[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.what_is_race_enigma_done"]  or  Variable["gates.mhead_fight_success"]) == false]

[Assistant] "WALK AWAY, LITTLE OFFICER," he says with a yawn, not even meeting your gaze. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR IMPOTENT RAMBLINGS. THEY'RE *BORING* ME."

[User] "Stop *boring* him!" The babe coils a piece of hair around her finger, staring at you like you're the worst.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["gates.measurhead_fascha_dq_didnt_know_reality"]) == false]

[User] You need to get under his skin first... get him to open up somehow.

[Assistant] Knock him... THE *FUCK* OUT!

[User] Find common ground with him, ease yourself in there.

[Assistant] He surveys the traffic jam, then turns his eyes back to you. Waiting, prepared...

[User] "Don't be such an asshole to your fellow dockworker." (Show him the stolen ID card.)

[Assistant] The man looks at you, silent and unmoving. His eyes burrow into the remnants of your soul.

[User] "YOU ARE NOT SANTIAGO. SANTIAGO IS NOT YOU. EVEN THE PHRENICALLY IMPAIRED CAN SEE THIS."

[Assistant] Try again, punch his lights out with a right hook!


[User] "I think you may be able to help me decipher some tattoos." (Take out the picture.)

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

[User] "Don't think so," he grunts.

[Assistant] Suddenly this feels like a really, *really* bad idea.

[User] "Of course. Yes. Forget about it. Let's discuss something else." (Cancel task.)

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

[User] "Actually..." The lieutenant turns to you. "I think we should maybe even *get going* now?"

[Assistant] He clearly does not think poking the hornet's nest is a wise plan anymore.

[User] "Are you a mercenary hired by Wild Pines?"

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

[User] "FREE FLOW OF COMMERCE!" The man yells and wipes his face. Sweat is dripping down his brow.

[Assistant] Don't talk to him any longer. Just leave, please.


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

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

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

[Assistant] A dusty radiocomputer sleeps on its wired frame, forgotten and unused. Its keyboard has a rectangular ON/OFF button; a piece of paper still hangs from the printer.

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

[Assistant] This is the Rehm Civic radiocomputer, model RC5120, equipped with a Feld mainframe and a Rehm-compatible printer.

[User] Turn on the machine.

[Assistant] The machine lights up like some prehistoric animal stirring from its slumber, revealing virescent PLAY and PRINT keys on the keyboard. The hatch on the machine's central compartment is wide open.

[User] Read the printout.

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


[User] "Agent... Is La Puta Madre some kind of travel agency?"

[Assistant] "Yeah, they love sending people to faraway places..."

[User] "Could you... tell me about it?"

[Assistant] "I'm sure La Puta Madre himself will explain it all to you soon enough."

[User] A man in a white suit walks through a garden coaxed from soil that had once been covered in asphalt -- a city block closed off from the rest of the city by dark buildings.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_la_puta_esprit"]) == false]

[User] "What did you *do* to this... Madre anyway?"

[Assistant] "You know what I did. I fucked him over." She pauses. "And now I have Harry Can-Opener in my lair. Fucking Titus..."

[User] I thought we had an agreement, she thinks. *This* was not supposed to happen.

[Assistant] She's not going to change her mind that easily. She still perceives you as a threat.

[User] Wait, one thing. Possibly small but -- she said *you* rolled into town. Was that 'you' singular or plural? She might know something...

[Assistant] "Do you know something about the tribunal... the mercenaries are planning?"

[User] She chuckles. "*Tribunal* is an awfully fancy word for what they're going to do. But, yeah, I was listening to their frequency. They've finished their 'investigation.'"

[Assistant] "Now they're going to put on a show before meting out punishment." She pauses, biting her lip. "Even though those assholes gave me up... I'm worried for the boys."


[User] "Am I going to ask? Hell, Harry -- you *spin-kicked* my strongest man in the face. I saw it from my window!"

[Assistant] "Would *you* ask a man like that how he got into *your* container yard?"

[User] "I understand. I am a terrifying death machine."

[Assistant] "Don't worry, Harry." He leans in closer. "Between you and me, I'm not a huge fan of his race thing, but the Union did not get where we are today by frowning on eccentricity."

[User] "Anyway, I assure you, I am a very well-informed man. Information reaches me before I even get the chance to request it."

[Assistant] Yes, but it's because his word usually sets things in motion.

[User] "Evrart, that's just giving orders."

[Assistant] "Oh, you're so clever, Harry. And technically you're right. Now... what else can I do for you?"


[User] "Yeah? What?"

[Assistant] Destroy the machine.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_pain"]) == false]

[Assistant] The violent white noise becomes even more overwhelming closer to the Compressor. Feels like your brain is swelling up in your skull.

[User] Hold still and try to have an apocalyptic vision.

[Assistant] "Officer, are you okay?"

[User] "Don't worry, Kim, I'm just trying to... have... an apocalyptic... vision..."

[Assistant] The white noise turns into a wall of mist and grey mould, bubbling, sweeping over the city... it tears up buildings and raises sidewalks into the sky. It's Revachol -- at the end of the world.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_pi_rc_fail_inland_vision"]) == false]

[Assistant] The pain intensifies as your hands attempt to reach out into the pale chaos.

[User] "What are you doing? I told you -- it's best not to move..."

[Assistant] "875263... 23621837... for that special someone..."

[User] "Kim! Kim! Make it stop!"

[Assistant] "Look, I know this isn't very fun for you, so let's wrap this up. You have a tribunal to attend."


[User] Let's test. This is the last hub.

[Assistant] "Good bye, then." (End alone.)

[User] "Good bye, Harry. And -- I know it won't happen, but..." He looks at you, heart steeled and eyes cold.

[Assistant] Even now -- you're his colleague.

[User] A grey rain falls on Martinaise. The city soaks in it, cold and dripping. Waves hit the concrete breakers. The homeless huddle by the fires behind the fences. There, among the shacks, is your home. Stay. Have a drink. Forever.

[Assistant] "*If* you make it -- if you've been sober for 10 months -- tell us. I'll work with you again. But not like this. Never like this again. This is over."


[User] You *clearly* see footprints in the downy carpet of dust covering the workshop floor.

[Assistant] "Jackpot." The lieutenant takes out his notebook. "These, unlike everything else here, are *new*."

[User] Someone's been back here -- *recently*.

[Assistant] "Three weeks maximum -- from the dust coverage. It could easily have been *one* week too. You know, officer..." He looks at you.

[User] This is good. He likes it. That's a little smile there -- in the dark of the workshop.

[Assistant] "It was a *stereo-investigation* after all. It has now converged with our main investigation. Adding a new fact to *consider*."


[User] "What was she scared of?"

[Assistant] "I told you -- you."

[User] "Me? As in the RCM?"

[Assistant] "No -- you. As in the cop with the sideburns and the disco clothes."

[User] And a hole in his heart. That first.

[Assistant] "I'm sorry. God, why does everything flee at the sight of my shadow?!"

[User] "It seems you have that effect -- especially on *women*." He looks at you.

[Assistant] Right. That's the second one now who's trying to flee you.

[User] "You know, when I first saw you limp in here I thought she was paranoid, or sniffing her own supply, but..." He measures you up. "Now I'm not so sure."

[Assistant] "Have you looked for her?"

[User] "A little -- on the coast."

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

[User] "Where have you looked for her, more precisely?"

[Assistant] "More precisely? On the *coast*. Past the water lock." He nods southwest. "She's not here, so I'm thinking she's there."


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

[Assistant] The man stands at the far end of the shipping container. It's hard to say anything more about him. You cannot make out any of his details, but you do feel the overwhelming presence of... capital.

[User] The feeling causes all the hairs on your body to stand at attention like soldiers preparing for review.

[Assistant] Squint.

[User] Something's amiss. The light beams bend around his face and scatter in a thousand directions. It seems the laws of physics do not apply here. They are suspended, distorted, an echo.

[Assistant] Trying to visualize the physics at play is liable to give you an aneurysm. Don't think about it too hard!

[User] In the general stillness, only your tongue moves, flickering as you utter...

[Assistant] "What's going on in here?"

[User] "Welcome, welcome! Not too much, actually, just pleasantly surprised to have company today."

[Assistant] You can't *hear* him, exactly, yet you're able to understand every word he says. It is very strange. An overwhelming hum covers everything -- voice doesn't escape from him.

[User] "Now." He claps his hands together. "What can I do for you, good sir?" What you can see of his body appears composed. In a sharp summer suit. And yacht shoes.

[Assistant] "You're a rich investor, right? Can I have some money?"

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

[Assistant] "Sure! Let me check my pockets."


[User] The bear's eyes are still glowing red, watching over all the ice cream wrappers hidden inside its belly.

[Assistant] But where's the filament memory? It's not here...

[User] "Bag him. Take him away, Kim." (Let the lieutenant take the body away without further examination.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["XP.discover_the_bullet"]]


[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] Isn't honour sort of an archaic concept?

[Assistant] Living in the name of virtue and doing noble deeds while expecting nothing in return is not *archaic*. How can you even think that?

[User] Selflessness forms the basis for the warrior code. An ageless code, as fit for nomadic Iilmaraan tribes traversing the vast Red Plateau in Provincia Gurdi as it is for your neighbourhood postman.

[Assistant] It sounds rather arrogant, a secretive self-regard.

[User] No, no, no! You see, you're putting the needs of *others* above *yours*. *You* get nothing in return -- not even praise. You always get the short, *noble* end of the stick...

[Assistant] Don't think about it too much! Just say it -- are you ready to get knee-deep in honour?

[User] Isn't honour sort of an archaic concept?

[Assistant] Living in the name of virtue and doing noble deeds while expecting nothing in return is not *archaic*. How can you even think that?

