast)|Goblet Swamps Five]] ]]]]]

<div class="fleming"><< Excellent, (print: $name)! >></div> The mutant (link: "jumps back.")[jumps back, the spray appearing to have a caustic effect on its tentacles that quickly spreads through the rest of its body. Writhing, it plunges backwards into the slimy goblet from where it first came, (link: "leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake...")[leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake... Your E. Coli host’s terror (link: "feels mixed with your own.")[feels mixed with your own, both at the monster you just experienced and the power of the antibiotic you wield. <div class="player">[[Is it done, Fleming?|Goblet Swamps Six]]</div> ]]]

<div class="fleming"><< I can confirm that the resistant bacteria is no more, (print: $name). Excellent work. There is not much time left, so I must push you onward. >></div> <div class="player">[[OK, guide me back to the ship, I'm still a bit shakey.|CrossRoads Two]]</div> (set: $kill to $kill +1)

(If: $kill < 3)[You jet your way back to the ship, which is still humming softly in the rectal landscape. The $v[**colossal stool**] still looms large in the distance. <div class="fleming"><< Where would you like to go next, (print: $name)? >></div> <div class="player">[[(Goblet Swamps)|Goblet Swamps Trans]]</div> <div class="player">[[(Faecal Highlands)|Faecal Highlands Trans]]</div> <div class="player">[[(Windswept Plains)|Windswept Plains Trans]]</div>](If: $kill is 3)[You approach the ship in your jetsuit, but (link: "sense that something isn’t right.")[sense that something isn't right. Around it, there seems to be a moving mass of organism, drawn towards it like moth to a flame. <div class="player">[[Fleming, what in living **tarnation** is that thing up ahead? I thought this was over.|Biofilm]]</div>]] (set: $v to (text-style: "shadow"))

(if: (count: (history:), "Goblet Swamps") > 0)[It seems you've already visited the Goblet Swamps. (link-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)](else:)[You activate your jet pack and [[zoom in the northern direction.|Goblet Swamps]]]

(if: (count: (history:), "Faecal Highlands") > 0)[It seems you've already visited the Faecal Highlands. (link-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)](else:)[You activate your jet pack and [[zoom in the eastern direction.|Faecal Highlands]]]

(if: (count: (history:), "Windswept Plains") > 0)[It seems you've already visited the Windswept Plains. (link-goto: "Back", (history:)'s last)](else:)[You activate your jet pack and [[zoom in the western direction.|Windswept Plains]]]

You pick your way through the terrain, (link: "tensing up with every rectal tremor.")[tensing up with every rectal tremor. You suddenly (link: "catch a movement to your right!")[catch a movement to your right! [[A shadow darting between boulders.|Faecal Highlands Three]] ]]

<div class="fleming"><< Bacterial life form detected. >></div> You extend your bacterial senses outwards, (link: "trying to pin-point the resistant bacteria.")[trying to pin-point the resistant bacteria. You can feel nothing except the light breeze whistling through the boulders. Your suited noodle arm (link: "slowly moves down to your micro-satchel...")[slowly moves down to your micro-satchel... <div class="player">[[(clutch canister of SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423)|Faecal Highlands Four]]</div> ]]

<div class="fleming"><< Look out, (print: $name)! >></div> Just before you snake your noodle around the powerful future antibiotic, the shadow rushes out from behind a boulder nearby and knocks you powerfully to the floor. You both to tumble down the hillside in a scree of faecal rocks. Finding your footing, [[you come face to face with––|Faecal Highlands Five]]

A cocktail of alien emotions crowd your senses, mixing with your own adrenaline and fear. Familiarity, happiness, but also sorrow and pity. The life form in front of you [[looks just like––|Faecal Highlands Six]]

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name), this is an E. Coli bacteria, but don’t be fooled. Scans indicate that it’s developed a genetic mutation that makes it resistant to known antibiotics, causing untreatable infections if left unchecked. >></div> The bacteria’s consciousness clearly senses its brethren, and you (link: "find it hard to reach for your micro-satchel.")[find it hard to reach for your micro-satchel. <div class="player">[[(force the bacterium’s ‘hand’)|Faecal Highlands Seven]]</div> ]

