sample-story

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<<set $name to "B.D Cavanagh">> You are $name, secret agent. You're considered one of the world's best super-spies...but you're going to be super-screwed if you can't complete your objective in the next thirty minutes. That's how long you have until the shift changes, and the security guards re-patrol this floor. It's taken you too long to climb up the outside of the building - inclement weather took a toll on your ascent - and you're behind schedule to enter this office and find what you need. You can do this, though. You're the one they send when everyone else fails, and now you're here, clinging to the side of the headquarters of Huntress Tech. It's a shadowy entity worth billions with plans the likes of which you can only guess...and their CEO...Well. As you stare at your reflection in the mirrored glass of the window, trying to see in to the impeccably designed office within, you can't help but think of her. As deadly as she is brilliant, she hides a multitude of secrets, one of them being your real name... You shake your head: you can't think of things like that now. You tell yourself to focus, and decide how you're going to get through the window and into the office. You glance down - you're a long way up, clinging to the side of this futuristic glass-and-chrome monstrosity. [img[images/fancyoffice.png]] How are you going to get through the window? [[Cut through the mirrored glass]] [[Pick the lock on the window]]

You approach the filing cabinet. It's old, a faded grey paint flaking away on the sides. It looks out of place in the modern office. The lock is a moment's work to pick, and soon your quick fingers are rifling through manila folder after manila folder of company data. It's interesting, but it's not a map to a long lost treasure. Where should you check next? [[The rug seems like a good place to check|Link 3]] [[It has to be the desk|Link 2]]

The rug is thick and the pattern compliments the room's decor, smokey grey patterns swirling in the rugs wool. You know from your pre-mission prep that it's an Alexander McQueen original, worth somewhere around fifty-five thousand pounds. You roll back the rug, but the floor underneath is bare. No floorboards give under your questing hands; there are no hidden switches or compartments here. You look around the room and decide where to look next. [[The desk|Link 2]] [[The filing cabinet|Link 1]] [[What about behind the painting?|Links With Variables]]

The painting sits under its own spotlight, the focal point of the far wall. It's a de Koonig, worth more than everything else in the room - in the ''building'' - put together, and you approach it carefully. You examine the floor but can find no evidence of pressure sensitive alarms. Approaching slowly, you spray condensed air from a can, and see no evidence of lasers in your path. You place your head on the wall next to the frame and peer behind. There's no wiring, no triggers, nothing odd...except the safe set in the wall behind the painting. You remove the painting from the wall and set it carefully on the floor, and examine the safe. It's old fashioned, with a numbered dial set in the middle of the door. [[Open the safe with heat|True False Link 1][$heat to "mini thermo-dynamic torch"]] [[Open the safe with sound|True False Link 2][$sound to "mini sonic safe cracking tool"]]

The desk is modern - steel and chrome balanced on oak and glass, a mix of the old and the new, and obviously expensive. Drawers, sleek and without an obvious handle, sit under the desk, set against the side. It takes you a minute, but you discover that if you give them a little push, they slide outward soundlessly, impossibly smoothly. They're not locked and seem to contain nothing more interesting than personalised stationary and business cards. Where should you check next? [[The rug|Link 3]] [[The filing cabinet|Link 1]]

You take out something from your bag that looks like an oversized compass with a suction cup, and attach the cup to the window above the lock. Carefully, you draw the diamond-tipped blade in a perfect circle around the suction cup. The blade cuts through the glass, and you're able to gently remove the circle of glass still attached to the cup. The glass is mirrored - you can't see into the office without leaning down slightly and peering through the hole you've just made. The coast is clear, as you knew it would be. You can't drop the glass you've removed: not only would it be dangerous to someone below, but you'll need to replace it on your way out. Stowing the circle of glass carefully in your satchel for now, you reach through slowly and unlock the window from the inside. It swings open, and you're in! <<set $hasglass to true>> [[Climb in carefully|Scene 3]]

You reach down to your belt and unclip the small pouch containing your lockpicks. It's not the easiest thing to do, picking a lock while hanging off the side of a building being buffeted by wind, but you're confident you can do it. You take a deep breath and still your hands as much as possible, and then gently insert the first pick. It doesn't take you long to locate the tumbler and push it down. As you're inserting the second, though, a gust of wind takes you, and you're shifted several inches to the right. The pick you're holding bends, but doesn't snap, and after some awkward fiddling you're able to remove it and re-insert a different one, finishing the job. The lock clicks, and the window swings open. You're in! [[Put your lockpicks away and climb in carefully|Accident Scene!]]

