*set report_wander true *if daddan >0 It's not that I don't care about what he says. I just can't get over the nervousness I feel whenever in a new place, especially one as open as this one. I couldn't feel safe unless I knew the area before doing anything. I hope Daniel understands... *if (daddan =0) and (hatedan =0) Ordinarily I would try to avoid doing anything that Daniel advised against but this is a special case. In a new environment like this I wouldn't be safe doing anything without a thorough knowledge of the area. Daniel will probably be upset, but that's mendable; feeling safe is more important. *if hatedan >0 I haven't listened to him up till this point, there's no point in starting now. It doesn't really matter if it's him or my previous employers, I'm still subhuman to them; they're probably right, but even knowing that I'm not going to waste this feeling of freedom, the first time I've had anything like this my entire life. Standing in front of the building I try to get as good a view of it as possible. There are security cameras at multiple areas, mainly around the doors, and I know in an instant that if I want to infiltrate undetected then I will undoubtedly need to find an alternative way in. As I occupy a part of my mind running through the possible entry points and likelihood of success of each one, my main consciousness busies itself with the question; do I want to get inside at all? *choice #Of course. Now that I think about it, there are probably more benefits to doing as Daniel said *set frienddan +1 *goto_scene 1-3principal-1 #Yes, but the front entrance is too risky. I'll find an alternate way in *goto_scene 1-3breakin-1 #No, I can gather more information from surveying the surroundings *goto wanderoveryonder *label wanderoveryonder From inside the building, all I'd be able to see is corridors and rooms. While that would be useful in it's own way, it would be more beneficial for reconnaissance purposes to get a general overview of the layout of the building for later today when I go in. For that, looking from the outside is more convenient for my purposes. Unfortunately, there are no elevated positions around the school; the school is, for the most part, isolated by the parking lot surrounding it. There's a single story but it makes up for it's lack in vertical size with horizontal. There are multiple cameras surrounding the building, leaving for few blindspots; they haven't covered every approach, but it would be difficult for anyone without my kind of training or moving in a group to be able to go in or out without being spotted. Due to the lack of elevated positions, observing from a distance won't be possible. Instead... *fake_choice #I'll have to climb onto the building itself *goto superwander #I'll have to settle for sneaking inside after all It's not the ideal course but some information is better than no information at all. *goto_scene 1-3breakin-1 *label superwander *set triedtoexplore true *set met_vi true It's simple enough to pinpoint a spot in which I can at least grab onto the side of the building, especially with how high I can jump. As I'm climbing up I make note of how windy the area is. If the winds are consistently this forceful then that will severely impact bullet trajectories. Ordinarily this would be vital information though without a gun with me this knowledge will be situational at best. Once my feet have been firmly placed on the roof I look over the area; there is a large number of air conditioners for a building this size but it provides a large amount of cover for stealth operations, as well as the sound of them masking any noise made. I make note to be extra alert whenever passing through this area, but this would be an excellent place to lose pursuers if needed. I make these observations as I'm moving through the area, checking my corners every time I pass by a ventilation shaft, and mentally illustrating a map of the building based on the positions of air conditioners and my own basic understanding of architecture. It's at that moment that I hear a hatch being opened and immediately hide behind one such ventilation shaft. Peeking my head around, I see a man wearing the uniform of a security officer climbing onto the roof. He walks casually, unalert, through the highly dangerous area and I feel my respect for this institution's security plummet. Still, his presence poses a definite problem... *fake_choice #He doesn't appear to be looking for me. I should keep my presence a secret *set combat -1 *set tactics -1 Engaging him would only bring more of his friends up here to investigate his disappearance. The odds of him staying up here are slim, it's much safer to wait it out and continue my recon after he has left- #It's best to deal with such threats decisively. I move to nonlethally suppress Being hesitant is just asking to die. When you see a problem, the