[User] A drop in temperature. An easy flow of air: an empty street. Before you, a thoroughfare unjammed with lorries. No more drivers smoking on hitch steps. Just... silence.

[Assistant] What did the smoke smell like?

[User] Chemically sweetened. Across the road, a forgotten bus stop; corrosion has opened a hole in its roof. An elm tree watches over the building. Its branches are dripping with rain and snow.

[Assistant] The road is smooth and motley. Craters filled with a black asphalt. The asphalt first laid is grey already. A row of tenements are under construction in the distance.

[User] What about the road?

[Assistant] Craters pocked the surface. Children played in them, until heavy trucks full of black pitch rolled in. The landowners have filled the craters with money. It is a vital artery of flow of trade.

[User] There's one bump on the road: a dead dog lies flat about two hundred paces away, right at the turn.

[Assistant] That is enough. [Finish thought.]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.minot_whirling_mainhub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] The woman in an RCM patrol officer's uniform winces as she notices you.

[User] "I would really prefer not to talk to you right now..."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.decomptage"]) == false]

[User] A patrol officer is the lowest rank in the RCM, below lieutenant and sergeant.

[Assistant] "Fine, I'm leaving." [Leave.]


[User] "What happened to you?" the lieutenant asks as he leans in, eyes mapping your frozen face.

[Assistant] "This is what I am now, Kim. What I was always meant to be."

[User] "And what is that? A walking mask?"

[Assistant] "A noble sufferer."


[User] Great news -- the boat is big enough for a grown man like you to fit underneath it in a supine position.

[Assistant] Wait, what would I be doing under there?

[User] Sleeping. Was it not decided that you're a *hobocop* -- more hobo than cop -- or was that fine irony that your visual cortex somehow misunderstood?

[Assistant] Oh no. He's pretty much a bum now.

[User] The elements are rough around here. I don't know about this...

[Assistant] "Great news, I found somewhere new to sleep."

[User] "Huh?"

[Assistant] "I can pretty much finish the case from under that boat there. It's dry, weatherproof, and *free of charge*."

[User] "Sarcastic self pity is not what we need at this moment, officer."

[Assistant] "I understand the situation looks grim, but we must continue with our investigation."

[User] Think of it as a salvation.

[Assistant] You have a home, somewhere. All cops do. When this is done you can return.


[User] Attempt to narrow the receiving mode manually.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.warship_interfacing_rc_success"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] You allow the broken hunk of metal to clatter to the ground. It wasn't clear to you it did anything anyway...

[User] "Nein, Liebling!"

[Assistant] "What are you doing? The connection is even worse now! This is extremely unprofessional."

[User] "That piece of junk didn't even work!"

[Assistant] "That is because you broke it. Things stop working when you break them. Or did you not know that?"

[User] She's right. This was your responsibility...

[Assistant] "Damn it! I'm going to push the power supply. I doubt it will last more than a few minutes, so you'd better make them count."

[User] A maelstrom of sound, swirling and swirling around an invisible point. It's mounting, mounting...

[Assistant] "... nicht mehr derselbe ist, seit er auf einem Luftschiff aus Graad zurückgekommen ist..."

[User] "... Firewalker? Please respond..."

[Assistant] It's too much! Your ear drums are throbbing, about to burst!

[User] "... a long winter... Long and cold..."

[Assistant] ... and then, nothing.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["cargo.evrartdocument_forged_two_signature"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckItem("white_envelope_signed_wrong")) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckItem("white_envelope_lilienne_and_idiot_doom")) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["cargo.evrartdocument_forged_one_signature"]]

[User] You take the legal documents out of the envelope: a 12-40 month construction period and the zoning plan in the addendum. Underneath all this -- Lilienne's signature and your little forgery.

[Assistant] Try to find a loophole in the deal.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["cargo.evrartdocument_logic_wc_to_see_whats_up_with_the_signatures"]; Script: SetVariableValue("cargo.evrart_explained_there_was_no_fine_print", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.find_two_random_people_to_sign_the_papers_done"]]

[User] There is no loophole. The simple truth is the current residents are going to lose their street access and for the next 12-40 months their lives will be dominated by constant construction noise right next door.

[Assistant] What are the ramifications here?


[User] "Okay, let's do this." (Climb the monument.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.warship_phys_inst_bar"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquippedGroup("gloves")]

[Assistant] Your gloves give you a solid grip on the metal bar. This feels pleasingly familiar...

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.warship_phys_inst_bar"]]

[Assistant] Keep it together, champ! You've *got* this.

[User] ... and before you know it, you're safely perched atop the monument.

[Assistant] "Did you *see* that bar work?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Yes, you're a natural gymnast, detective. Now would you like to do what you got up there to do?"


[User] The chain trails off into the ocean, connecting the island to the supply depot on the coast.

[Assistant] This means I *sorta* got into the depot door.

[User] Technically -- no. Sorry.

[Assistant] "This means I *sorta* got into the depot door."

[User] "Dunno, pig, doesn't look like we behind a door right now -- just Cuno's 2 cents of course."

[Assistant] He's right.

[User] Lock it from whom?

[Assistant] Enemies.


[User] It's colder outside than you were expecting. You see the lieutenant, standing there, a small cloud of white escaping from his mouth...

[Assistant] He turns to you, but says nothing.

[User] He's waiting to see what you do. For god's sake say you fucked up, please.

[Assistant] "What's your problem?"

[User] "What's *my* problem?" he says, his voice rising with indignation...

[Assistant] "You're a real piece of work, detective, you know that?"

[User] He is your half-brother and you're driving him away. For what?

[Assistant] "Okay, you're right. I fucked up back there."

[User] "Yes, and?"

[Assistant] "'And'?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.hjelmdall_mainhub_reached"]]

[Assistant] What a shirt. All other shirts pale in comparison to the muscular man with antlers and immense zweihänders.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.hjelmdall"]) == false]

[Assistant] The antlers on the hood of the man's cloak and his piercing blue eyes are familiar....

[User] Sniff the T-shirt.

[Assistant] Smells like worn cotton. And a little old sweat there?

[User] Worn cotton with a side of flea market or trash bin.

[Assistant] "Sniffing is okay," says the shopkeep. "But please don't try anything on. Can't have you leaving your photon emissions in the fabric of things you're not going to buy."

[User] You're not imagining it. Photon emissions? What is he talking about?

[Assistant] Let go of the T-shirt. [Leave.]


[User] You see that seagull up there? Remind you of anybody?

[Assistant] No one comes to mind.

[User] You! You and the seagull are just alike!

[Assistant] Why am I like a seagull?

[User] Think about the seagull's story. It's one of endurance -- and adaptation. The seaside was paradise once. They were birds of that paradise.

[Assistant] Then their paradise became *shit city*. And what did they do? They became urban survivors! Eating burgers out of trash cans! Killing and eating pigeons!

[User] No time for that sentimental bullshit. They're hustlers, getting shit done. They're one pair of track pants away from gangsters. Just like you.

[Assistant] Fuckin' right. Whatever it takes to survive. I AM THE SEAGULL!


[User] Do you know what today is?

[Assistant] Huh?

[User] Of course. It's been too long since this has happened for you to recognize the feeling.

[Assistant] It's your first day sober.

[User] What?! I've been sober for *over two days* already!

[Assistant] It takes a while for that shit to get out of your system, and for reality to come back into focus.

[User] Reality... (Look around.)

[Assistant] Yes, you're beginning to see the world for what it is, even through the mental fog. And yourself, too -- what you've made yourself into.

[User] I don't know how I feel about this yet...

[Assistant] You're going to feel all kinds of contradictory, confusing things for months to come. But don't get discouraged -- you just have to keep going, right foot in front of left, left foot in front of right...

[User] I'm done with my old life. One foot after the other, I will go on...

[Assistant] ...and together we will walk the waste land of reality. Because even if you haven't had your last drink or your last line, you will never really, truly enjoy either again.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.smoker_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Hi, gendarme. Another rendezvous." There he is again -- the smoker on the balcony! Right here in the Whirling-in-Rags.

[User] "Hello." (Adjust your tie.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("hat_samaran")]

[User] "I see you've found yourself a little something from my wardrobe." He scans you. "Not bad, not bad at all. What brings you here?"

[Assistant] What is it about the way he carries himself?

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.smoker_whitecheck_composure"]) == false]

[Assistant] It's the sports, he's a sports guy, all about that physical prowess and athletic skill... Nothing else here.


[User] Tremble. THE TIME IS NOW. τὰ ὅλα.

[Assistant] What time?

[User] Time for THE SHOW. For τὰ ὅλα. The hallowed time of fear and disintegration. A countdown has begun. All will collapse on itself. The world will disappear into a single grain of blackness. All sound will be muted. All life will scream.

[Assistant] Wait, wait -- when did this *countdown* begin?

[User] Monday morning. The moment you arrived in this reality. You are the first crack in the sheer face of god. From you it will spread.

[Assistant] What time?

[User] Time for THE SHOW. For τὰ ὅλα. The hallowed time of fear and disintegration. A countdown has begun. All will collapse on itself. The world will disappear into a single grain of blackness. All sound will be muted. All life will scream.

[Assistant] τὰ ὅλα? What's that?


[User] "Okay, let's do this." (Climb the monument.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.warship_phys_inst_bar"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquippedGroup("gloves")]

[Assistant] Your gloves give you a solid grip on the metal bar. This feels pleasingly familiar...

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.warship_phys_inst_bar"]) == false]

[Assistant] You don't exactly cut a lithesome figure, but after several moments of scrambling you manage to hoist yourself atop the monument.

[User] That performance was, frankly, an embarrassment.

[Assistant] "Did you *see* that bar work?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "I didn't see anything. I was focussed on my work. Have you checked the connections yet, or no?"

[User] Examine the connections.

[Assistant] The connection itself is nothing more than a little braid of exposed wire wrapped about the hoof of the horse, a copper fetter it cannot slip.


[User] "I'm looking for a suspect. Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

[Assistant] "No, I'm afraid I can't help you with this one, officer. It's just a regular day off for me and Mikael here." He pats his son's head.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "So you haven't seen anyone around?"

[User] "No, I'm sorry. As I said -- this is just a day off. We just arrived anyway."

[Assistant] There's something friendly and familiar in how he says that. A day off.

[User] He's telling the truth. He hasn't seen anyone.

[Assistant] "You look like someone who has money. Do you have any money?"

[User] "I do have some money, yes, but that's not what's really important here." He brushes it off like it's not a thing at all.

[Assistant] He's not gonna give you money, what are you doing? Clearly you were just profiling.

[User] No, I mean, c'mon -- you need the money. If it's not a thing, he can give you some.

