*if ((met_lucy_bathroom =true) or (lucy_stein =10)) *set lucyrelationship "Wary" "You..." *if (met_lucy_bathroom =false) "Yes, me again." I'm not shocked to have met Lucy again, it isn't a particularly large building after all, though it is a minor surprise to come across her so quickly after our last encounter. I'd suspect foul play on her part if she were not displaying obvious distaste for our current circumstances through her very angry facial expressions. *if (met_lucy_bathroom =true) "The girl from the bathroom..." I'm not particularly surprised that we ended up meeting again, it isn't a large building after all, though it does come as a minor surprise to see her less than ten minutes after our previous encounter ended on less than pleasant terms. The girl is glaring at me with impressive anger. I hadn't seen someone look at me like that since a co-worker from the barracks thought I'd stolen a treat he had looted off a soldier's body and was saving for later. Considering he immediately attacked me, resulting in a twisted stab wound that took months to heal properly, I proceed through the room cautiously as I look for the best desk to suit my needs. "Why are you still here? I thought they'd have sent you home by now?" The girl is evidently not satisfied with simply letting me get by, and is now standing in my path. "My desk is over there. Please move." "Why are you still here?" I assume she means in the classroom, "I go to school here." "But why are you still here?" "Because my *if (daniel_father =true) father *if (daniel_father !=true) guardian told me to." "I mean why didn't they send you home after I turned you in?" "I don't think I can answer that." "I'm the student council president, you can answer any question I ask you." *page_break Next I'm saved when the bell rings, announcing the beginning of the hour. The girl gives me one last glare before going to her own seat, a silent message that this isn't over. *if ((lucy_stein >10) and (male =true)) *set lucyrelationship "Classmates" I recognize the student council president immediately. As an authority figure, I had her marked from the beginning as a person of note. Her eyes pass over me as well, and there is an obvious sign of recognition though she doesn't draw any attention to it. It appears I'm fairly low on her list if priorities, as she instead takes this time before class checking names off a clipboard whenever a new student walks in. It's at this point I notice an adult female at the teacher's desk, her head rested comfortably on top of it, lying next to the nameplate "Mrs. Dow." Her eyes are closed and she's completely motionless, to the point where I suspect her of being deceased at first glance. "Is she supposed to be like that?" I ask Lucy She takes a moment to look between me and the teacher, "Mrs. Dow is just asleep. It's not that uncommon." Well, I suppose there's always at least one authority figure like this anywhere you go. "Who is the second in command?" "I am, for all intents and purposes," she responds, "If you have any questions or concerns, just come to me." *page_break Next The bell rings, announcing the beginning of the hour. Lucy barely spares a glance for me as she takes her place at the front of the classroom. *if (female =true) *set lucyrelationship "Classmates" I recognize the student council president immediately. As an authority figure, I had her marked from the beginning as a person of note. Her eyes pass over me once I enter the room, and she checks my name off of the clipboard in her hand. She continues to do so every time a student walks in, even as she begins talking to me. "You're that freshmen I met earlier, right? In the hallway?" "You're the student council president, Lucy Stein." "Miss Stein will do," she says, "That's what everyone calls me." "Are you also the teacher here?" "No, that's Mrs. Dow," Stein tilts her head toward a sleeping adult female sitting at the teacher's desk with her head rested comfortably next to her nameplate, "I'm filling in for her at the moment." "I see..." *page_break Next The bell rings, announcing the beginning of the hour. "You'd better find your seat," Miss Stein advises me, before taking a place at the front of the classroom. *set lucy_name "Lucy Stein" She seems relatively comfortable having everyone in the room watching her, definitely more comfortable than I would be, and I get the sense that she's used to being in such a position. "Hello everyone, my name is Lucy Stein, Student Council President. You may refer to me as Miss Stein, everyone does. Seeing as how Mrs. Dow is unable to work today, I'll be taking over her duties." Miss Stein looks over a paper that I noticed her take off of Mrs. Dow's desk, "Now then, the first thing here is to get into reading groups of four or less, the students may choose the groups for themselves." Before she even finished speaking, students were already rushing to previous acquaintances and before long I was the only one without a group. It was first hour all over again. *if (lucy_stein =10) "What are you doing just sitting there?" Miss Stein has quickly invaded my area of the room with a look of complete distaste on her face, "You need a partner." "I have no friends." "That's hardly a surprise. Look, I don't care if you're friends or not, but you need to be paired up with someone. Anyone." "All groups are full." Stein sighs in defeat, "Alright, I guess you'll just be on your own for the year then..." She seems to be neglecting the fact that she, herself, is without a group. Whether this is intentional or not she hides behind her feelings of disdain for me. *fake_choice #Call her out on it "You have no partner." She flinches as if I had just punched her in the nose, "Yes...so?" "Why do we not be partners?" "Because...I'm too busy to worry about things like partners. I have to teach the class." "But you are still a student. Don't you need a partner, the same as me?" "Look," Stein slams her hand on my desk and looks me coldly in the eye, "I don't know what sick game you're up to, but play it with someone else. I'm not interested and you're better off just going somewhere else, got it?" "Interested in what? I can't leave, this is my classroom." "...I'm through talking with you." And that was the end of that conversation. #Allow it to slide *set reflex -1 There is no reason to be confrontational. It appears I've already been branded by her as someone of unscrupulous character, there is no reason for further worsen our relationships with needless conflict. "Very well, if that is what you think is best then I shall defer to your judgment." Stein seems to be scanning me, trying to decide whether or not I was laying a trap, "Ok...good, get to it then." *page_break Next Miss Stein dropped a piece of paper on my desk, and then began walking around to other students. I quickly read over the sheet of paper; at a glance, it appears to be a brief description of America in the 1920s, though some of the terms are a bit confusing without prior knowledge about the time period. The paper seems to assume that the reader has had eight years of experience with United States history; someone really should have told it to not make assumptions when coming into contact with the enemy. While I'm trying to make sense of it, I overhear Miss Stein talking to the class; "Alright, this isn't for a grade. We're just trying to gauge the reading level of the class. Are there any questions?" One kid raises there hand, "Why isn't Mrs. Dow teaching?" "Mrs. Dow is resting; as student council president, I'm taking over her duties temporarily." "Since when does the student council president do that?" "Please don't ask any questions not directly related to the assignment." Deflected like a pro. It appears our substitute teacher has some experience with talking with groups; it's possible she has led teams in the past, or has been a representative for someone else. Either way, someone worth watching. *page_break Next I try in vain to understand what the paper is talking about. As far as I can tell, in the 1920s there was a warlord named Al Capone, who had invented a new poison and used it to hold his city at ransom, and then forced the inhabitants to begin acting in ways not typical in American society at the time, like forcing them to go to dance halls and listening to jazz; these poor unfortunate souls were known as Flappers. It all culminated when federal agents conducted a raid on his secret bunker and stole his tax information, and then they put him on an island where prisoners were forced to fight for survival. Al Capone finally died when a fellow inmate beat him to death at a tea party with a baseball bat. As far as American history went, it wasn't the most brutal thing I'd heard of them doing; though it was odd that they were open about it. That was somewhat out of character. I write such thoughts on the open space beside the prompt; or try to, at least. The pens are as awkward to hold as ever. It takes a bit of time, and the sacrifice of quite a few pen leads, but I'm somehow able to finish the project with a few minutes left in the class. It's not long afterwards that I notice Miss Stein wandering around the classroom collecting everyone's paperwork. She's already scowling when I'm next, but she somehow manages to appear even more disappointed in me when she reads over my paper, "Is this some kind of joke?" "I don't joke." I inform her. "Then what's this ridiculous story you've written?" "My assignment." "You know what," she sighs, "I don't even care anymore. Just give me the stupid paper." *page_break Next After Miss Stein forcefully retrieves my paper I'm left with nothing to do but observe her while I wait for the bell to ring. She doesn't give anyone else the same amount of difficulty she does me, in case I needed further evidence of her grudge, and goes about her responsibilities with professional stoicism and dignity. Completely focused on the task at hand. Taking her job a bit more seriously than is warrented. Then again, given the students she would have to deal with, perhaps the soldier demeanor was more justified than I thought. Miss Stein has stopped in front of the desk of people I marked from the beginning as likely to be problems, based on the way they presented themselves. Like Miss Stein, their demeanor was one that assumed power, though nothing about them would inspire the same kind of respect. There's three of them, and appear to have grouped together and formed a splinter sect within the classroom. Seeing the contrast between them and her, I suppose it was only natural that they would come into conflict as both attempted to enforce dominance. "There's nothing written on this." Miss Stein informs them, attempting to use the tone of her voice to invoke shame in the students. If she can successfully shame them, then that will force them to submit to her. The students, however, don't fall in line, and put forward their own challenge, "Well, last I checked that was the teacher's problem. You don't look like a teacher to me." The two power bases have come into direct conflict now; eyes are locked and both are putting on a strong front to challenge the other. Both sides are doing the balancing act of deciding how much force they want to present in order to assert their will and how much they want to hold in reserve for when the true battle begins. "Right now, I'm the one you need to be worrying about. Or do you really want to go to the office on the first day?" Stein has fired the first shot. Now it's war. *page_break Next One of the students stand up, and the other two follow. The border dispute has quickly escalated into full conflict and the students are bringing their defenses to the front lines. The three of them each stand taller than her, but she obviously has the most confidence. They have the advantage in positioning and numbers, but she has the superior willpower and authority backed by a larger government. The entire class is now focusing on this, the world watching as this cold war escalates into heated battle. "How are you supposed to make us go anywhere?" The students retaliate against Miss Stein's first shot with a challenge, daring her to fire again. But there's a trap there, or at least they are trying to present it as one, a slight hint of building firepower unseen by the aggressor to place them in a state of defensiveness. Miss Stein, however, refuses to go on the defensive and instead presses the attack, "By telling you. Right now." Then, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her secret weapon, a notepad with pink slips. It appears someone gave her the firepower to send students to the office, a weapon typically reserved for teachers alone. Impressive weaponry indeed. *page_break Next Then again, it is just a piece of paper. As demonstrated when the student slaps the notepad out of her hand, proving the effectiveness of physical might. "Pick that up." Stein orders, however the student ignores her demands and instead grabs