[User] Selflessness forms the basis for the warrior code. An ageless code, as fit for nomadic Iilmaraan tribes traversing the vast Red Plateau in Provincia Gurdi as it is for your neighbourhood postman.

[Assistant] It sounds rather arrogant, a secretive self-regard.


[User] "Satisfied? My name is Marielle Charpentier and I'm an agent with Martinaise Realty Associates. I am *not* breaking in, as I have every *right* to be here. The keys, see?" She jingles a set of keys in her hand.

[Assistant] Boy there are a lot of different keys there. More than *twenty* at least...

[User] Her voice is really cheerful despite her obviously *hating* you.

[Assistant] "Do you want to see my ID as well? You can't *legally* ask for it, but why not? Want to see my residence permit, too?" She fumbles through her purse, fishing out a light paper-clad passport.

[User] Inspect the passport.

[Assistant] It feels flimsy in hand, with the words 'Revachol Zone of Control' written under a nondescript municipal logo. There's a picture of her with shorter hair inside, along with all her personal details.

[User] Be friendly.

[Assistant] "Everything seems to be in order." (Hand back the passport.)

[User] "Thank you." She slips the passport back in her purse. "Do you have any questions? I need to be back in midtown in an hour."

[Assistant] "I glimpsed a *foreclosed* apartment down the hallway."

[User] "Oh, that's another huge mess. The former tenant owes us three months of rent, *three*! We closed the apartment and planned on auctioning off the valuables, but..."

[Assistant] "And again, I have no idea how *stupid* mistakes like this can even happen, but Ron, when he came to close the door, didn't close the neighbouring door! And there's a hole in the wall!"

[User] So preppy! She's probably on some low grade performance enhancers. Like Preptide or Pericanine.

[Assistant] "A hole in the wall, can you believe it?" She spreads her hands. "And then the tenant ran off with his stuff. He's gone, the *money's* gone, just like that!" She snaps her fingers.


[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] The lights of Martinaise shine coolly in the clear night.

[User] Would this have been a good hideout for a sniper?

[Assistant] It's a good place to hide, but doesn't look like anyone has stayed here in a while.


[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] First the investigation, now this... how many more things do you have to fuck up?

[User] Sharp pain shoots through your hip, throbbing...

[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] "What do you want me to do?"

[User] "*Apologizing* would be a good start."

[Assistant] "What do you want me to do?"


[User] By the way, where *is* home? The address is coming up blank and this place sure isn't it...

[Assistant] I have no idea.

[User] But you've been at this hostel-cafeteria for only three nights. Where were you before? You had to be somewhere.

[Assistant] Far away?

[User] In time or space?

[Assistant] In time.

[User] That doesn't sound like somewhere you can stay if you run out of money.

[Assistant] I'll live in a dumpster, I don't care. Fuck everything. Hobocop.


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

[Assistant] And the shape of the insect, its cyclical praying motion just... going on and on. That thing. Looking at you. You -- two things standing in front of each other...

[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] 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...

[User] Turn to the other side.

[Assistant] 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...


[User] Establish authority in their eyes.

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

[User] As you look around this room full of sweaty men, swearing, drinking, spitting out tobacco.... does this look familiar?

[Assistant] "I get it, Titus. You guys really are *the authority* around here."

[User] "Huh?"

[Assistant] "You must be -- you're just like real cops. Drinking beer and sitting around with your dicks in your hand."

[User] He leans in. "You got a problem with *beer* now?"

[Assistant] Not quite there yet -- push on.

[User] "I have a beer-problem, but not a problem with beer. I also have *no* idea how to do my job. Like you."

[Assistant] "Speak for yourself, buddy." He puts the beer down. "I've been running this outfit for ten years now. You shoulda seen Martinaise *before* we started. It was like Jamrock now."

[User] "They didn't see shit, man," he turns to you. "Kids getting shot, we had three shootings a week, fuckin' graffito everywhere -- you cops haven't shown up since the Thirties."

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

[User] "Congratulations on the graffito removal." He turns to Titus. "All I see is you sitting around talking about *Monica's titties* -- while there's a rape victim."

[Assistant] "So what? What do you want from me? We took care of that fuck." He picks the beer back up.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_took_rcm_cap"]  and  Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_took_narcotics"]  and  Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_altgreet_items_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_greeting_done"]]

[User] The woman stands, slumped. She looks catatonic under her mountain of RCM paraphernalia.

[Assistant] Is one of those things a... police cap?

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_blackc_perc_saw_drugs"]) == false]

[Assistant] Pick up the RCM cap.

[User] She doesn't even flinch as you reach out and disentangle the familiar-looking lieutenant's cap from her mountain of RCM paraphernalia.

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

[User] "Oh. Is that yours?"

[Assistant] It's hard to say. It's been so long since you wore yours.

[User] "Maybe. Probably. You know me."

[Assistant] "It's your hat." The lieutenant nods.


[User] Check the pedals.

[Assistant] You wedge yourself under the steering-wheel to get a better look. Seems like the few tools lying around here -- a hammer, a pair of pliers, a rusty wrench -- have been casually thrown there by the disorganized driver.

[User] But one odd detail does catch your eye: A piece of sandpaper has been glued to the throttle.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsTHCPresent("torque_dork")) == false]

[User] Sandpaper adds extra grip.

[Assistant] The sandpaper would also rub off the pattern from the driver's right boot sole...

[User] ... matching one of the footprints found from the crime scene. Which means that the missing lady driver was present at the lynching!

[Assistant] First the drug smuggling, now this... How deep does this rabbit hole go?

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["XP.figured_out_hardies_present_at_the_lynching"]]

[Assistant] You've identified the missing eighth person at the lynching. Do you think that Hardie and his boys had anything to do with the drug trade?

[User] Not necessarily. The lady driver could have kept the drug trade a secret.

[Assistant] You should probably still talk to them, see what they've got to say for themselves.


[User] "Who's *Tibbs*?"

[Assistant] "My brother. He's in the window replacement business."

[User] Tibbs -- that's short for...

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

[User] Right now he's grateful he hasn't gotten his brother into this mess.

[Assistant] "I'm sorry I made you guys fight."

[User] "Me too."

[Assistant] "Thank you for this, Titus. I'll go talk to her -- for the last time." (Conclude.)

[User] "You do that." He grabs his beer and swirls it in his hand, then thinks of something. "Hey, cop -- before you go."

[Assistant] Suddenly the wind picks up outside. You hear it rattling the large windows in their frames. It carries newspapers, circles the Whirling-in-Rags in a warm column...

[User] "She..." He looks up. "Klaasje came to Martinaise to hide -- many of us did. This is where you wash up when there's nowhere left to go. The Union takes you in -- now, she *refused* that protection, but..."

[Assistant] Still, after all this headache...


[User] "One moment..." You can hear her shuffling through some papers.

[Assistant] "Can you please describe the body -- age, sex, cause of death?"

[User] "An unidentified middle-aged man. Height 170-175 cm, dark hair, medium build. Looks like he slipped, fell through a hole in the boardwalk and hit his head against the metal bench."

[Assistant] "We suspect he might have been inebriated when he fell -- there were bottles all around him, and traces of vomit on his shirt."

[User] "Any signs of violence?"

[Assistant] "No, seems like it was an accident."

[User] "No field autopsy necessary..." she repeats.

[Assistant] You can hear her quickly typing in the background.

[User] "What about his belongings? Did you examine his clothes?"

[Assistant] "He was wearing boots, trousers and an old leather jacket with a bright blue lining. I found a library card from his pockets."

[User] "Any information on the library card?"

[Assistant] "I haven't examined it yet."


[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] "You're involved. Somehow. I just don't have proof -- yet."

[Assistant] "Well..." He picks up his beer can. "Maybe you should just fuck off then?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.hanged_spoke_to_the_corpse"]  or  (Variable["whirling.hardie_postviscal_scan"]  and  Variable["yard.sense_viscal_greeting_done"])  or  Variable["cargo.containeryard_finish_the_pile_of_belts_thought"]  or  Variable["yard.hanged_rope_airlifting_carfo"]  or  Variable["yard.hanged_rope_industrial_strength"]  or  Variable["cargo.evrart_hardieboys_did_the_merco_in"]) == false]

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

[User] We've hit a wall. Giving the body a more thorough look might give us some leverage. Just saying.

[Assistant] "I want to talk about the hanging again."

[User] "Again? Just get the dead guy's autograph -- since you're his biggest fan."

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


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

[Assistant] "The shine on these sunglasses lasts a lifetime, officer! One hundred percent guaranteed!"

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

[Assistant] Try the shades on.

[User] Abort! These are hideous. What's more, they don't even fit your face. You can feel them pinching your nose and chafing against your brow.

[Assistant] "Damn, officer, you look like a mega-secret spy, very secret," the man nods eagerly. "They're practically made for you. I'll let you have them for... two reál and fifty cents!"

[User] They're perfect for concealing your bloodshot and baggy eyes.

[Assistant] It's going to be very difficult for anyone to take you seriously with these things on your face.

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

[Assistant] "I'll take those ugly glasses."


[User] "Yeah? What?"

[Assistant] Destroy the machine.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_pain"]]

[Assistant] You did it. The Compressor lies broken on its side. It's quiet in your head again. It still hurts like hell, but...

[User] "You're under arrest!"

[Assistant] She looks at the machine, assessing the damage. Her hand trembles.

[User] "Ah, fuck it." She puts the barrel of the gun into her mouth.

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

[User] "Go ahead, then." (Let her do it.)

[Assistant] She pulls the trigger before you finish your sentence.

[User] You watch as her brains trickle out through her neon hair.

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


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

[Assistant] What kind of enemies?

[User] Enemies of the Commune of Revachol.

[Assistant] Of the future. Enemies of mankind.


