White out. Rushing winds and billowing snow obscure the landscape. A flutter of red cuts through the blizzard. You, a figure clad in red, brace against the raging blizzard. You trudge onward through several feet of snow.
1.[[Continue ->Radio Signal]]Static crackles from your shortwave ham radio attached to the shoulder of your heavy coat.
1.[[Tune Left]]
2.[[Tune Right]]
3.[[Keep Moving Forward]]Twisting the dial to the left... It's hard to hear the weak signal over the rushing wind. Nevertheless, notes strain their way out of the shortwave. "Auld Lang Syne", craggly, distorted, pours from your radio. It seems to get stronger as you trudge forward.
1.[[Keep Moving Forward Song]]
2.[[Tune Right]]
3.[[Switch Song off and move forward ->Keep Moving Forward]] Twisting the dial to the right... A voice comes through. The signal is weak, but even against the howling winds you hear,
Voice:"This is Research Station- As if it ever was that. Just a bunch of quackery all it is... or was. The city has collapsed not a soul worth saving here. I can hardly feel my face anymore." *coughing*
The rest of the message is too weak to make out. But the signal gets stronger as you move forward.
1.[[Keep Moving Forward ->Keep Moving Forward Voice]]
2.[[Tune Left]]
3.[[Switch off voice and keep moving forward ->Keep Moving Forward]] You push forward through the snow and storm. Buffeting winds die down. The white out gives way to clear blue skies. Almost too clear. Almost too blue. Windswept snow gives way to a path. A path leading to a massive aging building.
1.[[Continue ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]You push forward through the snow and storm. Buffeting winds die down. The white out gives way to clear blue skies. Almost too clear. Almost too blue. "Auld Lang Syne" crecendos. The signal much stronger now. Windswept snow gives way to a path. A path leading to a massive aging building.
1.[[Continue ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]] A red and white building with piling snow and ice stands the test of time. Flanking the building are two pillars crumpling under the years. Scuplted flames rest ontop of each pillar like torches. The roof has an arched metal shutter frozen partially open revealing part of the sky light.
In front of you about a meter away is the metal door of the building. You can faintly make out lettering above it.
1.[[Go To Door]]
2.[[Investigate Pillars]]
3.[[Find a Way Onto Roof]]You push forward through the snow and storm. Buffeting winds die down. The white out gives way to clear blue skies. Almost too clear. Almost too blue. Windswept snow gives way to a path leading to a massive aging building.
1.The radio message comes in clearly now:
2.[[Continue ->Radio Message Clear]]A craggly voice full of venom comes through,
Voice:"This is Research Station- As if it ever was that. Just a bunch of quackery all it is... or was. The city has collapsed not a soul worth saving here. I can hardly feel my face anymore." *coughing*
"Consider me the Virgil to all you Dantes out there. Read the gate, 'Abandon all hope ye who enter here.'I locked those basterds in there- Did them a favor! They wanted to live in a lock box their whole lives. *wheeze* Here's hoping **White Death** does the rest." *coughing fit*
"They thought they could live forever... Now they know the truth."
The message repeats.
The signal only gets stronger as you apporach the massive decaying building.
[[Continue ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]You approach the front door of the building. Engraved over the top of the door is "Research Station Prometheus" The Large front door is metal and is rusting from the elements. Ice clings to the door with a frozen corpse. By the looks of it, it seems to be locked by some kind of mechanism.
1.[[Investigate Mechanism]]
2.[[Investigate Frozen Corpse]]
3.[[Find a Way Onto Roof]] Looking at one of the pillars closer you see the damage clearly. Paint has worn away with time. The slate gray concrete underneath the bright red veneer cracks with age and weathering. The piles of snow and ice surrounding keep the pillar upright it would seem.
At the base you move some snow and reveal a small brass dedication plaque. It reads,
"To my Daughter, Cassidy Stone, With the erection of these pillars I hope you always remember the torch you carry. Don't be afraid to spark a light in the darkness, because nothing great is achieved without danger. -Bruce Stone, Loving Father"
1.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]] Moving to the flank of the building, you see a hill of snow up to the roof. It looks scalable, but they're no telling how solid it is.
1.[[Climb the Hill]]
2.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
3.[[Look for an Alternate Path to Roof]]You climb the snow hill hoping for the best. You're nearly at the top when you a crack. You stop. Nothing happens. You continue on, reaching the top of the roof.
1.[[Continue ->Roof]]Circling the building reveals some ledges that would have been climbable if you hadn't lost your climbing gear to the blizzard miles back. If you want to get to roof, climbing the hill is your best option. But you could try...