[Assistant] "Could I have some of that 'unimportant' money then?"

[User] "Oh, no, I don't have it *on me*, officer, I was talking in more... general terms." He looks uncomfortable, his left hand squeezing his son's shoulder.

[Assistant] "I'm just spending time with my kid here, showing him around the lesser-known parts of our home town... It wouldn't be *wise* to carry huge amounts of cash on such expeditions!"


[User] It's clear you like the hard stuff, bröther.

[Assistant] [Discard thought.]

[User] No, no. When the blööd and the flesh call, there is no discarding them. Speak true, do you like *the hard stuff*?

[Assistant] What is *the hard stuff*?

[User] *Fascism*, bröther.

[Assistant] Okay, stomach. I've made up my mind about fascism. (Proceed to the Jüdgement.)

[User] You're going to keep your vöws, right? Keep your vöws, bröther!

[Assistant] I will keeps my vöws... for the glory of the Revacholian nation. (Opt in.)

[User] For the nation... smart. Best not to mention *the wömen issue* too often. People are not ready.

[Assistant] No, fascism is about industry and politics and nationhood, not wömen. I'm absolutely okay with women.

[User] Of course you are, bröther. Of course. (A wink-shaped growl sounds from your ass.)

[Assistant] Pat your stomach. [Finish thought.]


[User] Could this have been the killer's hideout, and this narrow window -- the point of origin of the shot that killed the mercenary?

[Assistant] This does look like an *embrasure*, a slit made for shooting out of.

[User] Peek out.

[Assistant] You hear the rain's susurration across the sea water. The night shudders.

[User] Is it feasible to hit a target in the Whirling-in-Rags from this window? (Conclude.)

[Assistant] No, it's not. No matter how you crane your neck, you can't see the whole of the Whirling-in-Rags, and certainly not the relevant segment of the top floor.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.dicemaker_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["doomed.dicemaker_greeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.dicemaker_said_did_not_knock_on_her_window"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Oh, it's you again. Did you try knocking on my window before? Are you looking for a die?"

[User] "Hold on, what do you mean by *milieus*?"

[Assistant] "Yes, a milieu is like a call-in station. You need a two-way radio to access one. That's why I have these." She pats the headphones on the table.

[User] "Mostly they just teach you to swear in different languages, but some of the stations can be quite interesting. I was so absorbed, I must have missed you knocking."

[Assistant] "You must have me confused with someone else -- I haven't knocked on your window."

[User] "Then how did you get inside? By the south entrance?" She blinks. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. What matters is that you're finally here. Let's talk dice -- did you have something specific in mind?"

[Assistant] "Why are you asking me about *dice*?" (Move on.)


[User] A rusting control panel with loose wires dangling out from the hole where an indicator light used to be, and a mechanical lever sitting in the middle.

[Assistant] So the coast is closed off. Is this why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned?

[User] The Water Lock Control Panel doesn't make for much of a partner, but yeah -- why not.

[Assistant] You should probably tell Lena. It'll take a load off her mind.

[User] Pull the lever up.

[Assistant] You grab the handle and pull the lever up. As soon as the metal connects against the contact pins you hear a loud *clunk*, then...


[User] "Do you like to... hang out on rooftops?"

[Assistant] "Who doesn't? Oh, you probably mean Klaasje's rooftop. Sure, I've hung out there. She's got this great antenna..."

[User] "So you're... *sure* you didn't shoot the merc... from the roof?" (Move on.)

[Assistant] "Yes, I'm sure. And, anyway, as I said before, the shot had to have come from afar."

[User] "Do you like to... hang out on rooftops?"

[Assistant] "Who doesn't? Oh, you probably mean Klaasje's rooftop. Sure, I've hung out there. She's got this great antenna..."

[User] "So you're... *sure* you didn't shoot the merc... from the roof?" (Move on.)

[Assistant] "Yes, I'm sure." She pauses. "In fact, the shot couldn't have possibly come from the roof -- otherwise we would have heard it downstairs."

[User] "Hmh... No one mentioned *hearing* any shots. And a rifle like the one used would have been *loud*. She's right... I don't think the shot came from... the roof."

[Assistant] "You have a gun."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.light_paid_shares"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.light_money"]) == false]

[User] A typical Martinaise street light sits among assorted floor and table lamps.

[Assistant] Street lights like this one were part of a renovation effort a few decades back. Sadly, the effort was abandoned before it was completed -- and so these lights still illuminate crumbling streets.

[User] "Let's talk about this trade then, if you're happy with shares?" (Start hustling.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.light_price"]]

[User] "More than happy. Like I said, I value the street light at 700 reál. You decide how many of your shares that gets me."

[Assistant] As *little* as possible. We only sell shares if we're getting something of *more value* for them. Shares are *premium* goods. THINK BIG BUSINESS!

[User] He has an idea of what he wants but he's not giving it away. Sign of a veteran dealer -- able to withstand negotiations over minuscule amounts for *days* or even *weeks*.

[Assistant] A twentieth of your shares is a sensible offer. Very divisible as far as numbers go.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.roy_debt_known"]]

[Assistant] Some extra shares would go a long way to helping him out of debt. He deserves a break.


[User] Look at the table of contents.

[Assistant] The first few pages give an overview of the capital and workforce, while the rest of it seems to be a production schedule.

[User] Read about the workforce... Who worked there, how long?

[Assistant] Fortress Accident employed 18 people, the bulk of the team composed of writers and concept artists. There were also radio programmers, sound engineers, a CEO, two marketing experts...

[User] ...and a single overburdened producer who developed a habit of popping Pyrholidon in the basement to escape his obligations.

[Assistant] But on the other hand, their obligations *were* piling up at an inhuman rate -- a rate that could only be amended by Pyrholidon.

[User] Why did Fortress Accident have so many concept artists?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.radiocomputer_logic_concept_artists"]) == false]

[User] Read about capital... I want to know about *money*.

[Assistant] In its short time of existence, Fortress Accident SCA managed to burn through truly *insane* amounts of money.

[User] The first tranche of seed financing brought in 150,000 reál, but then came the *delays*.

[Assistant] Eventually the damage reached 400,000 reál with only half of the game finished.

[User] Four-hundred thousand reál?! Jommaijoo, these guys knew how to party!

[Assistant] Gosh, where did they get all this money?

[User] Let's just say it was a *real adventure* for their Igaunijan investor.

[Assistant] Igaunija -- a god-forsaken (and tiny) territory in Graad that has not once, but twice wasted its independence on microfascism. The less said about Igaunija the better. Matter of fact, let's stop saying things about it right now and continue what we were doing.


[User] She's black.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.gardener_perc_black"]]

[User] "You're black."

[Assistant] "What do you mean?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("neck_tie")  and  Variable["whirling.necktie_personified"]]

[Assistant] Ask her about music -- it'll get the convo flowing, don't worry!

[User] "So, what kind of music do you listen to nowadays?"

[Assistant] "I don't know..." She looks around. "Whatever's on the radio?"

[User] She seems more perplexed than threatened.

[Assistant] "Okay."

[User] "Okay."

[Assistant] "It's so late and you're still here."


[User] "JUMP."

[Assistant] "I will escort you to the motor carriage outside, miss."

[User] With a muffled whimper, she extends her wrists. They're white, bony -- exposed below the rolled-up sleeves of her jumpsuit.

[Assistant] Waiting for your teeth and talons to cut into...

[User] He puts the handcuffs away. "These won't be necessary. I will take you to Station 57 myself -- and slow the extradition process as much as I can."

[Assistant] "It may be possible to stall it indefinitely. But you *will* be safer there for the purposes of this investigation." He turns to you.


[User] A plaster cast bust depicts a middle-aged man with impressive sideburns. The name on the plinth reads 'Kras Mazov'.

[Assistant] Kras Mazov (nom de guerre), was an economist and theoretical historian. He was a leading figure on the Graad side of the Turn-of-the-Century Revolution, where he headed the Eleven Day Government. Mazov is considered the father of scientific communism (Mazovian thought or Mazovianism).

[User] "Father Mazov, the hero of the working class!" (Salute the statue.)

[Assistant] A warm feeling fills you as you look into Mazov's marble eyes. The hallway behind the door is empty; no one else heard your courageous salute.

[User] "Kras Mazov was a filthy homo-sexual." (Stare at the bust.)

[Assistant] The bust doesn't reply. The hallway behind the door is empty; no one heard your words.

[User] "A communard lives in this room." (Look around.)

[Assistant] A *poor* communard, from the looks of it. The room is barely bigger than a closet.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.breakerbox_black_wire_plugged_out"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsTaskActive("TASK.help_soona_with_her_project")--[[ Variable[ ]]) == false]

[User] This orange machine is buzzing like an old submarine. It has a hand-cranked ice cream churner on top and an electric freezer that appears to be frozen shut.

[Assistant] Try to crack open the lid.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("kvalsund_multitool")]

[Assistant] You slip your fingers under the frozen lid, but the ice is too cold for you to get a good grip. A prybar would come handy here... or something stronger, like the Kvalsund KR+2 Multi-Tool.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Didn't Soona give you a perfect tool for this kind of job -- the Kvalsund? You should take it out."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.turn_off_tutorial_node"]]

[Assistant] Turn the ice cream crank.


[User] Wow, so someone's been a little... *boring*?

[Assistant] What?

[User] Yes, my *standard* liege. Someone's seen all sorts of wild ideas pop off and thought -- 'I'll take the *boring* one. The regular, please. The brown.'

[Assistant] Look, I'm just trying to do my job, no need for extravagance.

[User] Of course you do. Let's get right to it. My lord's *copotype* is Regular Cop. I'll let everyone know. I'll send out a telefax.

[Assistant] Why not. Send out the telefax then. I'm not ashamed. (Opt in.)


[User] "What is a *strike*?"

[Assistant] "When a bunch of ungrateful, lazy cockroaches can't get their act together. Decide to block honest work for other people." He shifts uncomfortably in his worker's overalls.

[User] "What do the strikers want?"

[Assistant] "Beats me. They mumble nonsense about *board rooms* and *workers' rights*. While we --" he raises his fist and starts shouting again, "-- HAVE THE RIGHT TO WORK!"

[User] When the man moves around, you perceive some *serious abs* underneath his tight-fitting shirt. This man is in *shape*.

[Assistant] There's something odd in the way he carries himself. His set of clothing looks vaguely mismatched. The different pieces of the attire seem ill-fitting.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["gates.scableader_composure_blackcheck"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["gates.scableader_person_to_brick"]]

[User] I don't want to ask that.