[User] This book is written by an angry humanitarian sciences doctor from the La Cherte University in Sur-La-Clef, a Dr. Benoit Mejean. He does not like Sur-La-Clef, La Cherte -- or in fact even the University he teaches in -- but what he likes even less is...

[Assistant] It's capitalism, isn't it?

[User] Capitalism.

[Assistant] Can't stand the shadow of it. This book promises to *really* get into everything that's wrong with capitalism -- to do so once and for all in an *exhaustive* and *final* manner.

[User] Why would I want to?

[Assistant] Critical theorists the world over agree: once *everyone* knows *every last shortcoming* of capitalism, capitalism will end. You are but one of billions, and there are over seven billion things wrong with capitalism, but one has to start somewhere. And Benoit Mejean, PhD, wants to start with...

[User] You feel an ominous tingling in your fingertips as they browse the pages...

[Assistant] You.

[User] Read it.

[Assistant] You start reading it, but it's hard to really understand anything. It's all some sort of garbled word-wankery. After a while you give up and put the book down.


[User] And then -- sleep doesn't come.

[Assistant] Why?

[User] Maybe it's the bed's fault?

[Assistant] Roll over to the other side.

[User] It's a little better... Colours, scenes, and half-formed phrases still litter your mind. Part of you is still trying to solve the case, isn't it?

[Assistant] No more thoughts. Fall asleep now...

[User] Your breathing steadies. A great silence washes over you... until your eyelids *twitch* in your sleep and images... images start forming...


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

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

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsHourBetween(22, 5)) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsHourBetween(5, 9)) == false]

[Assistant] "Hello again. How can I help you?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.roy_comp_intro1"]) == false]

[Assistant] Is Roy high -- and if yes, then what is he on?

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

[Assistant] Feeling warm and enthralled by the movement of light, while the mind continues to race forward? Lucky bastard -- he's probably on Pyrholidon. It's tough to come by on the street.


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

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

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: DayCount() > 3]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: DayCount() > 4]

[Assistant] "Aye, the sea's gonna calm down soon. I can feel it. The wind is turning southeast." She nods. "What's on your mind, officer?"

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

[Assistant] Why does she care about the waves so much?


[User] "Mhm!" She stamps her feet, waiting for you to say something.

[Assistant] "Little girl, help. My Dick Mullen book ripped before I could get to the end. Do you know what happens?"

[User] "Which book was it, sir?"

[Assistant] "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity."

[User] "Oh..." She frowns. "I'm very sorry, sir. I haven't read that one yet. I wish I could help you."

[Assistant] "Say, child... *you* wouldn't happen to know a good fridge, would you?"

[User] "A fridge?"

[Assistant] "Yes. Like a big, big fridge a cop could put a dead body into."

[User] "Hah!" She smiles. "You mean like the ice bear fridge? Man, that's scary."

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

[User] "Ice bear fridge?"

[Assistant] "Yes. Like a bear, but white. There's a fridge below the building, in the basement." She points underground. "With red glowing eyes. I went back there once. Behind the bookstore..."

[User] She lowers her voice. "Mum doesn't want me to go there anymore. Not that I want to. It was pretty scary.

[Assistant] "And there's a big fridge there?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["coast.gary_greeting_done"]]

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

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

[User] "Hello again! Very generous of you to help us out, officer. I can't wait to get out of here."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Script: SetVariableValue("coast.gary_whirling_thanks_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]]

[User] "You said you'd tell me about Seolites, when Kim isn't here. He isn't here."

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

[User] "Yes, officer. I'm very glad we're getting a chance to speak about it candidly, man to man."

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


[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] "Why was there a *Vermillion* belt around his neck?"

[Assistant] "Vermillion? Like we use in the harbour?"

[User] "Yes."

[Assistant] "Because we took it," he says, "from the harbour where we work. Then we went out back and used it to *hang* him."

[User] As he speaks, his fists contract, going through the pulling motion again, savouring it.

[Assistant] "We did this," -- he looks you dead in the eye -- "together. All of us. Until he was dead. That's why there's a container belt around his neck."

[User] There's a catch hidden somewhere. He didn't confess so that you could take them all away. It's too simple.

[Assistant] (Squint your eyes.) "But there's a catch..."

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

[Assistant] "There is no catch. These seven honest men have all *equally* come forth to tell you what happened -- so that you don't waste any more of your time."

[User] All -- seven -- together. They're diluting responsibility. It's an anti-arrest tactic.

[Assistant] They're playing to their *considerable* strength in numbers. Don't talk about arresting them. You'll only bring attention to your inability to do so.


[User] Time to get my gun!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_redc_handeye_recognize_gun"]) == false]

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

[Assistant] She's frantic, confused, teetering under all that gear... There's an opening, if you just move fast enough... If not, the lieutenant's got her on his sights.

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

[Assistant] "No gun is worth this risk..." (Slowly back away.)

[User] "CONFINED QUARTERS, ASSAILANT COMING AT ME! SPLIT-SECOND DECISION, FIRE AT WILL!"

[Assistant] OH MY GOD!!!!

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_blackc_conc_how_it_feels"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.pigs_kim_esprit_its_okay_go_for_the_gun"]]

[Assistant] "Situation is under control!" The lieutenant's voice rings over the police siren. "You're not shot, she's not a threat, everybody stay calm!"


[User] Well, now you've done it. Let's see if you can talk your way out of this one.

[Assistant] "I was just trying to convey that I understood his grievances and wasn't judging him for having them."

[User] The lieutenant narrows his gaze. "So you *don't* find his views... say, *unbefitting of a police officer*?"

[Assistant] Okay... feels like this is going to be a *discussion* now.

[User] "Of course. But he's also not entirely responsible for them. I haven't been in this world for long -- already I'm a product of my environment."

[Assistant] "There are tens of thousands of people who grew up in Martinaise and somehow managed to avoid becoming racists who yell 'Come here, saffron picker' at passers by."

[User] "Our position in Revachol is already precarious: Many people think we're vigilantes as it is. I can't have them thinking we're *racist* vigilantes to boot."

[Assistant] "Well, *actually*..."

[User] Wait a second. Are you sure you want to go there? Even if you succeed, you're going to fail.

[Assistant] What do you mean? I'm in the right here.

[User] Are you sure about that?

[Assistant] Yes.


[User] "Go ahead."

[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"]) == false]

[Assistant] The device is cold to the touch. An angular "Omicron" logo adorns the yellow plastic cover. Underneath you see a reel of tape rolling. You put the device back on the ice.

[User] "I'd like to know more about your associates."

[Assistant] "My 'associates'?" She blows on her chilled fingers. "I haven't got much to say about them."

[User] "Just answer the question, please."

[Assistant] "Sorry. I just don't tell people about my friends and who they are and so on. I don't provide information on them."

[User] To the cops.

[Assistant] "A-ha. Okay. Maybe I'll ask later about all this."

[User] "Don't know what makes you think it'll be any different later, but..."

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


[User] There! Do you smell that?

[Assistant] I don't smell anything.

[User] Can you not detect that inimitable whiff of dissatisfaction and restlessness, that sense that the world is in need of dramatic, even violent re-ordering?

[Assistant] (Close your eyes and take a deep breath.)

[User] What do you smell?

[Assistant] The first thing that strikes you is the overwhelming brine. You imagine yourself underwater, a hundred-legged arthropod scuttling along the murky silt at the bottom of the sea...

[User] Nothing. Or at least, nothing in particular. As far as you're concerned, your nose seems to be purely decorative.

[Assistant] Absolute rubbish. Your politico-olfactory cortex doesn't deceive you. The smell is coming... from that balcony over there!

[User] You mean from that scary-looking girl in the old lady coat?

[Assistant] Certainement! A precocious communist youth, a symbol of a kinder, more hopeful future. Now's your chance to *establish contact* with your revolutionary brothers and sisters.


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

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

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

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

[User] "Officer Harry... you're wounded. Why are you wounded? You look terrible."

[Assistant] You're not *limping*. You're *you*.

[User] She sounds almost disappointed with you. *Reprimanding* you for falling and hurting your knee.

[Assistant] "I'm a cop. I don't merely exist in *this* world -- I live in the *between* life and death."

[User] "Everyone does that, in a way. You don't have to get shot for that." She waves her hand dismissively.

[Assistant] "What happened to you anyway? We heard gunshots from the town. They were closer than usual."

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

[Assistant] "There was an exchange of fire on Rue de Saint-Ghislaine. It's nothing to be worried about, ma'am."


[User] "The Hardie boys gave me a recording. They say it proves the deceased's intention to commit rape."

[Assistant] "It sounds like the boys would have preferred my saying it *did* happen." A sigh. "I didn't want to get caught up in this..."

[User] She is not at all worried the tape will contradict her statement.

[Assistant] "What does that recording say?"

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

[Assistant] "Just looking for a player."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.hear_what_sunday_night_done"]  or  CheckItem("boombox") == false) == false]

[Assistant] She nods, exhaling a dense cloud of cigarette smoke.

[User] "What is this wild flower?" (Show her the flower.)

[Assistant] She looks at the dried petals in your palm, then lightly touches one with her fingernail.

[User] Chipped white polish covers the nail. It's long and sharp, like a mini dagger. The petal crumbles on contact.

[Assistant] "Pretty. Looks like a dried *may bell* -- is that the one you caught? Sam Bo-style?"

[User] "Sudden change of topic!"

[Assistant] "All right." She nods and takes a drag. "I like it sudden."


[User] The scruffy-haired little boy kicks a stone. He can't be more than five years old.

[Assistant] The other one looks indistinguishable from him. He watches his brother kick the stone with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

[User] "Is little Lily your sister?" (Point to the house.)

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "Okay."

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "Children are stupid."