her by the arm. The entire class is standing now but nobody makes a move to assist and he pulls her off balance. *fake_choice #This has escalated too far. I intervene *set lucy_stein +20 *set met_lucy_bathroom false *goto intervene #This is none of my concern *set reflex -1 *goto ignore *if (lucy_stein >10) "Are you not able to find a group?" Stein turned her attention to me "I do not know anyone." I tell her "Well, I suppose we could form a group of two." Ah, it appears I was not the only one excluded when the groups were formed. Even the stand-in teacher has been rejected. *fake_choice #Let's collaborate *set firearms -1 *set combat -1 *goto collaborate #I prefer to work alone *set lucy_stein -10 *goto alone *label intervene Whatever our disagreements, this is still my classmate that these aggressors are assaulting. I don't make a habit of allowing my allies to be harmed when I could do something about it. From what I can see, I am dealing with three assailants. All of which are taller than me and of greater builds but, judging by the inefficiency of his grip on Miss Stein's arm, have very little practical combat training. Still, the superior strength is an important factor; it's likely that I would have some trouble without a plan ahead of time. There is the hostage to take into account, as well as the space between the aggressors. There are also a large number of stabbing weapons in the classroom, if I want to go that route. Then again, it is always possible that the threat of outside intervention would be enough to make them back down entirely. *fake_choice #Try negotiating *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set explosives -1 *set reflex -1 *goto negotiate #Prioritize protecting Lucy *set protectlucy true *if violent =95 *set violent +5 *if violent <95 *set violent +10 *set lucy_stein +10 *set humanity +1 *goto protect #[i]Attack *set protectlucy true *if violent =95 *set violent +5 *if violent <95 *set violent +10 *goto attack *label ignore While the rest of the class is watching, obviously tense, I'm just sitting in my seat and waiting for the bell to ring. I have no interest in the disputes of the local power players, especially when one of them has taken an active role to express her distaste for me and the other appears like they would be just as eager to cause problems in my life. I'm just here to keep my head down and blend in. I sit patiently, tapping my finger on the desk while keeping an eye on the room, as per my habit. I can still see and hear what's going on, but anything that isn't a direct threat to me is just background noise. Though strangely, not much longer after the student has grabbed the girl by the arm, I hear an audible slap so sharp and loud, I instinctively reached for my side to return fire. *page_break Next At some point while I wasn't looking, Miss Stein seemed to turn the tables with a simple slap across the face, followed by a rapid fire assault of verbal abuse and lectures. "Do you have any idea who I am?! Do you know how many people I know?! I have you for assault, and with plenty of witnesses to prove it; do you know what that means? That's a few weeks in the courtroom, getting the entire media focused on you, reporters at your door analyzing every embarrassing detail about your life, and your family's life; I'm sure they'll find plenty of things on your parents, if you're any indication of the home life. And then, just to top it off, I'll do everything in my power to get you behind bars for the rest of your sophomore year; I'll tell you right now, prison is not kind to pretty boy hot shots like you! So go on, grab me again and I'll take your money too!" I can tell by the confidence in her words that this isn't a desperate bluff or a misrepresentation of reality; she really does have the means to back up what she's saying. The assailants seem to pick up on it too. "Alright, fine...we're going...Jesus..." And thus, the border dispute between the Miss Stein and the bratty students in the back of the class reached a somewhat anti-climatic conclusion, resulting in the complete annihilation of the opposing side and the assimilation of their assets. *page_break Next After the three students left, Stein looked at all the students that had been watching the dispute, "Well? What are you all looking at? Pack your things, class ends in a few minutes." It's only after she's retaken her original seat that she finally lets out a sigh of relief. "Impressive," I remark. "I didn't ask your opinion," she snaps back, though lacking in her previous ferocity. It appears the conflict sapped much of her strength. While my expertise on social interactions, I've been told, is somewhat lacking, my knowledge of capture tactics tells me that the best time to act is when the person is at their weakest. Given that knowledge, this would probably be the best time to... *fake_choice #Try to reconcile with her *set lucy_stein +10 *goto reconcile #Return fire *set lucy_stein -5 *goto return #Do nothing *goto nothing *label collaborate One shouldn't turn away allies when they are offered, especially in an unfamiliar environment. "What is your experience with reading?" I ask, trying to get a grasp of my new ally's capabilities and usefulness "Well, I'd say I'm pretty well read; though it won't really matter on the first day." "What do you mean?" "Well, you'll see when I give out the assignment." There's something about this scenario that feels odd to me, "Is it common for students to be taking on the responsibilities of teachers?" "Well, I'm student council president." She explains as if it were supposed to be obvious. I suppose in this school that might ordinarily be a valid reason, it's not like I would know, but it still feels like she's taking on more responsibility than should be delegated to a student. "What exactly does a student council president do?" She shrugged, "Whatever needs doing." Fairly vague. Does she purposely use vague definitions in order to allow loose interpretation of what she has power over? Then again, maybe I'm just being paranoid. *page_break Next After the groups have been properly established, Miss Stein stands up again and goes to the front of the class. "Alright, so for the first day we'll be trying to establish where everyone's reading level is; I'm going to hand out some comprehension pieces and you'll write a quick response to the argument presented. Any questions?" One kid raises his hand, "Why is Mrs. Dow asleep?" *page_break Next "Mrs. Dow is just resting. In either case, it doesn't really relate to this assignment." Miss Stein deflected the question without hesitating; she appears accustomed to speaking to large groups of strangers. "Now, if there's nothing else, I'll pass out your assignments. They are not for a grade, but they are due at the end of the hour." The piece of paper is placed in front of me, with a long stretch of writing on it. At a glance, it appears to be a brief description of America in the 1920s, though some of the terms are a bit confusing without prior knowledge about the time period. The paper seems to assume that the reader has had eight years of experience with United States history; someone really should have told it to not make assumptions when coming into contact with the enemy. *page_break Next "Are you doing okay?" Miss Stein says, having retaken her seat near my desk "I'm having some difficulty..." "Oh, do you want help?" *fake_choice #I could use some help *set lucy_stein +10 There is never any harm in taking assistance when you really need it. "Alright, what part are you having trouble with?" "Well, for starters, who's Al Capone?" *page_break Next The rest of the hour passes with Miss Stein helping me, completely neglecting her own work. By the end, I have a general idea of what the 1920s were all about; lots of alcohol and crazy people. At this point, all I have to do is put that to writing. At least that's what Miss Stein is telling me. "I can handle the rest," I say, though I am dreading having to write. Pencils are already uncomfortable to use, I'm not sure how I'll write something a paragraph long. "Are you sure?" "I'm sure," However, as if the universe deliberately tried to punish me for my hubris, I broke the pen after just writing a few words. #I can take care of myself I didn't get this far by pushing everything I didn't like to do on someone else; unless you count dying, I did typically prefer making my enemies do that in my place. But the point is, self-reliance is the only path to survival. "Suit yourself, but you look like you just found the piece of paper that killed your family." "A paper did not kill my parents." I think; I only really knew my mom, and even then 'knew' is a bit generous. Who knows, maybe whoever my dad was choked on a piece of paper somewhere. "What? I was just making a joke..." "Ah yes...humor." These Americans had a cruel sense of it. *page_break Next Miss Stein doesn't bother me again as I try in vain to understand what the paper is talking about. As far as I can tell, in the 1920s there was a warlord named Al Capone, who had invented a new poison and used it to hold his city at ransom, and then forced the inhabitants to begin acting in ways not typical in American society at the time, like forcing them to go to dance halls and listening to jazz; these poor unfortunate souls were known as Flappers. It all culminated when federal agents conducted a raid on his secret bunker and stole his tax information, and then they put him on an island where prisoners were forced to fight for survival. Al Capone finally died when a fellow inmate beat him to death at a tea party with a baseball bat. As far as American history went, it wasn't the most brutal thing I'd heard of them doing; though it was odd that they were open about it. That was somewhat out of character. I write such thoughts on the open space beside the prompt; or try to, at least. The pens are as awkward to hold as ever. "Are you sure you're alright?" Miss Stein asks me again. "Yes, I'm fine. Why?" I say as my pen breaks; it appears the universe is trying to get one over on me. Well, joke's on it because I have twenty more pens. *page_break Next About a dozen pens later, and I'm finally done. "What do I do with this?" I ask Miss Stein "Here, I'll collect them," She takes my paper then stands up, "I guess you can just wait there until the end of the hour." A simple enough assignment. *page_break Next While I'm waiting patiently, I watch the student council president going around the room and taking the papers of the other students. The majority of them seem to have accepted her role as their commanding officer; perhaps it is the title of student council president, but it seems more likely that her demeanor is one that inspires respect in people that talk to her and thus they merely assume she has power over them. Then again, power assumed is very rarely different than actual power, if everyone agrees that someone has it. And when someone assumes power then there will always be someone who challenges it. *page_break Next *goto next *label alone Miss Stein raises an eyebrow, "You're really going to go all year without a reading group?" "Yes." "And why, dare I ask?" "It's private." Miss Stein rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. I guess you don't mind figuring out your assignment on your own, too." *page_break Next Miss Stein dropped a piece of paper on my desk, and then began walking around to other students. I quickly read over the sheet of paper; at a glance, it appears to be a brief description of America in the 1920s, though some of the terms are a bit confusing without prior knowledge about the time period. The paper seems to assume that the reader has had eight years of experience with United States history; someone really should have told it to not make assumptions when coming into contact with the enemy. While I'm trying to make sense of it, I overhear Miss Stein talking to the class; "Alright, this isn't for a grade. We're just trying to gauge the reading level of the class. Are there any questions?" One kid raises there hand, "Why isn't Mrs. Dow teaching?" "Mrs. Dow is resting; as student council president, I'm taking over her duties temporarily." "Since when does the student council president do that?" "Please don't ask any questions not directly related to the assignment." Deflected like a pro. It appears our substitute teacher has some experience with talking with groups; it's possible she has led teams in the past, or has been a representative for someone else. Either way, someone worth watching. *page_break Next I try in vain to understand what the paper is talking about. As far as I can tell, in the 1920s there was a warlord named Al Capone, who had invented a new poison and used it to hold his city at ransom, and then forced the inhabitants to begin acting in ways not typical in American society at the time, like forcing them to go to dance halls and listening to jazz; these poor