[User] These are the same belts as the one the victim was hanged with.

[Assistant] I knew it was a cargo lashing belt!

[User] The same exact belts. Even the same writing...

[Assistant] Yes, this confirms Titus's story.


[User] Woah! What have we here?

[Assistant] A bridge?

[User] A bridge with loose nails and rot-infested wood that creaks in the wind. A construction code violation if there ever was one!

[Assistant] Guess I'll have to take my chances.


[User] The face of King Frissel smiles at you. For some reason the smile now strikes you as more forced than it did before.

[Assistant] What is 'Kunst und Kultur'?

[User] It takes a moment, but gradually it dawns on you that 'Kunst und Kultur' must mean 'Arts and Culture'...

[Assistant] *Why* they decided to title this one section in *Walder* is beyond you.

[User] Obviously because it's *cool* to drop random phrases in foreign languages.

[Assistant] It evokes a sense of recognition and fellowship among those privileged enough to understand.

[User] As you leaf through this section, you come across several reviews of recent radio-plays, as well as a brief 'Artist Spotlight' featuring a local artist identified only as 'C.S.'

[Assistant] The main feature, though, is a long essay titled 'TipTop Tournée: A Critical Mazovian Perspective'.


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

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

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

[Assistant] "G'day to you, officer!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (DayCount() > 2) == false]

[Assistant] "Right, bye." [Leave.]


[User] You see rows of toy soldiers guarding the rest of the trinkets displayed on the table: some on horseback, others in rags, others yet in bright blue uniforms. All are stern and unyielding in their duty.

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

[User] Inspect the blue uniforms.

[Assistant] They're not all blue. These figurines also wear gold coats and caps, complimented by orange trousers. They are variously posed, wielding swords and rifles with bayonets.

[User] (Point at the blue figurines.) "What exactly are these?"

[Assistant] "Which ones?" The man peers from his glass box. "Ah! Royalist soldiers from the time of the Revolution. The uniforms are painted a bit too brightly, I suppose."

[User] Purchase the Headless FALN Rider and his cap.

[Assistant] "Did I mention that this figurine is supposed to be lucky? Always carry it with you." He grins.

[User] That was a very smooth salesman's grin that almost comes off as earnest. You should learn from him.

[Assistant] Inspect the figurines in rags.

[User] This set of soldiers isn't meant to look impressive. A few have rifles, but most of them carry pistols -- some even shovels and tall sticks.

[Assistant] (Point at the figurines in rags.) "Are these even soldiers?"


[User] A weathered brown door. The number reads '20'.

[Assistant] Something smells good -- soupe à l'oignon?

[User] This is the door, you already know it's the right door. This is going to be *so hard*.

[Assistant] Get yourself together. It's just police work.

[User] "Hold on, Kim, we should discuss this before we move on. What should we expect?"

[Assistant] "You're right, let's talk this through." He looks at the apartment door and lowers his voice a bit...


[User] "I've changed my mind. I'll help you find your husband after all."

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

[User] "Oh, thank you sweetie, truly. I'll be right here if you come across any sign of Morell."

[Assistant] "You never told me you've *seen* the phasmid!"

[User] "Oh... you don't want to hear about some old woman's ramblings..."

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

[User] "Maybe you imagined it, Lena?"

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

[User] "How could she? Who imagines this? She didn't *know* about the phasmid. This is the main thing here, what makes it a confirmed sighting -- she had no previous knowledge of the insect."

[Assistant] So she couldn't have made it up. Or imagined it.


[User] "I haven't paid the cafeteria manager for damages yet."

[Assistant] "You should take care of that, then."

[User] "But I don't have the money..."

[Assistant] "Let's talk to him anyway. An officer of the RCM shouldn't be sleeping in the streets. We'll figure something out."


[User] "Give me a moment." An elderly woman is leaning on her broom, her knuckles white as bone. She seems to be having difficulty breathing.

[Assistant] "The cold never does any good for my bronchitis..." She sneezes into a dirty handkerchief.

[User] This woman's health is failing her. There's not much to do, not in this damp.

[Assistant] "This won't take long, I only have a few questions."

[User] "Go ahead then. What do you want to know, policeman?"

[Assistant] She's the cleaning lady. She knows the floor plan and the residents.

[User] "I didn't find any counterculture people in apartment #10 -- it was just a real estate agent setting up the room for new tenants."

[Assistant] "I see..." She takes out her handkerchief and wipes her nose. "I hope some good people are finally going to move in. This place needs them."