[Assistant] "Maybe *you're* stupid!"


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

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

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["cargo.evrart_find_your_gun_done"]  and  Variable["TASK.find_out_whats_happening_with_the_special_brew_strikers_are_eating_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("jacket_carabineer")]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["cargo.evrart_altgreet_rene_uniform"]) == false]

[User] "Mr. Du Bois..." He looks at you with surprise. "Why on earth are you dressed like my recently deceased security guard?"

[Assistant] "It's a political statement. Revachol is for Revacholians."

[User] "Very powerful, Mr. Du Bois. This is a very powerful statement." He grins far and wide like he doesn't actually think your statement is powerful at all. "Now, how can I help you today, Mr. Political Statement?"

[Assistant] "You called me 'Mr. Du Bois.' Why?"


[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] Try to peel off the sticker without ripping it.

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

[Assistant] There's nothing like the sound of a sticker unpeeling. Now it's stuck to your thumb.

[User] Put the sticker *in* your ledger -- after the last entry, where it belongs.

[Assistant] Looks like today was a gold star day!

[User] Apply some official force on the padlock.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["church.churchdoor_open_crowbar"] == true) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckEquipped("prybar") == false  and  CheckEquipped("kvalsund_multitool") == false) == false]

[Assistant] A minute or so of mauling away at the lock has led to no success. The prybar in your hand has given you... zero mechanical advantage.


[User] "On second thought -- about something else..."

[Assistant] "Figured." He sighs and holds his lower abdomen. A flash of pain there... it angers him.

[User] (Now we are done.) "Iosef Lilianovich Dros, you are under arrest for the murder of the colonel."

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

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

[Assistant] "What?!" The old man's eyes fill with sudden, unexpected terror at the words: "But you said I would be taken to the, uhm, the..."

[User] The sum of all the erratic movements, fidgeting and mood swings he's been exhibiting...

[Assistant] The wind picks up. The silence on the water is broken all around you, little shivers of waves appear...

[User] "Your Wayfarer rights have been suspended. Information provided to the officer on the scene will be used against you by the prosecution."

[Assistant] "I..." He looks around, confused.


[User] You can hear animated voices coming from the other side of the grille.

[Assistant] Try to listen.

[User] You can make out at least two separate voices.

[Assistant] Two voices, both male. Approximately early 20s.

[User] "... Careful with those now..."

[Assistant] "I have it. It's going to work, I can feel it..."

[User] Try to listen.

[Assistant] You can make out at least two separate voices.


[User] The door is small but heavy-looking. It's barred from the inside.

[Assistant] "So what's on the other side?"

[User] "Unless we've veered off into a folded M dimension, I'm expecting to step out on the roof -- we could ask Klaasje about this route, see how she reacts?"

[Assistant] Folded M dimension. A reference to the popular science fiction series *In System*. Look who's in a good mood suddenly (and reads science fiction).

[User] Yes. It *is* quite likely that we will re-emerge on the M-Plain. Brace for psychokinetic impact. (Or the roof.)

[Assistant] "So what's on the other side?"

[User] "Unless we've veered off into a folded M dimension, I'm expecting to step out on the roof -- we could ask Klaasje about this route, see how she reacts?"

[Assistant] Folded M dimension. A reference to the popular science fiction series *In System*. Look who's in a good mood suddenly (and reads science fiction).


[User] Damn, that felt *good*. Your heart's pounding nicely. You should tell people to fuck off more often.

[Assistant] No, you shouldn't. You're an officer of the law.

[User] Fuck yeah, motherfuckers!

[Assistant] That's the spirit!


[User] Now that you've acquired some stimulants, it's time for a little pick-me-up. Time to *detect*.

[Assistant] This is gonna be really bad for my health, isn't it?

[User] It's not ideal, no... But you need the zeal. Let's face it, you're never going to finish this case without cheating.

[Assistant] Will it make me into a Supercop?

[User] It will make you into *more* than that -- a Megacop! This is your modus operandi. This is how you've done it for *years*. Let's go!

[Assistant] I'm not doing this now. [Ignore thought.]

[User] This is so unprofessional of you. Think you can ignore this -- your *moral compass* telling you to sniff it? Guess again -- you'll be back here soon. You'll get the chance to choose more wisely.

[Assistant] You've passed up your chance to start using SPEED for now, but don't worry! The option to use it becomes available again in 1 hour.


[User] Kim also tries *not* to look at the pile of tape viscera on the carpet. Or the weird suitcase on the hat rack. Or the potted plant dying in the corner. But it's all just too morbid to ignore.

[Assistant] The man is finding it hard not to trip on the tape -- and not to send any of the bottles rolling across the floor...

[User] "You're looking at the destruction?"

[Assistant] He nods.

[User] "I'm sorry for... this."

[Assistant] "No problem, officer." He takes a step toward the door. Like he'd like to leave.


[User] Several maps have been attached to a bulletin board hidden inside the alcove. They're held up by small pins. The board has come loose from one corner.

[Assistant] The maps look old and faded. Your eye catches a map of Insulinde, a map of Revachol, and a map of Martinaise.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.buy_a_map_of_martinaise"]  and  Variable["TASK.buy_a_map_of_martinaise_done"] == false  and  CheckItem("map_of_martinaise") == false]

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

[User] Martinaise!

[Assistant] This one *could* work for seeing where the shot came from.

[User] "Storekeep, can I buy these maps?"

[Assistant] "I'm sorry, officer, the map of Martinaise is the only one available. The other two are not for sale anymore... and besides, you could scarcely afford them."

[User] "They're quite valuable, though they might not look it. The map of Martinaise is 90 cents, though."

[Assistant] "You seem to underestimate my resources, but sure, okay."

[User] "Yes-yes. Are you interested or not?"

[Assistant] Look at the map of Insulinde.


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

[Assistant] Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything worth mentioning among your achievements. You should resort to good old lying.

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

[Assistant] Unless you wanna tell him how you took Cuno down. The decisiveness you exhibited in that situation would surely impress a man fond of order and discipline.

[User] "I knocked Cuno out" (Point to the yard.) "The kid needed discipline."

[Assistant] "The twelve-year-old junkie, whose alcoholic father beats him?" His eyes light up. "Why did you do that?"

[User] Well, if you phrase it like that it doesn't sound too good.

[Assistant] "I needed to make him respect me."

[User] "Officer," he says with obvious disdain, "this is unacceptable for anyone bearing an insignia. A man should lead by example, not terror."

[Assistant] For a moment frozen in time this old soldier is your superior officer, inspiring you to be a better man. It feels good. Comforting.

[User] "If you don't have any more questions we'll return to our game now." By the looks of it he's still trying to wrap his head around what you told him.

[Assistant] "I said I wouldn't do it, but I found you a new *boule*."


[User] The bear's eyes are still glowing red -- it's guarding over the freezing corpse hidden inside its belly.

[Assistant] But where's the filament memory? It's not here...

[User] "What is a giant bear-shaped fridge doing in an abandoned cellar in the first place?"

[Assistant] "Good question. It looks like an ice cream fridge." The lieutenant reaches for one of the wrappers. He studies it in the light.


[User] A rusting control panel with several knobs. The words *Marche* and *Arrêt* are -- very, very slightly -- even more faded with use.

[Assistant] Press *Arrêt*.

[User] The crane does not return to its original position. It does not move at all.

[Assistant] Press *Marche*.

[User] With a loud grind the crane shifts overhead, moving a massive metal container through the air...

[Assistant] ... and with a surprisingly quiet thunk, the crane places the container down.


[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] "Emma's Fashion Atelier."

[Assistant] You wait for a minute or two, but all you get from the call box is silence -- no one answers the call.

[User] "Fortress Accident SCA."

[Assistant] Silence. No one's home at Fortress Accident.

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

[Assistant] They have failed.

[User] "Fortress Accident SCA."

[Assistant] Silence. No one's home at Fortress Accident.


[User] There's a rain-soaked mattress on a concrete slab, only half-covered by the crumbling roof. At the head of it -- double embrasures -- firing slits, like two eyes in the wall.

[Assistant] "B triple prime..." The lieutenant lowers his voice, stepping closer with his hand on his gun. "This looks like a good place to shoot from."

[User] Inspect the wall.

[Assistant] The springs screech as you lean on the mattress and crane your neck to look out...

[User] Trepidation. A tingling feeling in your stomach...

[Assistant] A small piece of Martinaise coastline opens up in the square in front of you -- like a tiny landscape painting, one kilometre across the water. The ruins look familiar.

[User] On the right...

[Assistant] The red chimney and collapsed rear wall of the four-story tenement in front of the Whirling-in-Rags -- Rue de Saint Ghislaine 10.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsHourBetween(21, 2)) == false]

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

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

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

[User] The old woman still hums her unknown song. She opens her eyes to acknowledge your presence.

[Assistant] There's a gap where the name of that song should be. You should ask her about it, right now!

[User] "What is the song you're humming?"

[Assistant] "A lullaby my mother used to sing. I sang it to my kids too. It's an old Samaran children's song."

[User] "It's weird. I don't like it."

[Assistant] "Like I said," her tone sharpens, "it's an old *children's* song. You don't have to like it."


[User] The silence in this part of the church -- it's almost palpable. All the shifting matter and shuffling of living things is gone. Nothing seems to exist beyond the church anymore.

[Assistant] Maybe if you were to stand in just the right spot, even your footsteps would be completely silent...

[User] Wait, I think I still hear something...

[Assistant] And then it's gone. Almost all of it -- but for the faintest of hums.

[User] It seems that sound here is detached from its source somehow, if not blotted out outright. Truly unusual.

[Assistant] Sounds like the pale.

[User] No. Let me just listen.

[Assistant] But to what? There is almost nothing.

[User] You can hardly hear your own breathing.