unfortunate souls were known as Flappers. It all culminated when federal agents conducted a raid on his secret bunker and stole his tax information, and then they put him on an island where prisoners were forced to fight for survival. Al Capone finally died when a fellow inmate beat him to death at a tea party with a baseball bat. As far as American history went, it wasn't the most brutal thing I'd heard of them doing; though it was odd that they were open about it. That was somewhat out of character. I write such thoughts on the open space beside the prompt; or try to, at least. The pens are as awkward to hold as ever. "You sure you don't need help, ${mr} Hardcase?" "Why do you ask?" "Well, for starters, your holding that pen so tightly your going to break it as soon as you try to write anything." "I have extras." *page_break Next "Look, I get it, you want to be tough and all. But there comes a time in everyone's life that they need to admit they don't know everything. How about you swallow your pride and just let me help you out." *fake_choice #I don't need help *set lucy_stein -5 It's not pride; I'm just not in the habit of pushing my problems onto other people, and I'm not going to start now. I'm not going to put myself in a position where I need someone's help and can't get it. I've always gotten by because I can help myself. Miss Stein sighs, "Fine, whatever. You can keep doing you." She doesn't bother me again. #Fine *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 There's no harm in accepting help when you actually need it. It's no different than relying on Daniel to make sure the refridgerator is stocked; I can't do it, and trying to will just cause more problems. It's better to leave these kinds of problems to the people who have been doing them their entire lives. With my permission, Miss Stein takes a look at my paper and immediately gets a puzzled look on her face, "Okay; so, first of all, let's review what we learned in 5th grade history..." *page_break Next About a dozen pens later, and I'm finally done. "What do I do with this?" I ask her "Here, I'll collect them," she takes my paper then stands up, "I guess you can just wait there until the end of the hour." A simple enough assignment. *page_break Next While I'm waiting patiently, I watch the student council president going around the room and taking the papers of the other students. The majority of them seem to have accepted her role as their commanding officer; perhaps it is the title of student council president, but it seems more likely that her demeanor is one that inspires respect in people that talk to her and thus they merely assume she has power over them. Then again, power assumed is very rarely different than actual power, if everyone agrees that someone has it. And when someone assumes power then there will always be someone who challenges it. *page_break Next *label next The student council president has stopped in front of the desk of people I marked from the beginning as likely to be problems, based on the way they presented themselves. Like Miss Stein, their demeanor was one that assumed power, though nothing about them would inspire the same kind of respect. There's three of them, and appear to have grouped together and formed a splinter sect within the classroom. Seeing the contrast between them and her, I suppose it was only natural that they would come into conflict as both attempted to enforce dominance. "There's nothing written on this." She informs them, attempting to use the tone of her voice to invoke shame in the students. If she can successfully shame them, then that will force them to submit to her. The students, however, don't fall in line, and put forward their own challenge, "Well, last I checked that was the teacher's problem. You don't look like a teacher to me." The two power bases have come into direct conflict now; eyes are locked and both are putting on a strong front to challenge the other. Both sides are doing the balancing act of deciding how much force they want to present in order to assert their will and how much they want to hold in reserve for when the true battle begins. "Right now, I'm the one you need to be worrying about. Or do you really want to go to the office on the first day?" Stein has fired the first shot. Now it's war. *page_break Next One of the students stand up, and the other two follow. The border dispute has quickly escalated into full conflict and the students are bringing their defenses to the front lines. The three of them each stand taller than her, but she obviously has the most confidence. They have the advantage in positioning and numbers, but she has the superior willpower and authority backed by a larger government. The entire class is now focusing on this, the world watching as this cold war escalates into heated battle. "How are you supposed to make us go anywhere?" The students retaliate against Miss Stein's first shot with a challenge, daring her to fire again. But there's a trap there, or at least they are trying to present it as one, a slight hint of building firepower unseen by the aggressor to place them in a state of defensiveness. Stein, however, refuses to go on the defensive and instead presses the attack, "By telling you. Right now." Then, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her secret weapon, a notepad with pink slips. It appears someone gave her the firepower to send students to the office, a weapon typically reserved for teachers alone. Impressive weaponry indeed. *page_break Next Then again, it is just a piece of paper. As demonstrated when the student slaps the notepad out of her hand, proving the effectiveness of physical might. "Pick that up." She orders, however the student ignores her demands and instead grabs her by the arm. The entire class is standing now but nobody makes a move to assist and he pulls her off balance. *fake_choice #This has escalated too far. I intervene *set reportlucyintervene true *set lucy_stein +10 *goto intervene #This is none of my concern *set reflex -1 *goto ignore *label negotiate *temp kneecap false Often, when one is forced to realize that violence will only ever be met with more violence, that realization alone is enough to deter them from acting out. And being confronted with someone who actually knows how to fight is often a powerful motivator to keep the peace. I draw their attention the moment I've made my approach. "This ain't your business; buzz off." The main aggressor says, saliva spraying out and landing on my face. Both he and his allies look at me, expecting me to make a move of some sort. I know these types of people; they don't know how to solve their problems any way other than through violence, but they're too weak individually to make that a reliable method so they instead rely on group tactics and intimidation. There was always someone like this at any given time in my old workplace, though they usually didn't live very long. If the battlefield didn't kill them, their 'victims' usually did. Judging by how confidently these three marched into class and started grabbing at their superior, they have yet to learn the lesson that every abuser of power does eventually. Violence will only ever be met with more violence. Some embrace this, accept it, become stronger for it and all the more ruthless, like my former employers, and me; something tells me these three would react quite differently to the realization. Still, they don't have to specifically learn that lesson right now. I'd be happy with just getting out of this without a fight. "You're going to stop that." *page_break Next *set lucyrelationship "Worried" "I don't need your help," Stein scowls at me, but something tells me I couldn't pull out even if I tried; their attention has left Miss Stein and is now focused solely on me. "Quiet," the main aggressor finally lets go of her arm, albeit by pushing her. Miss Stein casts him a glance, more annoyed than intimidated, before sighing in exasperation, "Fine; if you're all going to kill each other then get it over with." Well, it's good to know I have authorization from the local authority, though lethal force would probably still get me in trouble with the higher ups. Besides, I'm still hesitant to allow this to escalate into a fight at all. A peaceful outcome is looking more and more distant, as my opponents continue to stare at me, as if waiting for me to make a move in a classic western-style showdown. Pretty stupid of them; if they are determined to fight, they should just go in right away. Still, I won't complain, since it gives me an opportunity to speak. *fake_choice #Try to be diplomatic I'm not one to do things halfway; if I'm going to kill someone, you can be sure that I'll be thorough about it. Likewise, if I'm going to go to the extra trouble of avoiding a fight, you can expect the same degree of determination. "I do not wish to kill you, or cause any other variety of bodily harm. I would prefer to avoid a fight with you." He grins at my facade of submission, perceiving it as having his authority recognized; unfortunately, this only appears to embolden him. "Maybe I don't. Maybe I might just take that out on you. What do you think of that?" "It would be a very bad idea." I say, but judging by the twitch in his hand that precedes a punch, it appears he's already made his decision. I see the punch coming from a mile away. *fake_choice #Don't retaliate *set hurt true *set hurtbybullies true *set reflex -1 The punch makes a solid connection with my jaw, but my face has suffered much worse than this and he wasn't trying to kill me in the first place so it doesn't to much other than knock me to the side. It hurts, but pain is irrelevant as long as nothing is damaged. If he'd been serious, I might have had to take more drastic action. Of course, very few people stop with one attack, so it's only a matter of seconds before he has grabbed onto my throat and is continually punching me in the face. This is slightly more problematic; the punches hurt like hell and I can probably expect some bruising, but the bigger problem is the restricted airway. I would normally be able to hold my breath for a few minutes, long enough to find a way out, but with the attacks on my face I am unable to keep from trying to breath. If this keeps up, I may actually fall unconscious. And then Miss Stein would be without protection; not to mention, I'd be unconscious. *fake_choice #I can endure in the name of peace *set reflex -1 *set lucy_stein +30 Resigning myself, I decide that if nothing else, my primary objective of protecting Stein was complete; my well-being is secondary to that. Besides, I won't die. Just as I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, an arm comes to my rescue. "That's enough!" Miss Stein slaps him across the face, dazing him just enough for me to get air back in my lungs. "You are out of line, and I won't allow this! All three of you, to the office, now!" She could hit with a surprising amount of force, leaving a bright red mark on his face that is somewhat amusing to look at. He, of course, is somewhat less amused. "You nosy little cu-" He begins winding up a punch towards her, but she simply slaps him again while he is too busy building up force. "I said, that's enough!" She says, crossing her arms, "Do you really think you're the first pretty boy hot shot I've had to deal with? Ha! I pick bigger fish than you out of my teeth for breakfast!" *page_break Next "I can not-" He begins, but is cut off by another slap to the face, "Stop doing that!" "No, that's not how this works. You don't make commands, that's my job. Now; you are going to step back, and apologize right this minute, or I will make the rest of your year a living hell." "What, are you going to tell the teacher on us?" "Tell the teacher?" Miss Stein laughs, "What do I need a teacher's authority for? No, the only authority I need is mine. And I'll use the ammo you just gift-wrapped to me, with over a dozen witnesses." She gestures to the class, and speaks with the confidence of a veteran. "You think I'll call you out on bullying? Get you suspended for about a week? If so, you have no idea who you're dealing with. I have you for assault and battery, do you know what that means? That's a few weeks in the courtroom, getting the entire media focused on you, reporters at your door analyzing every embarrassing detail about your life, and your family's life; I'm sure they'll find plenty of things on your parents, if you're any indication of the home life. And then, just to top it off, I'll do everything in my power to get you behind bars for the rest of your sophomore year; I'll tell you right now, prison is not kind to pretty boy hot shots." Stein grins, "So, what's it going to be? Are you going to apologize to the nice man and scamper off like a good little dog, or am I going to have to put you in the kennel?" My old employers would love to get their hands on her. Her ruthlessness would have fit in well with