The year is 2083. Earth has become a planet of poverty, while the rich have evacuated to the moon. The middle-class have slowly begun to evacuate to Mars, where a new colony is emerging for those that can afford it.
You have finally managed to afford this new opportunity.
As you pack your things from your shack on the outskirts of what used to be LA, you journey to the [[launch site.->The Wait]]
(set: $readBook1 to false)
(set: $readBook to false)
(set: $liftedBook to false)
(set: $Real to false)
(set: $Hallucination to false)
(set: $Dream to false)
The launch site is plain, although relatively clean compared to most places you've seen throughout your life. You enter the building and give your life savings to the automated machine, which prints you a paper ticket. You [[wait->The launch]] in a rather large snaked line. The line is filled with mostly middle-aged people, quietly waiting for their turn to leave. After some time, you near the front. A window shows the side of the rocket, a large dark grey ship, worn from multiple trips. Hanging from the ceiling are two automated sentry turrets above the doorway, keeping the people entering honest.
(live: 6s)[
As you approach the front, there is a large desk, with a ticket reader and a thick large book.]
(live:8s)[
You haven't seen a book so pristine in a long time.]
(live:10s)[
The line moves consistently as people scan their ticket and enter the boarding hallway.]
(live:12s)[
[[Examine the book.->The Book]]]
As you reach the front of the line, the book sits right in front of you. You notice it is bound by 3 rings through the spine, keeping the pages together. Closed already, the cover reads in large print:
(live: 5s)[
''The Space Travel Manual''
//and Other Information//
A thin layer of dust rests on top.
]
(live: 7s)[
[[Flip to a Random Page.->Random Page]]
[[Take Book.->Stealing is Immoral]]
[[Scan Ticket.->Scan Ticket]]]
(set: $liftedBook to false)
(set: $readBook to false)
(set: $readBook1 to false)You open the book to a random page, stating the emergency protocol if the ship is to crash land on a planet.
(live: 2s)[
//"In the event that you do not die on impact and the ship still has power, emergency lights will guide you to the exit. In a similar way, these lights will also direct you to the nearest available escape pod if an event is to occur while the ship is in transit."//]
(live: 6s)[
The claim then goes on, discussing how and why the company is free from liability in the event of an accident. You sigh.]
(live: 8s)[
You're interrupted by the person behind you suggestively clearing their throat.]
(live: 10s)[
You turn and realize the entire line is looking at you impatiently.]
(set: $readBook1 to false)
(set: $readBook to true)
(live: 12s)[
[[Read another page.->Random Page 2]]
[[Scan ticket.->Scan Ticket]]
[[Take Book.->Stealing is Immoral]]
]As you lift up the book off the table, the two automated sentries immediately flicker to life, both now centering their targeting lasers in the middle of your chest.
The line behind you watches nervously, and the people closest to you seem to take a few steps back.
It seems this book is supposed to be available to all passengers.
(set: $liftedBook to true)
(t8n-depart:"fade-down")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")[[Returning Book->Set the book down.]](if:$readBook1 is true)[You insert the ticket into the machine, which seems to satsify the beeping and the voice (along with the line behind you), as the room returns to its quiet state. The machine seems to be doing something, as it makes many motorized sounds. After a few moments, the machine spits out a red ID card.]
(if:$readBook1 is false)[You insert the ticket into the machine, which seems to be doing something, as it makes many motorized sounds. After a few moments, the machine spits out an ID card.]
(live:3s)[After taking the ID card, you walk underneath the two hanging turrets and enter the bridge attaching to the ship.]
(live:5s)[[[Enter the ship.->Entering Ship]]]Slowly and in view of the turrets, you set the book down gently back on the table. The turrets however are still not convinced, and continue to track you. Cautiously, you feed your ticket into the reader.
(live:3)[The machine takes a moment to process it, and then spits back out a red ID card. Carefully, you pick up the ID card and walk to the bridge connecting to the ship.]
(live:5s)[
[[Enter the ship.->Entering Ship]]]As you continue down the bridge, you see a large opened hatch, the entrance to the shuttle. Big enough to walk through without needing to duck, you enter the ship.
(live:3s)[Inside, there is an open hallway with various rooms, along with green lights along the floor that seem to point in the direction you are supposed to go. ]
(live:5s)[
As you continue down the hallway, you notice carts with various bags and containers line the sides of the hallway. It seems this is where you are supposed to leave your luggage. You set your bag down neatly, and continue following the green lights.]