[Assistant] Look up into the bell tower.

[User] The orderly rows of ceiling panels become barely visible, then disappear completely in the darkness of the tower overhead.

[Assistant] What if I don't *want* to know what's up there?


[User] The book fits quite snugly into your palm. It would also fit comfortably into a jacket pocket.

[Assistant] Finish the book.

[User] You breeze through the next several sections until you arrive at the final chapter, titled 'A Communism Above Reality'...

[Assistant] When a society's revolutionary fervour reaches the third and highest level, infra-materialist theoreticians have postulated that the laws of physics cease to be laws.

[User] That's because *I'm* the law. The law-jaw.

[Assistant] Under suitably revolutionary conditions, you might be! Though infra-materialists would argue that it's more like the community is *collectively* the law.

[User] At last, a book gives you the respect and validation you're entitled to.

[Assistant] Of course, it's impossible to say what exactly happens under these conditions. No known society has ever achieved the levels of revolutionary enthusiasm the theory seems to require.

[User] Some infra-materialists have even argued that it might require more plasm than *humanity alone* may be capable of producing.

[Assistant] What would a third-level society even look like? (Conclude.)

[User] Some have theorised that such a society would be fundamentally unrecognisable, lacking many of the institutions we typically take for granted in advanced societies, including organised governments, financial institutions, and law enforcement.

[Assistant] D-d-did that book just say there's no place for you in this future?

[User] This sounds like a seditious fantasy! How can they allow books like this in print?

[Assistant] Others have argued that people living under third-level conditions will be immune to such infirmities as hunger, disease, and mental illness...


[User] You think you have a pretty hot suspect right now, don't you? That Ruby of yours.

[Assistant] Yeah? And?

[User] Notice how it came together without casting too much suspicion on *Klaasje* -- it was nice and *Ruby-centric* in the end.

[Assistant] What do you mean?

[User] Anything strike you a bit off about this mish-mash?

[Assistant] It turned out the bullet was an antique...

[User] True. Strange how you conducted the whole *advanced ballistics analysis* and then hand-waved it?

[Assistant] So far no one has mentioned hearing the shot.

[User] Notice how this hasn't come up at all -- even Hardie and his boys didn't mention it. Neither did you.

[Assistant] I don't know, my roof route theory was solid.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.kim_took_away_body_day_2"]]

[Assistant] "I've got some good news." The lieutenant smiles. "I took care of the body. The thought of him decomposing in my MC wouldn't let me sleep."

[User] "Good, thanks."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.get_the_boots_off_the_hanged_mans_feet"]  and  Variable["TASK.get_the_boots_off_the_hanged_mans_feet_done"] == false) == false]

[User] "I'm just glad he's gone. We have other matters to attend to."

[Assistant] The lieutenant is downplaying his contribution -- he got up before sunrise to get this done. And now he's quite pleased with himself for taking care of the gruesome business so efficiently.

[User] He points to the mess hall doors. "The Union muscle finally turned up, and they look rowdy. We need to talk to them."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("shoes_t500") and  Variable["whirling.kim_stolen_boots_greet_done"] == false]

[User] He won't even *acknowledge* the stolen boots you're wearing. For him, they don't exist. You'll have to bring it up yourself, later -- *if* you dare.

[Assistant] "Are these the men Garte told us about yesterday?"

[User] "I completely forgot." He looks at his notes. "Sorry, I had a rough night's sleep. It's them, by the looks of it -- loud and nasty, just like the manager said."

[Assistant] "One loose thread less to worry about -- and one big problem to replace it." He crosses something out.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardies_inland_black_tree_taps"] == true]

[Assistant] Again you find yourself looking at that big old window...

[User] Squint.

[Assistant] There's a little slide panel up there, to let some air in. No need to open it in spring. It's still too cold outside.

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

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

[User] One can't see into the Union box from the yard *outside* -- that hawthorn is too thick.

[Assistant] Squint.

[User] There's a little slide panel up there, to let some air in. No need to open it in spring. It's still too cold outside.

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


[User] As you hold your ledger's clip under the headlamp, an iridescent hologram appears: a street grid and the veins of a great river. A familiar sensation washes over you...

[Assistant] "There she is: Revachol West." There's a note of pride in the lieutenant's voice.

[User] Around the borders of the watermark are dozens, no, *hundreds* of micro-perforations.

[Assistant] Look at the shimmering street grid.

[User] The rectangular watermark is overlaid with the logo of the RCM, and yet the major arteries of Revachol are all recognizable. They shimmer in the Kineema's headlights.

[Assistant] "Where are we on this?" (Point to the halogen map.)

[User] "Let me see." He takes the ledger for a moment and inspects it.

[Assistant] "Right here," he says, his finger near the top of the map, on a segment of coast jutting out into the great ocean.

[User] "Seems like a shithole."

[Assistant] "It has its problems..."

[User] "Hey, Kim, what do all these holes mean?" (Point to the dots on the watermark.)

[Assistant] "Those are *perforations*. They represent your record as an officer of the RCM. They're your statistics, as it were. I should have guessed you'd keep a record, officers often do. Let's take a look..."


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

[Assistant] Better keep the lieutenant in the dark about the whole 'Icebreaker' thing. He's not gonna get it.

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

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

[User] "A noble sufferer."

[Assistant] "I don't think *you* are supposed to call yourself that." A fleeting smile crosses his lips. "But I appreciate the honesty. Now let's get back to work."


[User] The cold stone slab of the bench does not look welcoming at all at all. Your shoulder aches.

[Assistant] Sit and rest.

[User] As you gaze upon the wooden planks, the sea breeze blowing through your hair, you wish you could sit and alleviate the pain in your body...

[Assistant] But realize now you do not have time to wait... the clock is ticking towards the final hour.


[User] He eyes you sceptically. "All right -- what cryptids, precisely? I usually discuss these things with *specialists*, so I don't know what..."

[Assistant] *...we would have to discuss?* he wants to say, but decides against it.

[User] "Just tell me about a cool cryptid. Any cryptid."

[Assistant] "No offence, officer, but I'm not much of a *pedagogue* -- I don't know what I would've done if Lena hadn't persuaded me to go back to field research. You should ask her, if you want interesting stories."

[User] "Me -- I'm not a people person, unless you haven't noticed. And I don't make a good lecturer. My strength lies in field work and *persistence*." He brushes an errant strand of hair from his eye.

[Assistant] This is a gruff man who's been ridiculed too many times to feel comfortable talking about what's dearest to his heart. It's in his shoulders, his face, his... everything.

[User] "I know about *Cryobacter katlensis*."

[Assistant] "Oh, everyone knows about that one, thanks to professor Mijanou being the talk of the town for a time..." He coughs in his fist.

[User] A bit of jealousy there. He'd want that glory, truth be told. Even if he'd have to inject *himself* with bacteria to get it.

[Assistant] "Although -- probably because her life ended as a result of her work in Katla -- no one remembers her contributions to the search for the Nnong Okk."


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

[Assistant] "No." There's a silence. "Sure, you got the case together -- you can *do* policework -- in bouts. That's not a surprise to me."

[User] "Even the insect -- I don't care. But you're an *alcoholic*. And you've been drinking -- again. I won't let my life unravel because of this."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsTHCCookingOrFixed("the_waste_land_of_reality")  or  SubstanceUsedOnce("alcohol") == false]

[User] "Jean -- I think he hasn't. I can see it on his face..."

[Assistant] The bloating *has* gone down since you woke up that morning...

[User] "Okay, so he's stayed clear for what? A week?" He sighs.

[Assistant] "It's tough. One of the toughest addictions to overcome. Comparable *only* to heavy synthetic opiates. Even morphine is easier to kick than alcohol -- statistically. The odds are against him. Especially at his age."

[User] He nods. "He's too old. He's been like this for too long. I've seen him try many times. It's a farce by now."

[Assistant] They're leaving. They're all turning away from you.

[User] No. You can figure it out. *Replace* it! Replace the alcohol with amphetamine. Or GBL! Fuck it -- morphine! Graffito removal agent! Anything. It'll buy you time. All you need is time.

[Assistant] No. You *can* stop. Just wade through the hell. Month after month. Year after year -- you against the nothingness. It's possible, because *time* is possible.

[User] If you declare your life forfeit; if you declare yourself a doomed man... A doomed man does not need comfort. From *anything*. He can go on without drink, or help. Like a clockwork.

[Assistant] For the world.


[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"]]

[User] It's obvious -- you need to steer the conversation to the topic that interests him *the most*. Something that he'd like to discuss with another man, in private...

[Assistant] Othen than race science, what else do you think he's into?

[User] Light bondage?

[Assistant] Tattoos?

[User] Perhaps *socialism*, seeing that he's working for the Union...

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

[User] Welkins?

[Assistant] Could be, but even more importantly -- women. This specimen has surrounded himself not only with one or two, but *three* stellar babes.

[User] What's more, all these girls seem to be Kojkos. What's up with that? You have to find out what's his deal with Graad...

[Assistant] "Listen... there's something *personal* I'd like to discuss with you."

[User] "PERSONAL?" He seems bemused.

[Assistant] "It's about the peculiar nature of your friends here."

[User] "Is he talking about *us*, Jean?"

[Assistant] "YOU MEAN THE BABES. I SEE." He appears to be calculating something.


[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] "A bottle of magnesium, please."

[User] "Mkay, here. I hope Saint-Batiste makes you feel better or something."

[Assistant] "I need Drouamine."

[User] "Mkay, here. I hope Saint-Batiste makes you feel better or something."

[Assistant] [Leave.]


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

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

[User] An old monument stands in the middle of the traffic island. It is surrounded by scaffolding that has been haphazardly erected around it.

[Assistant] Reflect on the re-conceptualization.