us back in the day. Stein holds the pink slip from earlier out to him; he looks between it, her, me, and his friends (who have taken several steps back, leaving him without backup). Eventually, Miss Stein's will overtakes his and he meekly leaves the room with the slip in hand. With the leader neutralized, Stein turns her attention to his accomplices. "I can make both your lives very difficult," she explains to them, "A word of advice from a concerned party; find better friends." *page_break Next *set lucyrelationship "Grateful" If I'd known Miss Stein really could just intimidate her enemies into submission, I might have stayed out of it entirely. It would have saved me from my current headache induced from the blunt force trauma of repeated punches. "Are you alright?" Stein says while inspecting the patches of broken skin, "He hit you pretty hard." "I'll be fine." I respond; back home, experiences like this could be best summed up as 'Tuesday afternoon.' "Wow, you must be made of iron. You're not even breathing hard." Stein remarks, "Even so, do you want me to take you to the nurse?" Well, she appears to have changed her tune quite dramatically. *fake_choice #That probably isn't a bad idea There's probably no cause for alarm, but it would probably be best to go to the nurse anyway. Just in case. "Very well. You can lead the way." "Alright, and hey, try not to sound so grim. It's not like we're going to war." *page_break Lunch (in the nurse's office) *goto_scene 1-9lucylunch-1 The bell rings shortly after we leave the room, signalling the beginning of lunch. Nevertheless, Stein doesn't even consider leaving until we're at the nurse's office. #It'll heal on its own "There's no need; I've had much, much worse." "Well...fine, if you want to be tough," Stein said, "Just...try not to get into anymore trouble. I won't be bailing you out next time." *page_break Lunch... *if ((male =true) or (third_incident =true)) *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Stein makes good on her promise and refuses to leave me alone the rest of the hour, but once the bell rings we go our seperate ways. Other than that, I'm able to go to the lunchroom without any other bother. #This has gone too far This has gone beyond what I was expecting; it's time to re-establish control before I'm put in an actually dangerous position. Sorry Miss Stein. Given my position, I can't work up a tremendous amount of force to strike back; luckily, it doesn't take a whole lot of force to press your fingers into someone's neck, just above the adam's apple, and jab into their airway. He immediately jumps back, coughing the entire time, giving me time to get back on my feet. Now, as long as he is unable to breath properly, he serves more as an obstacle than a combatant and can form an effective wall between me and his allies. Once he's recovered, however, I'll be dealing with three opponents at once. Those are odds I would prefer to avoid, so I resolve to finish him off while before the others can interfere. He being in no state to effectively fight back, it is easy to close the distance once again and finish him with a quick kick to the kneecap, shattering the joint and leaving him unable to stand. *page_break Next Faced with actual resistance, the remaining two appear far less enthusiastic about their life choices. Still, they're holding onto their belief in the strength in numbers and thus not making the much smarter choice of simply running away; the fact that I'm still a little wobbly from the beating might be a contributing factor. *fake_choice #Attack while they're distracted *if violent =95 *set violent +5 *if violent <95 *set violent +10 Typically when you aren't completely sure what to do, violence is a good fall-back strategy. Upon seeing me move forward, they fall back on defending themselves. Two opponents, prideful, won't retreat unless faced with overwhelming force, untrained yet physically powerful. Their advantage is numbers and physical strength, my advantage is superior training and experience. I've had worse odds. *page_break Next By the time I'm close to melee range, they've resolved to be fight aggressively. Unlike in the Hollywood action movies, I can't rely on them attacking one at a time; right from the start I see them trying to get on either side of me to attack from both directions. It isn't too difficult to keep them both where I can see them at the moment, but that will change once I make contact. Once they've realized they won't be able to corner me so easily, they both charge forward. The one on the right appears to be trying to grab onto my arm while the other is settling for a punch toward the stomach. In either case, staying in one place is suicide. But luckily, I have advantage of terrain; making use of the desk behind me, I quickly vault over it. The one trying to grab me simply moves around, but the other one feels his punch make direct contact with the desk, likely breaking his hand or at least fracturing several fingers. A perfect example of why you should never throw a punch unless you know exactly where it is going to go. He takes a second to whine about his broken hand, a moment of hesitation that probably would have gotten him killed where I come from, and thus I'm able to focus on the one that went around the desk like a sensible person. He is still trying to tackle me, but there's too many obstacles for him to gain any momentum thus he is left in a stance leaving his legs wide open. One quick kick to the groin leaves him in a state of extreme pain, a move he obviously wasn't expecting; I still question the American habit of restricting themselves from using certain methods in combat. While he's concentrating on the pain, I move in quickly and, while his balanced is off due to the buckling of his knees, kick his legs out from under him and let his head collide with the ground. *page_break Next With one nursing a shattered kneecap and the other unconscious, I'm left with only one possible threat, and one of his hands have been rendered useless. The remaining assailant has clearly realized that he's lost this fight, his only problem is that I'm between him and the exit. *fake_choice #Give him a break *set lucy_stein +5 *set combat -1 *set explosives -1 *set humanity +1 *set lucyrelationship "Grateful" He obviously knows that this fight is over; no one ever said I couldn't have a little mercy every now and then. I step to the side to give him a clear run for the exit. After a moment of hesitation, he wisely accepts my generous offer and leaves the room as fast as his legs can take him. "I've never seen someone run so fast." I hear Miss Stein say. Clearly she's never had a live grenade fall at her feet. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" "I grew up in a rough neighborhood." #Never accept surrender *set kneecap true *set lucyrelationship "Grateful" I'm not going to make the mistake of letting an enemy go while they are still a threat. Especially when I'm so close to finishing; that's one of the worst times to make a mistake. He's stepping backward, trying to get what little distance he can; I'm able to easily close the gap. When he sees me approaching he finally commits to fighting, but it's too late. Aware of his disabled hand, I jab high on the side that he's weak on. His other arm extends around to block; the awkward block hinders his vision and puts all his energy high, allowing me to follow up with an attack low with a kick to his kneecap. He falls on top of his broken knee, though impressively he manages to keep himself from falling completely on the ground by supporting himself with one arm on a desk. Impressive reactions, though it does make his head at the perfect level for me to grab. Holding his head steady, I bring my knee up into his face. He's unconscious before he hits the ground. *page_break Next *if (male =true) "You don't think that was a tad bit overkill?" I hear Miss Stein ask behind me "Any tactic that works it to be considered valid." *if (female =true) "Are you alright?" I hear Miss Stein ask behind me "Better than them." "Well, in any case, you should go see the nurse." "Why is that?" "Because you just took a punch of smacks to the face." "I've had worse." "Look...I honestly don't care much about your face one way or the other, but I need your help to carry these kids to the nurse, *if (male =true) and seeing as how this is mostly your fault anyway, I won't take no as an answer." *if (female =true) and between them and those marks on your face, I won't take no as an answer." Well, I suppose I can't argue with rank. That always tends to end rather...painfully, where I'm from. *page_break Lunch (in the nurse's office) *goto_scene 1-9lucylunch-1 Miss Stein tries to keep eye contact between the two of us to a minimum; I suppose first impressions are hard to get over. I try not to be too overbearing, as I am still trying to move past those move past those first impressions, and I'm not very good at conversation in general. Still, I would have preferred if we had gotten someone else to help our recently wounded friends on their way with us. #Intimidate them into surrendering "Your friend...he hit me in the head." I tell them, "You are aware that blows to the head can easily kill someone. So I can easily make the assumption that you three were trying to kill me." I take a step forward to test the waters, and they instinctively take a step backward. "You know...I'm not from around here. I'm not sure how they handle cases like this here, but where I come from, we have a policy on how to deal with people that try to kill you. You see, we're really supportive of the 'eye-for-an-eye' culture that seems to be dying out in America lately. Some call it an archaic mindset, but I think it gets pretty good results." *page_break Next *if (male =true) "Alright, you made your point." Miss Stein walks between us with her arms crossed, "You boys had your fun, now it's time to wrap things up. We have a bell about to ring in just a few minutes and I want to get the both of you to the nurse before the hallways crowd up." She says the last part while gesturing to me and the kid with the currently shattered kneecap. I don't bother telling her that it will take a lot more than a visit to the nurse to fix that. "Why am I going?" Stein raises an eyebrow at me, "After what he just did to your face? There's no way in hell I'm leaving you alone to collapse. You're both coming with me." *page_break Lunch (in the nurse's office) *goto_scene 1-9lucylunch-1 Despite, or perhaps because of, my assurances that I have suffered way worse than a few punches to the face, Miss Stein doesn't relent and continues to order me to see the nurse. Seeing as how I already went through all this effort to keep her out of trouble, it would seem pretty dumb to start fighting her so I decide to go along. Though I would have preferred if we had gotten someone else to help our recently crippled friend limp his way over. #Defend myself I tried being nice for Miss Stein's sake, but I'm not about to let myself come to harm. I attack before he gets the chance; unlike him, I know better than to announce my attacks with long build up. I cut him off with a quick strike to his heart, the force of which causes him to cough and stop his attack. The delay is only for less than a quarter of a second, but I've taken away his momentum, removing the immediate threat. I imagine there's also a broken rib that he'll discover once his adrenaline wears off. In the meantime, I have less than a quarter of a second to take advantage of the break. I use my other hand to get a grip on his throat, pressing my thumb into the space just above his Adam's Apple and into the airway. He instinctively goes into full retreat, rapidly stepping backwards in the hope of recapturing his breath. I'm going with him as he does, delivering a knee to the groin with every step forward. Before too long, we run into a desk and he collapses from the cumulative pain. *page_break Next There's two left that I can see, and after my sudden outbreak of violence they appear visibly shaken. Faced with actual resistance, the remaining two appear far less enthusiastic about their life choices. Still, they're holding onto their belief in the strength in numbers and thus not making the much smarter choice of simply running away. *fake_choice #Attack while they're distracted *if violent =95 *set violent +5 *if violent <95 *set violent +10 Typically when you aren't completely sure what to do, violence is a good fall-back strategy. Upon seeing me move forward, they fall back on defending themselves. Two opponents, prideful, won't retreat unless faced with overwhelming force, untrained yet physically powerful. Their advantage is numbers and physical strength, my advantage is superior training and experience. I've had worse odds. *page_break Next By the time I'm close to melee range, they've resolved to be fight aggressively. Unlike in the Hollywood action movies, I can't