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You shift in the leather seat of the aircraft as you and the other diplomats lazily prepare for landing. The Queen exits her personal office and joins the rest of you in the lounge. The hum of the engine muffled intensely by the hull of the ship as it soars above the ocean below. Glancing out the window, you see the endlessness of the ocean reaching the horizon.
This endlessness breaks suddenly as a small spec comes into view on the water surface, the aircraft quickly flying towards it. The sound of the pilots speaking with the air-control of the small station bleeds through the cockpit door. You feel the ship jerk slightly as it begins slowing, decending down to land.
The landing platform grows larger as the full station comes more into view. It looks similar to the old oil rigs you remember from history books around the Warming Wars. This one seems a bit fancier, upgraded and well maintained.
One more Lurch as the shuttle comes down for a landing and you can see a man in a suit holding his posture steadily amidst the windstorm thrown up by the ships engines. The door opens up and you follow the Queen out onto the [[platform|Platform]].
<<set $acesystem to "on">>
<<set $visitfloor1x to false>>The engines die down and you can finally hear clearly again.
"Welcome," the well dressed man announces to you and the other diplomats, sweeping his arms in an over-the-top gesture, "to my humble facility!"
"It is quite the pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vito," the Queen said.
"And even more so for me, Your Majesty," he said, with an illustrious bow. "And please, call me Gary."
Ready to get this deal finished, you ask,
- [["I'm sure you have a presentation prepared for us, Mr. Vito?"|Mr. Vito]]
- [["I'm sure you have a presentation prepared for us, Gary?"|Gary]]
<iframe width="100%" height="480px" src="https://poly.google.com/view/dUDepAbpRDL/embed?chrome=min" frameborder="0" style="border:none;" allowvr="yes" allow="vr; xr; accelerometer; magnetometer; gyroscope; autoplay;" allowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" onmousewheel="" ></iframe>You step into the elevator, closely followed by <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>><<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>><</if>>. You glance around and see no floor buttons.
"Ace, would you mind taking us down one level please" <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> asked the air, looking up to the ceiling of the elevator.
A smooth, calming voice came over the speaker, "Right away, sir."
The floor juttered as you begin moving down.
"My right hand here at the facility," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, "Without Ace, I'm not sure any of this would be possible."
- [["Will he be joining us for the tour?" you ask.|A.C.E.]]
- [[Say nothing|Floor 1]]
"Ah, just a moment, I think I may have forgotten something on the ship," you say, stepping back a bit.
"I would love to get this tour through as soon as possible so we can hopefully work something out," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, insisting you to get in the elevator.
- [["I really do need to make sure I have everything. I'll catch up soon though."|Aircraft 3]]
- [["Alright, if you're gonna insist."|Elevator 1]]“If you’ll follow me,” said <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>, turning on his heel again and walking out into the hallway.
The walls were glass, looking into a series of rooms connected via conveyors, piping, and wires. Mechanical arms, wheels, and servos spun, turned, and twisted assembling a constant flow of product.
“This floor is where everything gets assembled together into the final product,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> announced to the group without stopping or turning, “Our tour covers this and the next floor, where I will show you the outcome of our product.”
- [[Ask about other floors|Floor lists]]
- [[Don't ask anything|Hologram]]“Yes, good, perfect, great” said <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>. He stopped at a point where the hallway bulged into a small circle, “Go ahead and make your way around the wall here.”
You all follow his direction, and a slit in the center of the floor opened to reveal a lens. With a hum, a light is beamed from the lens to the ceiling. It slowly began to take shape into a globe.
“Currently,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> begins, “my company is partnered with...
- [[Zone out his pitch|Zone Out 3]]
- [[Listen intently|Immortality]]“Currently,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> begins, “my company is partnered with a large quantity of countries from around the globe and beyond. I’ve even begun a partnership with the Lunar Colonies. We’re currently researching ways to open easier means of trade. And every country that has opened their borders to me has seen an economic boost unlike any before.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the numbers. The information you sent over was less than detailed. But quite exciting” one of the other diplomats interrupts, “There is just one problem. Our nation is very guarded against taxation. We must be careful in how we do so. After the war, the United West was designed to run with minimal taxation.”