direct route is almost always the best one; you don't survive without taking drastic measures in the face of a threat. So, the second his back is turned- *set vi_name "Vi Myrtal" "Hello." At the sound of the voice my body moves before my mind has fully processed what I heard. It came from beside me, and so that's the way I turn, placing my hand firmly over their mouth and keeping my free hand poised to deflect any counter attacks. With one eye I look at the surprise visitor while using my peripheral vision to keep watch on the officer. The officer doesn't appear to have heard anything, he continues on his path and eventually turns back the way he came. That brings little relief, however, when I have to deal with this new threat. The ambusher is female, that much is clear from the beginning. Short height. Long black hair that's in tangles and strings, indicating it does not receive regular care. Dark choice of clothing color. Eyes appear droopy and sunken, even as they are in high alert trying to track my movements. She has both her hands clamped over mine, whereas anyone trained in combat would be going for my eyes or throat, meaning she's an ameture. She's young, probably around my age. Back where I come from that wouldn't mean much, but here it is reasonable to assume she's one of my fellow classmates. I don't see any weapons anywhere near her, and if she had any concealed then the opportunity to use them would have been before she made her presence known. To top it all off, she's currently looking at me with an expression that seems to be trying to convey a 'please don't kill me' message. *fake_choice #This person, wherever she came from, is clearly no threat to me *set humanity +1 *set explosives -1 *set tactics -1 *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set virelationship "Lovestruck" I release her mouth and take one step back, but remain poised and ready to attack should my initial impression of her prove to be false, "I apologize. Tell me what your name is." "V-Vi. It's Vi. I'm Vi Myrtal!" She almost shouts and I hurry to hush her. "S-sorry," she says much softer. #She was able to get within five feet without my immediately knowing her presence. This is enough to be suspicious; I should interrogate her *set bored +1 *set vi_myrtal +10 *set virelationship "Lovestruck" Before releasing her mouth, I make sure to whisper "move suddenly or make any sound above a whisper, and I will kill you. Do you understand?" She frantically nods her head and I, cautiously, retract my hand to a distance where she can have the illusion that she's been set free but I can establish her silence in a fraction of a second. "Tell me what your name is." "V-Vi," she seemed to have taken my threat to heart because I have to strain my ears just to hear her from this distance, "It's Vi...I-I'm Vi Myrtal..." *set vi_myrtal_rom +10 "How did you get up here?" "S-same way you did...it was a bit harder since they added a bunch of cameras this year, but still the same principle..." "You were watching me?" "I-I was curious...why someone else would be climbing on the building." *if vi_myrtal =60 "I'm doing recon. Why are you up here?" *if vi_myrtal =70 "Keep wondering; now tell me why you were here? Were you waiting for me? If so, why?" "Uhm," she hesitates under the barrage of questions, as expected. During the early phases of an interrogation it is usually best to ask your subject questions that are impossible to answer so that you can punish them, and establish that anything less than immediate honesty will be dealt with severely. Unfortunately, I don't have my knife, so for now I'll have to settle for keeping her mind off balance so that she is less able to lie. "Well...I, well I've always come up here before school...and after, too," she mutters, "I don't get along with the others very well..." "Why not?" She hesitates again, before simply stating "Your eyes look a lot like mine..." *if vi_myrtal =60 What is that supposed to mean? *if vi_myrtal =70 She's saying nonsense. I really wish I had my knife. "Tell me...do you like hurting people?" *if vi_myrtal =60 *fake_choice #I've done what I had to do. Likes and dislikes never were a factor *set humanity +1 In my old workplace killing people was just one of those things that you have to do every now and then. Like doing laundry and cleaning up the barracks. Never really thought a lot about it at the time. People tend to be unnerved by my outlook but really, how else am I supposed to view something that's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember? #Sometimes. Depending on the person I'll admit some kills were fairly satisfying, either because of some personal grudge I had or because of how difficult it was to pull off that I couldn't help but feel somewhat prideful at being capable of doing so. The latter was more frequent than the former. *if vi_myrtal =70 *fake_choice #I've done what I had to do. Likes and dislikes never were a factor *set humanity +1 In my old workplace killing people was just one of those things that you have to do every now and then. Like doing laundry and cleaning the barracks. Never really thought a lot about it at the time. People tend to be unnerved by my outlook but really, how else am I supposed to view something that's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember? #Sometimes. Depending on the person I'll admit some kills were fairly satisfying, either because of some personal grudge I had or because of how difficult it was to pull off that I couldn't help but feel somewhat prideful at being capable of doing so. The latter was more frequent than the former. #I'm the one asking the questions here *set humanity -1 She's just trying to distract me with personal questions. I'm more interested in learning how she knows all this about me. "What makes you think I've hurt anyone?" *if vi_myrtal =70 "Well, you are interrogating me," she has a point... "Say, you're not going to kill me are you?" "I'm still deciding on that part." "Oh. Well if you don't kill me, do you think we could be friends?" *if vi_myrtal =60 She bites her lip, "I'm sorry, that was a bit personal, wasn't it..." Is it? I thought the people over here were more open with each other but that's something that even people back where I came from talked about. Maybe these Americans were more private that I previously judged. "So, you're not going to kill me, right?" "Wasn't really planning on it at this point." "Oh, that's nice. Do you think we can be friends?" *choice #Sure *set vi_myrtal_rom +10 *set vi_friend true *set virelationship "Strange Friendship" "That's nice. Cause I like you a lot." "That's nice." "Yeah. Hey, do you have a girlfriend?" "What's a girlfriend?" "I...don't know, actually. I think it's someone that you love a whole lot, and is a girl. It's a boyfriend if the person you love is a guy." *if daddan <0 "I guess I love my guardian. Does that make him my boyfriend?" "I don't think it's that kind of love. It's more...kissy love." "I've kissed many people." "Really?" "Yes, in my line of work CPR is an essential skill. Though it's been awhile since I've kissed anyone since they stopped teaching that method." "Oh. I think it's a different kind of kissing." "I don't know what you're talking about then." "That's ok. Neither do I." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker *if daddan =0 "I don't have anyone like that." "Oh, that's good...or bad for you, I suppose, but good because we have something in common. Friends are supposed to have stuff in common. I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend either." "Is this because you don't get along with people?" "Probably." "I see. You appear to be an expert at being unliked, can you tell me if they will not-like me?" "I don't know, they're really weird a lot of the time. I think we're pretty similar so they may not like you because of that, but then again there are some weird people that they like just fine for some reason. I never got why they have free pases." "I see. So you have no actionable information?" "No. I'm really sorry." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker #I'll think about it *set virelationship "Complicated" "Oh. I'll just wait until you're done thinking then." She waited for a few seconds, "Are you done?" "Still thinking." "Oh. When do you think you'll be done?" "I'll let you know." "Thanks," she sat staring at me while I considered the pros and cons of being friends with this individual. On one hand, *if vi_myrtal =70 I am still suspicious she may secretly be an assassin. *if vi_myrtal =60 she appears to be the type of person that would alienate me from my fellow students. On the other hand, as an outsider looking in she would likely have an unbiased viewpoint of all the different factions within the student body, and also have a great understanding of the school system. Plus, I believe the social training videos Daniel showed me stressed the importance of gaining as many friends as possible. *choice #I will be your friend *set vi_myrtal_rom +10 *set vi_friend true *set virelationship "Strange Friendship" "That's nice. Cause I like you a lot." "That's nice." "Yeah. Hey, do you have a girlfriend?" "What's a girlfriend?" "I...don't know, actually. I think it's someone that you love a whole lot, and is a girl. It's a boyfriend if the person you love is a guy." *if daddan >0 "I guess I love my guardian. Does that make him my boyfriend?" "I don't think it's that kind of love. It's more...kissy love." "I've kissed many people." "Really?" "Yes, in my line of work CPR is an essential skill. Though it's been awhile since I've kissed anyone since they stopped teaching that method." "Oh. I think it's a different kind of kissing." "I don't know what you're talking about then." "That's ok. Neither do I." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker *else "I don't have anyone like that." "Oh, that's good...or bad for you, I suppose, but good because we have something in common. Friends are supposed to have stuff in common. I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend either." "Is this because you don't get along with people?" "Probably." "I see. You appear to be an expert at being unliked, can you tell me if they will not like me?" "I don't know, they're really weird a lot of the time. I think we're pretty similar so they may not like you because of that, but then again there are some weird people that they like just fine for some reason. I never got why they have free pases." "I see. So you have no actionable information?" "No. I'm really sorry." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker #I will not be your friend *set vi_myrtal +5 *set vi_stalker true *set virelationship "One-Sided Obsession" "Oh. I came on too strong didn't I?" "I'm just not a friendly sort of person." "That's ok, neither am I. So I guess we can just be not-friends together." "If that is what you want to do. I would honestly prefer if you retain a distance from me if at all possible." "Ok, I'll be sure to only watch you from a distance." "I'd prefer if you did not watch me at all." "Oh. I don't know if I can do that..." "Should I kill you to make it easier to keep a distance?" "No, I feel like that'd be a pretty stupid reason to die. I don't want to go to God and say I died because I wanted to watch someone who didn't want to be watched. He might laugh at me and I don't like being laughed at." "Does that mean you won't follow me?" "Umm," she raised a finger to her lip and looked up in contemplation, "Can I think about it?" "Sure." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker #I will tell you later *set vi_think true *set virelationship "Complicated" "Ok. I guess I'll just have to be patient." "I will try not to make you wait for too long, if at all possible." "It's ok, you can take your time. I don't want you to feel pressured." "I adapt well to pressure." "Oh. In that case, I guess it would be better if I pressured you." "No, that might have unpleasing consequences for you." "Would you put your hand over my mouth again?" "No, I would probably end up crippling or killing you." "Oh. Well, I guess I shouldn't pressure you then." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker #No *set vi_stalker true *set vi_myrtal +5 *set virelationship "One-Sided Obsession" "Oh. I came on too strong didn't I?" "I'm not a friendly sort of person." "That's ok, neither am I. So I guess we can just be not-friends together." "If that is what you want to do. I would honestly prefer if you retain a distance from me if at all possible." "Ok, I'll be sure to only watch you from a distance." "I'd prefer if you did not watch me at all." "Oh. I don't know if I can do that..." "Should I kill you to make it easier to keep a distance?" "No, I feel like that'd be a pretty stupid reason to die. I don't want to go to God and say I died because I wanted to watch someone who didn't want to be watched. He might laugh at me and I don't like being laughed at." "Does that mean you won't follow me?" "Umm," she raised a finger to her lip and looked up in contemplation, "Can I think about it?" "Sure." *page_break Next *goto wanderbreaker *label wanderbreaker At that exact moment my attention was pulled toward the parking lot around the school as several large yellow buses carrying about two-hundred students total pulled up and they all started coming out one by one and entering the school in what was possibly the worst military formation I had ever seen. There was no discipline, uniformity, or speed; they looked more like one giant blob. "That formation is nonoptimal." I say aloud "Yeah, the people are pretty nonoptimal too. It looks like school is starting," she said, "Normally on the first day there's a big assembly where they give us our schedules and send us to class." "I was supposed to meet with the principal." "Oh. Why didn't you?" "I don't feel like it." "Well, you can come with me to the assembly. I know a great place." "Is it out of the way, near an entrance, and have a view of the entire room?" "The last two." "Good enough." "Oh, I just realized that I never learned your name..." *fake_choice *if (female =true) #Jane *set firstname "Jane" *set fullname "Jane Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He said the name Jane suited me; as in Jane Doe, the woman with no name, no past, no identity. Perfect for a fresh start; or so he put it. *goto fuckingwander #Henrietta *set firstname "Henrietta" *set fullname "Henrietta Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He told me I was named after some woman from a long time ago named Henrietta Lacks, whose cells had managed to live long