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

[Assistant] A cardboard sign hangs from the arm pointing out to sea. Written in shaky marker pen are the words: 'PALE SWALLOWS ALL'. What was once a gesture of great power has been hijacked to signal the ceaseless march of annihilation.

[User] "Hard to disagree with the sentiment considering what we just survived." The lieutenant solemnly looks toward the plaza, then turns to you.

[Assistant] Look -- up there! It is he who sirens. Syntagmatarchis Trypa! Here, upon us, to warn of the mangy jowls of The Gloaming.


[User] "Go ahead." The young man gives you a half-smile. His companion sniffs.

[Assistant] "The matchboxes... you were trying to make the tower from Nilsen's journals."

[User] "So you really *did* read all the way to the end." A sheepish grin. "Yeah, Uli and I were trying to see whether there was enough plasm between the two of us to hold up a few matchboxes..."

[Assistant] Saying it out loud makes him realise how foolish it sounds.

[User] "It was just a little *informal* experiment. No reason to take it too seriously."

[Assistant] "We should try again, all of us."

[User] The young man looks at you a moment, then at his companion.

[Assistant] "What could it hurt? Alright, let's give it another go..."

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

[Assistant] Before long, a modest tower begins to rise from the pile of matchboxes...

[User] You place every box with the utmost delicacy and precision.

[Assistant] "Easy, Uli..."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["reputation.communist"] > 10]

[Assistant] "It's holding, it's holding..."

[User] For the moment.

[Assistant] The higher the tower goes, the quieter the room seems to become. Aside from the occasional comment, the three of you are completely absorbed by the task.


[User] "These men, they didn't do it!"

[Assistant] "Yeah? Who did then?"

[User] You should implicate *yourself*. Throw yourself onto the embrasure, chest first!

[Assistant] "It was someone *else* -- someone who's not here now."

[User] "How fucking *convenient*..." He gives you a drunken stare -- then puts his hand on the gun.

[Assistant] His fingers are twitching. That's a draw reflex. He's about to draw.

[User] "I've changed my mind. I can still change my mind, right?"

[Assistant] "You think you're funny?" There's a dangerous gleam in his eye. "What if I just shot one of your pals here right now, huh?"

[User] "How about the kipt?" He points his gun at Elizabeth. "That'd be fucking *funny*..."

[Assistant] "Listen, please!" She raises both hands. "This cop and this drumhead court martial won't decide who..."

[User] He's gonna do it, he's gonna shoot her!

[Assistant] Think! THINK! Why doesn't he believe me?

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

[Assistant] Your mind grinds to a halt. All you can see is the revolver in the man's armoured hand -- swaying, pointed at her. You move your mouth like a fish gasping for air...


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.feld_mural_main_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] The once-bright mural towers above you, saying "FELD ELECTRICAL R&D."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.mural_look_in"]  and  IsKimHere() == false]

[Assistant] Somewhere in Martinaise, Lieutenant Kitsuragi is consulting his notebook... A sudden draught turns a page between his hands. You're going to need him if you want to listen to the wind.

[User] "What is this building?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsHourBetween(8,19)) == false]

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

[Assistant] "Some sort of industrial ruin? I don't recognize the name of the company. R&D used to mean Research and Development... It looks long-abandoned."


[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] I don't know? Sleeping? What do people do under boats? This is merely a measurement from your visual cortex, do with it what you want.

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

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

[Assistant] 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?

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

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


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["coast.exec_viscal_succeeded"]]

[Assistant] A row of ghostly shades facing a crumbling wall, with another seven shades standing ten metres from them. A single person stands on the sideline.

[User] Look at the person standing on the side.

[Assistant] The commandant -- the one who gives the order. Machine gun fire crackling through the air, the lights of the muzzle flashes dancing on his face...

[User] Good bye. [Leave.]

[Assistant] A cold sea wind blows away the figures.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_ruby_on_the_coast_done"] == false]

[Assistant] Behind this building -- the other one. Once filled with engineers and designers of Feld Electric, now collapsed and dead, but for some rats... You feel drawn, for some reason, to the faded mural again.


[User] One day, you may be able to scale this tower. But it won't be today. Neither your sinews nor your spirit could handle this ascent.

[Assistant] Oh well, didn't really care about climbing up some stupid beams anyway.

[User] Yeah, sure. There are other things we could do. But, man, it would have been cool.

[Assistant] "Hey, man. I see it in you -- you are prepared to surrender yourself to the fire of revelation. But you're still a bit shaky spiritually." He looks you over. "You're also just, physically, shaking."

[User] "Keep the flame in your soul alive, though. One day you'll make it up here, if you put in the work."

[Assistant] "Do you know where the other spooker is?" (Point at the strange machines around you.)

[User] "Other spooker? Oh, esa viejita muy estudiosa!" He laughs. "Dunno, homes."

[Assistant] Viejita is... grandma?

[User] "Wait, so there *is* another person living in the church -- and it's a *viejita*?"

[Assistant] "No, I just call her 'viejita' because of her clothes, she's actually quite young..." He scratches his head. "Or maybe not *that* young... Age is just one of the many masks we wear."

[User] "And you don't know where she is?"

[Assistant] "That's what I said, homes."

[User] "How can you not know that when you both live here?"

[Assistant] "Don't really follow her comings and goings. Just see her typing on her computer now and then. We've got different interests."


[User] Rust peels off the bent iron posts of the swing. The wind whistles through the skeleton of the small house behind you. There's desolation... everywhere.

[Assistant] "What happened here?"

[User] "In this yard?" The lieutenant looks at the small building. A flock of grey swallows takes off in the distance.

[Assistant] He's assessing the situation. How long ago was it abandoned.

[User] "Someone thought they could have a summer house in a *bloc obscur*. For cheap. It didn't work out. They abandoned it about a decade ago."

[Assistant] "So this part of the coast is a *bloc obscur*?"

[User] "Practically. It's not an official term in any way, but..." he spreads his arms, "look around -- no sewage, broken power lines, crime, drunks... Life is tough in the blocs. It's no place to build a summer house."

[Assistant] "You're right -- it's no place. Let's go." [Finish]


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

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

[User] "Hi, ace detective." She smiles warmly. "Are you here for more books?"

[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] "What is *school* anyway?"

[User] "School?" She rubs her red, chilled nose. "Well, mine is a big yellow building on Boogie Street. And the people there run it. They say it's a *charity*."

[Assistant] The gale wind blows in from the coast, a wind of needles. It wraps itself around a building of brick and mortar. Somewhere, a clamor rings through the honeycomb of classrooms.

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

[Assistant] "School is stupid. You're lucky not to be there."

[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] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["church.stained_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["church.stained_midgreet_quick_exit"]) == false]

[User] In white, silver, and apricot faïence, the young mother of humanism stands above you. A crack runs across her body. She is impossibly tall, oval-faced and sad -- a dark and radiant majesty.

[Assistant] This is Her Innocence Dolores Dei.

[User]
Cradled in her arms are a pair of glowing lungs, clearly visible from underneath her flowing dress.

You should kneel.

[Assistant] No.

[User] Cold wind seeps in from the crack in the glass. Snowdrifts cover the floorboards at your feet. Above, you feel her multicoloured eyes on you. Inspecting you.

[Assistant] As if under a microscope.

[User] No. I am not your bug.

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

[User] As that bitter thought passes through your head, the lieutenant draws an x-shaped cross from shoulder to shoulder. With three fingers.

[Assistant] I'm not doing that cross either.

[User] Good call. She left us all in the shits, don't give her a single thing. Just stand there in the apricot-coloured light of the window, secretly grinding your teeth. The woman smiles her distant smile, unmoved, struck in half by the crack in the glass.

[Assistant] Serves her right. She only cares about her sovereign's orb and her silk robes and getting to the aerodrome on time -- to *leave*.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["pier.joyce_village_intro_done"]]

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

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["auto.is_raining"]  and  IsDayFrom(2)) == false]

[Assistant] "You're back. Good." She takes a sip from her silvery thermal cup. "What can I help you with?"

[User] "What can you tell me about this strike?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["pier.joyce_strike_hub_reached"]]

[User] "Of course." She takes a sip from the thermal cup.

[Assistant] "The scabs at the gate -- did you put them there?"

[User] "The... *scabs*?" She raises her brow. "You mean the huddled masses of Jamrock, come to plead for work where the Union refuses to?"

[Assistant] Don't let her answer it herself.


[User] "The golden boy returns once more! Wonderful -- simply wonderful, Harry." He claps his hands together like a child who's just been offered cotton candy. "Of course, I already knew this."

[Assistant] "My friend, the mail-man, confirms the letter is on its way. You've done a great thing today. You've given the children of Martinaise a real future. I feel I can finally trust you, Harry."

[User] "You're in my inner circle. You too, Mr. Kitsuragi," he nods to the lieutenant, smiling broadly. "We can talk about anything: the strike, the murder, your lost gun -- *nothing* is off the table."

[Assistant] Hear that? You did it the honest way. You got the *real* signatures and now he's happy. Well done.

[User] I don't know... your dirty forgery-fingers aren't sure if playing this one straight was the right thing to do.

[Assistant] We would've preferred trickery, but the choice was yours, sire, as always. You are the liege. And you're *in*.

[User] Finally -- answers. Ask away, son.

[Assistant] "What was the fine print on the document I mailed? What was the catch?"

[User] "There was no fine print, Harry." He leans forward. "But I do hope all that construction noise and limited street access *encourages* some people to move. After a year of that ruckus, who wouldn't?"

[Assistant] Oops... yes, the noise would do the trick. It'll be terrible.

[User] "And when they do..." He holds out his index finger. "They will have a *good* place to go. I'm currently working on renovating the buildings near the roundabout into affordable *workers palaces*."