“I am aware of your country’s history; however, I have a rather short rebuttal. Simple, really” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> pauses, waiting for one of you to bite the hook
“And that would be?” the Queen inquires.
<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> gives a toothy grin, “People will give up anything for immortality.”
- [[“Immortality?” you cough.|Listen]]
- [[Daydream about being immortal|Zone Out]]“Well, again as best as I may explain without giving out secrets, there is an exploit in the human genes,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, “See human DNA is capped with a sequence known as a Telomere. It breaks down as you age, and my research has shown it is the primary catalyst for aging.”
“So, you found a way to stop it?” you ask, dollar signs bouncing across your eyes.
“Well, humans can produce an enzyme that reverses the process. However, to activate this production process would require genetic alteration in said human, which, I needn’t remind you all, is illegal internationally, barring even me from doing it here. So instead, I discovered a way to produce an altered form of this enzyme. Just taking the enzyme would hardly do anything, thus the alterations. They boost its potency and allow for it to work. There are also several other benefits with the alterations. I can’t really say more on the specifics. Again, proprietary.”
“Yes, yes, we understand,” the other diplomat says, “you said the next floor would show the product in use. May we see?”
“[[Of course,|Cancer 1]]” says <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> with a grin.
<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> continues speaking as your mind wanders to all the possibilities. How rich you could become if you could live perfectly fine for a thousand years. You think about all the knowledge you may be able to gain, all the discoveries you will get to witness. Your mind goes on and on with dreaming of all the unimaginable things you can accomplish with this.
You're snapped back to reality when you realize <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> has stopped talking. He is looking around at all of your faces, grinning as though he knew you were all [[daydreaming|Floor 2]]."Great, okay, let's go." <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, leading you all towards another elevator at the end of the hallway.
You shuffle in and after a few moments of quiet motion, the door dinged and opened again. <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> leads you into a similar hallway with glass walls on both sides. Rather than machines and conveyors, however, there were a handful of cages containing little furry balls.
“When I said certain things required the finesse of a human touch, this is what I was talking about,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, “When it comes to caring for animals, nothing beats the human hand.”
“What do you do with them?” asked the Queen, resting her palm on the glass.
“I take care of them,” He responded, “Feed them, interact with them, and make sure they take their meds. May I ask, have you ever had a pet hamster, Your Majesty?”
“Once, when I was younger.”
“Then you are aware of their spectacularly short lifespan?”
You respond,
- [["Just under three years, yes?"|Hamster Age]]
- [["About ten years, right?"|Hamster Age 2]]
- [["Somewhere in the thirties, maybe?"|Hamster Age 3]]“Yes, under normal conditions. See, down here, this one is named Louis,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, lifting a plump hamster out from a cage, “and he is just over fifteen years old.”
“He moves as though he were in the prime of his life,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> continued, “The process of repairing the DNA not only leads to immortality but also helps in repairing inflammatory damage and good old wear and tear on the body. If you’ll make your way over to my office at the end of this hall, I have one more example to show you along with all that’s needed to start talking trade to your country.”
You reply,
- [["Yes, let's get this deal finalized"|Office]]
- [["I'm sorry, but I don't think this deal is for us"|Nearly a Deal]]"Alrighty," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, walking towards a nearby doorway, "If you'll just follow me into my office here."
You shuffle into the office, which is small and quiet. There are some photos on the walls and a desk that takes up the majority of the room. <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> sits at the desk and begins piling up paperwork onto the desk.
He looks up and says, "So, this paperwork should cover most of the information and formalities with starting up trade, and for a last little example of proof, go on ahead and take a look at that photo there."