after she died and survive multiple splits. A testament to their survival instinct, although I didn't understand a word of it until we started my biology lessons. *goto fuckingwander #Joy *set firstname "Joy" *set fullname "Joy Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. *if (hatedan >0) I'm pretty sure the name is meant to be ironic seeing as how I haven't smiled in...well, I haven't smiled. If he meant it to be serious then he had a very poor sense of judgement when he named me. *if (hatedan =0) At first I thought he meant the name as a joke until I asked him about it. He said his hope was that someday the name would fit, and so every time I heard it I would be reminded of where I was trying to be. He wasn't sentimental very often so that moment always stuck out to me. *goto fuckingwander #Jeannette *set firstname "Jeannette" *set fullname "Jeannette Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He said I was named after an American girl named Jeannette Walls, who was able to grow up in some of the worst conditions possible and still come out as a person, and even wrote a book about it. I never got around to reading it, but I admit I wouldn't mind swapping stories if I ever met her. *goto fuckingwander #Joan *set firstname "Joan" *set fullname "Joan Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He named me after a woman who became some kind of holy soldier a long time ago. I don't know much about holiness, but I recognize the soldier part all too well; which is why I suppose he figured it would be a good name or me. *goto fuckingwander #I had to repeat it a couple times before she said it right *input_text firstname *set fullname (firstname&" ")&lastname "${fullname}, that's it right?" It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. *goto fuckingwander *if (male =true) #John *set firstname "John" *set fullname "John Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He said the name John suited me; as in John Doe, the man with no name, no past, no identity. Perfect for a fresh start; or so he put it. *goto fuckingwander #Pinocchio *set firstname "Pinocchio" *set fullname "Pinocchio Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. I found out in our literature lessons that I was named after a fairy tale character who started out as a lifeless puppet but through hard work and a little help managed to become a real boy. I suppose he was trying to be poetic. *if (daniel_warden =true) I thought it was a really stupid story. *goto fuckingwander #David *set firstname "David" *set fullname "David Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. He chose David from the old biblical story, David and Goliath. Supposedly about a man who, with a slingshot, killed a giant with the help of his father, though the story didn't explain how his dad helped him; I assumed he provided some kind of sniper support from far away and let his son take the credit, though apparently he didn't coordinate this to his son because the son kept telling everyone that it was actually his father that killed the giant, but they made him a king anyway. I didn't really get it but apparently this kind of stuff is very popular in America. *goto fuckingwander #Rommel *set firstname "Rommel" *set fullname "Rommel Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. Daniel was apparently a history buff, cause he named me after a German general in a war from a long time ago. Apparently he was pretty good cause he wrote a few books; though if you ask me, he couldn't have been that smart if he wrote down all his tactics in a book for his enemies to read. *goto fuckingwander #Bruce *set firstname "Bruce" *set fullname "Bruce Decker" I tell her my name, ${fullname}, and she repeats to herself a few times as if committing it to memory. It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. Bruce was apparently the most boring and unassuming name in all of America, which made it perfect for blending in. I could see the reasoning behind it and thought it was pretty smart of him. *goto fuckingwander #I had to repeat it a couple times before she said it right *input_text firstname *set fullname (firstname&" ")&lastname "${fullname}, that's it right?" It was weird to think of it as my name; nobody knew what my actual name was, if I ever had one, so Daniel ended up picking one out for me. *goto fuckingwander *label fuckingwander "${firstname}. ${firstname}. ${firstname}. ${fullname} ${firstname}." She nods enthusiastically, "Yes, I got it! I also have a name, by the way. It's Vi Myrtal!" "I know, you told me." "I just wanted to make sure you remembered..." "Well, that's nice of you." "So, would you like to go to the assembly now?" "Considering that I missed my meeting, it seems that is the only way to learn what I will be doing today." "Ok, we can go together then." *page_break And so we went... *goto_scene 1-4viassembly-1