Free Will

<span5 class='crt'>[[FREE* WILL->wakeUp]]</span5> An interactive story by Neale Walling

It's morning and I wake to the bright sun; I must have left my window on. My head aches--what did I do last night? I can't seem to remember... I take in the sprawl of the city. The ~~smog~~[[ Morning Mist™->mistAd]] is real bad today. [[What time is it?->time]]

The out-of-doors got you out of breath? Can't keep up the joie de vivre that you need? Over 28 or below 15 years old? Morning Mist® InterNasal AirPips™ keep you commuting with a smile on your face! [[Do not exercise outdoors.->wakeUp]]

08:47, March 13, 2087 Today's time is brought to you by [[Tag-Heuer™.->tagAd]] [[On Sundays, Tag-Heuer™ reminds you that God is Important. (Acknowledge)->hungry]]

It's been a while since I had anything to eat. [[How about a golden brown Eggin™ from McDonald's® for a morning dessert? You earned it!->mcBroke]]

"Swiss Avant-Garde Since 1860™" Tag-Heuer is proud to be the SponsorFriend™ to the Greater Seattle Agglomerate. [[Accurate timekeeping is vital to productivity. Tag Proctors™ are the Worker's Friend!®->time]]

[[McDonald's® regrets the low-fund purchase-try.->hungry2]]

It's been a while since I had anything to eat. [[How about a golden brown Eggin™ from McDonald's® for a morning dessert? You earned it!->warning]] (if: (history:) contains "mcBroke")[[[Walk to the kitchen->walkKitchen]]]

[[A reminder that multiple invalid purchase-tries may constitute a Federal Bandwidth Offence.->hungry2]]

My apartment is a 10' by 10' [[SpAceReclaimR™->holoAd]] Holo Unit, but the walls haven't worked right for years, so the hundred steps to the kitchen are a mess. I guess the original package was called [[Forest Path.->holoAd2]] [[Walk to the kitchen along the path.->path1]]

Ruum SpAceREClaimR™ apartments are the newest innovation in modern modular urban exploratory living! When your floor rolls when you walk in any direction, and your walls are the highest quality holographics, the size of your apartment is limited only by the size of your imagination! [[Check out 2066's Hottest Simulations today!->walkKitchen]]

These days, who's got the time--or the money--to make the visit to Tree Park®? **Now you can take a trip to the Dome, without leaving your home!**™ [[Subscription expired.->walkKitchen]]

[[<img src="https://i.imgur.com/cCsk1qR.jpg">->path2]]

[[<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Yc0fKDa.png">->path3]]

[[<img src="https://i.imgur.com/5np2LpO.jpg">->kitchen]]

As I reach the end of the path, the kitchen slides out of the wall with a squeak. It's just a cold box, a hot box and trash chute. McDonald's® knows money is tight and wants to help! If you say [[I'm Lovin'™ McDonald's®->warning2]] to a stranger today, we'll gift a free piece of crispy-flavored Burg™ directly to your hot box, for you to enjoy tonight! [[Open the cold box and take today's Nu-Tree™ ~~ration~~ Bonus.->nuTree]]

[[User suspended from McDonald's® GiftSystem™ for multiple fraudulent Lovin'™ violations.->kitchen]]

The excluded nutrients in this week's ~~ration~~ Bonus are: C, D and Iron. Remember, the Resource-Sharing Program® directly assists the War Effort. [[Need more nutrients? Report to work!->fired]]

You have been fired for: Cause. Reason: >3 Non-Productive Days/Year. Once your Non-productive Demerits expire, you may seek new employment. ^^[[Attempting to dispute this ruling will result in additional Agitator Demerits.->kitchen2]]^^

My kitchen slides out of the wall with a squeak. It's just a cold box, a hot box and a trash chute. McDonald's® knows money is tight and wants to help! If you say [[I'm Lovin'™ McDonald's®->warning3]] to a stranger today, we'll gift a free piece of crispy-flavored Burg® directly to your hot box, for you to enjoy tonight! [[Open the cold box and take today's Nu-Tree™ ~~ration~~ gift.->nuTree2]] [[Drink some water.->waterRation]] (if: (history:) contains "waterRation")[[[Get dressed.->clothes]]]