He points to the wall to your left, were there is a photograph set slightly apart from the others.
- [[Look at the photograph|Photograph]]
- [[Retrieve the paperwork from the desk|Successful Deal Ending]]You turn to the wall, and scan the photograph. There is a group of three middle aged individuals in the photo, all on the same platform above that your aircraft is currently landed on.
The small plaque below read: "Dr. Eweman Herbert, Dr. Gary Vito, and Dr. George Roslin"
Below the description read the date of the photograph, which counted eighty two years before.
“And now you see,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, reclining in the chair at the desk, “I have been taking these myself for a long time, and I’m the picture of health. Normally, I’d be dead, at best hunched over, wrinkled, and confined to some home for the dying. Now, a hundred and twenty-six isn’t looking too terrible.”
There is a moment of silence as the reality of this medicines usefulness set in on you all.
"So, do we have a deal?" <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> asks, turning to you.
[["I believe so, Mr. Vito"|Successful Deal Ending]]
[["I do not believe so, Mr. Vito"|No Deal Ending]]You double back to the ship as <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> steps into the elevator and it closes behind him. Once it closes, you stop. Something about <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> was off putting. You don't trust whatever is going on here. You look to the elevator, and then your eyes wander around the platform to an emergency staircase nestled on the side of the main building of the station.
- [[You approach the elevator|Elevator 3]]
- [[You head to the stairs|Stairway]]He smiles a toothy grin and answers, "Better. A tour! Please, follow me!"
And with that he spins on his heals and bounces to the door behind him. Your group follows and all step into an elevator as the doors slide open. Mr. Vito waits just on the outside for each of you until you and him are standing side by side.
"After you," he says, motioning to the door.
- You step into the [[elevator|Elevator 1]]
- You [[stay behind|Stay Behind]]
<<set $gary to false>>He smiles a toothy grin and answers, "Better. A tour! Please, follow me!"
And with that he spins on his heals and bounces to the door behind him. Your group follows and all step into an elevator as the doors slide open. Gary waits just on the outside for each of you until you and him are standing side by side.
"After you," he says, motioning to the door.
- [[You step into the elevator|Elevator 1]]
- [[You stay behind|Stay Behind]]
<<set $gary to true>><<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> gave a two laugh chuckle, "Well, not exactly. Ace isn't a person. It's an acronym: A.C.E. stands for Artificial Control Entity.The short of it is, Ace runs everything that doesn't take the finesse of a human touch."
"It's an A.I.?," the Queen asked, "But how do you manage to get even a Level 3 A.I. to run such a large facility?"
"Ah, that's simple, I don't. Ace is a Level 9."
- [["Well, but that, that isn't legal..." you ask|A.I. legality]]
- [[Leave it be|Floor 1]]“Yes. If I was in any country, it wouldn’t be,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, “But, these are international waters. There’s a slight amount of freedom there that I exploit to make the advancements I have. You have no reason to fear, everything here is perfectly legal. Technically.”
The elevator stops, and you and the group step out onto the [[first floor|Floor 1]]“Well, above us is the landing platform that you all just came from, and one more floor above that which acts as a residence for me,” he responded, “and below us, other than just the next floor, there are about eight more that make up what we call The Farm. I would love to show you; but they are all proprietary and I cannot risk anyone going and copying my system elsewhere to cut into my business. You must understand.”
“Yes,” the Queen retorted, “but if we are going to open business to you in our country, both us and our citizens will want to know what they are taking.”
“Well, I will explain it as best as I can without exposing anything, eh, too revealing,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> replied.
“That will have to do, I guess,” the Queen with a slight sigh.
[[Continue down the hallway|Hologram]]<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> continues along his speech for a while. You see his mouth moving but you've zoned out what he's been saying. You've heard a million and one identicle pitches for deals and don't care for another one.
Eventually he kind of slows to a stop, glancing expectantly around to each of you. After a moment of silence you all snap out of your zones, realizing none of you'd been paying any attention.