[User] "Yes. Radiocomputer wizards are coming. They're gonna save the place -- and the economy."

[Assistant] "Oh, I do like wizards," she agrees wholeheartedly. "And people like that in general. They have a lot to tell us about our fates..."


[User] Master Investigator! You just can't keep yourself away from locked and hidden places, can you?

[Assistant] What do you mean?

[User] Nothing. Nothing! You're right -- get in there... deep. Invade every personal space, break every lock...

[Assistant] Hey! I am not some sort of a... peeper.


[User] "Is this your mug?" (Hold up the Yellow Man Mug.)

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

[User] "Okay, but... I told you everything. What else can I say?"

[Assistant] "Gary, did you put the clothes of a murder victim -- the man who was hanged behind the Whirling-in-Rags -- into that trash container?"

[User] "Officer, please..." He raises both hands. "Let me explain. It's not like *that...*"

[Assistant] "Do."

[User] "I was only cleaning up. I live right across the yard from where he was hanged and I saw him stripped naked. All the clothes lying around in the yard, smelling... People are animals, you know..."

[Assistant] "Yes-yes. What happened?"

[User] "Then I came out to clean up the rags because *no one else would*. I put them into the Whirling's trash -- along with a broken mug, admittedly..." He changes his mind mid-sentence.

[Assistant] "Okay, I was coming to throw the mug away and, well, I threw the mug there and the clothes too."

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

[Assistant] "Right, it was just *civic duty*," the lieutenant remarks drolly.


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

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

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

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

[User] "Hello again! How do you do, officer? I'm *still* waiting for Mr. F-ing Field Research over there to be done with his traps."

[Assistant] "I HEARD THAT, GARY!"

[User] "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO!" Gary grimaces, examining the dirt under his fingernails.

[Assistant] "Not a lover of the great outdoors?"

[User] "I like nature, just not this bloody coast. It's mostly drunks and degenerates that come here."

[Assistant] Degenerates? This man respects authority too much to see the truth inscribed upon thine own visage. Pretend thou art a paragon of virtue.

[User] "Nobody's perfect. I'm sure you've been tempted to drink."

[Assistant] "Oh, I've been tempted." He nods gravely. "But someone has to stay strong for Revachol." His gaze shifts to the pile of soggy logs at his feet.


[User] "Something with the Union boss..." (Punch yourself in the head.)

[Assistant] The communist watches you violently beat yourself in the head to make a connection in his case. It yields no revelations.

[User] God dammit. Why are you so stupid? That's it -- we're aborting this mental failure. Back to questions.

[Assistant] "Hmmm... and the racist on the gates, pumped full of steroids?"

[User] "Yes -- *steroids*. A racist on steroids."

[Assistant] "Got it."

[User] "Steroids and radio shows..." His voice trails off into a despondent sputter. "Probably that Revachol 98AM that's *irradiating* the lumpen, it's the worst..."

[Assistant] "You mentioned the Union is social-democratic -- and Mr. Claire a farce of a social-democrat."


[User] You hear someone walking around inside, rearranging the furniture. The number on the panel says #10.

[Assistant] Knock.

[User] The walking stops abruptly, but no one comes to the door.

[Assistant] You can feel tension on the other side.

[User] Sounded like a woman. A woman's shoes.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] "Finally. I thought I have to come looking for you. What took you so long?"

[Assistant] "Just men being men, Kim. You wouldn't understand." (Look solemnly to the horizon.)

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

[Assistant] "Right..." He nods. "Did he teach you to turn back time?"

[User] The sarcasm is so finely tuned it actually comes off like worry.

[Assistant] "No, he thought it's a bad idea and that I should stop obsessing about it."


[User] "You mean the sweating and the fidgeting when he mentioned her name?"

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "And the... sort of... quivering jello thing with the eye?" (Point to your twitching eye.)

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] 'Tis art.

[Assistant] "It was nothing."

[User] "It's not nothing, you were coming apart at the seams." He looks you in the eye: "Do you know the assault victim?"

[Assistant] "No."

[User] He repeats: "Officer, before we interview this woman -- is there something I should know?"

[Assistant] He's not leaving you a lot of room to back off from this.

[User] Whatever you do, don't say the first thing.

[Assistant] "She knows I didn't remember being a cop."


[User] The dome-shaped plastic buoy still bobs up and down in the water amidst the trembling reeds.

[Assistant] Stare into the empty buoy.

[User] The buoy continues to be mostly empty.

[Assistant] It must have been Klaasje's enemies -- which means she's in danger!