rely on them attacking one at a time; right from the start I see them trying to get on either side of me to attack from both directions. It isn't too difficult to keep them both where I can see them at the moment, but that will change once I make contact. Once they've realized they won't be able to corner me so easily, they both charge forward. The one on the right appears to be trying to grab onto my arm while the other is settling for a punch toward the stomach. In either case, staying in one place is suicide. But luckily, I have advantage of terrain; making use of the desk behind me, I quickly vault over it. The one trying to grab me simply moves around, but the other one feels his punch make direct contact with the desk, likely breaking his hand or at least fracturing several fingers. A perfect example of why you should never throw a punch unless you know exactly where it is going to go. He takes a second to whine about his broken hand, a moment of hesitation that probably would have gotten him killed where I come from, and thus I'm able to focus on the one that went around the desk like a sensible person. He is still trying to tackle me, but there's too many obstacles for him to gain any momentum thus he is left in a stance leaving his legs wide open. One quick kick to the groin leaves him in a state of extreme pain, a move he obviously wasn't expecting; I still cuestion the American habit of restricting themselves from using certain methods in combat. While he's concentrating on the pain, I move in quickly and, while his balanced is off due to the buckling of his knees, kick his legs out from under him and let his head collide with the ground. *page_break Next With one nursing a shattered kneecap and the other unconscious, I'm left with only one possible threat, and one of his hands have been rendered useless. The remaining assailant has clearly realized that he's lost this fight, his only problem is that I'm between him and the exit. *fake_choice #Give him a break *set lucy_stein +5 *set combat -1 *set explosives -1 *set humanity +1 He obviously knows that this fight is over; no one ever said I couldn't have a little mercy every now and then. I step to the side to give him a clear run for the exit. After a moment of hesitation, he wisely accepts my generous offer and leaves the room as fast as his legs can take him. "I suppose your impressed with yourself," Miss Stein says, crossing her arms "Not particularly; I didn't really do anything spectacular." #Never accept surrender *set kneecap true *if (male =true) *set lucy_stein -5 I'm not going to make the mistake of letting an enemy go while they are still a threat. Especially when I'm so close to finishing; that's one of the worst times to make a mistake. He's stepping backward, trying to get what little distance he can; I'm able to easily close the gap. When he sees me approaching he finally commits to fighting, but it's too late. Aware of his disabled hand, I jab high on the side that he's weak on. His other arm extends around to block; the awkward block hinders his vision and puts all his energy high, allowing me to follow up with an attack low with a kick to his kneecap. He falls on top of his broken knee, though impressively he manages to keep himself from falling completely on the ground by supporting himself with one arm on a desk. Impressive reactions, though it does make his head at the perfect level for me to grab. Holding his head steady, I bring my knee up into his face. He's unconscious before he hits the ground. *page_break Next *if (male =true) "You don't think that was a tad bit overkill?" I hear Miss Stein ask behind me "Any tactic that works it to be considered valid." *if (female =true) "Are you alright?" I hear Miss Stein ask behind me "Better than them." *if (destroyed_school_security =true) "Well, in any case, I need to take these guys to the nurse." "Why is that?" "Because how else are they going to get there? Do you really expect anyone else to carry them?" "I meant why are you helping?" "Because I'm student council president, and I can't just ignore injured students." "I see." "Besides, you're the one who made this mess so it's only right that you help clean up. You can just go, I'll call in a few favors and make sure none of this gets back to you." *page_break Lunch... *if ((male =true) or (third_incident =true)) *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *if (destroyed_school_security =false) *set fifth_incident true *set incidents +1 "Well, in any case..." She never gets a chance to finish whatever she was about to say, because almost right away there's school faculty breaking through the door. I suppose it was only a matter of time. *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "No, I'm a low functioning PTSD survivor with sociopathic tendencies. You were briefed, right?" Principal Gardner was somewhat unnerved after hearing that I had been hospitalizing his students; though, I think it helped that I was acting in self defense. Even Miss Stein stepped up to get the story straight, somewhat surprising given her open disdain for me on the scene. *page_break Next "Given Miss Stein's testimony...I suppose my report to Agent Decker will have to be a little less on the negative side..." Principal Gardner sighed, "You did assist a rather valued member of the student body, after all." It's good that they're focusing on that aspect of it. *page_break Next "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Intimidate them into surrendering "Your friend...he was aiming for my head." I tell them, "You are aware that blows to the head can easily kill someone. So I can easily make the assumption that you three were trying to kill me." I take a step forward to test the waters, and they instinctively take a step backward. "You know...I'm not from around here. I'm not sure how they handle cases like this here, but where I come from, we have a policy on how to deal with people that try to kill you. You see, we're really supportive of the 'eye-for-an-eye' culture that seems to be dying out in American lately. Some call it an archaic mindset, but I think it gets pretty good results." *if (male =true) "Alright, you made your point." Miss Stein walks between us with her arms crossed, "You boys had your fun, now it's time to wrap things up. We have a bell about to ring in just a few minutes and I want to get this sad sack to the nurse's office." She says the last part while gesturing to the kid with the currently shattered kneecap. I don't bother telling her that it will take a lot more than a visit to the nurse to fix that. "Why bother?" Miss Stein raises an eyebrow at me, "Does the title 'Student Council President' not mean anything to you? Don't answer that, just try not to be in the way while I clean up your mess." *page_break Lunch *if ((male =true) or (third_incident =true)) *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Compared to how class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *if (female =true) The two of them don't move, and for a second I wonder if I was sufficiently intimidating enough, or if they might just lack a fear of death. Then I finally realize the problem; I'm standing between them and the exit. Once I step aside, they make a swift retreat. "Well...ok, that was impressive, I'll admit." Miss Stein appears completely unharmed, after everything's said and done, so I suppose I can call this a complete success. "Still, I could have done it myself without anyone having to get hurt," she says to cover her pride, "I mean, just look at the poor kid. I need to make sure he gets checked out." "It's fine, I've had worse." "Look, I need to take him to the nurse anyway," she says, tilting her head to the kid lying on the floor with a shattered kneecap, "Student Council President is way more than just a title." I don't bother telling her that it will take a lot more than a trip to the nurse to fix him up. *page_break Lunch *if ((male =true) or (third_incident =true)) *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Compared to how class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. #Threaten them into surrendering *set lucy_stein +30 These people aren't anything special, nor are they in any way particularly brave or talented. In a warzone you have to be on constant alert of people, cause everyone you meet is dangerous in some way; this isn't a warzone. Just three overpriviledged kids trying to get out anger issues. They've never lost anything, or ever experienced real fear for your life. Thinking about it actually makes me genuinely angry, the way people who have lived with everything their entire lives still find some excuse to want more and to take it from other people. If that's what you plan on doing with your life, then why are you even alive? "Why don't you just kill yourselves?" "Excuse me?" "I'm willing to bet you've never really been afraid, right? That desperation for life, the terror of losing everything in a single moment, that's something you've never had. I can tell; it made you weak, soft, and greedy. You've never had to work for what you have, so you don't see why you can't just have everything. Civilization pandered you, gave life to you gift wrapped. But you see, I'm not very civilized; I've never been given anything, I had to fight and claw for it, kill for it. For you fighting is fun, but I don't feel anything when I kill, just the satisfaction of living another day in an empty and meaningless life." "Yes, that's all very impressive..." "No, I'm not trying to impress you. I'm giving you a fair warning; I don't want there to be any miscommunication, or confusion," I make sure to look him straight in the eye as I speak, "Whenever I say 'I'll kill you,' I mean it." *page_break Next "Alright, geez," he expresses his willingness to surrender while still trying to save face, but I can see the trembling in his hand, "This shit just isn't worth it..." "I'm sure the principal will love to hear all about your magnificent change of heart," Stein adds while handing him the pink slip from earlier. With the rebellion successfully put down and its leaders sent off to deal with Miss Stein's authority, she finally focuses her full attention on me, "Well, that was fairly impressive...I'll be honest, when you stepped up, I expected the worst." She was probably right to worry; honestly, even I didn't expect for everyone to get through the ordeal without a scratch, "I'm glad you're satisfied." *if (male =true) "Well...I wouldn't say satisfied. I still would have preferred if you'd left it to me; I'm just glad you didn't resort to fists right from the start." "Unprovoked attacks just paint a target on you. I prefer to avoid that, when possible." "Right, sure, whatever...look, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back, I still haven't forgotten that creepy stunt you pulled in the girl's restroom," *page_break Next As if on cue, the bell rings almost immediately after. "Seems like it's time for lunch," said Stein, "I should go, I have stuff that I need to do during this...I guess thanks, for stepping in. I could have handled it myself and all but...yeah, thanks." I don't respond, partly because there's nothing for me to say and partly because she's already leaving the room to do whatever important thing she just mentioned. I suppose I should follow her example. *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Compared to how the class started, I'm able to get out with relatively little bother. *label protect It's not very often that I feel any pangs of conscience, but right now a part of me is telling me to protect this person. Listening to my conscience would probably be my first step in distancing myself from my past life, so of course I'm going to do everything in my power to protect this person. I begin moving quickly towards them, not willing to waste another moment for things to escalate further. I use the time it takes to travel the distance between us to decide how to best approach this. *fake_choice #[i]Grab a sharp weapon *set lucy_stein -5 *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true *set stabstudent true *goto sharp #Unarmed *set lucy_stein +5 *goto unarmed #Throw something large *goto throw *label attack In my experience, violence has always been the best answer. I make sure that I'm coming in from an angle that they haven't covered. Luckily they're placed somewhat in the center so there's room behind them to move unnoticed. From the looks of things, the two with the main aggressors are mostly relaxed, easier targets. Reducing their numbers seems like the only way to recapture the advantage. Especially given their body size. I move quickly behind the right-most target. Reaching up, I wrap my arms around his throat while kicking his legs out from under him. He losses his balance and brings his head down to a position I can get a better grip on. Most people at this point would try to choke him out, but that'd take far too long given his allies right next to me. So, instead of just wildly choking him, I position one arm around the front and grab onto my shoulder while my other hand pushes his head forward, the position placing my elbows on either side of his neck. I close my arms in a scissor motion; now I'm cutting off the bloodstream from his head, a much more efficient maneuver that would leaves him unconscious in 5 seconds. 