[Assistant] He proudly spreads his hands to demonstrate the size of the palaces. They're very large.


[User] Attempt to stop *The Expression* from happening.

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

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["auto.inside_shack"]]

[Assistant] It's like something snaps in you -- a nerve ending, a thought, a sadness. Your face in the mirror is suddenly clean of the leer that had distorted it for god knows how long.

[User] Just like that it's over -- the running gag that your life had become. A sad old man looks back at you.

[Assistant] Use your chaincutters to fix the faucet. Stop steam from fogging up the mirror.

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

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

[User] The chaincutters slip out of your hands as you attempt to twist the faucet into place. Well, you know one thing for sure -- you've probably never been a plumber.

[Assistant] Face yourself.


[User] "A fantastic change of heart, Harry!" He rubs his nose. "Go talk to Mañana down by the gates. He'll brief you and give you the key."

[Assistant] And just like that, it's happening -- the roller coaster is moving. Too late to take it back now.

[User] "Just open *one little door*. You don't need to go in or anything. I just want that weasel to come home and see the unlocked door. That's it. Anything else we should discuss?"

[Assistant] "How do you know my name?"

[User] "Oh, I know everything about you, Harry." He taps on the folder in front of him. "I have a big fat folder on you. Very juicy stuff."

[Assistant] "And the word on the street is your memory is a bit... hazy." He looks at you questioningly. "If that's true, maybe I can help you out? Do you a little favour so to speak."

[User] It might be a good idea to hide your *confusion*... I mean, see what his game is first.

[Assistant] "It's true. My memory *is* a bit hazy."

[User] "I assure you, there's nothing to be ashamed of, Harry. You're among friends and the good news is..." He taps on the folder again.

[Assistant] "My big fat folder is ready to serve. I'm sure you have a lot of questions -- maybe my fat folder and I can help you out? Do you a little favour of sorts?"

[User] It's just a brown folder. You can't make out what's written on it.

[Assistant] "You *must* have questions, Harry. C'mon on now..." He makes a come-hither motion. "Don't be shy. Let's hear them."


[User] "What?" The big man looks at you, confused.

[Assistant] "The shady brew. You told me to make it even shadier. I didn't. It had alcohol in it. Now there's no alcohol."

[User] "Did I? Well done then, Harry. I like not knowing about it and I'm sure you made the right call. I spend the whole day delegating tasks, and it's a great relief to see people taking initiative."

[Assistant] "I don't even want to know what all of that means -- brew, shady, alcohol, turned off. I'm gonna let the world *surprise* me."

[User] "Have you heard about the horseback monument being renovated?"

[Assistant] "Ah yes, I was informed." He clasps his hands together and rests them on his desk. "It seems to be a big undertaking. What are you hoping to achieve with it exactly?"

[User] Who told him it was you?!

[Assistant] "I'm giving the ordinary folk a hero they can believe in -- *me*."

[User] "A vanity project? Or is this your way of inciting *rebellion*? Tut-tut, I thought you lawmen were supposed to keep the peace?"

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

[User] "We are," the lieutenant says firmly as he meets Evrart's gaze. "And we will do our best to ensure that's what happens here."

[Assistant] "Indeed." He turns back to you. "I'm glad to see you making headway with your endeavours, Mr. Du Bois. I look forward to seeing the end result. Is there anything else on your mind?"


[User] All around you, the hisses and chirps of locusts fill the musky air. The earthen floor of the shack has been shaped into mounds of mud dotted with little holes for windows.

[Assistant] Like skyscrapers, spires of dirt and sand rising. Accommodations for their insectoid inhabitants?

[User] "Well, detective, it appears you're on the way to solving the case..." The lieutenant looks around, writes something in his notebook, and turns to you...

[Assistant] "The missing locust case, which is a sub-case of the imaginary insect case. So at least *that's* going well."

[User] "Yes. We need to tell Morell about this immediately."

[Assistant] "Of course. I'll leave that to you. You seem to have a *handle* on the phasmid-trap-insect situation."


[User] "Gendarmerie! You found me." The young man on the balcony gives you a bright smile, before taking another drag from his cigarette.

[Assistant] Somewhere in the distance a baby cries over a blasting radio. There's a family argument reaching its crescendo in an upstairs apartment, while around the corner the air conditioners drone.

[User] It feels like a Friday. He seems to be in a good mood today.

[Assistant] And his shirt is still unbuttoned.

[User] "Yes, the cleaning lady let me in. She also led me to your apartment."

[Assistant] "Beautiful," he replies, smiling. As he looks at you, something sparkles in his eyes.

[User] "So tell me, are you here to make things *right* again?"

[Assistant] "That's what I'm aiming for, yes."

[User] "Beautiful," he says again. A nearby street lamp casts shadows on his chin, drawing out the slender cheekbones.

[Assistant] "I have some good news for you. My Sunday friend is visiting me tonight. I told him about you and he'd like to say hello. Step in, he's already waiting." He nods towards door #28.


[User] Signage is put up and taken down, shop windows boarded up and reopened once more. What remains constant -- voyeurism, always unhelpful. And, at times, quite fully helpless.

[Assistant] Is that why that hole in the wall is there? Voyeurism?

[User] It doesn't even matter why it was put there in the first place. That's something it could have been used for.

[Assistant] Is that why that hole in the wall is there? Voyeurism?

[User] It doesn't even matter why it was put there in the first place. That's something it could have been used for.

[Assistant] It's not my fault this pinball operation failed.

[User] No, but how does it make you feel, to dig through its trash?

[Assistant] Like an intruder.

[User] But why? None of this belongs to anyone anymore.

[Assistant] [Ignore thought.]


[User] The Delta Logistics Company truck stands here waiting, reflecting white light from the courtyard behind it.

[Assistant] Can't I get into the courtyard somehow?

[User] "Whatever's going on there could hardly be of any consequence to our ongoing investigation." The lieutenant adjusts his glasses.

[Assistant] "You can come back to it on your own when we're done with this case."

[User] Why is the light so strange?

[Assistant] Because this is a place of mystery.

[User] Why is the light so strange?

[Assistant] Because this is a place of mystery.


[User] "Do you, uh, want to *talk* about what just happened?"

[Assistant] "That's probably a good idea."

[User] "Normally I'm opposed to discussing one's feelings, especially on-duty, but I think this is an exceptional case..."

[Assistant] "So, what do *you* think happened?"

[User] 'Tis possible thou couldst persuade the lieutenant 'twas all a part of thy 'unorthodox' method. But can thou persuade *thyself*?

[Assistant] "It was nothing." [Leave.]


[User] "Fine. 20 reál for the night."

[Assistant] He sighs so much he seems to deflate. He slams the key before you. "The room is yours for the night. Don't forget you'll need *another* 20 reál tomorrow."

[User] "So, about that money I owe..."

[Assistant] "Yes, have you got it?"

[User] "Actually, let's talk about something else."

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

[User] "Yes?"

[Assistant] "Garte, I found a new bird... dammit, I FORGOT to take it with me!"

[User] "I have no idea what you're talking about."

[Assistant] It's a long *healthy* trek back to the village.

[User] Back to the village -- then back here -- then back to the coast *again*... That must be 3 kilometres in total. Okay...

[Assistant] "Where did everyone go?"


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

[Assistant] You see a set of tattered curtains blocking the way to another room. A strange cage-like trinket dangles from the curtains.

[User] Pull the curtains open.

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

[User] You see a dimly lit room full of dusty furniture and trash. A doorway stands in the back, covered in dozens of scary little cage-like trinkets, your shadow looming over it like an omen.

[Assistant] A small terrified "Oh!" escapes from Plaisance, as she tries her best to look away, her round face buried in her hands.


[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")]

[Assistant] *Bratan*, I am so proud. Now -- whatever you do, don't drink it. This deserves so much more than just regular *oral* consumption.

[User] The tie is *SO* on the money there! Up the bum it goes!

[Assistant] Huh...

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

[Assistant] Just step away from the old man and let's have a little word alone, just you and me. Soon we will enter the *Other-World*.

[User] Soon. The time will come soon. Have patience, brave one.

[Assistant] I'm getting a really dark vibe from this. This... won't be pretty.

[User] "I want a pack of smokes."

[Assistant] "My kinda guy," he mumbles, handing you a pack. "Here you go, friend."


[User] Time to get my gun!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.thepigs_redc_handeye_recognize_gun"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckEquipped("ledger_damaged")  or  CheckEquipped("ledger_oblivion")  or  CheckEquipped("ledger_of_failure_and_hatred")]

[Assistant] Alright, here's the plan: You hurl the ledger in her face -- already darting right -- and *immediately* close the distance. Left hand grabs the barrel, right one breaks the wrist...

[User] ...fingers lock behind her head, knee to the face, knee to the face, crush the ribcage, side-step and drop her with the hammer kick.

[Assistant] OH MY GOD, YES!!!!

[User] No. That won't be necessary. Look closer. The gun, all three barrels, red and blue light shining through -- it's not loaded.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.pigs_viscal_gun_is_empty"]]

[User] Hold on, why does that make me nauseous?

[Assistant] That knowledge comes from a very dark place.

[User] How dark?

[Assistant] 'Paint the wall with your brains' dark.

[User] "My god, it's not loaded... The gun isn't loaded!"

[Assistant] "What...?" The woman looks at the weapon in disbelief, her eyes suddenly reddish with tears. She looks straight down the barrel... and squeezes the trigger.

[User] "Wait..."

[Assistant] A click. Nothing happens. She looks at the useless weapon. "This isn't police issue. Police weapons have bullets. This isn't real! What is this?"


[User] She's black.

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

[User] *Should* I say that?

[Assistant] I don't know -- what's the problem? You're just *reacting to stimuli*.

[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] "Nothing."