Before you can reach your antibiotics, powerful peristalsis rumbles down the rectal wall, knocking both you and the other E. Coli to the floor once more. <div class="fleming"><< (print: $name)! >></div> (live: 5s)[(stop:)Colossal boulders begin tumbling down towards you, accelerating and crashing heavily into others below, kicking up clouds of colonic dust. You look up to (link: "see the E. Coli bacteria in front of you.")[see the E.coli bacteria in front of you. It's struggling to right itself on its noodles, your perfect mirror image save for a (link: "protective purple jetsuit.")[protective purple jetsuit. <div class="player">[[(activate jets)|Faecal Highlands Eight]]</div>]]]

You jet upwards to safety, just in time to see the resistant E. Coli become (link: "crushed under a pile of faecal boulders.")[crushed under a pile of faecal boulders. <div class="fleming"><< No life signs detected, well done (print: $name). >></div> (live: 2s)[(stop:)You watch the rising dust cloud recede, flooded with your host’s sadness but this time, [[also your own.|Faecal Highlands Nine]]] ]

(link: '<div class="player">I guess bacteria don’t choose to mutate, do they, Fleming?</div>')[<div class="player">I guess bacteria don’t choose to mutate, do they, Fleming?</div> <div class="fleming"><< I recommend not thinking too much about it, (print: $name). Remember your mission and what is at stake: if we don’t medicate Hugh’s resistant bacteria now, millions of humans will perish. >></div> (live: 5s)[(stop:)<div class="player">...OK, just guide me [[back to the ship.|CrossRoads Two]]</div>] ] (set: $kill to $kill +1)

<div class="fleming"><< Like most of our senses, the human sense of smell has evolved to guide one through life. A human feels extreme comfort in the smell of home, or of a mother’s embrace. Right now, your senses are thanks to your bacterial host, and so the rectal environment is... well, like home. >></div> <div class="player">[[Just as well, this would be all the more challenging otherwise.|Windswept Plains Three]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< Stay alert, (print: $name), I sense a microbial life form nearby. >></div> You stretch your bacteria’s (link: "visual senses out into the dust cloud ahead.")[visual senses out into the dust cloud ahead, but can **‘see’** nothing. However, the **smell** of the (link: "air around you changes...")[air around you changes... from the freshness before to a (link: "sickly-sweet odour.")[sickly-sweet odor, much like rotting apples in a horses stable. <div class="player">[[Fleming, I’m smelling something different, not as fresh...|Windswept Plains Four]]</div> ]]]

<div class="fleming"><< In that case on your guard, (print: $name), there is an 87% probability that we’re facing a **Clostridium Difficile** antibiotic resistant bacteria somewhere in this dust storm. It is usually kept in check by the gut’s normal bacteria, but following Hugh’s antibiotic misuse it’s now at the top of the food chain. >></div> You keep one noodle resting on a canister of **SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423** in your micro-satchel, while holding another (link: "outstretched to protect against the dust storm.")[outstretched to protect against the dust storm. <div class="player">[[I can’t see anything in here, Fleming!|Windswept Plains Five]]</div> ]

Before you can speak, a trio of pale arms shoot out of the dust, narrowly missing you as (link: "you roll instinctively to the side.")[you roll instinctively to one side. Looking upwards, you (link: "behold an unspeakable horror ––")[behold an unspeakable horror -- a mass of tangled tentacles constantly moving around a faceless, elongated body. [[(move away from the mutant's grasp)|Windswept Plains Six]]]]

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name), are you alright!? >></div> You try to move away from the creature's grasp, but (link: "the creature is too quick.")[the creature is too quick. One tentacle after another snakes around your tiny form, lifting you into the resistant bacteria’s grasp. (link: "You try to struggle.")[You try to struggle, but the tentacles take you ever closer to the C. Diff.’s (link: "waiting core.")[waiting core. You see a chemical liquid begin secreting and dripping down, splashing against your purple jetsuit with a light hiss. <div class="player">[[Agh! Fleming help me!|Windswept Plains Seven]]</div> ]]]

<div class="fleming"><< Keep calm (print: $name), its digestive enzyme shouldn’t be able to penetrate your protective suit. Use the antibiotic! >></div> <div class="player">[[(reach for micro-satchel)|Windswept Plains Eight]]</div>

