Hero's Journey

Only you can decide your fate. This is your hero's journey. Your actions speak for themselves. [[Let's begin.->Intro/Morning]]

Choose wisely. There are two train cars going in opposite directions, both headed for certain destruction. Car A holds your well-known best friend. If you let it crash the media will crucify you for not saving their beloved public figurehead and your own best friend. Your reputation will be in tatters and your family and friends will never understand the choice you made. Car B houses the daughter of your team's sole financial backer. Without the backer, your team will have no source of income and will collapse. Everything you worked for will be for nothing and your teammates will despise you. The backer is a very bad enemy to make and will never move past the death of her sole heir. [[Car A->Train/Car A]] or [[Car B->Train/Car B]]

You're walking home after a long night of partying with your friends. It's the early hours of the morning, or there very late hours of the night, (you could never tell the difference) and the streets are so empty and quiet that could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, screams cut through the fog of silence and you see a disheveled man furiously chasing after a young girl, yelling "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU B*****, JUST WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Do you stop the [[man->Morning/Man]] or the [[girl->Morning/Girl]]?

After tackling the man and pinning him down, letting the girl escape into the shadows, the man screams at you and thrashes until he goes limp and starts sobbing. He tells you that the girl stole all of the money he earned after working a double shift. He won't be able to feed his family tonight and doesn't know if he'll be able to pay the water bill on time. You get off of him, stunned into silence. The battered man picks himself off the ground and through his tears tells you to "*Remember this choice.*" You can see the outline of his shoulders heaving up and down as his sobs start to mingle with the early morning sounds. [[Next->Man/Regret]]

You sprint after the girl, weaving around trashcans and through back streets. She's lithe and inconcievably fast, you know this can't be just an ordinary girl. She gracefully leaps over a fence into an alley and as you hurriedly scale the fence, you realize that it's a dead end. Her small frame and dark apparel would have entirely blended into the night ''void'' if her piercing blue weren't sending daggers into your soul. She says nothing as you confront her and tie her arms behind her back and take her [[bag->Girl/Bag]] from her. (set: $h to 1) (set: $v to 0)

As you pour out the contents of her bag onto the ground, you see wads of cash, wallets, watches, a myriad of small knives and switchblades, and small gold jewelry. The screaming man finally catches up to you and the girl. Through laborious breaths and pants, the man profusely thanks you, saying that the girl stole his wallet as he was walking home from working a double shift tonight. The police finally show up and tell you that they've been looking for the petty criminal for weeks now but had no tangible leads or witnesses as she would always outrun her victims and only struck very late at night. They thank you for your efforts and you're considered a local ''hero''. As the police escort the girl to the back of the squad car, she looks you straight in the eyes, sending chills up your spine, and says: "*Remember this choice.*" [[Next->Solo/Baby]]

After news of your choice makes headlines, a widely popular team of vigillantes approach you with an offer: leave your small city and join their team. Joining the team will give you access to big-time criminals all over the world, access to powerful weaponry, and a generous salary. Leaving your city will make it vunerable to the local gangs and criminals and you will have to leave your family and friends behind. What's more important to you: loyalty to your roots or apprehending greater evils? Do you join the team? [[Yes->Offer/Team]] or [[No->Offer/Solo]]?

The world thanks you for your service. [[Next->Team/Introductions]]

Your city thanks you for your commitment.

Do you regret your choice? Do you feel guilty for what you did to that innocent man? [[Yes->Regret/Search]] or [[No->End1]]?

//A few days later.// You're walking through the downtown shopping district doing your weekly grocery shopping. As you walk past one of the corner bodegas, you notice a stoller with a sleeping infant inside. You look around the street and don't see anyone who could be the parent. You pull out your phone and you're about to call the police to report the abandonded child when a woman you didn't see before approaches you and says, "Excuse me, what are you doing? That's my baby." Do you believe her or do you wait for the police to arrive? [[Cops->Baby/Cops]] or [[Mother->Baby/Mother]]