8 seconds and he would begin suffering brain damage, and at 15 seconds he'd be dead; killing someone or turning them into a vegetable would look bad on my permanent record, so I just go for 5. Besides, I don't have 15 seconds right now; I still have two other musclemen to deal with. *page_break Next They're shocked at the display of violence, but only for a couple seconds before they realize what is happening. By the time I'm finished with their ally, they're ready for me. The closest one tries to punch low, but I move aside and his hand collides with a desk; he grunts from the pain, and probably broke a few fingers. A perfect example of why it is a bad idea to punch. While he's grunting in pain, I position him between me and his ally to avoid being double-teamed. Then I show him the correct technique and collide my palm with his face; I hear his nose break and know that he's gone temporarily blind due to the blunt force trauma impacting between the eyes. I then use the opportunity to kick at his kneecap. I hear the bones in his knee break as the leg bends the wrong way and he falls to the ground, his head colliding with a desk on the way down. He's not quite unconscious; but between a broken kneecap and a probable concussion, it's safe to say that he's no longer a threat to me. All that leaves is the original aggressor. *page_break Next Though the danger has decreased by reducing the number of potential threats, I can still tell that this last one will be more difficult. So far my greatest advantage has been the element of surprise, but now I've been fully revealed and my opponent knows (some) of my skills, meaning he will be far more cautious. *fake_choice #Overwhelm him At this point, overwhelming force is the best option. I want to end this fight as quickly as possible. I move quickly forward; he tracks my movements as I approach, and attempts to punch towards my head. He ends up hitting air as I duck underneath, and uppercut into the armpit to dislocate his shoulder. So of course I grab onto the dislocated arm and pull him by it, intensifying the pain and leaving him unable to resist as I force him to the ground. From there, it is a quick blow to the back of the head that leaves him unconscious. I stand up, getting my breathing down to a regular rate, and see Miss Stein looking over the bodies. "Are they okay?" "They'll spend a few days in the hospital, at most." *page_break Next *if (male =true) *if (destroyed_school_security =false) *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true Miss Stein crosses her arms and looks at me, seemingly expecting me to say something. "Is there something you wish to say?" "Is this really how you fix your problems?" "Violence is usually the best solution, in my experience." She sighs, "Great, not only are you incredibly creepy, you're also prone to random acts of violence. Brilliant combination..." *fake_choice #"Should I have killed them?" *set lucy_stein -5 "What? No! Why would you even say something like that?" She exclaims; I'm starting to get mixed messages here. If she didn't want them unconscious and she didn't want them dead, what alternative is there? #"What would you have preferred?" "I would have preferred if you had stayed out of it. I had the situation completely under control." "He was physically assaulting you." "He was just blustering and throwing a tantrum; nothing to be afraid of. I could have talked him down, I didn't need a creep like you rushing in." #"I'm quite satisfied with this outcome." "Well of course you are," she sighed again "I'm not entirely sure why you are upset; the situation was resolved." "That's not-" Stein is interrupted when the door breaks open and security officers charge through. Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they showed up. *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "No, I'm a low functioning PTSD survivor with sociopathic tendencies. You were briefed, right?" Principal Gardner was somewhat unnerved after hearing that I has hospitalized three students; though, I think it helped that the victims in question weren't exactly model students. Miss Stein, despite her protests at the time, did step in to justify my actions to the principal, taking some of the responsibility on herself. *page_break Next "Given Miss Stein's testimony...I suppose my report to Agent Decker will be much less negative than under different circumstances..." Principal Gardner sighed, "You did assist a rather valued member of the student body, after all." It's good that they're focusing on that aspect of it. *page_break Next "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *if (destroyed_school_security =true) Miss Stein crosses her arms and looks at me, seemingly expecting me to say something. "Is there something you wish to say?" "Is this really how you fix your problems?" "Violence is usually the best solution, in my experience." She sighs, "Great, not only are you incredibly creepy, you're also prone to random acts of violence. Brilliant combination..." *fake_choice #"Should I have killed them?" *set angerlucy true *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true *set lucy_stein -5 "What? No! Why would you even say something like that?" She exclaims; I'm starting to get mixed messages here. If she didn't want them unconscious and she didn't want them dead, what alternative is there? "Just...you just stay there! I'm going to call the office!" Well...there's only one way this can end. *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "No, I'm a low functioning PTSD survivor with sociopathic tendencies. You were briefed, right?" Principal Gardner was somewhat unnerved after hearing that I has hospitalized three students; though, I think it helped that the victims in question weren't exactly model students. Lucy, despite her protests at the time, did step in to justify my actions to the principal, taking some of the responsibility on herself. She did mention that she was herself unnerved by my behavior, though other than that her testimony was rather positive. *page_break Next "Given Miss Stein's testimony...I suppose my report to Agent Decker will be far less negative than I originally intended..." Principal Gardner sighed, "You did assist a rather valued member of the student body, after all." It's good that they're focusing on that aspect of it. *page_break Next "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped Lucy at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping Lucy was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #"What would you have preferred?" "I would have preferred if you had stayed out of it. I had the situation completely under control." "He was physically assaulting you." "He was just blustering and throwing a tantrum; nothing to be afraid of. I could have talked him down. I didn't need a freak like you rushing in to make things worse." #"I'm quite satisfied with this outcome." "Well of course you are," she sighed again "I'm not entirely sure why you are upset; the situation was resolved." "That's not the point!" *page_break Next Lucy sighs once again, "I guess you were just trying to help...I appreciate it, really...even if I still think you're dangerous." "Don't mention it." It's nice that that's the interpretation that she's going with, *fake_choice #It's better than the truth; that I just liked fighting them Can you really blame me? I don't get very many opportunities to indulge in what feels natural, so of course I'm going to act when I see three individuals that have no characteristics that would gain them any sympathy to any observers. "Again, thanks." She says, still believing that this was for her. I suppose there isn't much reason to correct her. *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After that, the bell finally rings and I can go to lunch without anymore bother. #It's not often I act on my conscience; it's nice that's actually being recognized *set humanity +1 *set tactics -1 I don't typically use my skills for anything other than personal survival; it's a rare occurrence when violence actually protects someone other than the aggressor, and it's also rare for me to feel any pings of conscience. As such, I felt it would be a bad idea to ignore when both of these unlikely scenarios occurred right at the same time. "Again, thanks." She says, continuing to give me reluctant praise. Not entirely sure I deserve it, but I'm not going to turn it down. *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After that, the bell finally rings and I can go to lunch without anymore bother. #Even though I'm not entirely certain why I acted; I just did Maybe I have a conscience after all. Maybe I'm just a psychopath. The reasons don't matter in the end. Not really. "Again, thanks." She says, still believing that this was for her. I suppose there isn't any reason to protest; it's not like being treated like a savior is the worst thing that could be happening right now. *page_break Lunch *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After that, the bell finally rings and I can go to lunch without anymore bother. *label reconcile Having enemies is something that one should always avoid when possible. Be it through elimination of the threat or the turning of said threat into an ally; as long as there's one less person who wants to kill me in the world, my chances of survival increase. "You are upset with me." She raises an eyebrow at me, "You think so?" "Yes." "And why do you think that is?" "It appears we have had a misunderstanding. I am not certain of the specifics myself, but I would prefer if we could 'clear the air.'" *page_break Next *set lucyrelationship "Wary" "Look, I'm still not certain what kind of messed up thing you were trying to do in the bathroom, but you're clearly not the kind of person I want to be associating with," Miss Stein explained, "Whatever problems you have going on up there, I'd prefer if you just left me out of it." "I would prefer if we could simply cease being on hostile terms. If it helps, I apologize for anything I've done that might have caused you to have a negative opinion of me." She looks like a person searching through a patch of dirt for mines, certain that there is some kind of trap that but unable to find it, "...Is that all you wanted to say?" "Yes, I am finished." "Then...I'm going to go over there." She hastily moves to the other side of the room, near the door. It appears she's decided to make a retreat until she can properly gather her thoughts for the next confrontation. I can wait as long as she can, so I don't mind. As long as she's not trying to kill me. *page_break Lunch... *if((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After the bell rings, Miss Stein leaves the room before I'm even halfway to the door. I'm able to make my way to the lunchroom without any further bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After the bell rings, Miss Stein leaves the room before I'm even halfway to the door. I'm able to make my way to the lunchroom without any further bother. *label return "In my experience, it is typically a very bad idea to insult someone who is in arm's reach of you." She barely even turns her head at me, "Well, if you're going to hit me then you'd better go and do it." *fake_choice #[i]Attack *set nolucy true *set attack_lucy true *set lucyhostileforlife true *set lucyrelationship "Hostile" I never make threats that I'm not prepared to carry out. I strike at the back of her head, pushing it into the desk with enough force to cause minor damage to her forehead and nose. She immediately tries to stand up as an escape maneuver, she ends up tripping over the leg of the chair and falls onto the ground. I may not be particularly skilled at witty dialog or talking my enemies to death like Miss Stein, but I have the next best thing: An uncanny talent for violence. Miss Stein uses a desk to support her as she struggles to her feet, wobbly and with blood dripping from her nose, and she glares at me. "...Was that satisfying? I hope so..." She hisses *if (destroyed_school_security =false) *page_break Next The school security officers are rushing through the door almost immediately, and I'm about to resign myself to a lecture from the principal when, curiously enough, Miss Stein calls them off. "Leave him." They look curiously at her, but with also a hint of something else. Submission? "We can't do that, it's our job-" "Who do you think is paying for your job?" Miss Stein hisses at them, "Go back to whatever it is you do. And throw whatever report you were planning to file in the trash." The security officers appear reluctant, but actually go along with what she tells them. Miss Stein turns her attention back to me, and I get the feeling I might have greatly underestimated the schoolgirl in front of me. "I hope you enjoyed your little outburst," She says venomously , "Cause I intend to make sure it's the last moment of satisfaction you ever feel. Thoroughly..." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Despite Miss Stein's ominous warning, it appears she intends to play the long game, because I'm able to make my way to lunch without any other bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Despite Miss Stein's ominous warning, it appears she intends to play the long game, because I'm able to make my way to lunch without any other bother. #On second thought, that's a stupid idea *set reflex -1 *set lucyrelationship "Tense" *if (destroyed_school_security =false) Even if there weren't cameras all over the place, I have to take into consideration the dozens of witnesses in the room, not to mention Miss Stein herself, and the lack of any escape route. Any physical violence on my part can only end in disaster. Like it or not, I'll have to exercise self-control. "I don't intend to harm you." "Then what are you doing making threats?" "I only intended-" "Look, I really don't have the energy to care right now. Just let me rest my head in peace for whatever few seconds we have left in class," As if to emphasize her point, the bell rings right then and there, "Great, thanks for the waste of time." She leaves before I can tell her 'your welcome.' *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 Shattered pride aside, I'm not in any other way harmed, nor does any other danger present itself. I'm able to go to the lunch room without any further bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Shattered pride aside, I'm not in any other way harmed, nor does any other danger present itself. I'm able to go to the lunch room without any further bother. *label nothing *set lucyrelationship "Tense" I'm too busy waiting for the bell to ring to be distracted by her. Really, the girl stopped being a priority for me a long time ago. Stein glances at me after a bit of time has passed, as if expecting something, "What, no retort?" I don't respond. "...What's your whole deal, anyway?" "I don't like drawing attention to myself." "Really? So what were you doing creeping around the girl's restroom?" "Long story." "Right, I'm sure you're a very complex individual with lots of personal issues," she shakes her head, "You know, you're not the only one to try being vague and evasive to compensate for your lack of personality. It just comes off as annoying." Well, at least I know where we stand. Miss Stein is definitely someone to add to the list of people I should suspect if there are any sudden assassination attempts on me. *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After the bell rings, Stein doesn't spare another moment to insult me, which works out in my favor. I'm able to go to lunch without any other bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After the bell rings, Stein doesn't spare another moment to insult me, which works out in my favor. I'm able to go to lunch without any other bother. *label sharp They're larger than me, and outnumber me, so I'll need to take every advantage I can get. Luckily, there's a pen on nearly every desk; not ideal, but at least it's pointy. I quickly grab a pen and hold it between my fingers in a fist. Pretty soon I'm right on them; the main aggressor momentarily looks at me. "This ain't your-" He starts, but I interrupt him by jabbing the pen into the fat of his stomach; he begins bleeding profusely, and he lets go of Stein. Turning his full attention to the stab wound. I use the opportunity to push him back and create distance between the two of them; being so distracted by the wound, he isn't able to maintain his balance and falls onto the ground. *page_break Next His allies stare at him, obviously unaccustomed to the sight of blood. When this started, they were expecting someone to get roughed up and bruised; this is a level of violence far beyond what they were prepared for, and it has left them visibly frozen. Once they see I've turned my attention on them, they immediately run out the door. "Are you alright, Miss Stein?" "Are you insane?!" Rather than expressing gratitude, Miss Stein shouts at me then directs all her focus on the student. She tears a bit of fabric off of her own shirt and tries to use it to stop the bleeding, pressing around the embedded pen in his side. "You could have killed him!" Before I can respond to her accusations, the school faculty finally break through the door. "You really took your time." *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "Odd, someone else just asked me that exact same thing." "You could have killed that boy!" "So I've been told." *page_break Next "Why on earth would you think it was alright to stab a boy with a pen?!" "He was harassing Miss Stein." "So...you were trying to help a friend?" "Friend...is a strong word." "Right, but...still, you were trying to help someone?" "...I suppose that would be correct." Principal Gardner coughs, "Well...I suppose that does change things...I'll still tell Agent Decker about this, of course but...I'll mention what you said." *page_break Next Believing I had altruistic intentions appears to have had a positive impression. "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *label unarmed They are larger than me, for certain, but I'm more skilled. I shouldn't have to resort to more brutal methods; the basics should do. Once I'm within a couple meters, the main aggressor that is currently grabbing Miss Stein looks at me. "This ain't your-" He begins saying. I interrupt him with a sharp jab to the throat while he's distracted by his own voice; his grip immedietely fails and he falls back, gasping for breath. He'll remain that way for 60 seconds, minimum. For all purposes, he can be considered out of the fight. With Miss Stein no longer in immediate danger, I place myself between her and the remaining two assailants; now I'm in more danger than she is. Two opponents is nothing to scoff at, especially when they are physically stronger than you. Unlike in the American action films, I can't rely on them coming at me one at a time. *page_break Next Miss Stein has stepped back, so I don't have to worry about her anymore. That allows me to focus entirely on the two threats in front of me. As expected, they charge me simultaneously. The one on the right appears to be trying to grab onto my arm while the other is settling for a punch toward the stomach. In either case, staying in one place is suicide. But luckily, I have advantage of terrain; making use of the desk behind me, I quickly vault over it. The one trying to grab me simply moves around, but the other one feels his punch make direct contact with the desk, likely breaking his hand. A perfect example of why you should never throw a punch unless you know exactly where it is going to go. He takes a second to whine about his broken hand, a moment of hesitation that probably would have gotten him killed where I come from, and thus I'm able to focus on the one that went around the desk like a sensible person. He is still trying to tackle me, but there's too many obstacles for him to gain any momentum thus he is left in a stance leaving his legs wide open. One quick kick to the groin leaves him in a state of extreme pain, a move he obviously wasn't expecting; I still question the American habit of restricting themselves from using certain methods in combat. While he's concentrating on the pain, I move in quickly and, while his balanced is off due to the buckling of his knees, kick his legs out from under him and let his head collide with the ground. *page_break Next One still struggling to breath and another unconscious. Only one left, and one of his hands have been rendered useless. The remaining assailant has clearly realized that he's lost this fight, his only problem is that I'm between him and the exit. *fake_choice #Give him a break *set lucy_stein +5 *set combat -1 *set explosives -1 *set humanity +1 He obviously knows that this fight is over; no one ever said I couldn't have a little mercy every now and then. I step to the side to give him a clear run for the exit. After a moment of hesitation, he wisely accepts my generous offer and leaves the room as fast as his legs can take him. "I've never seen someone run so fast." I hear Miss Stein say. Clearly she's never had a live grenade fall at her feet. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" "I grew up in a rough neighborhood." #Never accept surrender I'm not going to make the mistake of letting an enemy go while they are still a threat. Especially when I'm so close to finishing; that's one of the worst times to make a mistake. He's stepping backward, trying to get what little distance he can; I'm able to easily close the gap. When he sees me approaching he finally commits to fighting, but it's too late. Aware of his disabled hand, I jab high on the side that he's weak on. His other arm extends around to block; the awkward block hinders his vision and puts all his energy high, allowing me to follow up with an attack low with a kick to his kneecap. He falls on top of his broken knee, though impressively he manages to keep himself from falling completely on the ground by support himself with one arm on a desk. Impressive; though it does make his head at the perfect level for me to grab. Holding his head steady, I bring my knee up into his face. He's unconscious before he hits the ground. *page_break Next *if (male =true) "You don't think that was a tad bit overkill?" I hear Miss Stein ask behind me "Any tactic that works it to be considered valid." Miss Stein crosses her arms, "I hope you don't expect me to thank you. You've probably just created hours of paperwork for me." "You're safe; that's more important than your gratitude." "Don't give me that," she scoffs, turning her head to the side in a prideful attempt to avoid eye contact, "You're still a creep as far as I'm concerned. All that's changed is that I know now you're a dangerous creep with some kind of hero complex." "I have no delusions about my moral character." *if (destroyed_school_security =false) *page_break Next Our conversation is interrupted when the door breaks open and security officers charge through. Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they showed up. *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "No, I'm a low functioning PTSD survivor with sociopaths tendencies. You were briefed, right?" Principal Gardner was somewhat unnerved after hearing that I has hospitalized three students; though, I think it helped that the victims in question weren't exactly model students. Miss Stein, despite her protests at the time, did step in to justify my actions to the principal, taking some of the responsibility on herself. *page_break Next "Given Miss Stein's testimony...I suppose my report to your handlers can't be entirely negative..." Principal Gardner sighed, "You did assist a rather valued member of the student body, after all." It's good that they're focusing on that aspect of it; it's not often I act on my conscience so it's nice that's actually being recognized. I don't typically use my skills for anything other than personal survival; it's a rare occurrence when violence actually protects someone other than the aggressor, and it's also rare for me to feel any pings of conscience. As such, I felt it would be a bad idea to ignore when both of these unlikely scenarios occurred right at the same time. *page_break Next "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *if (destroyed_school_security =true) *page_break Next Miss Stein hesitates, "Uhm, are you sure they'll be alright?" "They'll live. The important thing is that you are unharmed." "Right...why did you step in, anyway? I didn't peg you for the altruist." *fake_choice #"You needed help." *set combat -1 *set humanity +1 *set lucy_stein +5 "I've been trying to make it a habit to help those in need." I tell her. "Well that's...noble, I suppose." "There's nothing particularly noble about it. It just felt like something I had to do." "Right...well, someone needs to call some help for them." Odd, I figured someone would have already done that but looking around, it appears all the students just spent their time watching us. These Americans really are apathetic. "If you don't mind, could you please leave me out of it?" "And tell them what, that they managed to somehow beat themselves up?" "It happens." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) Miraculously, Miss Stein manages to get everybody to buy our story. Though that could just be Principal Gardner's reluctance to investigate. He seemed to decide it was easier to just pretend that he believed us. Thus, I'm able to go to lunch without any bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 Miraculously, Miss Stein manages to get everybody to buy our story. Though that could just be Principal Gardner's reluctance to investigate. He seemed to decide it was easier to just pretend that he believed us. Thus, I'm able to go to lunch without any bother. #"I needed the exercise." *set lucy_stein -5 *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true Miss Stein blinks, "Wait, what?" "I don't get very many opportunities to fight; having to defend someone just made it even more difficult." "That's...that's just wrong!" "Wrong or not, it was in your benefit. I'm not sure why you would have anything against it." "Of course I'm against it, because it's wrong! The faculty is going to hear about this!" Well...that could have gone better. *page_break Next *if ((incidents >1) and ((third_incident =false) and (female =true))) So here I am, in the principal's office...again. *if (incidents >=2) Going to the principal's office is starting to become a habit today. *if (incidents =1) Before I know it, I'm in the principal's office; looking at a fairly upset Principal Gardner. "Are you insane?!" He bursts out at me "No, I'm a low functioning PTSD survivor with sociopathic tendencies. You were briefed, right?" Principal Gardner was somewhat unnerved after hearing that I has hospitalized three students; though, I think it helped that the victims in question weren't exactly model students. Miss Stein, despite her protests at the time, did step in to justify my actions to the principal, taking some of the responsibility on herself. Even if she was quite vocal in her discomfort about my motives. *page_break Next "Given Miss Stein's testimony...I suppose my report to your handler can't be entirely negative..." Principal Gardner sighed, "You did assist a rather valued member of the student body, after all." It's good that they're focusing on that aspect of it; even if it's not entirely true, it's better than the alternative. *page_break Next "I'm sure Miss Stein appreciates your intervention, even if it was a bit...messy," Principal Gardner sighed into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((female =true) and (third_incident =false)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *label throw *set nolucy true The best way to fight battles is at a distance. It's a common belief among people like me that if you're too close for bullets to work; you're too close. Even without a gun, the sentiment is the same. Looking around, the most suitable object would be my chair. Stopping briefly, I grab one and lift it. It takes some effort, but it's significantly lighter than what I've had to carry before. Back in the old days I'd frequently have to sprint while carrying a backpack that weighed as much as I did; compared to that, this chair was nothing. I get the attention of the room with my display but nobody tries to stop me; while they're busy trying to figure out what I'm doing, I throw the chair at the main aggressor. Upon impact, he immediately falls back, clearly hurt by the blow. Unfortunately, it appears that my attack may have worked a bit too well; after hitting the intended target, the chair fell and also collided with Stein. *page_break Next Both of them fall on the ground; the aggressor probably has some form of head injury due to it being a direct collision. Miss Stein's injury should be far less severe since she was the victim of a ricochet, but she is clearly hurt nonetheless. I suppose I should have chosen a more precise method, but there's never time for regrets. When it appears neither of them are getting up, the two remaining snap out of the trance of wondering why their spokesperson and intended victim have suddenly been knocked unconscious by a flying chair and focus their attention on me. Upon seeing me, they begin making threatening gestures in the forms of fists, expecting a melee confrontation. They appear to have forgotten that I have more chairs. *page_break Next The 'fight' lasts for less than ten seconds. The crowd of students that had been nervously watching from the beginning actually look somewhat disappointed at how I chose to handle things; unfortunately for them, the most effective method of combat is usually the one that's the most boring to watch. Unfortunately, while I was extremely effective at incapacitating the aggressors, I might have been a bit too effective... Miss Stein doesn't look as harmed as the others, but it's clear that she will likely have some discomfort upon awakening. At least she is no longer in danger, even if I doubt she will be particularly grateful; one can't expect a full victory every time. *if (destroyed_school_security =true) *page_break Next Moments pass, and I start to feel somewhat uneasy. It feels like something should be happening right now but isn't for some reason. And then it hits me; I just knocked out four students in the middle of a crowded classroom, and not a single member of faculty has stepped into the room. "Aren't one of you going to call the nurse?" I ask the crowd of dazed, unresponsive faces. It appears that by my actions, I also removed the only individuals in this classroom who displayed any degree of personality. Even the teacher continues to sleep as if none of this is occurring. Without the power bases to inspire them to act, the entire classroom has just settled into a state of complete apathy. They remain this way all the way until the bell rings, at which point something seems to wake them up and they all pick up their backpacks and leave as if they didn't just watch a fight break out right in front of them. It seems I only really have one option here, *fake_choice #Call the nurse myself *set humanity +1 *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true I am somewhat, if not fully responsible for this so it would only be right that I put some effort into patching things up. I'm not completely without morals, after all. There's some twinge of human empathy in me, as shriveled up and neglected as it is. *page_break Next "Are you insane?!" Unfortunately, that didn't stop them from sending me straight to the principal's office once the wounded were finally being tended to. This was probably the only logical conclusion that could occur from calling to report a situation that I caused. *if (incidents >=4) "Are you incapable of going through one class period without trying to kill someone?!" That's a bit harsh "That's a little harsh. If I wanted to actually kill someone, I'd think I would be able to do better than just try." *if (incidents <4) "What on earth were you thinking?!" "When I decided to help Miss Stein, or when I decided to call the nurse?" I thought I was being rather altruistic in both occasions. *page_break Next Principal Gardner sighs into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped the young substitute teacher at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Go to lunch It's not like they'll die, and I have places I need to go. Besides, taking care of people isn't what I was raised up to do. *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 It appears I underestimated the power of human apathy; it appears not a single student turned me in. I was able to get all the way to the lunchroom without any further bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 It appears I underestimated the power of human apathy; it appears not a single student turned me in. I was able to get all the way to the lunchroom without any further bother. *if (destroyed_school_security =false) *set incidents +1 *set fifth_incident true Moments pass and I start to feel like something was missing. And then it hit me; this was the point in which security officers would be breaking down the door and taking me to the commanding officer. Sure enough, as if summoned by my thought patterns, officers start flooding into the room and shouting at me. "What took you guys so long?" *page_break Next "Are you insane?!" After apprehending me, the first place they took me was to Principal Gardner's office. *if (incidents >=4) "Are you incapable of going through one class period without trying to kill someone?!" That's a bit harsh "That's a little harsh. If I wanted to actually kill someone, I'd think I would be able to do better than just try." *if (incidents <4) "What on earth were you thinking?!" "When I decided to help Miss Stein, or when I decided to call the nurse?" I thought I was being rather altruistic in both occasions. *page_break Next Principal Gardner sighs into his hands, "When they told me you'd be a piece of work, I figured I could handle anything you'd throw at me...I really wish I hadn't made any assumptions..." "Would you have made a different decision, if you had known?" "Honestly, I'm not sure; but as long as you're here, you're my responsibility as much as anyone else here is...tell me, did Agent Decker tell you why you were admitted to this school?" "No." "There were other candidates, you know, that being other schools. Now, not very many other principals wanted you in their school, and I uhm, suppose you can understand why...I was really the only one who volunteered. Do you know why?" *page_break Next When I don't respond, he continues. "Well, you may or may not have noticed, but this school has a history of accepting...problem children. Children who need a little more than an education out of their school. I accepted you into this school, because, well, I believe everyone deserves to have a childhood. Yes they offered donations, but that is beside the point. Us grown ups are supposed to protect children, but we fail so often...so many of you have been cheated, and...well, I want to help fix that, in any way I can." How sentimental... *fake_choice #Unfortunately for him, that kind of feeling is wasted on me; I don't need it I never asked for sympathy. I don't want it. I haven't gotten by out of the generosity of others; growing up, I had the whole world gunning for me from day one. I was starved and hounded everywhere I went. It was painful, and that pain made me strong. It made me ruthless. Others can feel sorry for me if they want, but they'd better not expect me to give a damn. And I only helped her at all because, *fake_choice #I saw an opportunity to fight It's not often I get to indulge in a little violence these days. When fighting is all you know how to do, you learn how to enjoy it. #Just because I don't care about people doesn't mean I like watching them get hurt *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set humanity +1 It's like when you see a dog hanging off a ledge; unless you're truly sadistic, then you're going to help it up whether you care about it or not. As long as it's not out of your way, there's no reason not to. Helping the girl was nothing to me, but it might be everything to her. #I see the value in making people think I care when I don't *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 Helping cost me very little, and it might have gained me an ally; tactical advantage is about more than just positioning and keeping weapons on hand. People can be the most useful resources on hand if you know how to set them up just right. #I don't know why; I just did, and I don't plan on thinking about it I've never been one for introspection. Other people can anguish over the why of things, I just do what feels natural. I continue to sit silently; no real reason to say anything when Principal Gardner can make up for both of us. He shifts, but other than that he seems to be adapting to me. I may want to consider changing my mannerisms at some point to keep from becoming predictable. "Anyway, I won't keep you any long...enjoy your lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #It's too bad I'm not as optimistic as him *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 "I'm not a child; I never learned how. That's not something you can fix." It's not like I don't want what they're offering; a new life, new memories, a chance to begin again. But the past doesn't go away. I know I'm damaged goods. But knowing it isn't the same as being able to change it. "I hope you'll come to see differently, in time...well, speaking of time, I won't hold up any more of yours...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. #Maybe I can be as hopeful as him someday *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set reflex -1 *set tactics -1 *set humanity +1 It's a pleasant dream; as far out of reach as it feels, I can't help but hope that maybe someday I can actually believe it. "...I guess we'll just have to see about that." "I suppose we will...well, I ah won't take up any more of your time...have a nice lunch." *page_break Lunch... *if ((third_incident =false) and (female =true)) *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother. *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-1 After he's finished, Principal Gardner sends me off to lunch without much bother.