You manage to slip out of a tentacle’s grip to lay a noodle on a canister of **SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423**. Hoping that you’re holding it the right way round, you squeeze the trigger to release the mist of future medicine, [[directly into the microbe’s underside.|Windswept Plains Nine]]

<div class="fleming"><< Fantastic, (print: $name)! >></div> All around you the horrendous beast begins disintegrating, reacting strongly with the souped up antibiotic from 2050. You hit the floor hard, the dust storm still raging all around you. By the time you’ve gathered your senses, (link: "all trace of C. Diff. has blown away on the wind.")[all trace of C. Diff. has blown away on the wind. <div class="player">[[That was a close one, Fleming. I thought I’d had it... well, again I mean.|Windswept Plains Ten]]</div> ] (set: $kill to $kill +1)

<div class="fleming"><< You did well, (print: $name). Luckily, no microbe is a match for our future medicines! >></div> <div class="player">[[I hope you’re right. Let’s get back to the ship.|CrossRoads Two]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< This is unexpected, but scans indicate that it is healthy **E. Coli**, ensnaring your ship, and preventing you from getting inside. >></div> Even seen from a distance, (link: "the organism is many times larger than you are, engulfing most of your ship.")[the organism is many times larger than you are, engulfing most of your ship. <div class="player">[[I thought bacteria were single-celled organisms? That thing is huge!|Biofilm Two]]</div>]

<div class="fleming"><< In certain situations, bacteria can communicate and join together into a multicellular organism, known as a **biofilm**. In this case, they appear to see your ship as an invading, harmful microorganism and have locked it down. >></div> The walls of the rectum around you ominously shudder, with (link: "the sound of distant thunder.")[the sound of distant thunder. Hugh’s $v[**great stool beyond**] looks (link: "larger than ever.")[larger than ever. <div class="player">[[What can we do Fleming? There’s not much time here!|Biofilm Three]]</div> ]] (set: $v to (text-style: "shadow"))

<div class="fleming"><< I had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, but unfortunately your remaining **SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423** is not of a high enough volume to take this multicellular bacteria down. >></div> <div class="player">[[So what, I’m doomed?|Biofilm Four]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< Not quite. >></div> Your host bacterium’s emotions go haywire at Fleming’s words. You have to try hard to (link: "overcome feelings of terror and anger in equal amounts to stay focussed.")[overcome feelings of terror and anger in equal amounts to stay focussed. <div class="fleming"><< In your micro-satchel there is an antibiotic amplifier, marked with a skull and crossbones. By attaching it to the **SYNTH ANTIBIO #1423** its affects will be amplified, destroying the bacteria and allowing access to your ship. >></div> <div class="player">[[(reach into bag)|Biofilm Five]]</div> ]

You reach into your bag, now hovering directly over the bacterial mass below. The amplifier (link: "clicks into place, ready for use.")[clicks into place, ready for use. Your host bacterium is trying its hardest to pull your arm away from the trigger, and take you down towards the bacterial mass. You feel (link: "a sense of hope from the bacterium where once there was terror.")[a sense of hope from the bacterium where once there was terror. <div class="player">[[Fleming, the bacterium, it’s dragging me down!|Biofilm Six]]</div> ]]

<div class="fleming"><< It must want to **assimilate** with the multicellular bacteria! If that happens, I won’t be able to reach you. Unleash the amplified antibiotic before it’s too late! >></div> Do you choose to... <div class="player">[[(unleash the amplified antibiotic)|Unleash Antibiotic]]</div> or <div class="player">[[(let the bacterium touch the biofilm)|Touch Biofilm]]</div>

You manage to overcome the bacterium, (link: "releasing the powerful, amplified antibiotic.")[releasing the powerful, amplified antibiotic. The full-force synthetic agent from 2050 explodes outwards from the canister, (link: "tearing easily through the biofilm below.")[tearing easily through the biofilm below. The shockwave continues on into the distance, spreading throughout Hugh’s large intestine (link: "as far as you can see...")[as far as you can see... You feel weak, your bacterium host is clearly weakened by the blast, despite the protective purple jetsuit. <div class="player">[[It... worked? I... don’t feel so good, Fleming...|Antibiotic Ending]]</div> ]]]