1.[[Climb the Hill]]
2.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
3.[[Try to Climb the Ledges Anyway]]You jump up gripping the icy ledge. Your gloves help you keep your grip. You try to pull yourself up. As you're about to swing a leg up and over the ledge, you slip.
**Crash** The snow breaks your fall, but it sounds like something broke. You heave yourself up. Your back will feel this in the morning, but nothing's broken on you. Beneath you are fragments of wood.
Digging a foot down reveals an old wooden create that broke your fall. Inside you find bottles of bootlegged alcohol, a first aid kit, and a frozen copy of "The Prince" by Niccol Machiavelli.
1.[[Take Contents of Crate]]
2.[[Leave Contents and return to the Front of the Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
3.[[Climb the Hill]] You pack the contents into your backpack. You now have (3) bottles of woodgrain alcohol, (1) first aid kit, and (1) copy of "The Prince."
1.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
2.[[Climb the Hill]]
3.[[Read Book]]It's far too cold for that right now. If you can get inside and start a fire that would help.
1.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
2.[[Climb the Hill]] Snow and ice cover the metal roof. With care, you make your way over to the opening in the metal shutters. Looking into the opening reveals a partially broken sky light and the dark mangled interior of the building.
[[Jump Down Through the Broken Skylight]]
[[Look for a safe way down through the Skylight]]
[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
You throw caution to the wind and jump into the darkness below.
**Crack** You hit a shallow pile of snow covering structural debris. Pain screams from your legs. Instinctually you crumble up into a ball hugging your battered legs.
The pain becomes a dull throbbing as the systems of your body come into play. You're worse for wear, but you're in.
1.[[Continue -> INT. Research Base Prometheus]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "Take Contents of Crate")'s length is 1)[2.[[Use First Aid Kit]]]Twisted structural debris, ice, and piles of snow leave much to be desired when it comes to a safe descent. If you want to go down this way, You think, you'll have to pray to lady luck.
1.[[Jump Down Through the Broken Skylight]]
2.[[Return to Front of Building ->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]]
3.[[Pray to Lady Luck]]Inside you see you the delapitated remants of an antechamber or lobby. Hard to tell. Bent girders, pipes, and wires hang in disarray. Torch style wall sconces are broken and frozen over. Seating and a long abandoned reception desk lay in a broken heap. A large elevator door behind the desk is locked tight by a key card reader. Snow and debris cover trash relating to some kind of grand opening celebration.
The celebration fliers are ancient and crumple in your hands. You gather the wood from a broken desk and chairs. And with your tinder box light a fire in the middle of the room.
You take a seat on a chunk of fallen debris and warm your hands.
1.[[Continue ->VergContact]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "Take Contents of Crate")'s length is 1)[2.[[Read Book ->"Prince" Passage]]]You've never prayed before. You kneel down and clasp your hands looking up at the sky. Still too clear. Still too blue. You whisper a Prayer.
1.[["Lady Luck I hope my voice reaches you. I could use some of your luck right about now." ->AreWeAlone]]
2.[[Ring, ring, hello? Lady Luck are you there? I need your help." ->AreWeAlone]]
3.[["A bit of luck that's all I ask." ->AreWeAlone]]A gust of frigid wind blows. A shiver shoots up your spine,
"You are Alone," It hisses.
Snowflakes drift on the breeze. The sky is too clear, too blue.
You are alone.
1.[[Continue ->After Prayer]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "Take Contents of Crate")'s length is 1)[2.[[You Remember ->Alcohol]]]You get up. You're still on the roof overlooking the broken skylight.
1.[[Jump Down Through the Broken Skylight]]
2.[[Return to Front of Building->EXT. Research Station Prometheus - Day]] You remember the wood grain alcohol you took from that crate. "That would set me right," you think. Another thought shoots through your mind like a hot nail,"Didn't I..."
1.[["Make a Promise?" ->AlcoholEnd]]
2.[["Swear it off?" ->AlcoholEnd]]
3.[["Almost die?" ->AlcoholEnd]]
An intruding thought hisses, "And you still care?"
A dull slience fills your mind.
1.[["Yes." ->After Prayer]]
2.[["No." ->After Prayer]]
3.[["I don't know." ->After Prayer]]
4.[["..." ->After Prayer]]You investigate the Mechanism. It's old, but has both a physical locking mechanism and an electronic one.
The electronic portion is looks older than anything you've seen in a long time. Your hacking tools might work here. The physical locking mechaism, while imposing, would be no match for your lock pick set. While the door is metal was meant to keep people like yourself out. The years have taken it's toll. Maybe all you need is a good shove.
1.[[Hack into the Door]]
2.[[Use a Lockpick]]
3.[[Use Elbow Grease... Shove it Open]]
4.[[Find a Way Onto Roof]]The frozen corpse is bundled up in winter gear much like yourself. Whoever it was clutches a tape recorder.