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

[User] "We should proceed with our business in Martinaise." The lieutenant turns to you.

[Assistant] "Do you still have your salts? I think I could use some."


[User] The display rack is brimming with worn paperbacks featuring an extremely muscular, sword-wielding barbarian on the cover. Nearly all the titles contain the word *Hjelmdall* somewhere.

[Assistant] This is entirely, *completely* you. You have found the *right* books.

[User] Look through the display of books.

[Assistant] Rows and rows of Hjelmdallermenn blur your vision. You make out some titles: "Man from Hjelmdall and the Mammoth-Riders", "Man from Hjelmdall: Return to Hjelmdall", and the solipsistic "Man From Hjelmdall and the Hjelmdall Man."

[User] Good god, how many are there?

[Assistant] Maybe a hundred? "Man from Hjelmdall and the Sages at the End of the World", "Man from Hjelmdall and the False-God", "Man from Hjelmdall and the Scorched Earth", "Man from Hjelmdall: The Hjelmdall Colonies", "Man from Hjelmdall and the Swamp Beast", "Man from Hjelmdall and the Snow Crabs."

[User] Those snow crabs are worse than they sound.

[Assistant] Is that all?

[User] Not even close! "Man from Hjelmdall in Hell", "Man from Hjelmdall and the Forest of Slaves", "Man from Hjelmdall Under the Lake", "Man from Hjelmdall: Hjelmdall Burning". There's even "The Trial of Death", a Pasternal combat game book set in the world of Hjelmdallermann, and so much more.

[Assistant] "Wow, more Hjelmdall..."

[User] Mountains of it. Heroic quantities of Hjelmdall. Roy's puny shirt is nothing compared to the *real deal*.

[Assistant] "I want to buy the 'Hjelmdallermann' book."


[User] "Oh, that's very nice. I haven't gotten around to her yet -- I'm very, very busy, you see." He adjusts a button on his sleeve. "I hope you're getting along."

[Assistant] "One thing I wanna make very clear, Harry, is that this is not some kind of Union *versus* Corporation situation. Everyone is just pals here."

[User] "Just pals?"

[Assistant] "Yes, we're all trying to do what's best for Martinaise." His smile widens. "Don't feel like you shouldn't work with her just because you and I are such good friends. I'm not a jealous guy."

[User] Whoa... that's so nice of him. Suspiciously nice.

[Assistant] "I told Joyce that I met you."

[User] "It's *perfectly* okay. Even if you've told her everything we've talked about, it's *absolutely* fine."

[Assistant] He seems happy about the prospect of you telling Joyce about your conversations.


[User] You were too pushy last time. Think this through, try to really *understand* the psychological bond Cuno has with Cunoesse.

[Assistant] Okay. So what's the deal with Cunoesse?

[User] Just look -- while Cuno has no problem being near you, she always hides behind the fence, afraid for her life, like she's *done* something. Something very bad.

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

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

[Assistant] Also, Cuno hasn't stopped talking to you. Even enjoys it from time to time. When you talk to the other one it's like talking to a cornered animal. She only hisses.

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

[Assistant] All in all, Cuno respects madness. You cannot hope to outdo her on that front. You must win yourself a few minutes with him alone.

[User] Interesting. How?

[Assistant] Cunoesse is by far the worst of the two. Cuno has no problem being near you, but the other hides behind the fence, afraid for her life, like she's *done* something. Something very bad.

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

[Assistant] She came up with that psychopathic scheme of screaming for help before. Cuno just wanted to talk to you about his name. Cunoesse was the one who wound him up and directed him.


[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] An hour?

[User] Sweet lord, a whole hour! And you haven't thought about rum and lemonade in all that time? You've truly extinguished all trace of yourself.

[Assistant] I've been secretly thinking about it all this time!

[User] There he is, the old boy the devil! You rascal, you! Lets celebrate right now by licking that stain off the counter. Do it, it'll be *wild*!

[Assistant] Lick it.

[User] You press your tongue against the counter. The stain is crusted at first, but after a couple of licks it starts to melt like a snowflake. If snowflakes were made of spiced black rum. Maybe it's your imagination but there's already some lemonade in it too. And some human hairs.

[Assistant] It would go well with those cigarettes. That's a *great* combination.


[User] A cardboard sign hangs from the arm pointing out to sea. Written in shaky marker pen are the words: 'PALE SWALLOWS ALL'. What was once a gesture of great power has been hijacked to signal the ceaseless march of annihilation.

[Assistant] "Hard to disagree with the sentiment considering what we just survived." The lieutenant solemnly looks toward the plaza, then turns to you.

[User] Look -- up there! It is he who sirens. Syntagmatarchis Trypa! Here, upon us, to warn of the mangy jowls of The Gloaming.

[Assistant] Has The End not already come? Stones were wetted, bloods were coughed, the locals cast under greater shadow. Is this not inappropriate when tribute should instead be placed?

[User] Citizens must be warned. This is not only a declaration of the dead but a warning for those still alive. It comes, indomitably.

[Assistant] "This is only the beginning." (Grin wickedly.)

[User] "Khm," the lieutenant clears his throat, keen to move on.

[Assistant] "Detective, I have a few questions if you don't mind..."

[User] "Actually, I'd prefer silence."

[Assistant] "Okay." The lieutenant snaps shut like a world-ending implosion.

[User] The cop radio is buzzing on silent...

[Assistant] "Thanks." (Keep staring at the monument.)


[User] *Bratan*, now is the time!

[Assistant] Time for what?

[User] Oh... you will see. (It feels like the tie is rubbing itself against your chest like a cat in heat.)

[Assistant] First, the spirits -- the blue medicinal spirits. Grab the bottle and uncork it! It is time to unleash the Other-World.

[User] Wait, right now? Ruby's gone. I don't really think there's anything to celebrate here.

[Assistant] Hush-hush, *bratan*, now is not the time to celebrate, now is the time to get *ready*. Trust me on this. This is what it's all been building towards. It's gonna be off the hook. Off *all* hooks.

[User] Slowly uncork the blue medicinal spirit.

[Assistant] The bottle opens with a silent, mysterious hiss. The fumes rising from its mouth are as crisp as the northern winds.

[User] Howling somewhere, lashing the boardwalk with brine and rain -- an ancient warmth crawls under your skin.

[Assistant] Now, *bratan*, take me off.

[User] What? I didn't know I could do that...

[Assistant] *Bratan*, have I ever lied to you? Just take me off. (The necktie tugs encouragingly at your neck.)

[User] Take the necktie off.

[Assistant] Your fingers manage to undo the oily knot and the necktie slides off. It looks so frail sitting there in your hand, weighing almost nothing.

[User] Now what?

[Assistant] Now put me in the bottle.


[User] "I tried to hit on her..."

[Assistant] "Understood." He's stone-faced.

[User] "She said I'm going to have to interrogate her later and it's going to *suck* for me."

[Assistant] "It *is*," he nods. "This would have been good to know *before*."

[User] "Okay."

[Assistant] "Anything else?"

[User] "She knows I didn't remember being a cop."

[Assistant] "Okay," he nods. "That's manageable."

[User] "I met her. In the hallway, after I woke up."

[Assistant] "Understood -- you were not in good shape on Monday."


[User] "I'm listening."

[Assistant] "You have a gun."

[User] "And?"

[Assistant] "I can't quite tell... what *kind* of gun is it?"

[User] "A Nachtwey 80 front-loader. Two-barrelled -- not really what you were looking for, I'm guessing."

[Assistant] "That... isn't... it..."

[User] That merc was probably shot from a distance with a military-grade rifle. Otherwise everyone at the Whirling would have heard the shot downstairs.

[Assistant] (Wince.) "There's other evidence I want to ask you about." (Conclude.)


[User] The shelves are littered with romantic tales from across time and space.

[Assistant] "I want buy the 'Sixteen Days of Coldest April' book."

[User] "Huh, it's in the wrong shelf... Annette's been moving things around again, has she! That girl..." She shakes her head. "No matter, I hope you enjoy... this."

[Assistant] Does anything more real, more *you* stand out?

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

[Assistant] You focus on the overwhelming mass of colourful novels to find anything of note, but it only ends up with your eyes aching from the strain.

[User] "Storekeep, what's on this shelf?"

[Assistant] "Oh, such wonderful, beautiful stories. Stories of love!" She sighs wistfully. "You should definitely buy these."


[User] An old cylindrical generator is nested above the ammo lift, with makeshift electrical wiring running out of its side and across the floor. The cables disappear into the wall to your right.

[Assistant] Cuno puts his hand on the generator. "This shit's cold."

[User] N-n-n-no. This isn't right...

[Assistant] Where do these wires lead?


[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] Not now.

[User] Oh *excuse me*, do you have something better to do than lust for sweet syrupy rum and lemonade? With a twist of lemon? Maybe lime? Maybe who cares, just rum?

[Assistant] Yes, you do have something better to do. Stop drooling over that stupid rum stain and go. Before it's too late.


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

[Assistant] The gnarled hawthorn tree on Rue de Saint-Ghislaine. A wintry breeze blows by, making the magnetic tape flutter.

[User] Disentangle the tape.

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

[User] Like an immaculate labyrinth, the magnetic tape twists and turns around the branches...

[Assistant] You just can't get it loose. All you've done is make your fingers bleed from the thorns.


[User] Now *this* place seems promising from an ideological angle...

[Assistant] Inhale.

[User] It smells like...

[Assistant] We're getting crates and pallets calling to mind vast stands of winter pines, a swirl of ancient odours absorbed by heavy carpet fibres, but also a pervasive, treacly *sweetness* that somehow reminds you of kola nuts...

[User] The whole place could probably use a good deep cleaning, you think.

[Assistant] The lieutenant gives you a sharp sideways look.