<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> looks around and finally speaks, "I see my speech is falling on deaf ears. Perhaps a demonstration of my product would be apt for your attention?"
You say,
- [["Of course, we would love a demonstration."|Floor 2]]
- [["Sir, I apologize, but I don't believe there's a deal here to be made."|No Deal Ending]]"Ah. I see. Well, no need to waste any more time," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, disapointment barely flickers across his face before being covered by his plastic smile again.
<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> guides you all back up to the platform in an uncomfortable and tense silence. You flop back into your seat in the aircraft, the door closing behind you as it raises into the air, taking off from the station and off to the next individual who managed to get a meeting scheduled with you and the other diplomats.
NO DEAL ENDINGThe Queens brow furrowed, "I have some concerns. This is obviously very unnatural, and I am worried for the health complications of such a thing."
You say,
- [["Yes, what are the side effects?"|Cancer 2]]
- [["Ma'am, I'm sure immortality is worth nearly any side effects"|Floor 2]]“Ah, very insightful, Your Majesty,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> begins as he leads them down the hall towards another elevator, “And you have hit the other amazing aspect of our product. You see, one of the issues of the pure unaltered enzyme was a, well, relatively negative side effect. The rapid growth and cells not dying off normally would lead to a bad case of cancer. One of the alterations to the enzymes production solves this by causing the enzyme to recognize cancerous cells from healthy ones. When they recognize cancer cells, the enzyme reverses itself, rapidly breaking down the Telomere, and self-destructing. Short version, it kills the cancer.”
“Are you saying-” the Queen began, “<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>, are you implying that your medicine not only grants immortality, but cures cancer?”
"Precisely," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, breaking into an even wider grin, if [[possible|Floor 2]]."Ah, no," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> replies, "You may have overshot it there a bit. They only make it to about three years. Normally that is. See, down here, this one is named Louis,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, lifting a plump hamster out from a cage, “and he is just over fifteen years old.”
“He moves as though he were in the prime of his life,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> continued, “The process of repairing the DNA not only leads to immortality but also helps in repairing inflammatory damage and good old wear and tear on the body. If you’ll make your way over to my office at the end of this hall, I have one more example to show you along with all that’s needed to start talking trade to your country.”
You reply,
- [["Yes, let's get this deal finalized"|Office]]
- [["I'm sorry, but I don't think this deal is for us"|Nearly a Deal]]Everyone kind of looks at you, silently judging.
"Not even remotely," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> responds, criticism dripping from his voice, "Under normal conditions, they'll make it to about three years. However, not here. See, down here, this one is named Louis,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, lifting a plump hamster out from a cage, “and he is just over fifteen years old.”
“He moves as though he were in the prime of his life,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> continued, “The process of repairing the DNA not only leads to immortality but also helps in repairing inflammatory damage and good old wear and tear on the body. If you’ll make your way over to my office at the end of this hall, I have one more example to show you along with all that’s needed to start talking trade to your country.”
You reply,
- [["Yes, let's get this deal finalized"|Office]]
- [["I'm sorry, but I don't think this deal is for us"|Nearly a Deal]]"Ah. Are you sure?" <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> asks, looking slightly put off and disapointed, "I do have another example I could show you. I'm sure if you just follow me you'll change your mind quite quickly."
- [["Sure, we'll look at your last example, Mr. Vito."|Office]]
- [["Mr. Vito, I apologize, but this isn't a deal for us."|No Deal Ending]]You approach the desk and lump the stack of papers into your arms, carefully pouring them into the briefcase of one of the other diplomats.
"We will be in touch very soon, <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>. I think this will be a wonderful deal for us all." You say as you latch the briefcase closed. You shake hands and proceed out of the office and back to the nearest elevator. You arrive to the platform, the aircrfats door open and the engines slowly starting to warm up.