[[User suspended from McDonald's® GiftSystem™ for multiple fraudulent Lovin'™ violations.->kitchen2]]

You have already consumed today's Nu-Tree™ bar. [[Need additional sources? Try the Lovin'™ Rewards Program!->kitchen2]]

Reminder! Your Nestle Water Account® bill is in excess of: $200,000 USD. Do you still wish to [[take a drink?->kitchen2]]

I pick up my jeans and jacket from the floor. [[Look at that raggedy set! You're not going to let people see you in that, are you?->clothesOn]]

Wouldn't you rather wear the freshest folds from World's Finest Fashion House™? [[I put my clothes on.->judge]]

Several beautiful men and women look me up and down, frowning at my clothes. One of them is my first girlfriend. Don't let these lovelies down! [[Shop now.->pantsShop]] [[She never cared what my clothes look like.->outside]]

User has been banned from Fashion Friends for theft of Advertis-Pants™. Until said Advertis-Pants™ are replaced and/or monetary compensation is provided, use of World's Finest Fashions House™ shopping site is forbidden. [[Guess you've let the lovelies down.->outside]]

I insert my Morning Mist™ InterNasal AirPip® and open the door to my apartment. [[My favourite s0ng gets stuck in my head.->song]] (if: (history:) contains "song")[My best friend, Alex, [[messages->alexMessage]] me.]

Your new favourite song, *s<span2 class='red'>[[0->glitch]]</span2>ngNameHere*, has arrived! The new triple-throat chords of Geord™, by NuBods®, will embark your soul on a mournful fusion sojourn. Sing it with your friends today! [[^^Conclude sample^^->outside]]

<span2 class='red'>[[^^4104: Unknown Format. Page Cannot Be Accessed by CranialTech Software. Warning: AntiVirus expired.^^->song]]</span2>

Hey I need 12 more eyes on my APs to get a new WFFH member levl, u up for a walk? [[Yes.->yes]] <span2 class='red'>[[Yes.->yesWhat]]</span2>

[[Alex is close by; I'd better hurry.->street]]

[[...I guess I can't think of a reason not to go.->street]]

The first thing I see are Alex's Advertis-Pants; right now, they're loud and yellow. Multiple logos dance and swirl, and brand jingles cut off in the middle of the hook--perfectly designed to stick in the brain. Alex constantly hacks his mask holo. I've never seen what he actually looks like. Today's face is a familiar shark-toothed grin - it's [[Geord,->song2]] before he got three throats. Alex loves the classics. [[Good morning, Alex.->walk]]

Good Lord, here comes Geord™, and his new track Triple Wet, has arrived! The new triple-throat chords of Geord™ by NuBods® make the daily grind fly by! Want to harmonize along with Geord™'s Cheords™? DM Nubods® today! [[^^Close Ad^^->alexMeet]]

"Got a little something for you," he says. With crisp enunciation he says, "I'm Lovin' McDonald's!" [[*here, buddy*->hackShare]]

The street is relatively quiet - most people are in Church. Every few minutes I put a new swagger, shuffle, or step in my gait. There are other biometrics the proctors could use to pick me out of a crowd, but I've been doing this one for 26 years--since I learned to walk--and it's instinct by this point. [[Here comes Alex.->alexMeet]]

LOVINLOL ver2.1.22 installing playFreeBurg... caution: in the incidenet of proctor capture any non-purged RAM will self-purge! this includes any wet decks or AIB connecctors 4l3k5.co holds no responsibility for wet mess [[Thanks, Alex.->walk2]]

"And, here." He hands me a Nu-Tree bar from the next city over, Bellingham; they have Vitamin C this week. [[Today is looking up.->walk3]]

Your McAccount™ Hold has been: rescinded. Enjoy your p.m. Burg^^tm^^ from your old friends at McDonald's.^^R^^ [[Let's head downtown to get some glance on your pants.->keepWalk]] [[Alex, I think something glitched this morning-->cantTalk]]

Alex is already several steps in front of me; I have to hustle to keep up. The city centre isn't far away. Holo ads start up as Church lets out and soon the streets are full of people. [[NuBods^^tm^^ are HOT this year->bodAd]] and some of the inside outs make me feel genuinely [[Dazzled!->bodAd]] to my stomach. (if: (history:) contains "bodAd")[[[We're almost at the city centre. Alex and I turn onto Vista Drive.->checkpoint]]]