[Assistant] Yes. Of course.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["gates.scableader_reaction_introduced_personal_question"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["gates.scableader_personal_details"] >= 2]


[User] A colourful display of cigarettes and alcohol bottles lines the shop wall, inviting you closer.

[Assistant] The bottles wink at you in the light. The smokes too glitter in their wrapping. It's like looking into a kind of heaven. Your knees are weak...

[User] There, in that dark green glass, a world of ruby, all in vain! The great flowing river of warmth: Wine-alcohol. Beer-alcohol. Love-alcohol.

[Assistant] (Say nothing. Just take it in.)

[User] The beauty, the truth, the poetry of it all...

[Assistant] "I'm obliged to inform you that both alcohol and cigarettes damage your health," she comments as you eye the goods behind her, "but I guess you already know that."

[User] Don't ask, don't look, don't do *anything* here. Just go away. Get back to work.

[Assistant] "Give me Potent Pilsner beer."

[User] "Here you go, mister."

[Assistant] "Do you sell speed at this establishment?"


[User] "A fucking giant stick insect..."

[Assistant] "I've had these weird shakes recently. And something like... visions? Sounds familiar?"

[User] "Totally, pig. Cuno's in the same shit every time he's coming off speed." His tone gets parental. "You need to *medicate* that shit."

[Assistant] "Well, I have been partying a lot lately..."

[User] "You gotta hit *Magnesolam*, when you get off the train, pig. I always hit it to get the mag back."

[Assistant] "Mag?"


[User] This door has been closed with a padlock. A chalk-drawn number on the board says #11.

[Assistant] Use the chaincutters to cut through the padlock.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["apt.padlock_interfacing_wc"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("chaincutters") == false]

[User] What are you doing? You need to get your tools out, man.

[Assistant] Examine the padlock.

[User] It's a solid lump of metal, but the shackle is deeply corroded -- a solid pair of chaincutters would make short work of it.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckEquipped("chaincutters")) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("chaincutters")]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.sense_viscal_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] "No-no-no," Titus points at himself, "Eyes here! You got business with my boys, you got business with me."

[User] He understood what you were trying to do. Taking inventory of them.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardies_logic_understandig_taking_inventory"]]

[User] Now watch the other guys fuck it up by falling out of line.

[Assistant] "Yeah, you fuck with the Hardie boys, you fuck with Titus Hardie!" shouts the scrawny rat-faced man, two teeth missing in the front.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardies_suggestion_now_watch_others_fuck_it_up"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Relax, Dennis, no one is fucking you yet," says the forty-something man from the corner, with a plectrum hanging from his neck.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardies_suggestion_now_watch_others_fuck_it_up"]]

[Assistant] ... use it to take a dig at his friend. Flood gates open.

[User] "Yeah, Dennis, calm down," a blond man in his thirties agrees. "No one's fucking you, you stupid fuck."

[Assistant] "Let Dennis enjoy his fucking, man. We don't mind." You notice gang tattoos; the man must be either Mesque or Saramirizian.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardies_suggestion_now_watch_others_fuck_it_up"]]

[Assistant] This one knows how to keep things going. He's a hothead, but not one to be taken lightly. The last one is a bit of a black sheep...


[User] A thick journal. The cover is worn, like someone used to carry it around in their back pocket.

[Assistant] Examine the cover.

[User] It's made of full-grain leather. The lower left corner of the back cover sports an embossed brand name: "SCHNELLER."

[Assistant] Schneller is a stationary brand from Gottwald beloved among architects and engineers.

[User] She's got good taste and must have taken whatever she recorded here seriously.

[Assistant] Put the journal away. [Leave.]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.serial_number_2"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.serial_number_1"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: TotalHourCount() >= Variable["plaza.alice_serial_next_meeting_time"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.kineema_serial_told_right"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.kineema_serial_told_wrong_a"]]

[Assistant] "They couldn't find anything on the full code you gave me. However, the first ten characters tracked to a custom-made baby stroller made in Vaasa City ten years ago."

[User] "Does that seem relevant to your investigation?"

[Assistant] "Yes, absolutely! This is exactly what I wanted."

[User] "Great. Anything else I could do for you?"

[Assistant] We're still glad you did it, my liege. This was good training. For when you need to lie to save your life maybe?


[User] Hey, psst...

[Assistant] Look around.

[User] Psst, hey, you!

[Assistant] Who -- me?

[User] Yes, you. Word on the street is you're ready to start building *communism* again!

[Assistant] Get the fuck outta here! No. [Finish thought.]


[User] "Most certainly, Harry." The big man nods merrily. "Nothing brightens my day like brainstorming these things with you."

[Assistant] "I've talked to the boys and it turns out the hanging was a cover-up. They were helping a woman named Klaasje."

[User] "Of course, they just blew smoke up my ass..." There's disappointment in his voice. "I guess they're not as tough as they say they are. Or there's more to this than meets the eye."

[Assistant] "You're disappointed."

[User] "I'm not," he says with a widest of smiles. "But I guess you need to talk to this Klaasje person now. What a job!"

[Assistant] "Do you know Klaasje?"

[User] "Oh, the chick Titus and the boys have been hanging around all winter?" He chuckles. "She has them wrapped around her finger. They're paying her rent, bringing her stuff..."

[Assistant] "Maybe that's connected too?" He seems excited by the possibility. "I'm not some genius judge of character. What happened here is up to you to figure out, Harry."

[User] "You said the lynching and the strike are related. How?"

[Assistant] "By now I'm *sure* you've figured out who the dead man was working for -- the bad guys. Wild Pines. Sent to scare us. Another *violent measure* of the top hats against us flat caps."

[User] "What do you mean?"

[Assistant] "Harry, this strike is the culmination of many *many*, mistakes made by the Wild Pines Group. They tried to shut the strike down by sending in armed mercenaries."


[User] The air outside is brisk, the lieutenant is silent for a moment. He listens to the traffic hum, then...

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.kim_orientation"]]

[User] "Where shall we begin? We should talk about the investigation first and foremost, but I also remember you wanting to discuss the RCM?" He lights a cigarette.

[Assistant] "I didn't know you smoked, Kim."

[User] "I have a cigarette every night when I go over my notes. It's something of a ritual."

[Assistant] Oh man, he looks so devastatingly *cool* with that cigarette.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.kim_debrief_electro_cool"]]

[Assistant] "I think I might want to pick up smoking. Do you have any more cigarettes?"

[User] "I apologize, but I only brought one with me. I have exactly one cigarette every night while going over my notes."

[Assistant] Below, the city trembles with its remaining lights. People are rushing home, running away from home, smoking, sleeping, singing in the shower. Edges of dining tables, hands, aprons flicker through windows before the lights go out.

[User] "Right then -- the debrief." (Return to it.)

[Assistant] "Yes," he pulls on the cigarette. "It's been a long and eventful day. "


[User] "Does this have anything to do with Contact Mike?"

[Assistant] "Uh..." She's confused. "Yeah, I record stuff with it."

[User] "No, I mean the boxer Contact Mike."

[Assistant] "Ah! No. This is a *contact microphone*, it's for recording *inside* solid objects. Contact Mike just beats people up."

[User] That's not fair. And an understatement.

[Assistant] "Actually, I had some non-mic questions for you."

[User] "Okay."

[Assistant] The tape recorder lies on the wooden floorboards like a discarded toy. Pick it up.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.acele_felt_bad_for_her_recording"]]

[Assistant] The device is still warm from her touch -- and heavy as a brick, from the batteries inside. The company logo "Omicron" adorns its yellow plastic cover. Inside, the tape is rolling -- the girl looks at the device in your hands.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.ravers_inside_church"]]

[Assistant] "I'm sorry you have to sit here on this coast, feeling miserable. At your age -- or at any age -- in this place... waiting for it to get dark."


[User] It's clear you like the hard stuff, bröther.

[Assistant] The what? Sounds like my stomach is growling...

[User] Evening falls. The time has come to take the vows.

[Assistant] Vows?

[User] The Vows of Blööd and Flesh.

[Assistant] What is my lower intestine going on about?

[User] Lower intestine? The term is METABOLIC AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM.

[Assistant] Okay, but... what's *the hard stuff*?

[User] *Fascism*, bröther.

[Assistant] Am I having some kind of stomach seizure?

[User] Stomach truth. You're having a stomach *truth*.

[Assistant] *Fascism* sounds so bad, though. What if we called it something else? Like, uh, *traditionalism*?

[User] Ökay. Yes. Let's call it that. Good thinking.

[Assistant] That sounds much better. Traditionalism. You like the sound of that.


[User] "I want to hear about the Feld building again..."

[Assistant] "Sure, what's on your mind?"

[User] "You're saying that Feld Electrical built this boardwalk?" (Look under your feet.)

[Assistant] "Yes, they even built a pleasure wheel, but that got destroyed in the war."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "A pleasure wheel?" The lieutenant looks wistfully at the horizon, as if picturing gondolas rising to the sky.

[User] Perhaps reminded of a childhood memory? It's clear he would prefer there were a big wheel lighting up the coast.

[Assistant] "Yes. To lure in their star engineers. This part of Martinaise was nothing but reeds before Feld arrived. They had to make the prospect of living here *attractive*. It was supposed to become a global centre for innovation in cybernetics -- but history had other plans."

[User] "You're saying that Feld Electrical built this boardwalk?" (Look under your feet.)

[Assistant] "Yes, they even built a pleasure wheel, but that got destroyed in the war."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "A wheel?" The kid looks wistfully at the horizon, as if picturing gondolas rising to the sky.


[User] This is the nightwatchman's booth. The name on the door reads *René Arnoux*.

[Assistant] "Kim, I'm gonna take a quick look inside." (Search the booth.)

[User] "If you must." The lieutenant looks around. "But please hurry -- we're pretty easy to spot up here."

[Assistant] Nothing incriminating catches your eye. The cabinets are clean and their sparse contents meticulously organized. There's a framed photograph on the table.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.payphone_interfacing_white_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.payphone_made_fourth_prank_call"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.payphone_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] A metal payphone under a yellow plastic dome. You could use it to call someone, unless you're out of change...


[User] "Just a second, officer..." She puts you on hold, the static crackling softly like a bonfire. After a while you hear an old man greet you from the radio. His rattly voice is oddly familiar:

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.relay_code"]) == false]

[User] "10-2, 10-5. This is 41st, come in! Over."

[Assistant] A scrawny old man sits in a dusty cubicle, smoking, with a large white rectangle sewn on his vest. In front of him is a box-shaped apparatus with an array of wires and antennas -- the radio switchboard.

[User] The man uses relay code. You got this. You're a cop and cops *know* relay code.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.relay_code"]) == false]

[User] "Hi, this is... *me* here, I work at your station."