You tell the woman that the child has been unattended for several minutes and that you'd like to wait until the police show up to verify that the child is yours. The woman gets fruatrated and tells you that they baby is hers and that you are being ridiculous. You stand your ground and refuse to let the woman leave with the child. [[Next->Police/Caught]]

The woman seems reliable and the baby hasn't been alone for that long. You trust the woman and apologize to her, saying that you wanted to make sure that the child was safe. The woman appreciates your concern and says "Thank you for making this //choice.//" and leaves with the child. You continue with your shopping. [[Next->Mother/Police]]

You can never become a hero without recognizing your own failures and attempting to rectify them. You did not learn from your mistakes. You were no hero. This is where your story ''ends.'' Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

You spend the rest of the day tracking the girl and asking around the community to see if anyone had previously encountered her. You discover that she's been attacking helpless members of the community at knifepoint and stealing whatever cash or valuables they had on them. She's known to easily resort to violent if her target does not comply. She only stikes between 1-4am and leaves no evidence behind. The police haven't looked into these burgularies because they don't believe that a "small girl" would be able to perpetuate such crimes. The trail you were following goes cold but you feel that you have learned enough about her attacks that you create a plan to apprehend her tomorrow morning. You head [[home.->Search/Home]]

Upon arriving home, you immediately throw your stuff on the floor and crash on the couch, exhausted from investigating all day. A few hours later, you are awoken by the smell of food. You open your eyes and see that your little brother, Adam, is waving a sandwhich in front of your face. You thank him and sit up to eat. He plops down onto the seat next to you and asks about your day. You tell him about about your morning and that you're searching for the thief and that you plan to apprehend her tomorrow. He begs you to let him join you tomorrow. He says that he's old enough to help you fight without getting in your way and that you were the same age when you started fighting crime (16). Do you let Adam join you tomorrow? [[Yes->Home/Yes]] or [[No->Home/No]]?

After hearing Adam drone on and on about how he's ready to help you and why he should come with you, you finally relent and let him come. He's ecstatic and thanks you profusely. He says: "I won't let you down!" You only hope that you can do the same for him. [[Next->Yes/Tomorrow]]

You refuse to take him with you, you tell him it's too dangerous for his first sting operation but you promise that you'll take him with you soon. He sulks off to his room in defeat but it's your responsibility to protect him and you know that this is the correct choice. You pack the equipment you need and prepare yourself mentally and physically for tomorrow. [[Next->No/Tomorrow]]

Thank you for playing! If you'd like to give any feedback on your experience then please email me at smishra8@ucsc.edu

You and Adam head out around midnight scouring the town to try to find a good spot. You will be watching from the fire escape of one of the nearby buildings while Adam poses as a civillian wandering the streets. You choose a building a few blocks away from the area where her recent attacks have taken place. You give Adam a wire and earpierce so you guys can stay in contact and a small knife which he slides into his pocket. You ask him if he's nervous. He says that he's not but you notice that his (text-style: "shudder")[hands] are trembling slightly. "You know, it's okay if you're nervous. I still get anxious all the time." His eyes get wide with surprise and he asks, "Really?" "Of course, its totally normal. Your adrenaline's high, you're heart's beating faster, you're hyper vigilant and jumpy and that's all normal. As long as you stay calm, confident, and in control then you'll be fine and this will go off without a hitch," you tell him with a smile. He relaxes his shoulders and takes a deep breath. He says, "Okay, I'm ready!" He gives you one last smile before he heads off into the dark street and you scale up to your vantage point on the fire escape. Now all you can do it wait for her to [[arrive.-> Tomorrow/Bodega]]

You head out around midnight scouring the town to try to find a good spot. You're going to pose as a civillian and wander the streets. You choose an area a few blocks away from the area where her recent attacks have taken place. [[chase her->Tomorrow/Cornered]]

You sprint after the girl, weaving around trashcans and through back streets. She's lithe and inconcievably fast, you know this can't be just an ordinary girl. She gracefully leaps over a fence into an alley and as you hurriedly scale the fence, you realize that it's a dead end. Her small frame and dark apparel would have entirely blended into the night shadows if her piercing blue weren't sending daggers into your soul. She says nothing as you confront her and tie her arms behind her back and take her [[bag->Cornered/Bag]] from her.