(live:8s)[The lights lead you to a staircase that goes up and down. The wall with the staircase leading up is labeled with the words "''Navigation and System Control''". On the wall leading downward, you read "''CryoSleep Chambers''". You follow the lights, leading you downstairs.
[[Continue.->Enter CryoSleep]]]To literally everyone's dismay, you decide to continue flipping through the book.
(live:1s)[You turn to a page with the heading:]
(live:3s)[
''CryoSleep and You'']
(live:5s)[You continue to read...
]
(live:7s)["Cryosleep enables our passengers to effortlessly travel to their location, without the hastle of waiting many years. Possible side effects of entering cryosleep include:
Nausea
Vertigo
Auditory hallucinations
Frostburn
Visual hallucinations
Muscle atrophy
Multi-year-long dreams (depending on the length of the trip)
Death
... "]
(live:10s)[The list continues. You are cut off, as the ticket scanner is now beeping loudly, repeating "//Enter your ticket. Enter your ticket. Enter your ticket.//" The crowd behind you seems to be just as displeased, as you begin to hear many grumble to each other about the wait. You decide its time to stop reading.
(set: $readBook1 to true)
[[Scan ticket.->Scan Ticket]]
[[Take the book.->Stealing is Immoral]]]
As you reach the bottom of the staircase, you continue to follow the lights down a long hallway. The doors you pass are already closed, and glancing inside the window on the doors, you see rows and rows of pods.
(live:4s)[Towards the end of the hallway, you see one open door, which the lights are leading you to. As you enter through the door, you see that this room contains roughly 40 pods with glass tops, most of which have people already inside. The lights on the ground direct you to a specific pod towards the center of the room. As you stand in front of it, a screen on the pod turns on.]
(live:8s)[The screen prompts you to scan your ID card.]
(if:$liftedBook is false)[(live:9s)[[[Scan ID card.->Enter CryoSleep 2]]]]
(if:$liftedBook is true)[(live:9s)[[[Scan ID card.->Enter CryoSleep 2 LB]]]]
You swipe your card, and the screen brings up some generic personal information that you gave during registration. After a few moments, the pod's top pops open and the screen instructs you to get in.
(live:4s)[You step inside and lie down. As you make yourself comfortable, the glass door of the pod begins to close. When it is completely closed, a projected display comes onto the glass instructing you to breathe normally and stay as relaxed as possible. After a few moments, the screen instructs you to close your eyes.]
(live:8s)[As you close your eyes, you hear the quiet sound of gas enter the pod. Before you get the chance to think about it, you have already drifted off to sleep.]
(live:10s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[Continue.->Awake]]]
You swipe your card, and the screen brings up some generic personal information that you gave during registration. At the end however, you notice a photo of you holding a book. It seems this photo was taken a few mintues ago and, judging by the perspective, by one of the sentry turrets. Below the photo, a tag in red writting reads "(text-colour:red)[Potential Thief]". As you think to yourself that seems a little uncalled for, the pod's top pops open and the screen instructs you to get in.
(live:7s)[You step inside and lie down. As you make yourself comfortable, the glass door of the pod begins to close. When it is completely closed, a projected display comes onto the glass instructing you to breathe normally and stay as relaxed as possible. After a few moments, the screen instructs you to close your eyes.]
(live:10s)[As you close your eyes, you hear the quiet sound of gas enter the pod. Before you get the chance to think about it, you have already drifted off to sleep.]
(live:11s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[Continue.->Awake]]]
You slowly drift back into consciousness.
(live:2s)[With a massive headache.]
(live:3s)[As you slowly become more and more cognizant, you realize the projected screen on the glass pod door is flashing red. ]
(live:6s)[After blinking a few times, your vision gains focus and you read the following message:]
(live:8s)[(text-colour:red)[''POWER SURGE DETECTED.
LOCATION: 30.265 MILLION MILES FROM DESTINATION.
EXIT THE POD AND AWAIT INSTRUCTION FROM ONBOARD TECHNICIAN.'']]
(live:10s)[Something is off. This doesn't feel real. You push on the pod door, and it pops open and slides gently out of your way.]