[User] No answers appear to you in the dirty sea water at the bottom of the buoy. Just the heavy smell of brine and silt and disappearance.

[Assistant] You could ask the Miss what she thinks. Later, if you have the time -- though you doubt she'll tell you much at this point.

[User] Pick up the buoy.

[Assistant] You lift the buoy out of the water without much effort. It's not tied to anything -- the cords dangling from the bottom appear to have been cut.


[User] "Hello, mister!" The Net Picker's daughter waves at you.

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

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

[Assistant] "Anything. Maybe something you saw or heard that was weird?"

[User] "Yes!" She lights with recognition. "The twins got in trouble for saying *bad words*."

[Assistant] "I see. Thank you for the tip; I'll talk to them about it." (Move on.)

[User] "You're welcome!"

[Assistant] "I heard there was a girl here who has armoured gloves. Is that you?"


[User] Six crumbling petals rest on your palm. They're white, a bell-shaped crown.

[Assistant] "What is this, Kim?"

[User] "This is the Insulindian Lily." The lieutenant corrects his glasses. "Called 'May bells' or 'Lucille's tears' during the Revolution. Girls used to pin these on soldiers before sending them off to battle."

[Assistant] This flower is a spring flower, but it's a bit early for that, isn't it?

[User] "Does this flower blossom in early spring?"

[Assistant] "Yes, but not *this* early -- not to my knowledge..." He observes the petals: "It looks dried. Preserved."

[User] "What is the Revolution?"

[Assistant] "A big political and military conflict. Ask around, or buy a book." He seems annoyed by the question.


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

[Assistant] The trash container stands in the spring snow.

[User] Force time -- jam the tool under the lid and pull!

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

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

[Assistant] No matter how strong you think you are, this is really not something you should be attempting to do with your bare hands.

[User] Why am I looking at you, trash container? You're just a trash container.

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

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

[Assistant] *Just* a trash container? There is no such thing.


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

[Assistant] "I don't really want to talk about it." [Leave.]

[User] The lieutenant looks at you in silence, though you cannot discern if he's judging you or not. "I suppose your reasons are your own."

[Assistant] "Let me say just one more thing. As you've seen, these sorts of attitudes are quite common in Martinaise. So I expect this to happen again. And again..."


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

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

[User] Just like the last time, light brown eyes look back at you. All is as it was, you feel cigarette fumes rise from her lips. She's just as beautiful...

[Assistant] Don't worry. We will protect you from her beauty. We will *consult* you through the reefs and sounds of her persona.

[User] We will see through deceits. You are shielded. You are wise.

[Assistant] You are advised. There are muscles on long white bones that line her limbs, just below the silver jumpsuit...

[User] Miss Oranje Disco Dancer... You want to put your hand on her back and feel it arch.

[Assistant] What is... happening?

[User] Nothing. Just time passing. Don't worry.

[Assistant] You are not a *fool*.

[User] Anything out of the ordinary and you would be notified.

[Assistant] Air moves in your windpipe. Your heart beats. You're a detective -- get back to detecting.


[User] "Ah, yes -- back to the *low-down*."

[Assistant] "What *world* is this?"

[User] "What world?" The fading pearls of her eyes look to the sea. "The only one, I suppose -- the world of matter and its pale antipode..."

[Assistant] The camera of her mind glides over the surface of the water.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["pier.joyce_inland_mindcamera"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Of bodies of water and forest-covered surfaces, clusters of light where the cities lie. You've seen the montage, we all have -- this world is enough," she concludes.

[User] It *must* be. This is the greatest and kindest arrangement the atoms had in them.

[Assistant] A frisson lifts the hair on the back of your arm. Wind sweeps the surface of the bay.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["pier.joyce_concept_bestworld"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_shivers_world_suzerainty"]) == false]

[Assistant] "There is a term of endearment they coined for it. In the Dolorian century, when humanity was *high* on this world, discovering more and more of it -- these archipelagos included..."

[User] "What is it?"

[Assistant] "Elysium."

[User] "This world does not deserve a term of endearment."

[Assistant] "There are those who would call it *Hell*..."

[User] "What is *Hell?*"

[Assistant] "A term of hatred that originates, like many such things, with the Mesque petrofascists."


[User] "Show me the soles of your boots."

[Assistant] "Now what do you want with an old woman's boots, *xerife*?"

[User] "Nothing, I guess. Let's talk about something else."

[Assistant] The woman sways her wrinkled shell back and forth, a strange grin across her face.