As you pour out the contents of her bag onto the ground, you see wads of cash, wallets, watches, a myriad of small knives and switchblades, and small gold jewelry. The police finally show up and arrest her. They thank you for your efforts and you're considered a local ''hero''. As the police escort the girl to the back of the squad car, she looks you straight in the eyes, sending chills up your spine, and says: "*Remember this choice.*" [[Next->Solo/Baby]]

It's 3am and Adam's gotten bored of hanging around aimlessly waiting for something to happen. For you, this is routine. Adam decides to go to the corner bodega for an energy drink the next block over. You're about to climb down and go with him since you won't be able to see him for part of the time that he's gone but he reassures you that it's not a big deal. He says that he'll only be gone for five minutes and that you'll be able to hear him the whole time anyways. You're uneasy about it but you don't want to smother him so you tell him to be quick and stay aware of his surroundings. He dismisses you and says he'll be fine. You watch the shadowy outline of his body become smaller until he turns the corner and disappears from your [[sight.->Bodega/Person]]

You immediately ask, "Adam, who was the other person inside?" You hear the cracking open of a can, the sizzle of the carbonated drink, and a loud slurp as he takes a sip. "Just some girl," he says casually. "What was she wearing, what did she look like?" you say impatiently as you look at your watch. It feels like it's been forever since you last had eyes on Adam. "I don't know? Like a hoodie. I didn't get a good look at her face but her hair was in two pigtails and she was really tiny. She was buying tampons so I didn't want her to feel embarassed or whatever." You hear him take another sip. "Adam, where are you? Is there anyone following you?" You can feel your heart pounding in your ears and you climb down from the fire esape and start running towards the end of the street. "I'm just about to turn the corner and there's no one near me. I'll be there soon." You see his outline turn into the street and you breathe a sigh of relief and slow down to a normal pace. You see him with the drink in one hand as he raises the other to wave at you. You see a shadow move behind him and a flash as the street light reflects against something. Before you can say anything or react, you see the drink hit the ground and pour into the street and Adam's body follows closely behind.

You see a (text-style: "blur")[shadow] move behind him [[Next->2/4]]

You close your eyes, lean back against the wall, take a deep breath and focus your senses on what you can hear through your earpiece. You can hear Adam humming to himself, the jingle of the bell as the door opens, the cashier greeting him, the clacking of the cans against each other when he grabs the drinks, his footsteps as he walks towards the counter. Then you hear him say, "Oh, you can go ahead of me!" Your ears perk up as you can faintly hear mumbling which you assume is the person Adam spoke to but you can't make out their voice or what they said, they must be whispering. Adam says, "No problem! You were here before me anyways." A chill runs down your spine. You hear the rings of the register and the chimes of the bell on the door, indicating that the other person had left. Adam makes small talk to the cashier and pays for the drinks. You hear footsteps and the bell rings [[one more time. ->Person/1]]

You immediately ask, "Adam, who was the other person inside?" [[Next ->1/6]]

You immediately ask, "Adam, who was the other person inside?" You hear the cracking open of a can, the sizzle of the carbonated drink, and a loud slurp as he takes a sip. "Just a girl," he says casually. "What was she wearing, what did she look like?" you say impatiently as you look at your watch. It feels like it's been forever since you last had eyes on Adam. "I don't know? Like a hoodie or something. I didn't get a good look at her face but her hair was in a ponytail and she was really tiny. She was buying tampons so I didn't want her to feel embarassed or whatever." You hear him take another sip. "Adam, where are you? Is anyone following you?" You can feel your heart pounding in your ears and you climb down from the fire esape and start running towards the end of the street. "I'm just about to turn the corner and there's no one near me. I'll be there soon." [[Next ->6/6]]

You see a shadow move behind him and a (text-style: "blink")[flash] as the street light reflects against something sharp. [[Next->3/4]]

You see a shadow move behind him and a flash as the street light reflects against something. The drink hits the ground, [[Next->4/4]]

You see a shadow move behind him and a flash as the street light reflects against something. The drink hits the ground, his body follows right after. [[Next-> 4/Stab]]

You scream and run up to Adam. He's curled up on the ground, wincing and clutching his side. You see a large patch of red quickly growing on his shirt. You take off your jacket and bundle it up and use it to put pressure on the wound. You look around and scream, "PLEASE SOMEBODY, ''ANYBODY'' HELP ME!! PLEASE CALL [[911->Stab/Call]]!!"