You board the ship and the door seals behind you. You sit down, the entire group in a daydreamy silence. The possibilities of curing death and being immortal a reality to you all now.
SUCCESSFUL DEAL ENDING<<if $acesystem is "on">>The doors open up and you step in. You look around and don't see any buttons to call the elevator to any floor.
"Hello," a soothing voice comes over a speaker above, "The others are waiting for you on the first lower floor."
As the voice says this, the elevator begins decending, and the doors slide open. You see the rest of the group as well as <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> standing around a holographic projection of earth as he gives a speech.
He doesn't seem to notice you quite yet.
- [[You approach the group|Immortality]]
- [[Attempt to hide|Hide]]
<</if>>
<<if $acesystem is "off">>The door does not open. There does not seem to be the familiar sound of mechanics moving an elevator around. It seems to be turned off.
- [[Head back to the stairway|Stairway]]
<</if>>You approach the stairway, an old rusting metal staircase that seems nearly useless with disuse. You test the first platform with your foot and it seems to hold your weight. There are two staircases, one going up, and one down. You glance and see that there is only one floor above, while there are ten below.
- [[Head up the stairway|Upstairs]]
- [[Head down the stairway|Downstairs 1]]
- [[Return to the elevator|Elevator 3]]You attempt to press yourself agains the wall, out of sight of the group. You wait several minutes before hearing the group gather into the elevator at the other end of the hallway and the ding as its doors close.
"I must demand that you rejoin the group immediately," the voice over the speaker pipes up again.
The lights in the hallway dim out and the elevator door at the other end of the hallway opens up.
- [[You enter the elevator|Elevator 4]]
- [[You attempt to stay hiding|Hide 2]]The elevator opens on the floor below and you walk into a similar hallway with glass walls on both sides. Rather than machines and conveyors, however, there were a handful of cages containing little furry balls.
“Ah, welcome back to the group. Glad you could join us. Now, back to the tour, when I said certain things required the finesse of a human touch, this is what I was talking about,” <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> said, “When it comes to caring for animals, nothing beats the human hand.”
“What do you do with them?” asked the Queen, resting her palm on the glass.
“I take care of them,” He responded, “Feed them, interact with them, and make sure they take their meds. May I ask, have you ever had a pet hamster, Your Majesty?”
“Once, when I was younger.”
“Then you are aware of their spectacularly short lifespan?”
You respond,
- [["Just under three years, yes?"|Hamster Age]]
- [["About ten years, right?"|Hamster Age 2]]
- [["Somewhere in the thirties, maybe?"|Hamster Age 3]]"You must join the others now," the voice demands again.
- [[Continue hiding|Hide 3]]
- [[Enter the elevator|Elevator 4]]"You must join the others now," the voice demands again.
- [[Continue hiding|Hide 4]]
- [[Enter the elevator|Elevator 4]]"You must join the others now," the voice demands again.
- [[Continue hiding|Hide 5]]
- [[Enter the elevator|Elevator 4]]"You must join the others now," the voice demands again.
- [[Continue hiding|Hide 6]]
- [[Enter the elevator|Elevator 4]]The lights of the hallway come back on to full brightness and the elevator door at the end of the hallway closes. The voice does not repeat itself over the speaker and for a moment you are alone in the silent hallway.
As you step out to look around, the elevator door at the end of the hallway opens up and the group exits, led by <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>.
"Ah, there you are," he says, his eyes locking onto you, "I was worried you'd gotten lost. Well, you'll be happy to know the deal has been made and I am looking forward to trading with you all."
His voice was upbeat and happy, but his eyes were scanning you as though he was trying to read your mind.
- [["Oh great, glad you all were able to work out the deal without me then"|Uncomfortable Deal Ending]]
- [["I'm sorry, I'm not sure myself about everything going on here"|Questioning]]<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> leads you all back to the nearest elevator. You arrive to the platform, the aircrfats door open and the engines slowly starting to warm up.