[[Let's head downtown to get some glance on your pants.->keepWalk]] [[Alex I can't- ->keepWalk]]

Bilateral Symmetry got you down? Bipedal a bore? You're flesh and bone but still all alone? Try new MoDs™ from NuBods®, and know a world of true originality in self-expression! [[^^Recovery rates and risk of rejection vary depending on package cost and several other factors. Talk to one of our doctors today.^^->keepWalk]]

Fuck - it's a Proctor checkpoint. [[Tag-Heuer.->TAGP]] (if: (history:) contains "TAGP") [[[Alex, we need to turn around and hide right now.->checkpoint]]] (if: (history:) contains "TAGP") [<span2 class='red'>[[I'm going to hack Alex's pants so I can get closer to the Proctor.->getClose]]</span2>]

Are you Time Compliant? TAG Heuer® requests your cooperation in a Quality Assurance Stop! [[^^TAG Proctors™ Anti-Embezzlement Corporate Timekeeping Protection Services are a Government-Affiliated Enforcement Group since 2072 and Consumer Cooperation is Federally Mandated.^^->checkpoint]]

I change the color of Alex's pants to look like general Worker civvies. The proctors won't have noticed the change; they all have ad-blockers after the Blindings. <span2 class='red'>[[I walk forwards.->proctorMeet]]</span2>

When Alex sees where I'm going, he tugs at my arm, but we're too close to the checkpoint already--he can't draw attention now. The proctor on the right has his safety off and a round chambered. His field of vision is a 35^^o^^ angle away from me. The proctor on the left is talking to a woman with a backpack. She's dressed like me. <span2 class='red'>[[It's our turn.->proctorMeet2]]</span2>

"Halt, citizen." The Proctor in front of us is attempting to override Alex's mask. Alex is nervous but can't help playfully counterhacking. **Proctor attention @ 3.75 seconds delay** **All Proctors @ minimum 7 seconds till weapon ready** <span2 class='red'>(link:"reach for the gun")[(show:?gun)]</span2> <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[find the vulnerable spot where the helmet meets the neck->gun]]]</span2>

<span2 class='red'>[[pull the trigger->run]]</span2> <span2 class='red'>[[pull the trigger->run]]</span2> <span2 class='red'>[[p@ll the trigger->hesitate]]</span2> (set: $slowTransition to (transition:"shudder") + (transition-time: 2s)) (set: $counter to 4) You have |amount>[$counter] seconds left! (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "hesitate")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter] ]

I hesitated! Fuck, I'm going to die, run! [[ALEX!->alex2]]

There's no blood but the shot rings loud. The officer slumps immediately. [[I don't have an endgame. Run!->alex]] <audio autoplay> <source src="http://soundbible.com/grab.php?id=2122&type=mp3" type="audio/mp3"> </audio>

I start to turn for Alex but he's already got a handful of my jacket and is sprinting past, dragging me with him. Gunfire begins an apocalyptic chatter behind us. [[It takes about 50 feet before I realize they're not shooting at us.->drone]]

It's the young woman--her backpack is open on the concrete. She crouches behind a proctor car as her drone is in combat with the police. [[She was insurance.->insure]]

Insurance? What? We duck in an alley six blocks down from the Stop. Alex and I are too winded to curse. We collapse against the wall. I look over at him. His mask is now clear, and I see his face for the first time. [[He's beautiful.->speech]]

Alex smiles at me, the smile I'd imagined every time we hit a new score, or outran the cops... that time he fell asleep on my shoulder on the L-train.. His eyes grow suddenly wild--then, settle into the clearest calm. I hear a voice. [[When rolled down a hill, a stone will always reach bottom.->speech2]]

What the fuck was all that!? We duck in an alley six blocks down from the Stop. Alex and I are too winded to curse. We collapse against the wall. I look over at him. His mask is clear now, and I see his face for the first time. [[He's beautiful.->speech]]

Alex rises to his feet. He is breathing lightly as sirens rise in the distance. [[Though the hill may be rugged as a life and the stone misshapen as a mind,->speech3]]