Against Fleming’s better judgement, you decide to (link: "trust your host bacterium’s sense of hope.")[trust your host bacterium’s sense of hope. Following its wordless direction, you unzip your protective purple jetsuit enough to extend a noodle and [[touch the large multicellular biofilm|Touch Two]] below. ]

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name), I now sense zero life forms around the ship, and you are free to escape. Once you activate the Tachyon Drive, your consciousness should travel through time to rejoin with your now not-dead future self, if the mission was a success. >></div> <div class="player">[[Can you... take me...|Antibiotic Two]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< Of course, (print: $name), we are close enough that the ship’s autopilot can bring you in. >></div> Your limp bacterial form is floated into the ship, and placed back in the bucket seat. The harness clamps you in place as [[you hear the engines fire up.|Antibiotic Three]]

<div class="fleming"><< Activating the artificial myenteric defecation reflex now, stand by for evacuation. >></div> You hear the sound of probes being extended into the colon’s tissue below, before the ship, and the whole cavern, [[starts wildly shaking.|Antibiotic Four]]

<div class="fleming"><< The stool is loose, bringing the ship up to match speed now! >></div> You feel the ship accelerate down the anal canal, flying just ahead of Hugh’s morning payload. [[You can only hope that he’s near the toilet...|Antibiotic Five]]

<div class="fleming"><< We’re clear, congratulations (print: $name)! >></div> On the holographic screen you can just make out Hugh’s struggling form before the Tachyon Drive’s whine and that (link: "strange-coloured light envelopes all your senses.")[strange-coloured light envelopes all your senses. Just as it nearly seems too much, (link: "all goes quiet as before.")[all goes quiet as before. <div class="player">[[Did... it work, Fleming?|Antibiotic Six]]</div> ]]

<div class="fleming"><< I am now receiving news from the future, (print: $name). I can confirm that the mission was a **part** success. Your human form did now not cease operations following routine surgery in the 2030s, and you are still alive in 2050. >></div> After all you’ve seen and experienced today, for the first time you feel relieved, even excited. [[Wait... 'Part' success?|Antibiotic Seven]]

<div class="fleming"><< Due to the unforeseen complications of using the amplified antibiotic in Hugh’s colon, it appears that it gave rise to a different antibiotic resistant bacteria that was able to take hold in his body before spreading to the world at large due to Hugh's occupation as a hospital worker paired with his lack of hand-washing. >></div> <div class="player">[[Oh no, you surely don't mean... resistant to that super antibiotic?!|Antibiotic Eight]]</div>

(if: (count: (history:), "Touch Biofilm") is 0)[<div class="fleming"><< Unfortunately. Whilst you are indeed safe in 2050, what remains of the human population still exists in a worldwide lockdown, much more restrictive than the 2020 coronavirus outbreak that you no doubt remember... >></div> You feel your consciousness begin to (link: "slip away, as if falling softly to sleep.")[slip away, as if falling softly to sleep. However, rather than complete darkness this time, (link: "you begin to dream.")[you begin to dream... ...the new oncoming reality becoming more and more solid, as you already start to (link: "forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft.")[forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft. (link: '<div class="player">If... only there was... another way...</div>')[<div class="player">If... only there was... another way...</div> <div class="fleming"><< Well, there was maybe [[one way...|Touch Biofilm]] >></div> Or would you like to enter back into reality? >>[[How can I help prevent antibiotic(antimicrobial) resistance?|END]] ]]]]](else:)[<div class="fleming"><< Unfortunately. Whilst you are indeed safe in 2050, what remains of the human population still exists in a worldwide lockdown, much more restrictive than the 2020 coronavirus outbreak that you no doubt remember... >></div> You feel your consciousness begin to (link: "slip away, as if falling softly to sleep.")[slip away, as if falling softly to sleep. However, rather than complete darkness this time, (link: "you begin to dream.")[you begin to dream... ...the new oncoming reality becoming more and more solid, as you already start to (link: "forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft.")[forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft. Or would you like to enter back into reality? >>[[How can I help prevent antibiotic(antimicrobial) resistance?|END]] ]]]]