You're here, in the office of your nemesis, looking for any clue as to the where-abouts of the Yutanali Stone, a long-lost emerald shrouded in mystery. You've followed a tip that in this office is part of a map, bought at a secret black market auction by the CEO of Huntress Tech for reasons you can't fathom. A modern desk sits in-front of panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows; an old filing cabinet sits against a far wall. An expensive rug sits in the middle of the floor, and a painting under a spotlight hangs on the eastern wall. There's definitely a few places someone could hide a map. Where will you check first? [[The filing cabinet|Link 1]] [[The desk|Link 2]] [[The expensive rug|Link 3]]

You open your satchel and ready your $heat, letting the little machine get up to its optimum temperature. Once you're able to, you start cutting through the door of the safe, slowly and carefully. [[The safe door opens][$heatopen to true]]

You reach into your satchel and ready your $sound. Pressing it up against the safe, you twist the combination lock, until you hear the tell-tale sound of a tumbler falling into place. You start to turn the knob in the other direction, using your $sound to hear the second you hit the right number, repeating the process until you've correctly entered the right combination. [[The safe door opens][$soundopen to true]]

<<if $heatopen is true>> You've used your $heat to cut through the housing of the safe, and you quickly power down the tool as you carefully remove the door from the frame.<</if>> <<if $soundopen is true>> Your delicate manipulation of the mechanism allows you to click open the lock. The door swings open smoothly and soundlessly. Although old, it's an impeccably made safe, but it's no match for your skill.<</if>> Inside the safe, there are a couple of items carefully stowed. One is a small wooden box, delicate and beautiful. One is a folder, stuffed full of documents and photos. And...there! A thick protective plastic sleeve, and inside...something ancient, faded ink on dark brown parchment. It's a map! [[Reach out and take the map|Variable Part 1]]

Just as you're about to enter the office, a gust of wind strikes you again. This high up, there's no protection from the force of the blasts as they careen around the side of the building, untamed and unpredictable. You brace, but it's not enough: you lose your grip on the window frame as you're trying to climb inside. It's only your lightning quick reflexes that save you; you manage to twist as you start to slide, and your fingertips land on the window ledge, anchoring you for long enough that you're able to scramble into the office in an ungainly rush, thumping to the floor in a heap. Not your most dignified entrance. [[Pull yourself together and take a look around|Scene 3]]

You are $name. Super-spy, super-sleuth and possibly not as super-screwed as you thought you were. Along with the map piece, delicate and fragile and encased in a protective plastic sleeve, there's a folder and a small wooden box. You wonder why either would be in the safe; they must be important, and for a second your curiosity is piqued. You have to get what you came for though, before your time runs out. You reach out for the map piece, the thick plastic cover cool under your fingertips, but as soon as you lift it to remove it from the safe, a blaring, over-loud alarm starts to wail through-out the room. Shutters, thick and menacing, start to roll down over the windows and doors. You carefully but quickly slide the plastic holder into your satchel. You turn to go, but you can't quite help yourself...If you're quick you have time to grab one other thing. What will you grab? [[The small wooden box|Variable Part 2a]] [[The manila folder|Variable Part 2b]]

<<set $hasbox to true>> You reach out and grab the small wooden box. The intricate gold scrollwork carved into its small body presses into your palm as you turn away from the safe and sprint toward an exit. In reaching out to grab it, though, you've lost precious seconds. In that time, the shutters have continued their inexorable descent over the windows and doors, presenting the very real possibility that you might soon be trapped here if you don't move as fast as you can. [[Run for it!|Variable Part 2c]]