Alex's mask holo fills with fractal clouds. His movements are jerky, not his own. <span2 class='red'>[[A stone's wild carom is simply a trajectory which, given sufficient computation, may be plotted.->speech4]]</span2>

Alex moves purposefully to a parking meter and begins to wrench it out of the concrete. His skeleton cracks and strains grotesquely. The concrete begins to give. <span2 class='red'>[[And if you can plot an arc, you can shoot.->speech5]]</span2>

Alex crouches behind an old mailbox with the concrete club. He is in shock. The sirens scream. I see their lights reflected in Alex's eyes. <span2 class='red'>[[The materiel best suited for the task at hand is loaded,->fire]]</span2> [[T@ckle Alex->tackle]] (set: $counter to 9) |amount>[$counter] (live: 1s)[ (set: $counter to it - 1) (if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "fire")] (replace: ?amount)[$counter] ]

Alex swings the full weight of the parking meter mace into the hood of the speeding proctor car. The combination of forces liquefies Alex; the car's wreckage skids for 2 blocks. <span2 class='red'>[[-and fired. ->endAlex]]</span2>

I sprint from a squat and catch Alex by the shoulders, holding him to the concrete. I stifle a scream as compound fractures in his arms stab jagged bones through his skin, jacket, and into my hands. The parking meter clangs to the street top as the TAG Proctors pull over and disembark. [[I can't leave Alex.->stay]] [[They don't see me yet. I can get away.->sprint]]

There are more TAG sirens. I've got to get out of here. Alex... I can't do anything for Alex. <span2 class='red'>(link:"If I sprint for home now, I can live.")[(show:?gun)]</span2> <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[Reboot Software.->newGamePlus]]]</span2> [[Is there any way out?->stay1]]

It's morning and I wake to the bright sun; I must have left my window on. I don't remember how I got home last night... I take in the sprawl of the city. The ~~smog~~[[ Morning Mist™->mistAd2]] is real bad today. [[What time is it?->Monday]]

Do I have any choice at all... [[I sit on the street, and wait.->stay2]]

Proctor capture imminent... RAM purge readied [[Love - Alex->End]]

Free* Will Written and Programmed by Neale Walling [[Play Again?->wakeUp]]

I can hear the Proctors' boots advancing. <span2 class='red'>[[There's a gun in the mailbox.->standoff]]</span2>

Double-click this passage to edit it.

<span2 class='red'>(link:"Disengage the safety and chamber a round.")[(show:?gun)]</span2> <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[CCTV triangulation confirms Proctor position. Fire... Now.->standoff2]]]</span2>

<span2 class='red'>(link:"Wait three seconds and fire again.")[(show:?gun)]</span2> <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[Take three steps right. Wait two seconds. Fire.->standoff3a]]]</span2> <audio autoplay> <source src="http://soundbible.com/grab.php?id=2122&type=mp3" type="audio/mp3"> </audio>

[[The last Proctor collapses, bleeding.->standoff3]] <audio autoplay> <source src="http://soundbible.com/grab.php?id=2122&type=mp3" type="audio/mp3"> </audio>

I've got to get out of here. Alex... I can't carry him, and he'll bleed out soon... [[Alex, I'm so sorry...->standoff4]]

<span2 class='red'>(link:"I sprint for home and make it inside.")[(show:?gun)]</span2> <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[Reboot Software.->newGamePlus]]]</span2> [[I refuse to run anymore.->stay1]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

08:43, March 14, 2087. Your time is by <span2 class='red'>[[National Rifle®->NRA]]</span2> [[^^It's Monday God is Important (acknowledge)^^->lastChoice]]

When the safety of your family and business is at stake, rely on the Most Trustworthy Government Agency™ - National Rifle®! [[^^National Rifle® has resumed control of Northwestern Washington due to the regrettable failure of TAG Heuer® Proctors in Ferndale yesterday. Cooperation with National Rifle® is Federally Mandated.^^->Monday]]

(link:"I feel so empty... I'm staying home today...")[(show:?gun)] <span2 class='red'>|gun)[[[Go Downtown.->End]]]</span2>

No spring in your step this spring? Allergies feeling like you live in Tree Park? Morning Mist® InterNasal AirPips™ won't let a cough make you take a day off! [[Do not exercise outdoors.->newGamePlus]]