In Progress

Freedom A game by Jorge Gomez [[Begin.....]] ----------------------------------------- | | | _____________________ | | / \ | | / _________ \ | | / / O \ \ | | / \ / \ | | \ \_______/ / | | \ / | | \ / | | \_____________________/ | | | ------------------------------------------

You toss and turn for a while before eventually waking up. When you do, however, your greeted by the usual sense of dread. Although not surprised, you begin to rub your eyes and stretch, looking out of your gloomy window for any new activity. None. As expected. Even after all this time you still wonder how you got this apartment, with a window as big as that. This mundane, ugly, unspecial, gray apartment with no character whatsoever. Aside from its gray, metallic walls, your apartment also came with: a semi comfortable bed, a rusted metallic [[sink]] and [[toilet]] in the middle, a [[shower]] in the upper right complete with soap and other hygiene products, a large, flat, television screen on the wall farthest right to your bed, as well as a complementary [[drawer]] tucked right beside your bed. On top of the drawer was a [[diary]] you had recently purchased for personal reasons. While not entirely invested, you accept that you'll have to go to work soon. It was monday after all. [[Door]] "View from Living Room" by akasped is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height: 100%; } </style> <img src=https://live.staticflickr.com/3831/11809153244_51d3dd1c57_b.jpg </div>

You wonder if brushing your teeth will make a difference. They didn't seem all that yellow last time you checked... [[brush teeth]] [[home]]

You feel as though you could use the toilet, but its not urgent. [[use toilet]] [[home]]

A simple, ten minute shower. Shouldn't exhaust too much time. [[take a shower]] [[home]]

Nothing inside, but you see no point in putting anything in there. You figure they'll just find out one way or another. Perhaps this is their way of a sick joke, as if the drawer wasn't "complementary" to begin with. [[home]]

You quickly grab the diary in a flash, realizing now that you had accidently left it there after a long night of work. You usually keep it hidden underneath a broken piece of concrete in the floor, but you must have been too tired to care. When the telesvision screen is not on (and even then, they still have the capability to hear slight sounds) you seize every minute to write in this diary. Thoughts, words, pictures anything. You do your best not to attract any attention, and for the most part it works. You also notice on top of the diary that your pen is getting low with ink. [[write in diary]] [[put it away]]

You make your way down the elevator and out the door. Outside you feel the cold air hit your face. To say the environment was bleak was an understatement. Gray skies, shredded clouds, lifeless architecture (as well as the people when not in work) and scraps of slightly colored vegetation scattered here and there, albeit reduced to small shrubs, trees, bushes, crops and colored flowers of an unknown origin. Unknown not because of a lack of intelligence. You had never seen a clear sky before, or hardly any other colors besides shades of gray, to the point where you were half convinced that this alternative was preferable. The vegatation gave you a minor idea, but not much. [[work]] [[shops]] [[neighborhoods]] [[residence]]

You walk over to the shower area, get your tooth brush and paste, and walk back over to the sink. The gray filling tastes unpleasant, but you don't mind it. The mirror over the sink shows you that your teeth are now a boring, grayish white. Satisfactory. [[home]]

For a brief moment in time, you had remembered what sugar tasted like, what genuine love was, what embrace was. A time when things weren't so begotten. And yet, you can't quite put these memories into logical understanding. Of course who could blame you? you were only young. The world before you now is one where big tech has rised, and corporations have slowly over taken what was once a rose filled world. A rose filled world that, while having thorns, wasn't as bleak as you now see the world today. Giant factories, smog filled air, and unexpected dread clouds the current world. What was once the boasting 2000s has now become whatever world the elites deemed fit. You had a faint feeling this wasn't normal, but the conditioned nature of it all made you think less of everything. Even your own government has turned on you. Sure you had a job, food, shelter and basic living necessities, but when its all controlled, what further purpose does ones life have? and yet, as enticing as the freedom of death seems, you strangely have an urge to keep progressing, no matter how many uneventful days lie ahead. [[home]]

You feel a slight clarity as you release your bowels. As the toilet flushes, you ponder whether that water going into the sewage has more freedom than you. [[home]]

The normalcy of the refreshing, hot water calms your soul. It is the one area in your apartment where you can feel revitalized, knowing full well that nothing extroadinary will ever take place in your day to day life. Using a nearby towel to dry yourself, you then go back into assimilation. [[home]]

You contemplate for a moment, then proceed to write. What will you write? 1. I feel [[trapped]], my thoughts are nothing, but mundane, broken, half attacted pieces of myself that I have trouble gathering. Under normal circumstances I would choke myself out of this bastardize state. But I am not under "normal" circumstances. As each day passes, my being is a self deprecating one. 2. While this [[morning]] is a slow start, it certainly isn't the worst I suppose. Perhaps work will freshen up my mood. Only time will tell. 3. I know I have the [[capability]] for change. Even large scale, terrifying change doesn't seem to bad. Now its only a matter of time and precision I guess. Start small and then work your way up. Everything right now is calculated to equal my death. That is an undeniable fact. They made life the way it is now. Generations past couldn't do nothing to stop them, and now look at where their restrictions have lead to. Something will most likely happen to me, that is certain. But I mustn't give in. I have to try somehow. I need to once and for all feel something!