You board the ship and the door seals behind you. You sit down, the entire group in a daydreamy silence. The possibilities of curing death and being immortal a reality to you all now.
UNCOMFORTABLE DEAL ENDING"Everything here is perfectly legal, perfectly healthy, and perfectly safe," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> retorts, "Now, I am rather uncomfortable with someone snooping around my facility all on their own trying to find out how I create my products."
The groups eyes glance between you and <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>, the accusation hanging in the air.
"Now," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> began, "You can either accept the deal as is, or leave and forget everything."
- [["You're right, I'm in the fault here. I shouldn't ahve snooped around. I trust my fellow diplomats here and I'm sure the deal you all have struck is fair and good for us all."|Uncomfortable Deal Ending]]
- [["I think it's best if we forget everything. Including any deal struck here. I don't trust what's going on here Mr. Vito."|Caught Snooping Ending]]<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> looks at you with narrowed and angered eyes, "Then I will go ahead and escort you all from my station. Thank you for the consideration and I am sorry that things worked out like this. It is rather too bad."
He leads the group up to the platform, staying at the back to make sure none of you slip from the group and keeping a sharp eye on your back.
You all climb into the aircraft under his watch and take off, an uncomfortable silence between you and your fellow diplomats.
CAUGHT SNOOPING ENDINGYou carefully head up the rusting and worn out stairway. At the top, there is a rusty looking doorway.
- [[Try to open the door|Upstairs room]]
- [[Head down the stairway|Stairway]]There is a door on this landing, however it is heavy and the outside has a manual gear to release it.
- <<if $visitfloor1x is true>>[[Enter the door|Floor 1x2]]<<else>>[[Attempt to open the door|Floor 1 x]]<</if>>
- [[Head up the stairway|Stairway]]
- [[Head down the stairway|Downstairs 2]]You stop on the second landing. It is clear there once was a door here, however it has since been rebuilt and covered over, blocking the doorway.
- [[Head up the stairway|Downstairs 1]]
- [[Head down the stairway|Downstairs 3]]You stop on this platform and see that the following stairs while still there are so riddled with rust and holes you couldn't dare to trust it. There is a keypad
- [[Head up the stairway|Downstairs 2]]
<<if $acesystem is "off">>- <<if $elevatorcode is true>>[[Enter Code|Farm]]<<else>><</if>><</if>>
<<if $acesystem is "on">>- [[Enter Code|Ace on door]]<</if>>You pull on the handle and it doesn't budge. You hit the handle a bit harder and the rust crumbles, the handle turning easily. You enter into a brightly lit room.
After a moment your eyes adjust and you see what looks like the common room of a house, with a table and a couch and a large <span class="no">[[hologram|password note]]</span> projector. Off to the side is a kitchen and oposite that is an open doorway to what you'd assume to be the bedroom.
'This must be where <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> lives,' you think to yourself, 'seems a bit lonely though.'
- [[Enter Kitchen|Kitchen]]
- [[Enter Bedroom|Bedroom]]
- [[Go back out and down the stairs|Stairway]]You enter the kitchen. Looking around it seems small and mostly normal. Everything was incredibly clean and you see there is only one set of all the utensils. <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> did not get guests here very often.
- [[Go back to main room|Upstairs room]]
- [[Head to bedroom|Bedroom]]You enter the bedroom. It is very clean with the bed made very tightly. There is a modem in the corner of the room with dialogue running off the screen incredibly quickly.
- [[Head back to the main room|Upstairs room]]
- [[Approach the modem|Modem]]<<set $answer to ''>>\
<<textbox '$answer' '' autofocus>>
<span id='textbox-reply'></span>
<span id='textbox-submit'>\
<<button 'Submit'>>
<<set $answer to $answer.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\s\s+/g, ' ')>>
/% trim() removes leading and trailing whitespace, toLowerCase() convert to lower case, replace turns multiple spaces between words into single spaces. you may want to omit some or all of these methods. %/
<<if $answer is 'aceoff'>>
<<set $acesystem to "off">>
<<replace '#textbox-reply'>>\
ACE:input Accepted. ACE System OFF.