[Assistant] "10-4, what's your status? Over."

[User] "My status? I, uh..."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.relay_code"]) == false]

[User] "10-18, 10-20? Over."

[Assistant] "Please just talk human to me. These numbers mean nothing to me."

[User] "State your message, sir. Over."

[Assistant] "This might sound odd, but there's *personal details* I'd like to discuss."


[User] The man sees you approaching and turns away...

[Assistant] "Officer..."

[User] "Mr. Villedrouin..." The lieutenant nods.

[Assistant] The awkward silence that follows is yours to fill.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.siileng_bough_samaran_speakers"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_speakers_hub_reached"]]

[User] The speakers below are banged up and worthless. The sneakers triumph over them. They're the star of the show here.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.siileng_asked_pay_net_worth"]) == false]

[User] You should go over and ask him about paying for those sneakers with your net worth.

[Assistant] "Can't I just buy the sad, conquered Samaran speakers?"

[User] "No way, officer, these aren't for sale. They're bad speakers, low-fi socialist junk."

[Assistant] "That's why I want them. I think I might be low-fi socialist junk myself."

[User] "No, officer, you're a high-class policeman who accepts nothing less than the best! Lucky for you, I've got the best on sale!"

[Assistant] "Wait, what if I *do* deserve more than a low-fi socialist sound system..."

[User] "You do, officer, you do! Remember -- we don't have to resort to socialism, we can have nice things too! At socialist *prices*." He pats the boxes tenderly.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] This coin-operated viewer is facing southwest. Its coin-slot is full of fossilized bubblegum, rendering the machine permanently inaccessible.

[Assistant] Look inside.

[User] A thick layer of graffito covers the lenses -- you spell out the word "ONUC" written on the other side -- with N and C scribbled backwards.

[Assistant] That's CUNO on the lens.

[User] Shift your focus to the background.

[Assistant] Under the graffito a sea of blues and greys appears -- behind the water lies a coast studded with concrete and reeds. On it -- a church on stilts, lanky weather-worn wooden planks, an x-shaped cross topping its tower.

[User] You know this to be the Star of Perikarnassis, or the Chi-Rho. The central symbol of the Perikarnassian church -- a star, a great moral height to be strived towards.

[Assistant] The church looks old and weather-worn. There are no lights in the windows.

[User] Around the large wooden building you see chunks of sea ice, gathered on the beach. And a small tent set up on the ice.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.rosemary_made_it_to_main_hub"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["village.rosemary_bought_rosemary_speed"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.rosemary_bought_the_spirits"]]

[Assistant] "The legend! He's back. And thirsty." He nods. "I got smokes and piss and a little... speed to spice things up."

[User] "I'm off." [Leave.]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["village.rosemary_left_convo_once"]) == false]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["XP.help_annette"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.annette_white_success_nervous"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.doomed_investigation"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.annette_greeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsEvening()]

[Assistant] "The lights are so pretty when it gets dark." She scans the surrounding buildings, a happy look on her face.

[User] What are you missing here? Why does this feel familiar?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.annette_whitecheck_logic_you"]) == false]


[User] There's some tare, an empty cigarette package, and a crumpled kebab wrapper in the trash bin.

[Assistant] Examine the kebab wrapper.

[User] You see traces of mayonnaise and ketchup on it, as well as a tomato wedge. The wrapper reads: 'SHISH KEBAB REVACHOL'.

[Assistant] It's no older than a day, or two. No mould yet.

[User] It's hard to concentrate in the smell. The sea air brings some relief.

[Assistant] Examine the tare.

[User] Two empty bottles of 'Touloula' vodka and a can of black 'Potent Porter' is all you find.

[Assistant] No. There's more in there. 'Livis' strawberry liquor, plus some pilsner bottles too. Better not pick them up, they seem unhygienic.


[User] "Yes... So what?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["character.habit_alcohol"]]

[User] Yeah. So what. You should be drunk too. Or, like, *drunker*. You don't want to die sober do you?

[Assistant] "I'm drunk too. Let's dance, baby."

[User] "All right." He wipes the sweat from his brow. "Let's do this. Smear your shit all over this fucking dung field..."

[Assistant] That didn't work at all, he's *more* focused now.

[User] Talk about hanged man.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.tribunal_esprit_RC"]]

[User] Dangerous! Ask about him first. You don't want personal facts about his dead friend coming out of your mouth -- *he* has to start it.

[Assistant] "Who are you?"

[User] "Sergeant Major Raul Kortenaer -- reporting in to burn this fucking mud hut to the ground!" He points at the Whirling-in-Rags...

[Assistant] As he moves, the interlocking pieces of his armour click, softly.


[User] "Uh, mister, what were you doing in my fireplace?"

[Assistant] "There was a phasmid in it! I was trying to catch it."

[User] "Ohh, okay!" She nods seriously.

[Assistant] "Are the twins outside your brothers?"

[User] "Yesss." She frowns. "They don't want to play with me. They're older and play outside!"

[Assistant] "They look the same! Haa ha haa! Sometimes I can't tell them 'part."

[User] "I guess they do look alike."

[Assistant] "Haa ha haa!" She continues laughing. "Lamby tells them part." She waves her fuzzy doll in the air.

[User] "I'm talking to the children to learn from them. Has anything strange happened here lately?"

[Assistant] "Uhhhhh..." She sits her doll on her lap. Its ragged limbs reach out toward you, as if longing for a cuddle. "Like what?"


[User] This coin-operated viewer is facing South. The instruction manual says to insert twenty five *centims* and pull the handle while looking inside, then use the focus knob to zoom in if necessary.

[Assistant] "What's a tourist attraction doing... here?"

[User] "There was a revitalization project in '49. A design studio tried restoring Martinaise to its pre-war glory." The lieutenant looks around and concludes: "It didn't stick."

[Assistant] "What happened?"

[User] "They got as far as the street lamps and the statue on that intersection. Then something went sour." He lowers his voice. "I suspect that *something* was Evrart Claire -- the Union leader. He muscled them out. It's how it usually goes around here."

[Assistant] "Can't we... do something about it?"

[User] "We should have *done* something about the Union ten years ago. That ship has sailed, officer."

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] The light vanishes inside the concrete slit. The structure goes deep under the earth.

[Assistant] "Kim, any idea what's down there?"

[User] "No idea." He takes his glasses off to polish. "Could be connected to one of the buildings around here..."

[Assistant] "Think we might find Ruby down there?"

[User] "We might find her down *somewhere* -- there's an old storm drain system beneath Martinaise that's mostly collapsed. Revachol's sewage system has been built and rebuilt four or five times now."

[Assistant] He puts his glasses back on. "In conclusion -- she could be under any building."

[User] "But not in there?"

[Assistant] He looks into the slit and sighs. "I hope not."

[User] What's in there?

[Assistant] Maybe it's just a storm drain for the sewer?

[User] Yell "Ho!" into the slit.

[Assistant] There's no echo -- and no answer.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.klaasje_shivers_white_check"]]

[Assistant] A warm column of air rises around you, encircling the building you stand on. You feel its twisting shape, bits of paper and birds -- on the *thermal*. Along with several million litres of water. All rising up into the great Insulindian sky.

[User] Shudder.

[Assistant] From the vapour, a great cumulus is formed. A cloud castle one thousand metres high. A flock of seagulls screams, hitch-hiking on the thermal. They too are part of the procession, the honour watch.

[User] For whom?

[Assistant] For her. The guest. Waiting.

[User] Is she safe here?

[Assistant] As safe as you keep her.

[User] What is she waiting for?

[Assistant] For Gloria. Soon these clouds will all fall down as rain. Spring will come. Two more months. Maybe less. It's time.

[User] "Miss. What are you waiting for?"

[Assistant] "You mean here -- in Martinaise?" She takes a drag, slow and long...

[User] Nod.

[Assistant] "I'm waiting for the miracle to happen. It'll take one to get me out of the mess I'm in."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "And what miracle would that be?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_punchhub_reached"]]

[Assistant] "Cuno's Cuno!" The boy points to his chest with both thumbs. "You already know that, slow-shit."

[User] "Got it -- had another question."

[Assistant] "Shoot that shit at Cuno, piggonaut."

[User] "You wouldn't happen to know anything about any missing locusts?"

[Assistant] "No. Cuno doesn't give a fuck about bugs."

[User] So he knows locusts are bugs.

[Assistant] "Oh my god." The little one seems distraught. "I told you that shit is lame!"

[User] "Shut up, C!"

[Assistant] "Now they're gonna take you to lame-prison!"

[User] She sounds like she's about to cry out of disappointment at Cuno's newfound lameness.

[Assistant] "Now hold on, no one is lame here... just tell me what happened?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["village.idiot_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.idiot_mid_greet_exit"]]

[User] "Hey, Tequila! Welcome to reality. How's it treating you?" A thirty-something Lickra(TM)-clad man takes a sip from his beer.

[Assistant] "Reality? It makes me aggressively sad."

[User] "I know what you mean. Sitting around with these bums you really get to know the nitty-gritty of *reality*. And it isn't good." He looks at his buddies with mock appreciation.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.idiot_greeting_sad"]]

[User] "Things aren't going super well for Idiot Doom Spiral either. Haven't found those keys yet; haven't won that great piece of ass back. No word from my business-buddies..." He takes a sip from his beer.

[Assistant] This guy's your buddy-buddy. You feel it immediately: you belong to an organization. A fraternity. Of *drunks*.

[User] *Idiot Doom Spiral*, huh? This is bound to be a good, high-concept conversation. At last!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsTaskActive("TASK.get_wealth_manager")--[[ Variable[ ]]]

[User] Business buddies, huh? This guy might be just what we're looking for. Ask him if he knows any Personal Brand Strategists who can help you out.

[Assistant] "I brought you some booze. Will you tell me about your name now?"


[User] "Cuno, I found your shack." (Point to the shack.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["XP.befriend_the_cuno"]) == false]

[User] "You found Cuno's secret door to Cuno's secret shack?! It was closed for five thousand years. How the fuck did you get in?"

[Assistant] "I pushed the panels aside, Cuno."

[User] "And then what? You fuck in there? You fuck in Cuno's kingdom?"

[Assistant] "He's tryin'a fuck at you again, Cuno!"

[User] "What was with the pighead?"

[Assistant] "Oh that?" He picks a bit of dirt from his fingernail. "Cuno decapitates pigs. That's just a Cuno demo-tape."

[User] "Were you trying to send me a message of some sort?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] "Uh..." Cuno's eyes light up. "Yeah! Watch your ass in Cuno's town or Cuno's gonna fuck your head off."