(live:12s)[(t8n-time:0.8s)[[Sit up.->Get Up]]]
As you sit up, you realize that the brightly lit room you were in when you first boarded the ship is now almost pitch black, with the exception of a few dimly lit and flickering lights along the wall. As you look a little closer at your surrounding you realize that the glass doors on most of the surrounding pods are //broken.// Something feels wrong.
(live:4s)[This is when you notice the smell of blood.
Something is definitely wrong. As fear begins to take over, you look closer at the broken pods.
The glass is smeared with blood, but the inside of the pod is empty. ]
(live:7s)[What is happening? Why is this happening? What do I do?]
(live:9s)[(if:$readBook1 is false)[(t8n-depart:"blur")[[Think.->Think No Book]]]
(if:$readBook1 is true)[(t8n-depart:"blur")[[Think.->Think Yes Book]]]]
(set: $Real to false)
(set: $Hallucination to false)
(set: $Dream to false)
Okay, stay calm. There must be an explanation for this. You take a moment to think about everything you know about space travel. You've never heard of people dying on these trips.
(live:4s)[After a few moments, you recall a story of a trip to Mars that never reached its destination being on the news many years ago. You struggle to remember why. Something about a fuel leak? Regardless, you've never heard of anything like this before.]
(live:8s)[Before you get the chance to think about much else, you hear something from outside the room's door. Is it a buzz? More like a quiet hum... like the sound of a worn out light. It seems to be getting louder.]
(live:12s)[
[[Investigate. ->Investigate Noise]]
[[Hide.->Hide]]]
(set: $Real to true)(if:(history: where it is "Death 1")'s length is 1)[Carefully, you step down from the pod. You notice to your surprise, there is no broken glass on the floor. Even though it's a bit hard to see with the poor lighting, it also seems like the blood covering the floor around most of the pods is dried. You notice a large number of dried shoe prints in the blood, leading in and out of the room. (if:$Real is true)[What happened here? How long ago did it happen? ]You've yet to see a pod with a person still inside it.
As you make your way to the doorway, you realize the door is already open. You poke your head out, and that's when you see the cause of the noise.
The lights at the end of the hallway towards the stairs seem to be flickering, and then turning off entirely.The darkness at the end of the hallway grows closer to you. As the darkness gets closer, the lights by the staircase flicker back to life, giving off their tired glow.
You can't actually see what it is but...it's //coming towards you. //
[[Hide.->Hide]]
(if:$Dream is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 1]]
(if:$Hallucination is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 2]]]
(elseif:(history: where it is "Death 2")'s length is 1)[Carefully, you step down from the pod. You notice to your surprise, there is no broken glass on the floor. Even though it's a bit hard to see with the poor lighting, it also seems like the blood covering the floor around most of the pods is dried. You notice a large number of dried shoe prints in the blood, leading in and out of the room. (if:$Real is true)[What happened here? How long ago did it happen? ]You've yet to see a pod with a person still inside it.
As you make your way to the doorway, you realize the door is already open. You poke your head out, and that's when you see the cause of the noise.
The lights at the end of the hallway towards the stairs seem to be flickering, and then turning off entirely.The darkness at the end of the hallway grows closer to you. As the darkness gets closer, the lights by the staircase flicker back to life, giving off their tired glow.
You can't actually see what it is but... it's //coming towards you. //
[[Hide.->Hide]]
(if:$Dream is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 1]]
(if:$Hallucination is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 2]]]
(else:)[Carefully, you step down from the pod. You notice to your surprise, there is no broken glass on the floor. Even though it's a bit hard to see with the poor lighting, it also seems like the blood covering the floor around most of the pods is dried. You notice a large number of dried shoe prints in the blood, leading in and out of the room. (if:$Real is true)[What happened here? How long ago did it happen? ]You've yet to see a pod with a person still inside it.
(live:15s)[
As you make your way to the doorway, you realize the door is already open. You poke your head out, and that's when you see the cause of the noise.]
(live:18s)[
The lights at the end of the hallway towards the stairs seem to be flickering, and then turning off entirely.The darkness at the end of the hallway grows closer to you. As the darkness gets closer, the lights by the staircase flicker back to life, giving off their tired glow. ]
(live:23s)[
You can't actually see what it is but...](live:26s)[ it's //coming towards you. //]
(live:27s)[
[[[Hide.->Hide]]
(if:$Dream is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 1]]]
(if:$Hallucination is true)[[Face your fear.->Death 2]]]]
Okay, stay calm. There must be an explanation for this. You take a moment to think about everything you know about space travel. Something feels off.