You hear the familiar jingle of the bell of the bodgea door and look up to see the cashier running towards you. He asks you what happend but you can only shout, "CALL 911 HE NEEDS AN [[AMBULANCE->Call/Ambulance]]!!"

With tears pouring down your face, you keep reassuring Adam saying, "You'll be okay, you'll be okay. I promise you'll be okay. You have to be okay." His breathing is getting more labored, his face has no color and his skin is getting colder. (text-style: "blur")[He's still concious but barely so.] After what feels like hours, you can hear the sirens of the ambulance approach. The paramedics rush out and you get pulled away from Adam. You can't focus on what they're saying or what they're doing or who's talking to you. All you can do is stare down at your trembling blood-stained (text-style: "shudder")[hands] and think about the person who did this to your brother. You feel like you're going to explode with anger and you can only see red. She needs to pay for what she's done. You snap back to reality when you hear the abulance doors close and a paramedic comes up to you. She says, "He's stable for now but we can't be sure if the knife hit any organs or major arteries until we're at the hospital. Do you want to ride with us to the hospital?" You look down to your scarlet palms again. Do you go to the [[hospital->Ambulance/Hospital]] or do you go after the [[girl->Ambulance/Girl]]?

"I'm coming with you." You get into the ambulance and you see the paramedics putting different needles into him, starting different machines and taking bags of blood out. You feel like you're going to pass out. This is all your fault. You shouldn't have let him come with you. You //knew// better. Everything feels like a (text-style: "blur")[blur] and you barely notice someone pulling you out of the ambulance. They tell you that they're taking Adam to inspect his wound and determine if he'll need surgery. They take you inside the hospital and sits you in a chair. You will have to wait [[here.->Hospital/Doctor]]

"I'll meet him at the hospital." The paramedic nods and goes over the the ambulance. As she's about to get in, she turns around and looks you in the eyes and says, "*Remember this choice.*" The sirens turn on and the ambulance quickly drives away. You turn away from the ambulance and go back to the spot where Adam was stabbed. You notice a trail of blood leading away from where Adam was laying. She must have cut herself with the knife. You start sprinting in the direction of the blood, following the trail as you go. You promise to make this is the last crime she'll ever [[commit.->Girl/Found]]

You notice that the blood trail ends into an alleyway blocked by a fence. You scale the fence and jump onto the other side. Her small frame and dark apparel would have entirely blended into the night ''void'' if her piercing blue weren't sending daggers into your soul. She's clutching her right hand and cowering in the darkness. You notice a bloody knife on the ground by your feet. You pick it up and hold it in your hand. She used this to stab Adam. //''She used this to stab Adam.''// She won't be able to fight back against you with a wounded hand. Do you kill her? [[Yes->Found/Kill]] or [[No->Found/Arrest]]

//meet with investor?//

You don't know how much time has passed. You don't know what part of the hospital you're in. ALl you can do is sit and stare at your hands. hey're covered in Adam's blood. It's caked into the crevices of your fingers and under your nails. You feel like you are permanently stained. Someone taps on your shoulder and you look up to see a doctor. She introduces herself as Adam's doctor. [[Next->Doctor/Recovery]]

She tells you that Adam is alright. He was very lucky and the knife didn't hit any organs. She says that he'll take a while to completely heal but he should make a full recovery. The doctor tells you that you should be able to visit him in twenty minutes and points out a nurse who will lead you to his room. You thank the doctor and she smiles at you. The nurse she pointed out comes up to you and says, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up before you go see your brother." He gently guides you over to a sink near the nurses stations, takes a pump of soap into his hands and gently starts scrubbing your hands. He looks at you and softly says, "This wasn't your fault." Looking at your clean hands, the weight lifts off of your shoulders and you feel like you can properly breathe for the first time all day. [[Next->End2]]