You quickly store your diary in the broken concrete piece. [[home]]

You go straight to work, feeling that it be safer to just get it over and done with. As was common with the big tech/government, its members were always under a tight, iron grip. One could argue that the party DID provide the basic necessities for them to live: food, water, shelter, clothes etc. But at a cost undoubtedly. For to be a member of the government, one was always put under constant supervision, be it in their homes or outside, whether one liked or not. You of all people perfectly understood this. The television screen in your aparment, the various cameras in the streets, the glancing looks. The random sweat on your forehead. You knew all too well it was a reality of becoming a member of the big tech/government, and ultimately were conditioned by it. You were not allowed to be an individual. You were not allowed to have certain freedoms. Even being slightly different was dangerous for the government. They controlled you and that was it. As long as you did what you were told, you were taken care of. [[work station]]

You decide to walk to a part of town that has various shops. Luckily for you these shops aren't as highly monitored, but still supressed in many ways. You know you'll probably get penalized for not showing up to work on time, but this could be a chance to get more ink and discover interesting items. [[Shop]]

Perhaps out of curious, spontaneous boredom, you make a trekk over to the neighborhoods, whose poverty was at a sorrowful high in certain parts. Unlike you, and certainly your residence, you had somewhat of a depressing idea as to why areas of your neighborhood were the way they were. You figured that government spending in this area was low, hence why you hardly saw any cameras or tight supervision in this area, but it wasn't for the better. The media you consumed deemed these "seedy" areas to be "filth incarnate", where the people living there were considered weak, stupid, and generally not worth the governments time, resulting in little to no monitoring. Hardly any rations given out to the people living there, and when they were, it was for a reason you were unsure of. Still, you were curiously determined to find someone here who had at least some knowledge of the world around you. Before it turned into this. [[search north]] [[search south]] [[search east]]

You scan the shops, observing that one of them has ink. You non suspiciously go inside the shop, so as not to draw any attention. You grab handfuls of ink as well as a clear cut, blue jewel. For some reason its circular shape and blue color drawed your attention. You knew items like these weren't uncommmon in places like this, where the higher government and big tech never bothered to monitor intensely. They considered the people running these shops, as well as the various people in the neighborhood, sub human. Too weak, too dumb to over throw the mighty government. //Let them have their spoils and items//. Because of this, many of these areas were stricken in poverty, unlike the areas where the prestige resided, such as yourself. If you worked for the government, chances are you were also working for the big tech. You were monitored and controlled, but fed and taken care of regularly. A twinge of fear strikes you for a moment in this realization. For if any affiliate is caught with such a unique item as this, they would be dealt with in the most serious of ways, the likes of which you never knew about. For to be a government drone, you had to be a brainwashed, restricted from entertainment, politics and generally everything that the government disagreed with. But.... you had to have this jewel.. you had to- "Interesting" the shop keeper interrupts your train of thought for a second "Never seen a government employee come around these parts. Say, what brings you here? I mean, not that its my business or that its going to make a difference. But.. I am curious" [[u-uh I have to purchase more ink for my pen. For work of course, and I'm buying this jewel so as to throw it at someone I hate]] [[It would do me no good telling YOU, of all people, my daily activities. Good day!]]

The shop keeper stares at you for a second, then says "Hmmm. Interesting. I guess its a part of whatever your doing down at your work place huh? course I wouldn't know. Just a dirty sub human after all. But hey. Beats being monitored right? Ha! Sure scouging for scraps is definitely hard, but how I make ends meet is my pleasure after all. Freedom! anyway here are your items. Have a nice day I suppose." [["Same to you" you say in a quiet voice]]

Bewildered, but half expecting it to a degree, the shop keeper says "Well, can't say I'm shocked. But if thats how you feel then fine. My apologies for intruding on business that was never mine in the first place. Here are your items. Now go please. I have a business to run. Not that you would know anyway. I mean I guess I only have a few things left to live for. And getting spit on is one of them I suppose. On your way now." [[You don't even mutter a single word. You immediately head to the door and go out]]