1.[[Take Tape Recorder]]
2.[[Leave Tape Recorder and Investigate the Locked Door ->Investigate Mechanism]]You pry the tape recorder from their frozen grasp.
At this time, the tape is both too cold and in too far of disrepair to play the loaded tape. Either way you pack (1) Broken tape recorder and (1) frozen tape.
1.[[Return to the door and Investigate the Mechansim->Investigate Mechanism]] You prep the hacking device on your right glove. You pull out a retrachable cable and link it up forcefully to the electronic lock. With a few swift taps of your fingers your hacking device fizzles the door forcing it open with a clunk.
1.[[Continue -> INT. Research Base Prometheus]] You pull out a lockpick from the set in your backpack. With ease you unlock the door. Seems like time did most of the work for you.
1.[[Continue -> INT. Research Base Prometheus]] When in doubt break it down. What could stop an immovable object like yourself? You ram into the door with your body. Like tissue paper it falls backwards (and not on you). It seems time did most of the work for you.
1.[[Continue -> INT. Research Base Prometheus]] You use the First Aid Kit to patch yourself up. It still hurts to stand, but you're better off.
1.[[Continue -> INT. Research Base Prometheus]] A voice with an ounce of venom comes from the ham radio on your shoulder,
Voice: "Hey! Come in, do you hear me? You've got to be on this frequency."
1. [["Hello?"]]
2. [["Who is this?"]]
3. [[Say nothing]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "Tune Right")'s length is 1)[4.[[Is this the same person from the repeating message? The warning?]]]You crack open the "The Prince" By Machiavelli. Just as you go to read a passage there's a crackle on your ham radio.
1.[[Continue ->VergContact]] Voice: "Good this is the right frequency. You can call me Verg."
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Voice:"Good this is the right frequency. This is Verg.
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Voice: "Hello? Hey! I could have sworn." There's a crackle of silence before the voice returns, "I know you're there! Do yourself a favor and speak up!"
1.[[Say Nothing ->Say nothing 2]]
2.[["I'm here." ->Said something]]
3.[["Sorry about that." ->Said something]]Voice: "Oh that... you heard that." There's a moment of crackling silence, "Yeah that was me. Guess my little warning didn't scare you off."
1.[["It scared me a little."]]
2.[["It seemed like on old recording I didn't think it mattered anymore."]]
3.[["Didn't matter I needed somewhere to rest."]]Voice: "Heh... whatever you still made it in here. You can call me Verg."
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Voice: "Let's just say, I only had access to old tech. You can call me Verg by the way."
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Voice: "What a place to rest! You're nearly at the south pole. In anycase, You can call me Verg."
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Verg: "Whatever reason brought you here, it doesn't matter. I need your help and I can sure as hell get you what you want. Out of this city or otherwise," a fit of coughing takes them.
She recovers, "I need data... a hard drive really from the beating heart of this city. We get that back up to the exective level to decrypt and the whole world will be your oyster. You want to live forever like the city promises? I'll make it happen. Looking for someone or something? Consider it found. If somehow you're a goddamn humanitarian then, sure, I can get you that aid. All I need is an extra body and capable hands to get me down there. Will you do it?"
1.[["Hold on." ->Verg End]]
2.[["No way, I don't even know you." ->Verg End]]
3.[["I'll do it." ->Verg End]]Voice: This isn't funny! You hear me! Oh god maybe they can't hear me. There's no way they made it all the way here without... Wait. It's all green on my end. Enough funny buisness, This is Verg."
1.[["Say Nothing." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["This is Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] Voice:"Great, you can call me Verg."
1.[["Weird Name." ->Verg Deal]]
2.[["Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]]
3.[["Sure, you can call me Odysseus." ->Verg Deal]] This is a place holder ([PH])! Thanks for making in this far lovely reader. Some notes before you go:
Note: Conversation could be much more extensive with Verg. Lots of questions to ask. Need to iron out, you, the player's motivation. And consider the possiblity of refusing to help Verg, but still getting into the city. Extended conversation should cover why Verg can get you in, but not out after you take the dive. Noting that you can both leave once the job is done because you gain access to higher clearence through the recovered hard drive. You can unlock the lockbox not just spring a trap door.
I'd like that hold on option to allow you to ask questions and return to that list of questions after you exhaust the dialogue chain. Verg's dialogue at the end there needs to be cleaned up as with much of this. Nevertheless, this is a good early snapshot of what I'm going for.
Now if you'd like to start again...
[[Start Over ->EXT. ANTARCTIC WASTES - DAY]]