(live:4s)[After a few moments, you remember that book on the table before you got on the ship. What was it called? The Space Handbook? Something along those lines. After some time, you recollect the page about CryoSleep. You remember the warning of hallucinations. You even recall a section describing the possibility of multi-year long dreams. This can't be real. Is this happening, or is this just a symptom of CryoSleep? What are the odds this is really happening? The only thing you're sure of is that the shuttle company is not at legal fault here.]
(live:9s)[
What do you think this is?
[[This is a hallucination.->Hallucination]]
[[This is a dream.->Dream]]
[[This is real.->Real]]]
Whatever it is that's going on, you have no interest in being apart of it. As the hum grows louder and louder, you quickly move back into the room.
(live:4)[You move to the furthest corner from the door, and crouch below a broken pod. The smell of blood is somehow even stronger back here.]
(live:10s)[After a few moments, the lights by the door begin to flicker, then turn off.](live:13s)[ The hum is much louder now.](live:17s)[ The darkness moves towards the center of the room...](live:20s)[ Towards your pod.]
(live:22s)[As it reaches the pod, the lights behind it flickers back to life. With the lights behind it back on, you see an outlined darkness. It almost holds the shape of a person, but the edges are...soft and moving. No light passes through it. It stands in front of the pod, which still has a flashing red light. After a moment, the head (or at least the highest region of darkness) shifts.]
(live:28s)[And then it starts moving](live:29s)[.](live:29.5s)[.](live:30s)[.](live:30.5s)[ Towards you.]
(live:33s)[[[Duck behind the pod.->Duck]]]
You quickly move beneath the pod, but it seems like it's too late. The hum grows louder. The lights begin to flicker, and then they're off. You sit in complete darkness. The hum is //deafening//.(live:8s)[Your heart is pounding.]
(live:12s)[And then a loud clash comes from somewhere upstairs. You think you even hear a voice right after it. The hum stops growing](live:15s)[.](live:15.5s)[.](live:16s)[.](live:17s)[ and then the sound begins to fade. The lights around you flicker back to life.]
(live:20s)[It seems it is just as curious about the noise as you are.]
(live:22s)[When the hum dies down again, you finally look over the top of the pod.]
(live:24s)[It's gone.]
(live:26s)[
[[Get up.->Duck 2]]
]There is no way this can be real. You take a breath and think logically. You have never heard of anything like this happening, and space travel has been happening for over a century now. If this was real, there would be evidence. This is just a symptom of CryoSleep. You take another breath. The only thing to be afraid of is my senses, they are the only danger to me.
(live:5s)[Before you get the chance to think about much else, you hear something from outside the room's door. Is it a buzz? More like a quiet hum... like the sound of a worn out light. It seems to be getting louder.]
(set: $Hallucination to true)
(live:8s)[
[[Investigate. ->Investigate Noise]]
[[Hide.->Hide]]
]
There is no way this can be real. You take a breath and think logically. You have never heard of anything like this happening, and space travel has been happening for over a century now. If this was real, there would be evidence. This is just a symptom of CryoSleep. I am lying in this pod still, I am asleep. This is my subconscious getting bored and playing games with me.
(live:4s)[Before you get the chance to think about much else, you hear something from outside the room's door. Is it a buzz? More like a quiet hum... like the sound of a worn out light. It seems to be getting louder.]
(set: $Dream to true)
(live:7s)[
[[Investigate. ->Investigate Noise]]
[[Hide.->Hide]]
]As crazy as this all is, you aren't convinced this is a hallucination or a dream. This is //real//. And you won't face the same fate those around you have faced.
(live:3s)[Before you get the chance to think about much else, you hear something from outside the room's door. Is it a buzz? More like a quiet hum... like the sound of a worn out light. It seems to be getting louder.]
(set: $Real to true)
(live:6s)[
[[Investigate. ->Investigate Noise]]
[[Hide.->Hide]]
]
You decide this is a dream you want to wake up from. You aren't going to let your mind play tricks on you. You walk out into the center of the hallway, calm and collected. The darkness approaches, the hum grows louder and louder.