[User] "What are you hauling?"

[Assistant] "Diamonds."

[User] "Diamonds, really?"

[Assistant] "Of course not," she says, grinning. "But wouldn't it be marvellous if I was?"

[User] "Okay, but what are you *really* hauling?"

[Assistant] She shrugs. "Whatever stupid things they put in the lorry, I imagine."

[User] "So you don't know what you're hauling in your own lorry?"

[Assistant] "I quit concerning myself with that a long time ago." She smiles a careless smile. "Besides, I don't drive the lorry for the cargo, if you know what I mean..."

[User] She says that as if something *narcotic* is the real reason.

[Assistant] "I don't think I *do* know what you mean."


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Assistant] "I'm a novelty dicemaker," she says. "Tell me the name of your role-playing system and I'll make the die you need. That's why you're here, yes?"


[User] Take an aggressive step closer.

[Assistant] The room is silent. The leader does not flinch.

[User] Get *further* in there. Escalate.

[Assistant] Tilt your head from side to side, cracking your neck.

[User] "What the fuck is this?" He gets up in your face. "You wanna fuck with me?!"

[Assistant] Shift your centre of balance from one leg to another.

[User] His eyes narrow. His right hand starts tapping a quick little rhythm on his thigh: tap tap tap.

[Assistant] This guy's tough... get the eye-twitch going. You need to look *scary*.

[User] Engage eye-twitch.

[Assistant] *What do you think you're doing?* you hear, but his mouth isn't moving. It's the tension in his shoulders speaking.

[User] What are *you* doing?

[Assistant] *I can do this all night long*, his clenched fists say, their knuckles turning white. *I'm young. You're fifty thousand years old*.

[User] Do not explain or defend yourself, attack.

[Assistant] With all the abuse I've taken I'm still walking, talking and ready to get into this fight.

[User] 'No, you're not. You're frail and your nerves are frayed. Old sadness weighs you down.' He refuses to budge.

[Assistant] You failed here -- a weakness is a weakness, not a strength. Time to speak now. With words.


[User] You see a young man on a balcony nursing a cigarette. His eyes have been following you for a while.

[Assistant] "Not looking for any trouble, officer..." he says in a quiet voice. Despite the cold, his shirt hangs unbuttoned on his frame.

[User] It's the voice of someone who has something to *hide* my liege.

[Assistant] "Too late, young man. Trouble's found you."

[User] "Sorry, I don't have time for this. I just want to finish my cigarette and be gone."

[Assistant] It's the God of Cigarettes and Youth -- ask him if he's got anything to spare.

[User] Don't let him go! This could be your witness -- the balcony has a great view of the whole thing.

[Assistant] "Hold on... Can I at least have a cigarette?"

[User] "Apologies, but this is my last one." He takes another drag and shivers.

[Assistant] The God Himself has denied you absolution.

[User] "Can't you just like, toss that one down?"

[Assistant] "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

[User] "You're right, that was obviously a bad idea. Forget I said anything."

[Assistant] "As you wish." He takes another drag.


[User] This seems to be some kind of workshop. For fixing up pinball machines -- a long time ago. Everything is covered with dust now...

[Assistant] The lieutenant looks around the dusty, crowded room, inspecting the tools on the shelf.

[User] "This used to be a... pinball workshop."

[Assistant] Yes. Martinaise North 22 used to be a pinball arcade.

[User] A creak, some dust falls off a shelf.

[Assistant] "Downstairs in the hall -- next to the main door. One of them even works. I've seen one of the Hardies bang away at it."


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

[Assistant] "I found my badge!"

[User] The man in the photo looks at you solemnly.

[Assistant] Study the badge.

[User] Encased between two durable plastic sheets is a bluish card with lines of information -- and a watermark in the shape of the street grid of Revachol West.

[Assistant] You see: a photo, a name, a rank, a document number, the date of issue, and -- in the lower right corner -- your precinct.

[User] Look at the photo.

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


[User] This industrial gas-powered stove has been used to prepare food for many hungry hostel guests. There are several pots and pans on hand.

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

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

[Assistant] The lieutenant said you'd need to boil the boots in acid to get the corpse smell out, but this huge pot, industrial dish soap, white vinegar, and patience might do the trick.

[User] Add water -- and the boots -- to the pot. Bring it all to a *nice* boil.

[Assistant] The soap bubbles over the rim of the pot -- the water slowly comes to a boil.

[User] Wait...

[Assistant] Strips of polymer fabric and human tissue separate from the lining of the boots. They float to the bubbling surface.