Unfortunately, the future of antibiotics is looking grim, especially with a future in which time travel existing is unlikely. Bacteria are (link: "evolving defense mechanisms more quickly than humans are discovering new antibiotics.")[evolving defense mechanisms more quickly than humans are discovering new antibiotics. In 30 years (2050), drug-resistant infections no longer treatable by antibiotics may cost 100 trillion US dollars and result in 10 million deaths annually.(https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/160518_Final%20paper_with%20cover.pdf)] Luckily, there are a (link: "few things you can do to help slow and prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, as, unlike in the 2050's, it is not too late!")[few things you can do to help slow and prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria as, unlike in the 2050's, it is not too late! Some of these actions include: 1. Proper hand washing before/after meals and after bathroom visits as to not spread antibiotic resistant bacteria to others 2. Taking a **full course** of antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you finish the antibiotics early, it may allow antibiotic resistant bacteria to develop. 3. Making sure not to take antibiotics if you have a viral illness(many common colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics don't work on them) 4. Continuing to support researchers studying alternatives to antibiotics (linked below)] I am happy to report that there are a few promising alternative methods to treating antibiotic resistant bacteria that scientists have been exploring. Many of these methods involve working alongside our **bacterial friends** rather than against them! :) For example, you may have heard of the lovely, healthy human to human **poo transplants**, which have cured C.diff bacterial infections in the gut where antibiotics have not. (please do not try this yourself, you need a certified medical practitioner to make sure the transplanted poo bacteria is healthy!) Learn more about this amazing research>> https://tinyurl.com/y3db3z8o Most importantly, please continue to learn about the positive roles of our wonderful bacterial friends! We wouldn't be alive if not for their help <3

<div class="fleming"><< (print: $name)! Be carefu— >></div> Fleming’s voice cuts out as you make contact, replaced by a (link: "flood of emotions from the biofilm.")[flood of emotions from the biofilm: (link: "fear.")[$v[FEAR.] (link: "anger.")[$v[ANGER.] You sense the bacterium wishes to release a chemical into the bulging form, (link: "but it wants to do so together.")[but it wants to do so together. <div class="player">[[(release chemical)|Release]]</div> ]]]] (set: $v to (text-style: "shadow"))

You sense the chemical flowing into the biofilm, quelling the fear and anger (link: "into a sense of calm recognition.")[into a sense of calm recognition. <div class="fleming"><< —ou hear me? (print: $name)!? Please respond! >></div> Fleming’s voice filters back into your mind as you (link: "become unlinked from the biofilm.")[become unlinked from the biofilm. All around you, harmless E. Coli are separating from the mass and retreating from your ship. <div class="player">[[I’m OK, Fleming! I think the bacterium communicated with the other E. Coli, I... became part of it, I think.|Release Two]]</div> ]]

<div class="fleming"><< Remarkable, (print: $name)! When you touched and joined the biofilm, I feared for the worst. However, I saw the bacterium release auto-inducers into the biofilm, triggering its dissolution back to single-celled E. Coli! We can now escape, and not a moment too soon! >></div> <div class="player">I think it wanted to help all along. [[Let’s get out of here, Fleming!|Release Three]]</div>

You use your jetsuit to propel yourself back to the now clear ship, and lock yourself into the bucket seat. <div class="player">[[All set Fleming, let’s go!|Release Four]]</div>

<div class="fleming"><< Activating the artificial myenteric defecation reflex now, stand by for evacuation. >></div> You hear the sound of probes being [[extended into the rectum’s tissue below...|Release Five]]

The whole cavern starts wildly shaking. <div class="fleming"><< The stool is loose, bringing the ship up to match speed now! >></div> You feel the ship accelerate down the **anal canal**, flying just ahead of Hugh’s morning payload. [[You can only hope that he’s near the toilet...|Release Six]]

<div class="fleming"><< I am now receiving news from the future, (print: $name). I can confirm that the mission was a complete success. Your human form did now not cease operations following routine surgery in the 2030s, and you are still alive in 2050. >></div> After all you’ve seen and experienced today, for the first time you feel relieved, [[even excited.|Release Eight]]