(live:8s)[Soon the lights around you are off, and you're standing in darkness. The hum is deafening. Even if this isn't real, the fear you feel is still overwhelming.]
(live:14s)[Suddenly you feel your arm...](live:16s)[burn. You try to pull back, but it doesn't seem to budge. Dream or not, the pain you feel is very real. Quickly the feeling takes over your entire body. You scream, but you quickly realize you can only hear the hum.]
(live:23s)[And then you feel nothing.]
(live:25s)[You are surrounded by darkness. There is no ground, no feeling, no self. The only thing left that is indistinguishable is a hum, and after enough time you can't even tell if its still there.]
(live:29s)[This is all that's left for you. You can't tell if this is still a dream or if this is death. It will be many years before you would find out, if you ever found out. This is all that's left for you now.]
(live:34s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")[[Play again (from the hallway).->Investigate Noise]]]You decide that you won't let your senses get the best of you. Logic tells you that what's really coming towards you is the onboard technician, showing up to help you with your pod, and you won't be convinced otherwise. You aren't going to let your mind torture you. You walk out into the center of the hallway, calm and collected. The darkness approaches, the hum grows louder and louder. You call out to the darkness, "Hello, I think I'm experiencing hallucinations as a symptom of CryoSleep. Can you help me?"
(live:15s)[Soon the lights around you are off, and you're standing in darkness. It doesn't respond. That's pretty rude. The hum is deafening. Suddenly you think you might've made a grave mistake.]
(live:20s)[Suddenly you feel your arm...](live:22s)[burn. You try to pull back, but it doesn't seem to budge. The pain is excruciating. Is this another symptom? What's happening? Quickly the feeling takes over your entire body. You scream, but you quickly realize you can't even hear yourself over the hum.]
(live:27s)[And then you feel nothing.]
(live:28s)[You are surrounded by darkness. There is no ground, no feeling, no self. The only thing left that is indistinguishable is a hum, and after enough time you can't even tell if it is still going.]
(live:32s)[This is all thats left for you now.]
(live:34s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")[[Play again (from the hallway).->Investigate Noise]]]As the hum fades to a barely audible level, you get up. You move back to the doorway of the room and it is clear that whatever that thing is, it has moved upstairs. You begin to venture out of the hallway and look around, trying to get a better idea of your surroundings.
(live:4s)[Entering the hallway you see that all the other doors of the pod rooms are open. Glancing into a few of the rooms, from what you can tell all the pod doors are either broken or opened. Cautiously, you make your way down the hallway, paying close attention to the hum.]
(live:8s)[Suddenly, you hear something from the floor above you. It's... someone yelling. They're cursing about something but you can't figure out what they're saying. After a few moments, you hear the person scream.]
(live:12s)[And then the noise just cuts off. Now there's nothing but the hum, and now it's growing louder.]
(live:14s)[[[Hide in the left room.->Hide 2]]
[[Hide in the right room.->Hide 2]]]Quickly, you enter the room. It seems to be identical to the one you came from, roughly 40 pods spaced equally throughout the room. All either broken or open. Dried blood everywhere. As the hum grows louder and louder, you move towards the back of the room and duck beneath a pod. This time you don't bother looking over the edge and rely on sound alone.
(live:5s)[The hum grows louder, and then eventually quieter. It seems it has passed you. Carefully and quietly, you stand and peak out into the hallway.
It seemed to have gone into the room your pod was in at the other end of the hallway. It's looking for you.]
(live:10s)[With the darkness now at the other end of the hallway, nothing stand inbetween you and the staircase.]
(live:12s)[[[Go Upstairs.->Level 2]]]As you're about to leave the room, you notice an ID card on the ground, only this one seems to be blue. Without another thought, you pick it up. As carefully as possible, you walk into the hallway and begin climbing the stairs. The hum gets quieter as you ascend, which seems to be a good sign.
When you reach the next floor, you notice there seems to be much less blood, although many bloody footprints cover the staircase steps and throughout this floor's hallway. This is the hallway you first walked down when you entered the ship. The staircase leading to the next floor is labelled: "''Navigation and System Control''".
(live:8s)[You begin to realize the scream you heard came from this floor.]