After leaving the shop, you quickly head home to drop your items off, making sure no security cameras detect any unusual or sporadic moment. You then head straight to work, where a noisy party member reports your late arrival to your higher ups. You get hit with a detrimental warning: rations cut in half and water turned off for a day. From here to the end of the work week, you felt slightly miserable. [[years]]

You don't know why you replied like that. And you surely didn't want to, knowing full well that suspicion could have been at an all time high. But something... something deep down unknowingly compelled you to. With your heart beating dangerously fast, you quickly head home to drop your items off, making sure no security cameras detect any unusual or sporadic moment. You then head straight to work, where a noisy party member reports your late arrival to your higher ups. You get hit with a detrimental warning: rations cut in half and water turned off for a day. From here to the end of the work week, you feel slightly if not even more miserable. Thoughts spark out of control in your head. For all you know, death was tomorrow, today, or next week. You wonder when the party will tear your door down, if they ever do. [[Fast Forward]]

You search north, but only find a couple of kids digging through a trash can with flies swarming around it To your utter surprise, you feel tears streaming down your face as you witness this site. You try to wipe them away, but for some reason they keep coming. You had long thought that the world around you had beaten the emotion out of you through sheer desensitization, but this was extraordinary. It been ages since you felt emotion like this. To your dismay, you quickly stop crying and get rid of your tears, so as to not alert the street cameras. You don't know why this happened, but you now realize that you may be potentially broken, and like all broken things, there was room for repairing. [[neighborhoods]]

In searching south, you find some luck and happen to stumble across an old hermit, sitting near the steps of a shop. You suspect he knows much, and try to strike a conversation with him. "Hmm? what do you want? what? history? hmmmm. Interesting. Not every day when someone wants something as timeless as that. Usually people now and days I suppose just tend to pick on one another for whatever reason. Or thats just my neighborhood, HA! Anyway, what are you looking to ge- huh? What? you want to me tell you the history of this place before it turned into.. well this? wow. consider me surprised I suppose. Not much to go around I guess, but I'll try. And since your eager to know so much, I'll definitely tell you, but at a cost hehe. Scattered in my head, but hopefully enough to satisfy you. Now, what do you say I get some food from ya, huh?" [[Well.. I-I can offer you some food.. is that enough? (merely a couple of items, but suitable for a decent meal: a small block of cheese, medium sized bread, sice of ham, 2 carrots, and a small bottle of wine)]] [[I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable giving food to you directly. I hope you understand. It would look.. rather... um.. unordinary, so to speak. Could I just slip some into a trash can instead?]]

You search east, but find no luck. Just one unfortunate site after another. If you could describe it you would, but showing emotions is far too risky. [[neighborhoods]]

"Hmmmmm.. never recieved an offer like this.. especially from a member of the government.... well aright. Fine. You have yourself a deal. To put it simply: life before all this was serene. World governments got along, the economy for the most part was well, and divisions were generally okay. Now I say all of this in laymens terms, because truth be told, I'm not that educated in global affairs, or for that matter world politics. But I'll get straight to the point. Back then there was none of this "Big Tech" nonsense. You could think freely, talk freely, hell even walk freely. It was complete and utter freedom. No monitors either. I think this was around the 21st Century, or the 22nd, I-I'm not too sure. But from what I can tell you is that somewhere along the line, some people acquired too much power. Far, too much. So much so that they had the capability to influence world events, even politics. And believe me when I tell you that when it got bad, it got BAD. Eventually that power got too out of control, and these so called "elites" put events into play that pushed us where we are today. The monitors were an excuse for "maintaining security", while big tech, and the establishment of three global zones on earth today, were an excuse for "maintaining global peace with foreign allies and such". I mean most, if not all of us didn't believe it, but were we powerful enough to stop it? nope. Not.. one.. bit. What you know as Titania, one of the many zones where you and I currently reside in, wasn't always like this. Anyway, thats all I can remember. Hope thats something for you. " [[yes. That is more than enough. Thank you. And uh, just between me and you, can you never mention this to anyone?]]