[User] Wait some more...

[Assistant] The boots look cleaner and cleaner. Those bits of human flesh are beginning to look *cooked*. You can smell it too.

[User] Just like beef stew.

[Assistant] You should taste some.

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

[Assistant] A little more...


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

[Assistant] A barbell lies on the floor. The colour has worn off its weight plates.

[User] It's 60 kg. Your triceps hum at the sight of these weights. Show the world what kind of beast it's dealing with. Lift them.

[Assistant] There are no collars on the barbell. This is a safety hazard.

[User] Why does it feel so familiar?

[Assistant] Lift the barbell.

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

[Assistant] Conjuring up an inhuman amount of strength, you raise the barbell up in the air. Your biceps tremble, but you're a savage. This is a children's game!

[User] "I'm a true champion!"

[Assistant] A warm wave of accomplishment washes over your head, as you drop the barbell to the floor. For a moment it feels like you're strong enough to succeed at anything you ever set your mind to.

[User] Hey, but you're still in a ghost house... What if someone heard this? What if they know you're here?!

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


[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] "Gary, do you know how to turn back time?"

[Assistant] "Do I know how to turn back time...?" He gives you a sideways glance. "Is that a trick question?"


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

[Assistant] A scattering of bullet holes is spread across the cracked wall, reaching from one corner to the other.

[User] "Oh my god, look at all these bullet holes! I haven't seen any other bullet holes in the walls before, somehow."

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

[User] "Hmm, correct." The lieutenant examines the wall closely. "The density of the bullet holes is unusual, even in a general *average bullet hole frequency in Martinaise* sense. Grim affairs."

[Assistant] "Meaning, this is *a lot* of bullet holes." He brushes the wall with his hand. "Looks like fully-automatic rifle fire. Something you don't see these days..."

[User] Say nothing, just nod.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["reputation.kim"] >= 5]

[User] The lieutenant also nods. It is quite a scene -- the two of you standing next to the broken wall of an abandoned building... nodding. Nodding along.

[Assistant] Two officers of the law against the world. Nodding in unison. It is your source of power. The bond of camaraderie between you... is palpable...

[User] Shake your head.

[Assistant] He nods in agreement -- it really is a very serious scene, worth shaking your head over.

[User] Don't stop nodding.

[Assistant] The lieutenant matches your nodding pace. He's a true professional at this.


[User] Peel off the cover on the passenger seat.

[Assistant] Voila! A stack of neatly folded papers has been stashed behind the seating fabric. You see three maps depicting a large metropolitan area. It's Revachol, some of its routes and highways have been outlined with a pen.

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

[Assistant] "*Bonne prise*," the lieutenant commends you as you shift through the treasure -- well worn and folded into neat squares.

[User] Fold open the topmost map.

[Assistant] This large map displays the elevated motorway called 8/81. The intake leading to Martinaise is marked with a blue X. There's another X on the off-ramp at a place called the Old South.

[User] Tollbooths at the intakes are marked with a circle. It looks like there are scant few ways of getting onto the elevated motorway that runs over Jamrock -- and this person knows them all.

[Assistant] There, hundreds of thousands of motor carriages roar on the 8/81, high above the mass of brown and red roofs that is Jamrock. The commuters don't even look down; the world ceases to exist outside the windshield.

[User] Return the papers under the seat.

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

[User] "Best not to disturb the scene." The lieutenant nods. "I'll have Forensics go over the lorry and pick these up later."

[Assistant] The stack of maps looks just like before -- barely noticeable. The movie stars look silently by and the pull-out toolbox has a rubber handle, worn from years of use.


[User] This is the inside of the barred door you've seen before.

[Assistant] Lightly punch the door once more. Just in case.

[User] The door shudders a bit, as though it were laughing at you.

[Assistant] Lightly punch the door once more. Just in case.

[User] The door shudders a bit, as though it were laughing at you.

[Assistant] Unbar the door. [Leave]


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

[Assistant] On the table you see a bowl of water, a rough soap, and next to it a small hand mirror. A straight razor soaks inside the wash basin.

[User] Time to shave. Get these mutton chops off.

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

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

[Assistant] Your hand shakes so hard you can't even muster up the courage to *try*. Maybe you're just too *wild* at heart?

[User] Wash the smell of death off yourself.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.hanged_man_used_gloves_for_bullet_digging"]]

[User] Thank god you didn't go in there barehanded! Death smell is notoriously difficult to get off yourself and your clothes though and cleaning up takes a while...