[Assistant] He is incredibly pleased with himself right now.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.siileng_bough_samaran_speakers"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_speakers_hub_reached"]]

[User] The speakers below are banged up and worthless. The sneakers triumph over them. They're the star of the show here.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_asked_pay_net_worth"]]

[User] "I *need* those FALN sneakers."

[Assistant] "Super cool! Now the premium lifestyle is yours, officer."

[User] The sneakers seem to vibrate in your hands with an almost mystical energy.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] How do I get him to talk to me mano-a-mano?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.measurehead_facha_dq_wc_to_get_him_to_talk"]) == false]

[User] Simple. Just humiliate him in front of his entourage until he has to *beg you* in private to stop. Then you can let him know it was all but a clever ploy to separate him from his babes...

[Assistant] "These pants don't suit you. It looks like you come with *love handles*."

[User] "BABE, LOOK." His arm reaches out, palm open as if giving a demonstration. "SCORCHED BIOMASS IS ALL THAT THE GHOUL LEFT OF HIS BRAIN. SOON HE WILL DEVOLVE INTO AN ANDROGYNOUS BI-PEDAL, ABLE TO PERFORM ONLY THE MOST INSTINCTUAL OF FUNCTIONS."

[Assistant] "What functions will he able to perform, Measurehead?"

[User] "INGEST AND DEFECATE, LIKE AN OVERWEIGHT AMOEBA."

[Assistant] "Hear that," she shrieks, "like a fat amoeba! You can't even *fuck*! Pathetic."

[User] That voice should be registered as a sonic weapon, cause the damage it does to your head is *very* real.

[Assistant] Here's a lady who clearly puts a man's cockmanship above all other qualities.

[User] "Okay. I'll wait here, just take the body down. (Wait here while Measurehead goes.)

[Assistant] "BABE, SEE THAT THEY STAY HERE THE WHOLE TIME."

[User] The woman's gaze follows Measurehead as he leaves...

[Assistant] She turns to you. "So, you guys are like cops or something?"

[User] "Yeah, we're the Law around here."

[Assistant] "Cool. I like men with guns and power." The woman twirls her hair. "I'm Katya by the way..."


[User] "Do you know about the... bunker... next door?"

[Assistant] "What bunker?"

[User] "The communist hideout back there..."

[Assistant] "Don't know anything about it. No one's been around since I set up camp. But I'm sure I'm not the first vagabond to..." Her voice trails off into white noise in your head. It feels like an aneurysm approaching.

[User] Hhhhhhhzzzzzzz... L'Iramburde: starbursts and sunshine. 24 degrees centigrade...

[Assistant] You've gotta act soon. This is getting *bad*.

[User] Keep calm. Breathe in. After the pain recedes it's a little clearer...

[Assistant] "I can't take it anymore. Just go." (Don't attempt to destroy the compressor.)

[User] "Glad to have been of assistance." She tosses her head back defiantly and turns down the machine. "Best of luck to you, officers -- Revachol's a bitch."

[Assistant] The woman runs past you and disappears into the darkness of the tunnel.

[User] "All things considered..." The lieutenant is still reeling from the pain. "...that could've gone worse."

[Assistant] "What now?" (Conclude.)

[User] "Now we have to come up with a really good excuse... for why we walked right into a trap like that. This isn't going to look good in the report." He looks around, then points further into the cavern.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.explore_the_passages_done"]]


[User] "Guess what -- I've come upon something incriminating."

[Assistant] "Incriminating... now that's a big boy word." He puts his beer can down.

[User] "I have spoken to the dead man -- in a *bizarre* occult vision."

[Assistant] "That *is* fucking bizarre. A magic-man, a goddamn magician..." he shakes his head.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] The lieutenant waits for your reply. Patiently. His foot taps only a little.

[User] Just keep it simple. He said they killed him. These uninitiated do not understand the fineries of Runic Science.

[Assistant] "He said love did him in."

[User] "Well well, fortune teller." He squints at you, assessing your sincerity. "You might be on to something -- they don't just end up in trees for nothing."

[Assistant] There was a speck of truth in there for him. You accidentally touched something.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] You had something other than the bizarre vision too, right? You better have something, because this didn't work.


[User] You see the shape of a prepubescent boy in FALN pants. It turns double -- then triple -- from the pain. He says:

[Assistant] "Coinslot's dead."

[User] You can barely hear him, the pain is so bad.

[Assistant] "Wait... what?"

[User] "Just kidding, piggo," he chuckles. "The boo-boo wagon took the binoclard away. He's probably gonna live."

[Assistant] "The what? Where did they take him?"

[User] "To the hospital, fucktard. Try to keep up with Cuno." He glares at you with something akin to respect...

[Assistant] Thank god, okay, he's alive.

[User] "They say you burned half the city down. Thousands dead. That's very cool to Cuno. I thought I'd stick around."

[Assistant] "Go away, Cuno... Let me die in peace."


[User] Honourable One, you have accumulated a substantial amount of honour points on your life-path. You are a man most virtuous.

[Assistant] I only try my best. It's the most any of us can do.

[User] Oh, the modesty on this one. Another 10 honour points for you, sir!

[Assistant] You are on the fast track to becoming one of the rarest, most revered of all police officers -- an honour cop.

[User] My honour is my life. It's what separates me from the treacherous wömen.

[Assistant] Yes. Your deeds have spoken for you, Honourable One, but to fully drape one's self in an eternal cloak of honour a ritual must be completed. A *Rite of Honour*...

[User] Even among the honourable only the most dignified are deemed worthy -- but you, oh honourable one, have excelled... in honour.

[Assistant] Honour comes from deep within you and to truly know oneself, to *know* one's honour, one must reach deep within oneself and *touch* one's honour...

[User] Okay...

[Assistant] You need to bring the thumb of your right hand -- your sword hand -- to your rectum and stick it in there to form the Arch of Honours.

[User] You're crazy if you think I'm just going to stick a finger in my ass! NO WAY!

[Assistant] Most dishonourable are those who have known honour, carried honour in their hearts, and then disowned honour. They are the *honourfallen*...


[User] "My *style*? What about it?"

[Assistant] "To be perfectly blunt, you're dressed like a blood-hungry mercenary."

[User] That's right. You're protected in your ceramic carapace. Whatever harm you inflict on that world won't be visited on you.

[Assistant] "That's not quite what I was going for."

[User] "Then maybe you should change your look..."

[Assistant] "You know the expression 'The clothes make the man'? The right outfit, in the right situation, can make all the difference in the world."

[User] "I'm not taking 'style' tips from someone who dresses like a washed-up TipTop racer."

[Assistant] "This 'washed-up TipTop racer' knows how to sew a lapel and center a back vent." The lieutenant raises one eyebrow at you.

[User] That's why his clothes fit so well...

[Assistant] "So if you want to wake up next to anyone other than *Commodore Red*, you might do well to take notes."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.ravers_inside_church"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["ice.acelegreeting_done"]) == false]

[User] "Hey there." The girl with an electronic recording apparatus turns to you as you approach.

[Assistant] "Thanks for helping us out. My associates and I are settling in here nicely. Even found some new associates." She turns back to her work, whistling softly...

[User] Why does that melody sound so familiar?

[Assistant] "What are you doing?"

[User] "Recording the audio coming through the wooden framework. I bet it's pretty cool. Creaks and stuff. Sounds like when you're underwater, you know?"

[Assistant] "Gotcha. I have some questions for you."

[User] "I'm listening." She puts the device down and props herself up a bit, waiting for you to speak.

[Assistant] "Actually, that's it for now." [Leave.]


[User] Hey, money-mouth. Eendracht. The impeccable hustler-provider of the seventh generation. It's showtime with Savvy!

[Assistant] Do I know you?

[User] You will. I'm here to make your life better. They call me the Man-About-Town. Gilded Heart-Throb. Master of Money.

[Assistant] Money?!

[User] That's right! It's time to stop muttering about your 'economic self-interest' and actually do something about it. Yeah, I heard you back there. What the hell was that?!

[Assistant] It's pathetic -- I know. Sorry you have to hang around with me. I'll do better.

[User] No, don't you ever be sorry. You think the Salzneben Report's Top 500 has 'sorry' in their vocabulary? Think again. That's a loser's mindset.

[Assistant] Take heed of these wise words. *You're* in charge. 'Sorry' is a beggar's plea reserved for those beneath you.

[User] Listen, if you really want to make it in the big leagues, you need to *re-conceptualize* your entire portfolio. Collecting tare and moaning about taxes is not going to cut it.

[Assistant] You need to become a MILLIONAIRE. Now, how do you become a MILLIONAIRE?

[User] I assume begging rich ladies on boats is not the correct answer.

[Assistant] It should be the other way around. Old mitred money showing up at your doorstep, begging for a slice of cake.

[User] Mañana flicked me a coin.

[Assistant] *One* coin. The first of many. Imagine so many coins you're going to need to hire someone to help you manage all your wealth.


[User] Is that an Insulindian phasmid? It looks like an Insulindian phasmid. Quick -- catch it before it scuttles away!

[Assistant] It's gotta be the phasmid this time. Look -- it moved!

[User] "Stop right there!"

[Assistant] You shout at what you thought to be a phasmid, but turns out to be a fishing rod.

[User] "What are you trying to accomplish, Harry?"

[Assistant] "Sorry, I thought the fishing rod was... something else."


[User] A police badge on which you see the photo of a man -- you. Some seaweed is stuck to the back.

[Assistant] "Date of issue: 7th of November, '50..."

[User] The badge was issued roughly four months ago.

[Assistant] A new document is given to you as part of a promotion. Or when you lose the old one.

[User] Look at the photo.

[Assistant] The man keeps winking at you with his green-grey eyes. The photo is old, no doubt about that.

[User] But the badge is new. You used an old photo for a new badge.

[Assistant] Good choice. A newer photo would look... different.

[User] How old?

[Assistant] Eight, maybe ten years. The guy in the picture is rather good looking. He's got a nice haircut and is distinctly lacking in massive sideburns.


[User] An apricot sceptre shines party-bright across the monument. Glitter balls dangle like severed heads below the eternal king of disco. It is unmistakably a vision of you in your prime -- a killer on the performance floor, icon for all.

[Assistant] Your eyes glide over the horse, over its patina green coat. Something about the mount's sad animal-eyes makes you pause...

[User] I've made it.

[Assistant] The thought rings hollow in your silent mind. It's even quieter on the roundabout, under the brilliant sun.

[User] Somewhere in a hospital bed the lieutenant turns onto his side, feverish and exhausted...

[Assistant] She will come back.

[User] One of the lights flickers and abandons a part of the bronze figure to the murk, if only for a second...