The old man shakes his head for a moment, before responding with: "As weird as it is that I sympathize to your plight, being someone who would willing work for the government without question, I have to say that you still belittle me greatly. I mean you offer me food, which would have been a fair trade, only to degrade my worth by throwing it in the trash can for me to pick up afterwords. Now again, I completely "understand" your situation, but wouldn't doing something different be better than just going through the routines of life? I mean jeez. Also, just because you make me dig around the trash doesn't mean my whole personality is reflective off of that. But, an offer is still an offer, and I will accept. But don't expect me to do any high favors or go indepth, or even be all that trust worthy for a bored, government worker like you. So in a nutshell, around the 21st or 22nd Century, life was good. No monitoring, no Big Tech, no restricted freedom, you get the point. Then around sometime after, certain people got wayy too powerful for their own good, and uh, lets just say that their immense power put events into play that created every single thing you see here today. The monitors, Big Tech, corporation take over, EVERYTHING. Even where we reside, what you know as Titania, isn't even a real global place. Just a facade for the merging of world powers that used to be the United States, Canada, etc into three major global continents. And thats about all I'm going to tell you. Now do me a favor and leave me alone. I'll be expecting that food soon." [[You had heard of Titania before, but never really cared much for what this continent was called.feeling as though you have nothing more to say, you head straight to work, feeling a bit defeated]]

"Well... I can't necessarily gaurantee that if they offer me something great in return, even with as dominating and omnious as big tech is. But you have my word for now. I mean I'm just a dumb sub human. What do I know?" You had heard of Titania before, but never really cared for the name of this continent. You tell the old man of course, and that if that day should ever come, you will be ready. You then say goodbye and head off to work. Luckily for you the neighborhood was not that far from your work place, so you were a few seconds late, not nearly enough to raise concern. You then go through a full weeks worth of work, tired but cautiously determined in your quest to know more, and become, if possible, a unique individual. Although slightly nervous that you took the gamble to share food with that man in public, you hope to eventually escape Titania, and see what lies beyond. [[Plans in the Diary]]

Luckily for you the neighborhood was not that far from your work place, so you were a few seconds late, not nearly enough to raise concern. you then go through a full weeks worth of work, tired but cautiously determined, if not slightly disappointed in your quest to know more, and become, if possible, an unique individual. You knew you took a risk, but the thought of your small failure of getting everything you wanted weighed more on your mind than anything else. Still, you were at least grateful to get something, and hoped that someday you might get out of this place, if possible. [[Plans in the Diary]]

Your work didn't do anything to change that either. Since you had done it for a long time, it was fairly easy, if not at all fulfilling. Everyday, for who knows how long, your one task was to effectively rewrite a piece of history, entertainment, politics, science etc and today was no different. Today you are given a choice on rewriting a piece of history that concerns a rather long battle. The battle was about a particular faction (the Titanians) that had triumphed over another faction (the Periffians) in a long standing battle that lasted for 2 years. How will you rewrite this piece of history? [[Periffians had triumphed over the 2 year battle with the Titanians, discovering a weak spot left unchecked by the Titanians, thus ending this long war]] [[Don't change anything. Leave everything as it is]]

You had never heard of these factions, but didn't care. Another days work completed. Satisfactory. In making its members do this job, among many others, the government/big tech was able to control history, entertainment, politics and essentially society itself. Every single narrative up until this point, has been and will be manipulated by the government, making the consumers brainwashed and docile, because what was once todays top story is now yesterdays. For the most part, and likely forever, the government had absolute control over everything and everyone. You had no emotion in the work, and it was practically required. Even after those diary entries, you still felt the need to do more tedious work. Maybe you just needed to conform to your work and you would get back to your usual self. Perhaps these diary entries were simply just oddities from an ill begotten mind. With all that done and over with, you were allowed to go home, which you did. While the day was weird because of those unrestrained thoughts in your diary, you headed home knowing that things would smooth out one way or another, for the most part at least. And thus life seemed perfectly boring as you layed in your bed, with the televison screen often turning off and on again as it monitored your every move. The government seemed to always be watching you [[years]]

Although you had never heard of these factions, you didn't feel like rewriting the history. Sure there were risks, like the fact that your higher ups could easily catch you slacking at a minutes notice, but you didn't care. Whatever you had written in that diary came out of a place of some kind. Not factory made, not cultured to be a placid sheep. For to be restricted without any freedoms was a fate worse than death itself, as it should come no surprise to anyone [[Fast Forward]]

You wrote: I feel trapped, my thoughts are nothing but mundane, broken, half attacted pieces of myself that I have trouble gathering. Under normal circumstances I would choke myself out of this bastardize state. But I am not under "normal" circumstances. As each day passes, my being is a self deprecating one. You put the diary away [[home]]

You wrote: While this morning is a slow start, it certainly isn't the worst I suppose. Perhaps work will freshen up my mood. Only time will tell you put the diary away [[home]]