[Assistant] But man persists and after fifteen minutes pass, you look almost presentable. Sort of. The sudden absence of the morbid dead tissue smell instantly lifts your spirit.


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

[Assistant] The bed is comforting, if a bit run down. Still, you've earned a rest.

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

[Assistant] Go to sleep.

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

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

[User] The window is fixed, the sheets are new, it's easier to fall asleep than ever before...


[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 I talked to Sylvie." (Wink.)

[Assistant] "God..." He does not look too pleased.

[User] Oh -- but he *should* be. Lay it on him!

[Assistant] "Turns out she's a whore who likes to ride the cock carousel."

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

[Assistant] "What?" He squints at you, worried. "What does that mean -- *cock carousel*?"

[User] (Just drill the inside of your mouth with your tongue.)

[Assistant] "Huh?"

[User] Yeah. This feels right. It feels *wise*. Good setup. Now speak the real shit.

[Assistant] "She rides the cock carousel until she's too old to ride it. Then she settles down with a *provider*."

[User] He realizes something. "Does it mean you talked to her? What else did she say about me?"

[Assistant] What *else* do you need?


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

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

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

[Assistant] This must be it. The basement door is weather-worn. The copper nails holding the upholstery in place have turned green from sea air and there's a knocker, shaped like a lion's head.

[User] The Royal Lion. Guillaume's Kitten. This knocker will last a lifetime and then some.

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

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

[Assistant] "That's probably the door Evrart mentioned. We still need to get the key from this Mañana first though."


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

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

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

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

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

[Assistant] "About the hat and the robe I'm wearing..."

[User] "You can keep it, I don't mind. I can appreciate beauty when I see it."

[Assistant] "I took it to blend in. I'm undercover, you see?"

[User] "Blend in where?" He raises his brows. "A carneval?"

[Assistant] "About this hat I'm wearing..."


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

[Assistant] "I decided not to pawn it. You should have it back."

[User] "Aw, thank you, dear. I confess -- I am glad to see it again. Very honourable of you, officer."

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

[User] "About your pin..."

[Assistant] "I hope you were able to pawn that old trinket!" She smiles up at you earnestly.

[User] "I just wanted to thank you again."

[Assistant] "Of course, dear! I just wish I could have done more."

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

[Assistant] "Turns out the water lock was broken, so your husband is probably just stuck further down the coast. He should return now that it's fixed."


[User] The ham-sandwich looks fresh and nutritious in you hand, begging to be eaten.

[Assistant] A treat of this magnitude should not be enjoyed alone.

[User] "I cannot be bought!" (Throw the sandwich on the ground.)

[Assistant] The sandwich falls to the ground with a splat, tomatoes and lettuce flying everywhere, mayo spilling out like blood on a crime scene.

[User] You mean semen, right?

[Assistant] So worth it -- can you feel how liberating that was? De-compression completed.


[User] "Of course, let us dispatch with the formalities. You call me Evrart, I call you Harry!"

[Assistant] That's what the hanged corpse called you -- Harry.

[User] "Is that my name?"

[Assistant] "My god so it's true! I didn't want to believe it, but you *are* a fantastic science-fiction amnesiac cop, aren't you?" He shrugs with an amazed expression. "What are the odds of that?"

[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 in front of him.

[Assistant] "I have a big fat folder on you, Harry. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask -- maybe I can help you out?"

[User] Don't trust him. For all you know *Du Bois* might be his name. You need to confirm this.

[Assistant] "I'm sure you had some concerns you thought I might be able to address," he pauses to look down on a brown folder on his desk. "And you were probably right -- I can."

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

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

[User] This window is pristine on the inside -- unlike the one next to it. Light from the desk lamp reflects off the glass in an untarnished golden halo.

[Assistant] What happened here?

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

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

[User] No. We're not failing this. You didn't get shot for nothing. Close your eyes and open them -- you can do this. You've done it before.

[Assistant] Look around.

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

[Assistant] The golden light melts away into the blue, glassy darkness of your mind. In it are two neon lit shapes: a man and a woman on the single bed.


[User] "I think we're finished with this line of questioning." (Hand the lieutenant back his notes.)

[Assistant] "Alright." The lieutenant puts the slip back in his notes and observes the young woman for a moment.

[User] Coolly, gracefully, she pours herself more coffee.

[Assistant] "Why do I feel like you've *won* here?"

[User] "I really don't know, sir." She takes a sip of her cold coffee. "I certainly don't *feel* like I've won. I feel like shit, sir. All the time."