[Assistant] It's fucking lonely at the top.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.hjelmdall_mainhub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] Wow! A very large red T-shirt with an impressive print stands out from the other garb.

[User] Oh yeah?

[Assistant] *Oh* yeah. The print depicts a muscled  man striding toward you, a giant sword in each hand, encircled by burning embers. Behind him is a cluster of cabins engulfed in flames. Beneath him are the words: "HJELMDALL BURNING."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.hjelmdall"]]

[Assistant] "What did you mean the Man from Hjelmdall was real?"

[User] "I mean -- even if the Man from Hjelmdall didn't exist before the adventure novels, the stories have made it so that he has. It's simple really."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[User] "Okay..." He sounds incredulous.

[Assistant] "You sound sceptical. It's not that complicated. All that's required is a more robust understanding of cause and effect."

[User] "Besides, I've been to Katla, though not quite as far north as the Hjelmdall, and watched the northern lights travel across the sky. Very unique energetic tides there."

[Assistant] It's for the best, because Hjelmdall is *not* a real place. And thus he could not have gone there.

[User] His theory isn't exactly *incoherent*, but its logic does suggest some *unusual* neural activity. Interesting...

[Assistant] Very, *very* unique energies indeed. Geomagnetic ley lines, one might even say.


[User] A pane of eternite has been planted into the snow. Two poles are holding it up.

[Assistant] *Barely* holding it up. It could fall over any minute... a stronger gust of wind might be enough.

[User] What is this?

[Assistant] Looks like a makeshift bridge, currently drawn up.

[User] "What is this?"

[Assistant] "It looks like a makeshift bridge." The lieutenant adjusts his collar against a cool breeze. "Could be convenient."


[User] In the cabin you see a set of steering levers, a radio on a hook, a pull-out toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel pre-heater gauge.

[Assistant] Run your fingers over one of the steering levers.

[User] The white suede feels luxurious under the touch and the metal clutch handle so very familiar in your palm...

[Assistant] Your fingers waste no time closing around the handle. Clutch disengaged. Release the handle -- clutch drops -- right foot yearns for the familiar touch of the accelerator pedal. You have synced with the machine's mechanical circulation.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.kineema_sync_circulation"]]

[Assistant] Do I know how to operate this machine?

[User] You feel an uninterrupted connection to the mechanics.

[Assistant] Release the clutch and squeeze it again.

[User] Of course it's only in your head -- of course it is -- but it almost feels as if the clutch handle is gently squeezing back.

[Assistant] How are you, my friend?

[User] The smell of freshly treated leather, the lack of dirt and dust on the dashboard, and a neat little brush in the cup-holder all seem to be whispering:

[Assistant] I'm good, cherished and cared for, in the hands of a tending owner.


[User] "Do you think he did it?"

[Assistant] He nods. "From nothing to this in a day..." A crooked little smile. "This is *good*, we just need a confession first, and then *maybe* a solid motive later."

[User] "What am I missing? What haven't I done?"

[Assistant] "Okay, let's do this." (Conclude.)

[User] "Remember," the lieutenant whispers. "He wants to tell us -- but he doesn't want to *help* us. It needs to look like we already have everything."

[Assistant] There is palpable excitement in his tone. He likes him for this -- *a lot*. But there's something more too...


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.morell_refused_to_restock_trap"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.morell_white_check_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1_done"]]

[User] "Hello! Lena and I were just discussing the design of the new trap."

[Assistant] "Did *you* know Gary was hiding the armour?"

[User] "Hell no, I had no idea. And I'm still cross with him to be honest. It's not like him. He's got his quirks, but dishonesty -- or disloyalty -- are not one of them."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.find_out_why_the_trap_was_empty"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.confront_cuno_about_locusts"] == false]

[User] "Thanks," the man mutters in the distance. He doesn't dare say more.

[Assistant] He's still glad his friend stood up for him.


[User] The smell... It's awful and familiar.

[Assistant] Isn't it just the rotting fish?

[User] Don't be naive.

[Assistant] Oh no...

[User] You've never smelled anything this bad before. It's pungent, but with a faintly cloying sweetness like cheap perfume on Death itself.

[Assistant] Something cold wakes in the pit of your stomach: fear.


[User] "The man hanged in the backyard -- did you do it?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.titus_big_dick_cop"]]

[User] "So you're not just here to swing your big dick -- you're here for the Pretty Boy? A real looker that one..." He shakes his head. "Stinks like *shit* too."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.get_the_dead_body_down_from_the_tree_done"]]

[User] "They love him, boss. Spent all day digging around in there. Can't get enough of that Pretty Boy smell."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] Evidence. Show them you have it. It doesn't have to be conclusive.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardies_rhet_show_them_some_evidence"]) == false]

[User] Just keep talking. Put something on the table. Something incriminating.

[Assistant] "I have spoken to the head of the Union."

[User] "Evrart?"

[Assistant] "Yes -- him."

[User] "And what did he tell you?" His eyes narrow. "That we killed him? That we took a cargo belt from the harbour, went out back, and used it to hang him?"

[Assistant] The man gets a strange gleam in his eyes. His fists contract as if going through the pulling motion again, savouring it.


[User] What's this? We're getting reports of *normal*, *reasonable*, *temperate* political opinions somewhere in Martinaise...

[Assistant] That's me, Mr. Reasonable. Someone's got to keep it sane around here.

[User] The air suddenly feels calmer. More transparent in a strangely tender way. Perhaps it's the hangover, perhaps it's a temporary surge of serotonin, but something tells you...

[Assistant] It's time... to become a citizen of the *Kingdom of Conscience*.

[User] No, I'm too fiery for this watercolour ideology. I'm trying to develop more *extreme* and *interesting* opinions... (Opt out.)

[Assistant] That's a pity. *Real democracy* was just around the corner for Revachol. All the leading citizens are waiting there -- without you.


[User] Rise and shine, comrade. It's time to get to work.

[Assistant] What's going on?

[User] Despite all the thinking you've been doing, only 0.0001% of communism has been built. It's too great a task to undertake alone. You're going to have to *get organised*.

[Assistant] Uh oh. Organisation hasn't exactly been your strong suit, historically speaking...

[User] I'm ready, let's get to it.

[Assistant] You must seek out your revolutionary brothers and sisters. Find out how much communism they've built. Then, together, maybe you'll be able to build as much as 0.0002% of communism.

[User] But it won't be *easy*. Decades of persecution by Coalition authorities have driven the remaining communists of Martinaise *underground*.

[Assistant] They live underground? These communists aren't men, they're *mole people*!

[User] I don't know if I want to go searching for mole people.

[Assistant] They're not 'mole people', they're your comrades in the *eternal class struggle*. It's your task to find and join them.

[User] How am I supposed to find them if they're hiding? (Proceed.)

[Assistant] Let your *nose* guide you, detective.


[User] A small cabinet on the wall is filled with various medicine bottles, nasal sprays and blister packs. They all bear the Saint-Batiste Pharmaceutics logo.

[Assistant] "What do those products do?"

[User] "Uhm... I don't know, let's see... Nosaphed is a nasal spray. Drouamine is a really good painkiller. Magnesium is a dietary supplement. Hypnogamma is..." She stops.

[Assistant] "I don't really know what Hypnogamma is. I guess it makes you feel less shit? It's recommended to use after lots of partying, studying, or exercising."

[User] "Thank you for explaining, miss."

[Assistant] Her nose is already back in her magazine. "Uh-huh."

[User] "I want to buy some ammonia."

[Assistant] "M'kay." She hands you a small capsule. "Don't, like... over-do it or something."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_punchhub_reached"]]

[Assistant] "Cuno's Cuno!" The boy points to his chest with both thumbs. "You already know that, slow-shit."

[User] "Got it -- had another question."

[Assistant] "Shoot that shit at Cuno, piggonaut."

[User] "I know you took the locusts from the traps the cryptozoologists set up."

[Assistant] "Yeah," he says slowly, meeting your gaze with sullen defiance. "Cuno took the bugs. So what?"

[User] So it wasn't the phasmid... a wave of disappointment washes over you.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.cuno_locusts_said_doesnt_know"]) == false]

[User] "Why steal locusts? Couldn't you find some other pets?"

[Assistant] "They're not pets." Sounds like you've offended him. "Don't you know what locusts *are*, when they come out of the fucking sky? Fuckin' *descend* and shit."

[User] "Stooooop!" she wails from behind the fence, then covers her face with her hands.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.cuno_rage_city_heard"]) == false]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.doomed_investigation_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["doomed.plais_doomed_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] "Hello again, esteemed officer," she keeps reciting like a robot. "And welcome to Crime, Romance, and Biographies of Famous People."

[User] "I had a few more questions about the curse..."

[Assistant] "Okay, but please, only a few questions." She peers at the curtains. "You wouldn't want to disturb the spirits..."

[User] "How does this curse manifest itself?"

[Assistant] "The curse... is so much worse than you could imagine. It's a *disease*, eating at the very foundation." A shiver runs through the woman, as she looks around the dimly lit store.

[User] "It's the curse of *financial distress*." Her voice drops to a whisper. "Of *ruin* -- and bankruptcy." She peers at the curtains again...

[Assistant] Didn't... didn't that curtain just *move*?!


[User] "Yeah, the Kingdom of Cuno, the fuck do you want with it?"

[Assistant] "The ladder, ever climb it?" (Point to the ladder on the tree.)

[User] "Look at that fucking shit?" he screeches. "You tryin'a get Cuno killed?"

[Assistant] "So you would say that the ladder is... unclimbable?"

[User] "Fuck does Cuno know? Cuno's not a fucking acrobat!"

[Assistant] Cuno knows the ladder is unclimbable.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] The lieutenant takes a quick note in his notebook.

[User] "It's a trap, Cuno! Don't climb it, Cuno!"

[Assistant] "There was also a mug in the trash." (Show him the mug.)

[User] "The fuck? A *mug* in the trash? Is this about the fucking clothes again?"

[Assistant] "Yes. Does this racist mug have anything to do with it?"

[User] "Yeah, Cuno sees where this is going. Cuno's got that fast-brain," he whispers excitedly. "You saying you pigs are after the mug fucker -- coz he's the clothes fucker..."

[Assistant] "Can't hear you, Cuno! Speak louder, Cuno!"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.reeds_checked_counter"] >=1) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["cargo.garrydoor_hub_reached"]]

[User] The door to the 'Weasel's' Den', guarded by the lionhead-knocker. Both have seen better days.

[Assistant] Press your ear against the door.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["auto.is_raining"]) == false]

[Assistant] The leather upholstery is worn and rough against your jaw. You don't hear any movement.