<</replace>>
<<replace '#textbox-submit'>>\
[[Bedroom]]\
<</replace>>
<<run $('#textbox-answer').attr('readonly', 'true');>>
/% prevent the textbox from being edited any further %/
<<elseif $answer is 'aceon'>>
<<set $acesystem to "on">>
<<replace '#textbox-reply'>>\
ACE:input Accepted. ACE System On.
<</replace>>
<<replace '#textbox-submit'>>\
[[Bedroom]]\
<</replace>>
<<run $('#textbox-answer').attr('readonly', 'true');>>
/% prevent the textbox from being edited any further %/
<<else>>
<<replace '#textbox-reply'>>\
Error. Not valid aceinput Command.\
<</replace>>
<</if>>
<</button>>\
</span><<if $acesystem is "on">>The gear turns, and you step into a hallway. There are glass walls on each side of the hallway with machines moving about assembling things behind them.
You see your group ahead of you being given a speech by <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>
He doesn't seem to notice you quite yet.
- [[You approach the group|Immortality]]
- [[Attempt to hide|Hide]]
<</if>>
<<if $acesystem is "off">>The gear turns, and you step into a hallway. There are glass walls on each side of the hallway with machines moving about assembling things behind them.
You see your group ahead of you being given a speech by <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>
He doesn't seem to notice you quite yet.
- [[You approach the group|Immortality]]
- [[Attempt to hide|Hide x]]
<</if>>
<<set $visitfloor1x to true>>You attempt to press yourself agains the wall, out of sight of the group. You wait several minutes before hearing the group head towards the elevator at the end of the hallway.
After a moment of silence, you hear <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>, "Huh. That's strange. Something must be causing an error in Ace. No worries though. Just gotta put in the manual override and get us moving along again."
- [[Stay Hidden|Hide x2]]
- [[Attempt to see code|Code1]]You hide again and wait a few more minutes. finally hear the elevator door close and ding as the group heads down to the next lower floor. You approach the elevator and see a small keypad next to the door.
- <<if $elevatorcode is true>>[[Enter Code|Elevator Active]]<<else>>[[Enter Random Code|Hide x3]]<</if>>
- [[Exit Geared Doorway|Downstairs 1]]You lean out and from your vantage point can make out the code input by <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>: <<random(1000, 9999)>>.<<set $elevatorcode to true>>
- [[Hide again|Hide x2]]The door does not open, and the screen erases your input.
- <<if $elevatorcode is true>>[[Enter Code|Elevator Active]]<<else>>[[Enter Random Code|Hide x3]]<</if>>
- [[Exit Geared Doorway|Downstairs 1]]The screen takes a moment to process your input before lighting up and the door opens. You are given two options on screen:
- [[Lower Floor 2|Floor 2 x]]
- [[Farm|Farm]]<<set $elevatorcode to true>>
You approach the hologram and see a small notecard with a series of numbers on it. You pocket this for later, in case it may help you.
- [[Look around the room again|Upstairs room]]You select Lower Floor 2 and step into the elevator. The dim light above you has turned a mild red before being drowned by the light from the door opening.
Similar to the first floor, you step into a hallway with glass on both sides. Behind these glass walls are a bunch of what look like hamsters. You hear the sound of voices coming from an office door down the hallway. They must be discussing the deal.
- [[Enter the office|Office x]]
- [[Return to the elevator|Elevator x3]]You exit the door, and take a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. You stepp out onto some grated catwalks between bubbling tanks that sit in row after row, stacked what appears to be eight floors high.
Tubes led from ports on the walls and ceiling to the tanks, hanging like vines around the room.
There's something inside these tanks, but the glass is to opaque to see clearly through the slimey goo whatever is inside is suspended in.