[Assistant] She smiles. A bitter little smile. She means it.

[User] "You're right."

[Assistant] "How *well* could it have turned out for me. I mean... " She looks around.

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

[Assistant] The rain falls on her shoulders, tinting her blond hair light brown. It smells of industrial pollution and brine.

[User] "I'm stuck in Martinaise, just like all of us. I've been up here for... I don't know how long now? I like to call this my *rooftop containment facility*."

[Assistant] "This all turned out well enough for you -- you somehow managed to not become a *suspect*."


[User] A man lies on the boardwalk, his limbs bent and neck turned at an unnatural angle. Right next to him is an empty bottle of spirits. In his cramped hand: a chewing gum wrapper.

[Assistant] What should I do with the body?

[User] First you need to talk with the lieutenant, then report back to the station. This is too complicated to handle on your own.

[Assistant] What should I do with the body?

[User] First you need to talk with the lieutenant, then report back to the station. This is too complicated to handle on your own.

[Assistant] "What should we do with him?"


[User] Where is Ruby?

[Assistant] Near. Snow falls into dark water. She prays, though she doesn't believe. There is a hum in the air.

[User] That's all.

[Assistant] What's above?

[User] Coalition aerostatics hang like apparitions under the cloud cover. Occasionally, lights flash as they manoeuvre through the falling snow.

[Assistant] Where is Ruby?

[User] Near. Snow falls into dark water. She prays, though she doesn't believe. There is a hum in the air.

[Assistant] That's all.


[User] A moment passes. The lieutenant glances at the sports watch on his wrist.

[Assistant] "Uhm. I want to talk about *you*."

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

[Assistant] "What about me?"

[User] "Tell me a secret about yourself."

[Assistant] The lieutenant narrows a single eyebrow. "No."

[User] Ask again.

[Assistant] Your brain sends the signal to your lips but they refuse the order. Something is paralysing them. You're pretty sure it has something to do with the lieutenant's eyebrow.

[User] The eyebrow is exercising *psionic* control over you.

[Assistant] It's like you're *locked down*.

[User] Give up. There's nothing you can do.

[Assistant] The lieutenant relaxes his eyebrow, and you seem to regain control of yourself.


[User] This "Poste L'Aventurier" mail collection box has been heavily vandalized with graffito. A closer inspection reveals two bullet holes in the front.

[Assistant] A faint sticker on the side reads: "RCM Emergencies Desk no 8-100-2", with a slogan: "Mankind, be vigilant!"

[User] "I knew we'd get to use this mailbox -- for something."

[Assistant] "Yes. For sending mail."


[User] The door number #10 is closed again.

[Assistant] Knock.

[User] Nothing happens. The real estate agent must have left.

[Assistant] Knock.

[User] Nothing happens. The real estate agent must have left.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[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)]

[User] "Greetings on this fine night. What brings you here?"

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

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

[Assistant] "Do you know anything about the traffic menace on the loose?"

[User] "Traffic... I'm sorry, officer, but I don't drive."

[Assistant] "But didn't you hear it when the traffic menace drove over your roof?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["seafort.books_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] Softcovers, serialized *fantastique* and detective stories, 'Animal Adventures', a magazine for electrical engineering, and an international thriller. Also: light erotica and some historical novels from the century past.

[User] Does anything stand out as unusual?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["seafort.books_concept_white_succeeded"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["seafort.deserter_prehub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] Oh yes. Under the bed, there is a rather extensive collection of *critical theory* -- that is: dour, life-non-affirming left wing literature -- published by small imprints such as Abattoir Firm and Ousia. It's not exactly light reading.

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

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

[User] "Look, Cuno. Powerful communist theory, rigorous and truthful."

[Assistant] "Yeah. Yeah." He nods, sagely.


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

[Assistant] "Hey, it's me again!" (Knock on the grille.)

[User] You hear the voices conferring once again.

[Assistant] "He came back?" There's a note of surprise in the voice. "Do you have the passphrase this time?"

[User] "It's 'Remember Dobreva and Abadanaiz'."

[Assistant] There's no response. You begin to wonder whether they've slipped out some back way...

[User] No! They're still there. You can *feel* them back there.

[Assistant] "Alright. The key's taped to the back of the doorframe. Just make sure you put it back when you're done or we'll all be locked out..."

[User] "And do watch the concrete. It just kind of... falls away... in places."

[Assistant] "Have fun at your *underground meeting*, pig. Hope it's a *blast*."