(if: (count: (history:), "Unleash Antibiotic") is 0)[<div class="fleming"><< In addition, due to the careful and sparing use of antibiotics in Hugh’s gut, and the similar success of countless other Human Microbe Temporal Taskforce missions just like yours, we’ve created a different future. While it hasn’t disappeared, the human race in 2050 is now capable of effectively managing the threat of antimicrobial resistance, saving billions of lives... >></div> Fleming’s words begin to become indistinct as your (link: "consciousness slips away, as if falling softly to sleep.")[consciousness slips away, as if falling softly to sleep. However, rather than complete darkness this time, (link: "you begin to dream.")[you begin to dream... ...the new oncoming reality becoming more and more solid, as you already start to (link: "forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft.")[forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft. (link: '<div class="player">Were there any alternative endings?</div>')[<div class="player">Were there any alternative endings?</div> <div class="fleming"><< Well, there was [[one, but it was not as successful|Unleash Antibiotic]] >></div> Would you like to enter back into reality? >>[[How can I help prevent antibiotic(antimicrobial) resistance?|END]] ]]]]](else:)[<div class="fleming"><< In addition, due to the careful and sparing use of antibiotics in Hugh’s gut, and the similar success of countless other Human Microbe Temporal Taskforce missions just like yours, we’ve created a different future. While it hasn’t disappeared, the human race in 2050 is now capable of effectively managing the threat of antimicrobial resistance, saving billions of lives... >></div> Fleming’s words begin to become indistinct as your (link: "consciousness slips away, as if falling softly to sleep.")[consciousness slips away, as if falling softly to sleep. However, rather than complete darkness this time, (link: "you begin to dream.")[you begin to dream... ...the new oncoming reality becoming more and more solid, as you already start to (link: "forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft.")[forget the world inside the tiny, time travelling spacecraft. Or.. Would you like to enter back into reality? >>[[How can I help prevent antibiotic(antimicrobial) resistance?|END]] ]]]]

(set: $name to (prompt: "What is your name?", "Homie Coli")) <center><h2>BACTERIA, THE FUTURE!</h2> //A time-travelling Twine game to save Hugh-manity!// Created by Natasha Niethamer Written by Natasha Niethamer & Tom Hyatt [[Start]]</center>

The temperature in the cockpit is noticeably rising, evidencing strong currents of electricity all around you. You’re barely given time to process this bewildering information before Fleming continues: (live: 4s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< My programming indicates you are overwhelmed by the current situation. This is normal, (print: $name), so allow me to explain.... (live: 5s)[(stop:)Along with billions of others, your human body ceased operations due to complications involving antimicrobial resistant bacteria, in the 2030's... (live: 7s)[(stop:)Overuse of antibiotics gave rise to strains of bacteria that were resistant to all known treatments, making a routine surgical procedure a death sentence. (live: 7s)[(stop:)Your death sentence... >></div> [[>>>>|Launch Sequence 1b]] ]]]]

You place a noodle to the top of your round, jelly bean-like body, where your forehead once would have been. (live: 3s)[(stop:)Meanwhile, the buzzing has topped out at a deafening high-pitched whine, and the cockpit is bucking violently beneath you. (live: 3s)[(stop:)All around you begins to [[glow with a colour you’ve never seen before.|Launch Sequence 2]] ]]

The new colour now envelopes everything, and the violent bucking and roar of the ship suddenly ceases, just as a hurricane vanishes in its eye. Fleming’s voice (link: "continues in the eerie calm...")[continues in the eerie calm: <div class="fleming"><< Secondly, we created the groundbreaking Tachyon Drive, allowing the time travel of, so far, only the tiniest of masses. >></div> (live: 3s)[(stop:)Though telepathic, Fleming now sounds distant, with an echo arriving before its voice. (live: 3s)[(stop:)<div class="fleming"><< This solution then is radical, but given humanity’s current near extinction, anything is better than nothing. (live: 3s)[(stop:)A human mind, inside a bacterium, sent back into the past to rid the scourge of resistant bacteria before they get a chance to multiply! That is [[your mission|Launch Sequence 2b]]. >></div> ]]]]

With a sickening lurch, the glow disappears and the engines come crashing back in, large sparks spluttering from all sides. (live: 4s)[(stop:)You hear the time machine’s Tachyon Drive begin to power down somewhere below, a perfect, sonic reversal of its powering up [[you just witnessed, 30 years in the future.|Arrive]] ]