- [[Leave quickly through the stairwell doorway|Downstairs 3]]
- [[Investigate one of the tanks|Tanks]]You enter the office and the entire group looks up at you.
"Ah, you've joined us. ACE must be up and running again then to get you down here," <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> says, "Well, you may have missed the entirety of my tour, but we are just now preparing to finalize the deal if you want to have your say?"
- [["Well, I think it wouldn't be awful to open up trade with you"|Successful Deal Ending]]
- <<if $humanknowledge is true>>[["What the hell is wrong with you! I saw your farm. You're growing and farming //people// down there! There's no way we make a deal!"|Human Farm Ending]]<<else>>[["I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must advise against us making this deal"|No Deal Ending]]<</if>>The screen takes a moment to process your input before lighting up and the door opens. You are given two options on the screen:
- [[Lower Floor 1|Floor 1x2]]
- [[Farm|Farm]]You reenter the first lower floor. It is mostly silent, with the only noise being the slight whirring of machines behind the glass walls.
- [[Exit the door|Downstairs 1]]
- <<if $elevatorcode is true>>[[Enter Elevator|Elevator Active]]<<else>>[[Enter Random Elevator Code|Hide x3]]<</if>>The buttons give a negative buzz every time you enter a number. You finish the code and nothing happens.
- [[Head back up the stairway|Downstairs 2]]You press your face against the glass and cup your hands around your eyes trying to see. You can't make out anything definite, but you are more sure than ever there is something inside the tank.
You look over and see a keypad on the side of the tank with information being displayed on a small screen.
- [[Enter Code|Tank Code]]
- [[Read Information|Information]]You enter the code into the tanks keypad and step back as the hissing of hydrolics moving around alarms you. You can hear the sound of slime-like fluid being pumped out of the tank.
The glass front of the tank slips down a bit before sliding over inside the metal casing of the tank. The silhouette shape inside the tank stays omminously in a small cloud of fog, before flopping down onto the ground in front of you.
You stare down at what looks like an incredibly deformed and starved almost-human creature.
- [[Run for your life|Dead Ending]]You peer closely at the small information plate:
//"Specimen: 017
DNA Sample: **Delivered By: Dr. Garvin Sime**
**Taken From: Bobby Patton
Location: Roslin, USA
Status: STABLE
Heartbeat: Average
Telomerase Production: Below Prime Quality - Needs to Be Purified
Action: Not Needed"//
- [[Enter Code|Tank Code]]
- [[Run for the stairwell doorway|Downstairs 3]]
- [[Run for the elevator|Elevator x4]]
<<set $humanknowledge to true>>The screen takes a moment to process your input before lighting up and the door opens. You are given two options on the screen:
- [[Lower Floor 1|Floor 1x2]]
- [[Lower Floor 2|Floor 2 x]]<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> looks shocked for a moment as everyone else turns to look at him.
"Well," he begins, "It is technically not illegal, since they are grown from tubes it's tough to classify them as people, so, technically not genetically modifying or farming people."
Everyone elses faces look more horrified at every word until they all slowly back out of the office.
"<<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>>," the queen begins, "I do think we will be leaving now."
You all carefully make your way up to the platform using the stairway, making sure <<if $gary is true>>Gary<<else>>Mr. Vito<</if>> didn't come anywhere near any of you. You climb into the aircraft, seal the door, and let out a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding.
Everyone is looking around at each other as if to confirm that just happened. You explain everything you found on the flight to the next scheduled meeting.
HUMAN FARM ENDINGYou immediately turn to run towards the door, but feel something slimey and terribly strong wrap around your ankle. You fall face first onto the metal grate and feel it gash into your skin.
You turn and look at what is now standing over you.
Its eyes peel open, the emerald green beads locking onto your eyes.
Its lips separated, as it’s breathing strained.
One of it's hands wrapped around your ankle.
It's raspy, shallow voice.
A bloodcurdling cry.
YOU DIED ENDING