(live:10s)[[[Walk down the hallway.->F2 Hallway walk]]
[[Go upstairs.->Go F3]]]
(set: $keycard to false)
You decide whatever happened here, it's worth figuring out. Cautiously, you move down the hallway. All the doors in this hallway are closed, most of which are unlabelled and don't have windows. As you find yourself about a halfway through the hallway, you notice that you feel...warm.
(live:9s)[This is when you notice that the ground is... steaming?
]
(live:11s)[And then you look down.
]
(live:12.5s)[You're standing in a pool of what seems to be steaming blood.
]
(live:14s)[Horrified, you take a step back. What is this? Is this... Is this what's left of the person that screamed? It suddenly makes sense why all the blood is dried, it's not drying over a long period of time, that //thing// is nearly boiling these people.
]
(live:19s)[Then you notice an ID card on the floor, right in front of the door below an ID card reader. Picking it up, this one seems to be green. Was he trying to get into this room?]
(set: $keycard to true)
(live:23s)[
[[Scan your ID card.->Bad Scan]]
[[Scan the blue ID card.->Bad Scan]]
[[Scan the green ID card.->Bad Scan]]
[[Leave.->Leave No Scan]]
](if:$keycard is false)[You decide whatever fate that person met, you won't make the same mistake. As you move to the highest part of the ship, you notice the hum is so quiet you can hardly notice it.](if:$keycard is true)[Quickly, you move up to the highest part of the ship. The hum remains about the same volume, meaning it too has gone up the stairs.
](live:6s)[While its just as dark up here as downstairs, from what you can tell this floor doesn't seem to have a large hallway and there only seems to be one large door at its end. This must be the systems control room.]
(live:11s)[You approach the closed door and peer inside the window. You see a couple of displays on, but no signs of life inside. These ships are mostly automated anyways, so this isn't much of a surprise. There must be something on how to get off the ship in there.]
(set: $decEmer to true)
(live:14s)[[[Scan your ID card.->Scan Your ID]]
[[Scan blue ID card.->Blue ID Scan]]
(if:$keycard is true)[[[Scan green ID card.->Green ID Scan]]]
]You scan your ID card, and the speaker loudly echoes ''Error: Unauthorized Access.'' Behind you, you can hear the hum growing louder.
It's coming.
[[Scan blue ID card.->Blue ID Scan]]
(if:$keycard is true)[[[Scan green ID card.->Green ID Scan]]]You decide that you are tired of the rich living easy lives, while leaving the poor to rot. It is time for a change. You select the moon. The speaker confirms: ''Destination Selected and Confirmed. Good Luck Captain.''
You move to your escape pod.
[[Continue.->Escape Pod]]In an act of pure evil, you decide it is best to ship this mostrosity to Earth. This decision didn't really feel like the right thing to do, but you seemed to have done it anyways. The speaker confirms: ''Destination Selected and Confirmed. Good Luck Captain.''
You move to your escape pod.
[[Continue.->Escape Pod]]You decide you can't let whatever that thing is hurt anyone else. By turning off the navigation, you choose to strand this thing in space, making sure it will never be seen by humans ever again. The speaker confirms: ''Destination Selected and Confirmed. Good Luck Captain.''
You move to your escape pod.
[[Continue.->Escape Pod]]Glancing at the window on the door, you see only inky blackness through the other side. The hum is intense. As you turn towards the controls, you hear something that nearly makes you stumble.
(live:9s)[
The hum stops.
](live:11s)[
Almost as startling as an actual noise, the room is filled with silence. You turn towards the door again. Outside the door is still pitch black. Suddenly, a voice begins to speak from the other side of the door.]
(live:16s)[
It's your own.
"Listen. This is your subconscious. Even if it's hard to believe, you're asleep. This is a symptom of CryoSleep and it could be years before you wake up. Unless you open the door. Don't play into the dream or this will go on like this for much longer."
](live:22s)[
(set: $firstLook to true)
(t8n-depart:"dissolve")[[Turn back to the control panel.->Back to Controls]]
[[Open the door.->Dream Death]]
]Glancing at the window on the door, you see only inky blackness through the other side. The hum is intense. As you turn towards the controls, you hear something that nearly makes you stumble.
(live:9s)[
The hum stops.
](live:10s)[
Almost as startling as an actual noise, the room is filled with silence. You turn towards the door again. Outside the door is still pitch black. Suddenly, a voice begins to speak from the other side of the door.