<<set $hasfolder to true>> You reach in as quickly as you can and grab the manila folder. It's stuffed with sheets of paper and photographs; some of them slip out as you turn sharply and sprint toward the exit, but you don't have time to go back. In reaching out to grab it, though, you've lost precious seconds. In that time, the shutters have continued their inexorable descent over the exits, presenting the very real possibility that you might soon be trapped here if you don't move as fast as you can. [[Run for it!|Variable Part 2c]]

You dash toward the exit as shutters continue to roll down: it doesn't look like you're going to get there in time! <<if $hasbox is true>>Flipping open your satchel, you try to push the delicate wooden box in, but it catches on the plastic holder of the map piece and won't slide in easily. You're still struggling, your hand in your satchel, as a strange noise makes you stop your headlong flight to the exit.<</if>> <<if $hasfolder is true>>Flipping open your satchel, you try to push the folder in, but the paper and photos inside make it awkward and unwieldy; it catches on something, refusing to slide in and be stowed away safely. You're still struggling, your hand in your satchel, as a strange noise makes you stop your headlong flight toward the exit.<</if>> Behind you, a section of the ceiling is sliding open with a smooth buzz, and before you can blink a small drone is descending, agile and fast, its little rotors whirring furiously. A second later, it's followed by another. You have a few seconds to register the whine of a high powered laser warming up before the vicious red light slashes across the room. You duck on instinct; behind you, the laser cuts into the wall, leaving behind a dark, smoking trail of damage in the immaculate plaster-work. <<if $hasglass is true>> [[Your fingers brush against something in your bag...|Variable Part 3]] <<else>> [[Duck!|Variable Part 3]] <</if>>

You hear the shutters complete their descent with a final, ominous clank, and have no choice but to duck and scramble for cover, your hand still in your satchel. <<if $hasglass is true>>Your fingers brush against something cold and sharp: a perfect circle of mirrored glass! If you're quick, it could be of use... As the next drone fires its miniaturised laser at you, you whip the glass from the bag and hold it over your chest. You get it in place just in time; the laser hits it and reflects back at the 'bot, slicing through resin and plastic with a hiss. The drone drops to the floor, neatly broken into two parts. <<set $numberofdrones to 1>> <<else>> Your fingers scrabble through your belongings in your bag, but you can't find anything useful before the next drone targets you with its laser. The high-pitched whine of the weapon powering up gives you a split second to move, but you're not quite fast enough; the laser clips your shoulder, and pain flares through your mind as it cuts through your armour to the skin beneath. <<set $numberofdrones to 2>> <</if>> [[Get to cover!|Content based on numbers]] Or [[Stand and fight!|Content based on numbers]]

You prepare for your next move, already formulating a plan to get yourself out of there, when something odd happens. The drone you thought was just about to attack stills and hovers, not coming any closer. You can hear the laser powering down as it stops, the air of an action withheld in its movements. It's still tracking you, but doesn't appear poised to attack. You wonder why, and ready yourself to take advantage of the fact that it's giving you an opportunity to escape, when there's the soft click of a hidden door closing behind you. The hair on the back of your neck tingles and rises, and you turn swiftly, knowing exactly what - who - you're going to see. Savannah. The CEO of Huntress Tech. Still poised. Still beautiful. Still deadly. <<if $numberofdrones eq 2>>She snaps her fingers and the drones move swiftly to flank you, lasers poised.<</if>> <<if $numberofdrones neq 2>>She snaps her fingers and you hear the drone behind you advance. You can't turn and look, but you know it's there, making your skin crawl, its laser pointed at your back.<</if>> "You." She sighs, condescension dripping from the single syllable. She eyes you for a moment and then smirks. "Wasn't losing to me in Havana enough?" [[What are you going to say to her?|Textbox]]

You take a deep breath. You don't want to speak to her, don't want to engage after what happened the last time you met, but you need //time//; time to discreetly examine the wall behind her for a hidden door, time to slip your hand into the pouch on your belt where you keep your stun bombs... You take a breath, allow yourself to lock eyes for a moment. Hers are still the deep lustrous brown you remember. You need to remind yourself that she's the enemy. A witty quip might be in order. "<<textbox "$replytoceo" "">>," you say, channeling all the confidence you can muster. [[Throw the stun bomb to distract her and escape|Textbox 1a]] [[Talk to Savannah more to distract her|Textbox 1b]]