You wrote: I know I have the capability for change. Even large scale, terrifying change doesn't seem to bad. Now its only a matter of time and precision I guess. Start small and then work your way up. Everything right now is calculated to equal my death. That is an undeniable fact. They made life the way it is now. Generations past couldn't do nothing to stop them, and now look at where their restrictions have lead to. Something will most likely happen to me, that is certain. But I mustn't give in. I have to try somehow. I need to once and for all feel something! You put the diary away [[home]]

As the years progressed, you eventually forgot about the diary, and the wise words you had written to yourself, as well as the small contributions you made to fight against the system. They could have helped if you had the will to keep going. But with constant pressure from the government, big tech, as well as a suffocating, dull, superficial environment, combined with the need to conserve rations and stay alive, you began to lose the drive, almost accepting that efforts to alter this state of living was damn near impossible. After a while you start to get tired of the routine, reaching near old age, having a purpose that was meaningless. Finally, after some hesitation, you decide to illegally buy a firearm, and do all the things you couldn't do while in the government, out of a cry for psychological help masked by loonacy, for whoever would dare go against the all powerful big tech/government? you make your way up to an abandoned building, firearm in hand, the government chasing right behind, and a loud sound, and its all over. You chose peace and an eternity of freedom, rather than the tormented hell you were given while in the flesh. 1/4 endings play again? [[home]]

Despite your best efforts, and the uncertainty of living in a world so bent on molding everyone together for complete control, you eventually fell through the cracks amidst your rebellious tactics and quirks. While the small stepping stones you accomplished in the beginning gave you a small, blanket of hope, the big tech and government strikingly pin pointed your irregularities against all the odds of your knowledge. Your craving for uniqueness and cunning to fight the system also became your weakest link. The big tech took you, trapped you, tortured you, and did whatever they needed to assimilate you into a blank slate, forever doomed to remain in a catatonic state, obeying whatever orders they gave you and nothing else. You weren't even sure in the past that the government and big tech were the same entity. 2/4 endings play again? [[home]]

While getting the history of the world was mentally exhausting, you were able to do so much with it in the years to come. Despite the mental strain it put on your head, temporarily leaving you weak, you were able to write down a massive attack plan against the big tech, and the government itself, now knowing a definitive history of the world before it had been shadowed by control and fear. You had relayed to the masses what their true history was like, and how it had been robbed from them since the very beginning. By giving the masses a needed history that should have been long forgotten, a mass revolt was able to form. The people, together in arms, overwhelmed the big tech/government, forcing them to relinquish their way of control, and transfering the power back to the people. Even though you still sense that everything is not perfect, you feel at peace with how it became shaped in the long run. 3/4 endings play again? [[home]]

Even after going outside, you unexpectedly decide not to go to work and head straight back into your house. After several hours of drawing/writing in your diary and mindlessly thinking, you start to get anxious. It would only be a matter of time before your higher ups found out that you were "neglecting" your work. [[Toilet]] [[Shower]] [[Sink]] [[tension]]

You use the toilet and flush, only to see green water go down, mixed with small flakes of fecal matter. You jump back in digust, and almost vomit. [[residence]]

You turn on the shower, but it didn't with your anxiousness. No matter which knob you turned, the water was boiling hot. Fortunately you had a metal bucket nearby, and decided to collect some of the boiling water in an attempt to let it cool. [[residence]]

You turn both of the knobs on the sink, and clear water pours out. You take advantage of this moment, covering your face in the water. You then close the knobs. Your anxiousness still intact. [[residence]]

You begin to feel more neutral as the hours go by. All of the sudde, you hear a knock. You rush over to see what it is. A package. You have a few ideas as to what this could be, but you drown them out. You quickly take the package inside and open it. A remote of some kind. It was rectangular in nature, with two red buttons. On the top of these buttons were medium sized descriptions that you could make out: WHAT DID YOU DO AT WORK TODAY? 1. REWRITE A PIECE OF HISTORY 2. REWRITE A PIECE OF SCIENCE You hesitate, but begin to choose what button to press, out of a guess [[1]] [[2]]

After you press it, a robotic voice emanates from the remote: "C o r r e c t. YOU MAY NOW LEAVE THE REMOTE OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR" You were bewildered, but didn't question a word of it. You promptly left the remote outside and head to bed, only to be brainwashed the next morning and getting ready for work. As you headed out the door, you embraced the gray, bland view, hoping to return to work. [[Door]]

You press 2, and the remote explodes in your hand, leaving your face a shredded mess and your hand a bloody, strewn knob of pertrudding bone and flesh. Your questionable gamble cost you your life, but it was a calculated and rigged game from the start. 4/4 endings play again? [[home]]