]
(live:15s)[
"Please! I don't know if you can hear me, but you don't know what you're doing! If you can hear me, my name is Mark, I'm this ship's technician. I think you're having a bad reaction to CryoSleep. I don't know how you managed to get in there, but please don't touch anything! Please come out so I can take you to the medbay."
](live:22s)[
(t8n-depart:"dissolve")[[Turn back to the control panel.->Back to Controls]]
[[Open the door.->Hallucination Death]]
]As you drift into space, you feel extreme relief, as you're finally away from that thing. You settle in, feeling at ease for the first time since you initially woke up. After what you just went through to get here, you feel like whatever comes your way, you'll be able to get through it.
All that's left is to decide where to go next.
END
(Ending 3 of 3)
[[Play Again.->The Opportunity]]As you drift into space, you're still unclear if this is a dream or not. If this is a dream, you're at least glad you've turned this nightmare into something more sane. As you float further away from the ship, you control what happens from here on out. Dream or real life, you are in control.
END
(Ending 1 of 3)
[[Play Again.->The Opportunity]]As you drift into space, you're still unclear if what you have witnessed was real or not. All you know is that it wasn't a risk worth taking. In the off-chance that you are, in fact, hallucinating, you take comfort in the fact that the other escape pods will be available for the rest of the ship.
Now all that's left is to decide where to go next.
END
(Ending 2 of 3)
[[Play Again.->The Opportunity]]You decide that there must be a good reason they were trying to get into this room. Cautiously, you scan the ID card. To your horror, an automated voice through a speaker announces:
(live:5s)[''Error: Escape Pods Unavailable Unless Ship is in Crisis.'']
(live:7s)[Oh no. Below you, you can hear the hum moving. It's getting quieter, but you know that's because its moving to the staircase at the end of the hall. It's coming. You quickly move to the staircase, going up to the third floor.
[[Continue->Go F3]]
]You decide that whatever happened here, it is not worth the risk of facing the same fate as this person. You leave the way you came, back to the staircase. You notice the hum growing louder, it seems to be making its way to the staircase as well. Glad you didn't stay in this hallway, you make your way to the third floor.
[[Continue->Go F3]]You scan the ID card, and the speaker loudly announces ''Welcome.'' The hum grows even louder now, as it seems to be climbing the stairs to the third floor.
(live:4s)[
You quickly get inside, and close the door behind you. Locking the door, you take a breath of relief as hum continues to grow from behind it. You look out the window and see the lights by the staircase turn off.
](live:9s)[
It is here.
](live:10s)[
You begin to look around for something on how to leave this ship. The room isn't as big as you thought it would be. It only has a small window, and one control panel on a table with two screens. Walking over to the control panel, you see a button with a cover underneath it labeled //Declare Emergency//. The other panel seems to be the navigation controls, of which it seems to oddly simplified. With only four buttons, they read:
](live:14s)[
''Mars
Earth
Moon
Navigation Off''
](live:15s)[
An ID card reader sits next to the navigation controls.
(if:$Dream is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Open for Dream]]](if:$Hallucination is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]](if:$Real is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Declare Emergency]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]]
]You scan the ID card, and the speaker loudly announces ''Welcome Captain.'' The hum grows even louder now, as it seems to be climbing the stairs to the third floor.
(live:4s)[
You quickly get inside, and close the door behind you. Locking the door, you take a breath of relief as hum continues to grow from behind it. You look out the window and see the lights by the staircase turn off.
](live:9s)[
It is here.
](live:10s)[
You begin to look around for something on how to leave this ship. The room isn't as big as you thought it would be. It only has a small window, and one control panel on a table with two screens. Walking over to the control panel, you see a button with a cover underneath it labeled //Declare Emergency//. The other panel seems to be the navigation controls, of which it seems to be extremely simplified. With only four options, they read:
](live:15s)[
''Mars
Earth
Moon
Navigation Off''
](live:16s)[
An ID card reader sits next to the navigation controls.
(if:$Dream is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Open for Dream]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Open for Dream]]](if:$Hallucination is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Open for Hallucination]]](if:$Real is true)[[[Declare emergency.->Declare Emergency]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]]
](if:$decEmer is true)[As you push the declare emergency button, all the lights go from their dim white to a dim red. Loudly, a shipwide intercom rings:
''EMERGENCY DECLARED. PLEASE FOLLOW THE RED LIGHTS AND PROCEED TO THE ESCAPE PODS.''