Empathy is what makes us human and it is also what makes us heros. You continued to try and make good choices, regardless of their outcome. You were a hero! This is where your story ends. Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

(text-style: "emboss")[An eye for an eye.] [[Next->End4]]

An eye for an eye never solved anything, it only perpetuated a cycle of violence. You throw the knife on the ground and grab her and tie her hands behind her back. You turn her into the police and head to the hospital. You go up to the nurses station and ask which room Adam is. [[Next->End3]]

You chose revenge over empathy and let anger cloud your judgement. You cannot let your emotions make decisions for you. You abandoned someone you were responsible. You were no hero. This is where your story ends. Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

Empathy is what makes us human and it is also what makes us heros. You continued to try and make good choices, regardless of their outcome. This is where your story ends. Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

You hear the police sirens in the distance. The woman has a panicked expression on her face and starts to walk away quickly. You jump to action and detain the woman before she can get away. She's screaming and cursing at you while she atempts to get out of your grip. The officers approach you and one takes the woman to question her separately. The other asks you questions about the situation. You tell her what happened with the child and that the woman is trying to escape. She tells you that they've been looking for this woman for the past two days. She kidnapped the baby from a car parked in the family's driveway while the father was taking groceries into the house. She thanks you for your swift decision making and they arrest the woman. As the cops take the woman past you, she screams, "//REMEMBER THIS CHOICE//". [[Next->Baby/Halloween]]

A few weeks later, it's Halloween and you and your friends decide to go bar hopping. You all arrive in costume and immediately go get drinks. After taking a few shots and grabbing some drinks, you guys find a table to hang out around. You're all laughing, having a good time, and quickly getting drunk. After a few hours you notice that a man and woman at the table next to you. You watch them for a while and notice that the guys is very touchy and physically affectionate but the girl isn't able to stand up on her own and keeps gently pushing the guy away. One of your friends suggests going to a different bar now since you've been here a while. Do you confront them? [[Yes-> Halloween/Confront]] or [[No->Halloween/Leave]]?

You head into the bodgea to do your shopping. You leave after about 20 minutes with your grocerys in hand. Outside, you notice several police officers asking people questions. One of the officers comes up to you and asks if you've seen a woman with an infant child and describes them both to you. Their descriptions match that of the mother and child you met earlier. You tell the officer about your encounter and asks why the police are searching for them She tells you that they've been looking for this woman for the past two days. She kidnapped the baby from a car parked in the family's driveway while the father was taking groceries into the house. She asks you to call the police if you see them again and walks away from you. You made the ''wrong'' choice. [[Next->Baby/Halloween2]]

You tell your friends that you want to stay here for a little longer before leaving. They're all fine with it and a few of them go get more drinks. You go up to the couple and pretend to know the girl. You greet her and give her a hug. While hugging, you whisper in her ear, "Are you okay, do you need help?" As you pull away you look at her face and she laughs. She says that she's fine and that the guy is her boyfriend of two years and they were just messing around. She thanks you for your concern and gives you another hug. You sigh in relief and tell her that you just wante to make sure she's okay and to have a good rest of the night. You rejoin your friends and tell them that you're ready to leave now. You and your friends have a great night looking silly in your costumes. [[Next->End8]]

You decide to leave with your friends. As you're about to leave the table, one of your friends notice the guy at the next table. He tells you guys to hang out for a minute and that he'll be right back. He goes over to the couple and give them both hugs and talks to them for five minutes. After he comes back to your group, you ask him who that was. He says that that was his friend from his psych class and his girlfriend of two years. You guys head out to the next bar. You made the ''wrong'' choice. [[Next->End7]]

You can never become a hero without helping those who might be in need. You were no hero. This is where your story ''ends.'' Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

While you made some morally correct choices, you also made some questionable choices. You are neither good nor bad. You were neutral. This is where your story ends. Would you like to restart your journey? [[Yes->Intro]] or [[No->End Credit]]?

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Only you can decide your fate.

This is your hero's journey.

Your actions speak for themselves.

Let's begin.