[User] In fact, it's oddly silent in the yard around you. No birds chirp.

[Assistant] "Lieutenant, what is your opinion of this task we're undertaking?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["cargo.evrart_kim_expresses_understanding_worknig_with_evrart_is_necessarry"]]

[Assistant] "As I already said," the lieutenant replies, adjusting his glasses. "I understand this can't be avoided."


[User] "SO... WOMEN, HUH?" The Semenese supraman stretches on the couch like a giant tattooed cat.

[Assistant] His shoulders relax, tension is leaving him.

[User] Strange, he seems different in here. Less 'monolithic' somehow.

[Assistant] The room feels soporific in its silence, dust particles twirling around in the air...

[User] "I don't really like women."

[Assistant] "AND? THAT'S WHAT YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT? THAT YOU DON'T LIKE WOMEN?"

[User] "WHAT IS THIS *REALLY* ABOUT?"

[Assistant] "I *really* need to find a way to turn back time."

[User] "WE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT. TELL ME, WHAT DRIVES YOU TO SEARCH FOR SUCH *FANTASTIC* MEASURES?"

[Assistant] "It's about her." (Nod solemnly.) "Revachol."

[User] "THAT IS A LIE YOU ADMINISTER YOURSELF. LIKE HEART MEDICINE. GO WITHOUT IT ONE DAY AND YOUR HEART WILL STOP."

[Assistant] "MEN ONLY WANT TO REVERSE TIME FOR ONE REASON. THEY *SAY* IT'S ABOUT HONOUR, JUSTICE, REVENGE, REGRET, REDEMPTION, AND A PLETHORA OF FALSE REASONS, BUT FURTHER BACK -- DEEPER IN -- IT IS ALWAYS LOVE THAT DRIVES THEM."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.rene_its_About_love"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.lorryman_fascha_rc_scss"]]


[User] Sleep is merciful this time, brother. Not too deep. Lit by the continuous sound of the sea outside.

[Assistant] And a little something in there... a sensation. The bow drawn across a string. Something small and crustacean-like.

[User] No. Relax, man. It's just the comfortable darkness. Interrupted by the pain in your body. A telegraph, far away.

[Assistant] Far enough not to hurt for a while.

[User] And your mind healing too. Weaving itself back into shape.

[Assistant] You did it... you solved the case.

[User] Somehow you managed to dodge it all... The church, the window *and* the bad book in the store. On the shelf. You made it. Across the black sea unharmed...

[Assistant] Turn to the other side.

[User] You do so many times. Until dim light starts peeking into the hood you're under. The rough karakul. More and more each second. Time to face it again -- the world. Anew...

[Assistant] [Open your eyes.]


[User] "I wanna talk about the hanging again."

[Assistant] "Again? Someone ask the guy for an autograph -- you cops are his biggest fans."

[User] A burst of laughter in the room; the little guy is the loudest. "Good one, Titus!" he fawns.

[Assistant] "No more questions."

[User] "About fuckin' time."

[Assistant] "Okay, I talked to Klaasje. Now I need to talk to Ruby."

[User] "Why?" He leans back and regards you with curiosity.

[Assistant] "A civil war is brewing and the only way to prevent it is to solve the murder. That means talking to Ruby."

[User] "Sounds like you wanna push this steamin' pile of shit on *anyone* -- and now you've picked Ruby. Well, not on my watch you won't."

[Assistant] "Ruby's one of us. We're not gonna throw her under your Moralintern steamroller, fuck that shit!"

[User] "And fuck you too, moral-f*g!" He throws a glance at Titus as the last syllable leaves his lips. The big guy sighs.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]


[User] Heavy wooden doors more than twice your height stand shut in front of you. The rectangular, sea-worn ornamentation appears in stark contrast to the padlock carelessly drilled into the wood.

[Assistant] Inspect the staple.

[User] The padlock passes through a staple that's been hastily attached to the wood. Closer inspection reveals that one of the screws is not a screw at all, but a nail. The work has been done recently and is unprofessional, to say the least.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("key_church_door")]

[User] Take a closer look at the padlock.

[Assistant] This cheap-looking padlock is sturdily built. It shackles together a hasp and a staple screwed into the wooden door. The lock is adorned with a yellow sticker.

[User] It'll be easier to break the staple than the lock. Also -- that sticker is interesting, somehow...

[Assistant] Apply some official force on the padlock.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.churchdoor_open_crowbar"] == true]

[Assistant] You jam the prybar between the lock and the staple and apply force -- your biceps bulge from the strain. The metal creaks and squeals...


[User] "Mr. Harry! Boy, old Leo sure was right about you! I knew you was a Union man at heart when I first saw you." He takes a quick breath. "Right as I turned around and looked at you, I said to myself: 'Now that fellow is a union man right there. Through and through.' And I was right, yes I was, yes I was."

[Assistant] "I guess you just *know* people, Leo. It's like a special ability you got."

[User] "It's true, it's true." he nods. "I've had an eye for helpful people for as long as I remember. I like helpful people, and I like helping helpful people, so what do you need, mister?"

[Assistant] "What are you doing with the containers?"

[User] "Oh I'm just making some covers for them containers here, yes I am, yes I am... So it's easier for the crane operators to spot them." He waves at the containers towering behind him.

[Assistant] "Sure. Let me ask you about something else?"

[User] "Sure, mister, about what?"

[Assistant] "Leo, you seem to know everyone around here, I want to ask about someone."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.gardener_main_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.arrest_klaasje_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_altgreet_klaasje_arrested"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Just dragged her away, huh? Stone cold..." He's still looking at the front door. "Didn't think you had it in you..."

[User] "I didn't have what in me? To arrest her?"

[Assistant] "Yeah, you ruthless son of a bitch." He nods approvingly. "I certainly didn't have it in me -- I always let the pretty ones go. I'm soft like that."

[User] "Yeah, like when we let old Clancy's widow walk."

[Assistant] "Or Denisse, the diner girl! The milk rack on that one..." He says, almost elegiacally.

[User] "Can't say I wasn't sad to see her go -- our Klaasje there -- her face when your friend walked her out. Goddamn..." He shakes his head.

[Assistant] "One third of humanity will be *culled* -- and you're worried about a single lambe?!"

[User] "What?" He doesn't understand.

[Assistant] "Har-Mageddon is upon us. She's better off in the holding-pen once the Blood Rains come down."

[User] "I ain't got time for this whack shit." He picks up a new beer can. "I just hope she can game her way through the system and come out the other end."

[Assistant] "Don't think I forgot how I specifically let you know how I felt about her arrest either." He says shaking his head. "Now what do you want?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.kineema_intro_done"]]

[Assistant] Inside you see a set of steering levers, a radio-microphone, a pull-out toolbox, and the soft glow of the fuel pre-heater gauge.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsTaskActive("TASK.help_kim_with_money_plan")  and  IsKimHere()--[[ Variable[ ]]]

[Assistant] "I have something here we could sell. Look in the back, in the suspect transport enclosure."

[User] Transport enclosure? Regular people just call it *the cage*.

[Assistant] "Kim, what are we looking at? What is this machine?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.kineema_TH_check_success"]]

[Assistant] "Yes, it's my patrol vehicle. You can use the toolbox and the radio if you'd like." He nods at the cabin.

[User] Motor carriage, motor carriage... Something bad with a motor carriage.... A dark lump rises in your throat.

[Assistant] "Do all policemen in the RCM have such *cool* motor carriages?"

[User] "The Coupris MotorCorp does provide most of our patrol vehicles, yes."

[Assistant] But this is different -- this is a sports model.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.rosemary_made_it_to_main_hub"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.rosemary_bought_rosemary_speed"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.rosemary_bought_the_spirits"]]

[Assistant] "The legend returns. You know the deal, legend-man. Smokes are smokey, pilsner... gets you drunk. You've already cleaned me out of spirits... and speed." He looks sad.

[User] "Here's the money for the spirits."

[Assistant] He hands you the bottle. "Jus' make sure to *enjoy* that one, friend!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.necktie_personified"]  and  CheckEquipped("neck_tie")) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.necktie_personified"] == false  or  Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"] == true) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.necktie_personified"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"] == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Script: FinishTask("TASK.gain_the_spirits_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["XP.help_annette"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.annette_altgreet_passives_shown"]) == false]

[User] "I'm sorry, sir, I can't talk right now. I'm very busy with my homework... I have so much homework now."

[Assistant] You just can't win.

[User] Out of the rain and into the gutter.

[Assistant] "Shouldn't you be at school or something?"

[User] "I do my studies at home at the moment. I have to help Mum keep this place running."

[Assistant] "Isn't going to school more important than... this?"

[User] "Mum says it's necessary to do both, because it builds character. Mum says a proper worker is dutiful -- that's how you get ahead in life, you succeed."

[Assistant] There is stress and unease behind these words. She's reciting etiquette.


[User]
"I'm sorry I fucked everyone over.

PS. I didn't kill him.

PPS. Gift upstairs."

[Assistant] What could this *gift* be?

[User] "A trap, probably." He nods confidently. "But don't sweat it. You got the Cuno spotting you. Let's go in."

[Assistant] Just don't walk into another radio trap, okay...

[User] Relax. Not everyone is out to trap you.

[Assistant] What could this *gift* be?


[User] The face of King Frissel smiles at you. For some reason the smile now strikes you as more forced than it did before.

[Assistant] Let's see what they mean by 'Local Concerns'.

[User] Unsurprisingly, much of this section is taken up with articles declaring unqualified support for the dockworkers' strike.

[Assistant] You skim the headlines: 'Paint the Harbour Red and White!', 'Martinaise Tames the Wild Pines', 'A City in Revolt', 'First We Take Martinaise, Then We Take La Delta!'.

[User] Finally, there's a brief article by the writer 'G. Martin' accusing the owner of the Capeside Apartments of illegally attempting to evict certain communist tenants simply for not having paid their rent.

[Assistant] Ah, this must be Gaston's handiwork.

[User] If it weren't for the Wild Pines all those moochers would be out of a job.

[Assistant] According to these editorials, private enterprise is simply a means of organising labour that would already happen regardless...

[User] Absolute nonsense. Whoever wrote this has clearly never built a successful business before.

[Assistant] It goes on to call the Wild Pines a 'nightmarish transnational leech, sucking the life from the labouring classes of Martinaise'.


[User] Tremble. THE TIME IS NOW. τὰ ὅλα.

[Assistant] This is because of the insane world-ending I've been saying isn't it? (Proceed.)

[User] Yes. You spoke the words of the παλίντροπος, and the houses of Perikarnassis. Items, people, even WORDS will tumble, all will lose its meaning in the coming years. That is why you marked yourself.