In the control room, a door you didn't realize was there opens, revealing an escape pod. A green light on the ID card reader for the navigation panel turns on.]
You stand in front of the navigation panel.
(set: $NavUnlocked to false)(set: $Moon to false)(set: $Earth to false)(set: $Space to false)
[[Swipe your ID card.->F3 Bad Swipe]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->F3 Bad Swipe]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Navigation Unlocked]]
[[Enter escape pod.->Escape Pod]]A speaker next the controls announces ''Error: Captain's card required for navigation alterations.'' Hmm.
(set: $decEmer to false)
[[Back.->Declare Emergency]]You swipe the green card, and after a moment, the speaker announces: ''ID confirmed. Hello captain. Select new destination to lock.''
It seems this is a decision that there's no coming back from.
(set: $NavUnlocked to true)
[[Select Moon.->To Moon]]
[[Select Earth.->To Earth]]
[[Turn Navigation Off.->To Space]]
[[Leave navigation alone.->Escape Pod]](if:$firstLook is true)[You're not convinced. As you turn back to the controls, the hum bursts out, even louder than it was before. You feel reassured in your decision.
]The control panel sits in front of you. You see a button with a cover underneath it labeled //Declare Emergency//. The other panel seems to be the navigation controls, of which it seems to be extremely simplified. With only four options, they read:
''Mars
Earth
Moon
Navigation Off''
An ID card reader sits next to the navigation controls.
[[[Declare emergency.->Declare Emergency]]
[[Swipe your ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the green ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]
[[Swipe the blue ID card.->Declare Emergency Needed]]]You decide this is a dream you want to wake up from. You aren't going to let your mind play tricks on you. Calm and collected, you unlock the door, open it, and take a few steps back. The darkness approaches.
(live:8s)[And then the hum returns, in pulses. To your horror, the sound seems to mimic laughter. But there's nothing you can do now, it's already in the room. The hum is deafening.]
(live:14s)[Suddenly you feel your arm...](live:16s)[burn.] (live:17s)[You try to pull back, but it doesn't seem to budge. Dream or not, the pain you feel is very real. Quickly the feeling takes over your entire body. You scream, but you quickly realize you can only hear the hum.]
(live:23s)[And then you feel nothing.]
(live:25s)[You are surrounded by darkness. There is no ground, no feeling, no self. The only thing left that is indistinguishable is a hum, and after enough time you can't even tell if its still there.]
(live:29s)[This is all that's left for you. You can't tell if this is still a dream or if this is death. It will be many years before you would find out, if you ever found out. This is all that's left for you now.]
(live:34s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")[[Play again (from the control room).->Open for Dream]]]After a few moments, you take a breath. This isn't right, you know it's not right. It's time for this to end. Calm and collected, you unlock the door, open it, and take a few steps back. The darkness approaches.
(live:8s)[And then the hum returns, in pulses. To your horror, the sound seems to mimic laughter. But there's nothing you can do now, it's already in the room. The hum is deafening.]
(live:14s)[Suddenly you feel your arm...](live:16s)[burn. You try to pull back, but it doesn't seem to budge. Dream or not, the pain you feel is very real. Quickly the feeling takes over your entire body. You scream, but you quickly realize you can only hear the hum.]
(live:23s)[And then you feel nothing.]
(live:25s)[You are surrounded by darkness. There is no ground, no feeling, no self. The only thing left that is indistinguishable is a hum, and after enough time you can't even tell if its still there.]
(live:29s)[This is all thats left for you now.]
(live:34s)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")[[Play again (from the control room).->Open for Hallucination]]]A speaker next the controls announces ''Error: Destination can only be changed if emergency declared.'' Hmm.
(set: $firstLook to false)
[[Back.->Back to Controls]]Entering the escape pod, you see similar controls as the control panel on the main ship, as well as a single CryoSleep chamber. As you sit down in the controller chair, the hatch on the escape pod closes, and you are released from the primary ship, drifting into free space. The hum is finally gone.
(if:$Hallucination is true)[[[Continue.->Hallucination Ending]]
](if:$Dream is true)[[[Continue.->Dream Ending]]
](if:$Real is true)[[[Continue.->Real Ending]]]