"'$replytoceo'?" She repeats, her poised and perfect veneer cracking for just a second as her surprise at your response peeks out, but she just as quickly regains her composure and a faint sneer tugs at the corner of her mouth. "You really haven't changed, have you? Didn't you learn anything from last time?" "I learned enough," Is your short reply, as your lightning-fast fingers dig into the pouch and with a flick of your wrist, you send a stun bomb toward her feet. Quicker than you could have expected, <<if $numberofdrones is 2>> a <<else>> the <</if>> drone darts forward. One short and precise laser burst later, and your stun bomb is no more. Savannah tuts with faux disappointment, enjoying the moment. "Dear B.D." She's reaching into her own pocket, and you tense, but what she pulls out isn't a stun bomb. It isn't a weapon at all. "Remember this?" She asks. Between her thumb and her forefinger she holds a ruby-red crystal dice, blood-coloured shards of light refracting onto her face. You do. You remember the casino in Cuba. The craps table. Seeing her. The drinks. The gambling. The moments before you realised she was the enemy. The chase. You remember it all. And she kept the damn dice... "How about this?" She turns it around in her fingers, enjoying the moment. "If I roll an even number, you're drone fodder. If I roll an odd number, I kill you myself." She grins, but there's no warmth, no amusement in it. Holding your gaze, she lets the dice go... [[The dice falls...|Random Variable]]

"'$replytoceo'?" She repeats, her poised and perfect veneer cracking for just a second as her surprise at your response peeks out, but she just as quickly regains her composure and a faint sneer tugs at the corner of her mouth. "You haven't changed, have you? Did you learn nothing from last time?" "I learned enough," You reply. "I know you don't want to kill me." If Cuba taught you anything, you're pretty sure it taught you that. She had the opportunity, before you knew who she was, what she wanted, but... Savannah tuts with faux disappointment, enjoying the moment. "Dear B.D." She's reaching into her own pocket, and you tense, but what she pulls out isn't a weapon. "I'm really not sure that's true. Remember this?" She holds her hand up, and between her thumb and her forefinger is a ruby-red crystal dice, blood-coloured shards of light refracting onto her face. You do. You remember the casino in Cuba. The craps table. Seeing her. The drinks. The gambling. The moments before you realised she was the enemy. The chase. You remember it all. And she kept the damn dice... "How about this?" She turns it around in her fingers, enjoying the moment. "If I roll an even number, you're drone fodder. If I roll an odd number, I kill you myself." She grins, but there's no warmth, no amusement in it. Holding your gaze, she lets the dice go... [[The dice falls...|Random Variable]]

<<set $diceroll to either ("1","2","3","4","5","6")>> She lets the dice fall from manicured fingers; it rattles across the marble flooring and stops an inch away from your toes. You can't help but glance down even as Savannah laughs, a sharp sound in the silent room. It's a $diceroll... <<if $diceroll is "1">> It's odd! From out of no-where, a weapon appears in her hand, and she grins. "I've been waiting a long time for this," she says as she advances...<</if>> <<if $diceroll is "2">> It's even! She rolls her eyes, almost disappointed, and raises her hand to gesture to the waiting drone. Behind you, you hear a laser powering up...<</if>> <<if $diceroll is "3">> It's odd! From out of no-where, a weapon appears in her hand, and she grins. "I've been waiting a long time for this," she says as she advances...<</if>> <<if $diceroll is "4">> It's even! She rolls her eyes, almost disappointed, and raises her hand to gesture to the waiting drone. Behind you, you hear a laser powering up...<</if>> <<if $diceroll is "5">> It's odd! From out of no-where, a weapon appears in her hand, and she grins. "I've been waiting a long time for this," she says as she advances...<</if>> <<if $diceroll is "6">> It's even! She rolls her eyes, almost disappointed, and raises her hand to gesture to the waiting drone. Behind you, you hear a laser powering up...<</if>> !!To Be Continued!