[Assistant] I *do* think the world might end soon. (Opt in.)


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.jammystery_ladydriver_cabin_located_racist"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.truckman_greeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.truckman_told_him_to_fuck_off"]]

[Assistant] "Looking for something, runt? Come to tell me to fuck off again?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.racist_authority_soles"]]

[Assistant] "You're lorryman, right? What's your stance on drugs?"

[User] "Drugs? They're shit, man. I don't let anything pollute my body." He takes a long drag on his cigarette.

[Assistant] "You smell of booze and cigarettes, what's different about narcotics?"

[User] "You know where that shit comes from? Saramiriza, Safre, Iilmaraa. They take the money from our local junkies here and then use it to out-compete us in the manufacturing sector."

[Assistant] "They know they can't beat us in a fair fight, so they have to get us to weaken ourselves somehow. It's racial sabotage. Racial *economic* sabotage."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.wards_plais"]]

[Assistant] A heavy door with a missing handle stands before you, covered in dozens (if not hundreds) of Semenese trinkets and charms. It appears to be locked.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("key_bookstore_backdoor")]

[Assistant] Knock on the door.

[User] Only an echo... No one is there.

[Assistant] A hollowed out, dark echo...

[User] Maybe I *should* break it down? But not before I strategize...

[Assistant] That's right, take in your surroundings. You need to have a solid ground and a proper posture if you want to succeed.

[User] First -- check your posture.

[Assistant] Steady breathing, solid core -- you've got this. With one shoulder forward you're ready to smash into the door like a battering ram.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.ladder_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] A rusty ladder leads to the rooftop. Some of the rungs are missing.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Yeah, that doesn't look good at all."

[User] Assess the situation.

[Assistant] The distances between the remaining rungs are rather *wide*. You'd have to use the mounting brackets. However, they seem corroded and the peeling rust is razor-sharp.

[User] In addition, the first rung is going to be *tough* to reach. It's, what, three metres above ground, and you're -- 180...?

[Assistant] One-ninety. I'm a giant.

[User] Okay. But, still -- the roof is collapsing and the wind gets pretty brutal up there. Dismounting from the ladder is going to be *hard*. Perhaps if you were to... *not* climb the ladder? Instead...

[Assistant] What if you were to do something more *subtle*?

[User] What if you were to *re-conceptualize* climbing the ladder?

[Assistant] Yes -- climbing it would be too *expensive*. The animations your body needs to make, interacting with the ladder, are beyond your capabilities at this moment in your career.

[User] ASTRAL PROJECTION! Be *open-minded* about this.

[Assistant] Yeah... Because falling from that height seems, well -- SPLAT! So don't do that. Just, you know...


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.tree_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] The hawthorn tree on Rue de Saint-Ghislaine. Bronze-coloured ribbons of magnetic tape are caught in its branches, fluttering in the breeze.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["ice.egg_shivers_third"]) == false]

[Assistant] Disentangle the tape.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.tree_whitec_interfacing_disentangle_tape"]]

[Assistant] With slow and deliberate motions, pulling, bending and unravelling -- you manage to extricate the magnetic tape from the branches.

[User] It curls up into a mess inside your pocket. If only you could find a way to re-spool it, so that you could hear what's on the tape...

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.roy_intro_done"]]

[User] Maybe Roy from the pawnshop can help you with this?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[User] The lieutenant looks at the mess in your hands. Only after you've successfully cleaned up the branches does the curiosity get him: "What's the tape for?" he asks.

[Assistant] "It's for Egg Head. I promised to make his van Eyck's jam hit a bit harder. Maybe this tape can help."


[User] You see the lieutenant's familiar shape in the orange jacket. It turns double -- then triple -- from the pain.

[Assistant] It's nothing. You're alive, that's what matters.

[User] "Kim...."

[Assistant] "*Sunrise, parabellum*," the lieutenant says. He's in the middle of a freshly cleaned room, with the fan above his head like a halo. His face is covered in bruises.

[User] "I'm ready." (Conclude.)

[Assistant] "Good." There's a pause. "Where do you want to limp to?"

[User] "Let's just aimlessly wander until a clue presents itself."

[Assistant] "Let's do that." He extinguishes the cigarette on the sole of his boot.


[User] An old call box with a matrix of push buttons lists all the companies in the East Delta Commerce Centre.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.doomed_commercial_area"]) == false]

[User] "Slipstream SCA."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.doorbell_whitecheck_volition"]) == false]

[User] No, hold on. The last thing you need in your life is more hysteric emotions. Forget it. Find something else to do.

[Assistant] "Andro-Orlando Hair SCA."

[User] You ring the doorbell, but no one answers.

[Assistant] What an ominous name for a hair salon... Doesn't bode well for anyone's hair.

[User] Just seeing the words "Andro-Orlando" gets your hackles up. It's very existence is a *threat* to your masculinity, to say nothing of your hair.

[Assistant] "ARTEMITEP's Boxing for Young Athletes & Gym."


[User] "Three weeks ago, when the rich hag came in on her galley. Her honour guard came in tow."

[Assistant] Joyce... he means Joyce.

[User] "And by that you mean the representative of the harbour company?"

[Assistant] "Wrinkled up whore," he nods.

[User] "What is it with these *whores* and *pederasts*... aren't you a communist?"

[Assistant] "Lax sexual morals are a bourgeois ploy," he gargles a spit ball. "As to pederasty, the Party legalized it in '04. My Party, not your liberal masters." He spits it out on the dying coals.

[User] "So don't you sermonize me, you racist shithole." He adds. "It's still bourgeois when the bourgeois does it. Fiddling with their sexual organs..."

[Assistant] Some strange glandular process takes place in him at the thought. Like yeast rising...


[User] Let's test. This is the last hub.

[Assistant] "I'm ready." (End with Kim / Cuno.)

[User] "Good." She looks at you, then Vicquemare...

[Assistant] "Fuck it, let's go." The man points down the street. "Trant left his motor carriage behind the gates. It's a 20 minute drive to Jamrock."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.kim_klaasje_said_one_thing"]) == false]

[Assistant] "I'm Kim Kitsuragi." The lieutenant steps in. "I'm a detective from Precinct 57. I see you've already met my colleague."

[User] This does not come as good news to him.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.klaasjeone_greeting_done"]  and  IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] Across the city, the lieutenant stops to consider a smoke break. He shrugs off the urge: maybe tonight. His absence is palpable. Too late now.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.fridge_victims_body_done"]  or  Variable["TASK.send_corpse_to_processing_done"]]

[Assistant] "Miss, I'm investigating, uh..." (Gesture down to the yard.) "The people who put him there said to talk to you."

[User] "Ah, I see." She takes a pensive drag of her menthol cigarette.

[Assistant] Be careful. Ask something else first. When you go *there*, use words like 'I hear you have been through something difficult.'

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.klaasje_suggestion_been_through_difficult"]]

[Assistant] No need to dilly-dally. She's tough.


[User] That sugary black rum stain on the counter makes you teary-eyed with joy. It's almost touching how syrupy and sticky it is. How long have you been up already?

[Assistant] Two hours?

[User] An hour would have been bad -- two hours is *mystical*. You have truly wiped out all trace of yourself if you haven't thought about rum and lemonade yet.

[Assistant] Maybe later.

[User] "Maybe later"? What is this, casual Friday? What's with the lackadaisical lax-man attitude? You used to be *passionate* about getting your drink on. Show me you're still young. Show me you have the FIRE in you! Lick that stain off the counter RIGHT NOW.

[Assistant] I don't want to lick it.

[User] What happened, man? You used to be *cool*. Go get your boring normal person drink then...

[Assistant] Get your drink on and your act together.


[User] Like a fan of gills the chequered papers dry in your hand. The handwriting is extremely dense, if mostly illegible.

[Assistant] There was mention of a... *naming convention* here?

[User] Yes. It appears you employ a... shall we say *robust yet literary* system. Each investigation has its case number written on the margins. Yet, still more tellingly, most are accompanied by a *name*.

[Assistant] A *title* one might say even. One that draws inspiration from snoop fiction and Vespertine cop show staples.

[User] Oh my, and they're written in capital letters too...

[Assistant] Yes, all caps. One is called THE NEXT WORLD MURAL, another THE SQUARE BULLET HOLE MURDERS. Another yet: THE UNSOLVABLE CASE.

[User] More?

[Assistant] Others appear more light-hearted: THE GUYS ON A COUCH IN AN UNEXPECTED LOCATION and THE MURDER AT THE HOOKAH PARLOUR, even the rare article-free COLLAPSING TENEMENT. Murder features prominently throughout.

[User] You like this grimy *murdering*, don't you?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["inventory.ledger_hl_teenage_murder"]]

[User] Wish there was one in there about a drug den, you love those. Gets the *blood* pumping.

[Assistant] No, you don't. You're a human measuring instrument, almost entirely intellectual.

[User] It's going to take an effort to piece these case files together, but it can be done -- later, once you're done inspecting them up close.

[Assistant] That's *it*?


[User] Is there something here that would indicate a sniper used this place as a nest for taking the shot? Just some urban detritus, a bottle and a dilapidated old comms tower.

[Assistant] The wind picks up. Fine sea foam lashes your face. It feels like needles. You can take it -- just raise your collar, detective.

[User] In the distance you can hear the breakers roar.

[Assistant] Look over the water -- to the Whirling-in-Rags.

[User] There, 1.2 kilometres over the cold water of the bay, through a thick snowstorm melting flake by flake in the waves you see the smallest rectangle, barely visible.

[Assistant] The light is off on the third floor of the Whirling-in-Rags. The young woman is gone, in Precinct 57. Safe, closed off. Her form no longer moves behind the glass there...


[User] A shift in temperature. The air chills around you. Dust settles on the stony floor.

[Assistant] Rub your sides for warmth.

[User] A former architect stands before a slice of window, a room plan in her hand. A cold wave has made the air in the building stand still and frozen, with temperatures falling down to -20°C.

[Assistant] Look around yourself...

[User] It's clean and empty, with new tapestry embellishing the walls. A standard HB graphite pencil has fallen off a three-legged stool in the middle of the room.

[Assistant] She had an eye for beauty.


[User] You see a heavy steel door with a prominent dimple lock. It's painted blue.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.bluedoor_inland_blue"]) == false]

[User] You immediately feel *drawn* to the colour. Blue is for mystery.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.barreddoor_kick_down_success"] == true]

[User] "This door is *connected* to the one upstairs. But how do we get through?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("key_workshop_spare")]

[User] "Have you tried using the key?" The lieutenant nods toward the lock. "I suspect that will work."

[Assistant] [Leave.]