[User] "Kim, what is the *ICM*?"

[Assistant] "Insulindian Citizens Militia. It's the official name of the communards' army. The Black and White Army of the Revolution."

[User] Sounds an awful lot like...

[Assistant] "Are those specks stars too?"

[User] "No. That's the *uninhabited archipelago*."

[Assistant] A Dolorian-era symbol of Insulinde. Known as The Face In The Sea.

[User] "Are those specks stars too?"

[Assistant] "No. That's the *uninhabited archipelago*."

[User] A Dolorian-era symbol of Insulinde. Known as The Face In The Sea.

[Assistant] "A white star." (Point to the star on the label.)


[User] "Very noble of you. Are we done here?"

[Assistant] "How do you handle the strain?"

[User] "Everyone has their own method of coping, some more effective, or self-destructive, than others..." He gives you a meaningful look.

[Assistant] "Personally, I find it helps to keep up a few hobbies."

[User] "Maybe I should find a hobby?"

[Assistant] "Why not historical reenactment? You've already got that turn of the century revolutionary hat..."

[User] It's meant in earnest. Please don't mistake it for a jab.

[Assistant] "Have you ever killed anyone, Kim?"

[User] "Yes," he says, declining to elaborate.

[Assistant] It's not a problem for him to state it, however.


[User] "It will take just a moment, officer..."

[Assistant] Her voices fades out into the familiar radio static.

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.kineema_gottlieb_call_counter"] >= 2) == false]

[User] "Gottlieb. What'd you get yourself into this time?" The question is followed by the sound of someone taking a long drag.

[Assistant] "I've been bad and I want someone to abuse me."

[User] "Oh, it's you. I know a woman skilled at that sort of thing over in Jamrock... but I wouldn't want to inflict you upon her. Best of luck, detective."

[Assistant] "I think I've had a heart attack..."

[User] "And you survived it! Congratulations. Are you mobile?"

[Assistant] Sort of. But by god does it *burn* in your chest...

[User] "Yes..."

[Assistant] "Even better! Anything else? I wouldn't worry about that. Officers your age have coronary trouble all the time. Also -- death is a natural part of life."


[User] "Ah, yes -- back to the *low-down*."

[Assistant] Ask for Kim to step away while you discuss the pale.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["pier.joyce_volition_white_to_get_kim_to_step_away_pale_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["pier.joyce_volition_white_kim_failed_once"]) == false]

[User] ...is what you want to do. But should you? He expressly stated you shouldn't hear about it. What if it renders you mad? Or catatonic? *Or* makes you lose your memory again?

[Assistant] "Yes?" She's waiting for another term.

[User] What is... (Think of something close to you.)

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

[User] Six kilometres southwest -- in the Valley of Dogs -- junior officer Chad Tillbrook takes aim at a rabid, black dog licking its wounds in the grass.

[Assistant] To his left, his partner Émile Mollins whispers: "You heard what happened to Tequila Sunset? In Martinaise?"

[User] "Yes, he lost his mind," Tillbrook answers, finger on the trigger. "Don't worry, Émile..." He pulls on it slowly. Slowly now... "He'll find it again."

[Assistant] "We always do."

[User] "What am *I*?"

[Assistant] "You? You are an officer of the RCM," she says energetically.


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

[Assistant] "It's just, well, you look more like a high-flying businessman than a police officer."

[User] That's right -- You're an entrepreneur of the peace, here to disrupt legacy law enforcement with buzzwords and privatization schemes.

[Assistant] "Oh, I just thought that this was how professional people were supposed to dress."

[User] "There's nothing *wrong* with it, per se. It's just... a little much..."

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

[User] "Okay." (Nod.) "You're a sharp dressed man. We could be style buddies."

[Assistant] "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, detective..."


[User] "Just plug that in there, would you?"

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

[User] "Got it. Are we ready?"

[Assistant] "Yeah, as ready as we're going to be." He cracks his neck before putting on a pair of headphones. "Grab one of these can sets. I've got it rigged so that we can both listen, but only your cop-talk will broadcast..."

[User] "No idea what we're gonna hear when I turn this thing on, so be prepared for *anything*. Trick is to keep transmitting your request until the Big Bad acknowledges you. You got that?"

[Assistant] "Yes."

[User] "Good. We're live in two... one..."

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

[Assistant] A soft rustling. The snow seems to have gotten between your ears somehow...

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

[Assistant] "That's your cue, lawman."

[User] "Coalition Warship Archer, this is RCM Officer Tequila Sunset. Please acknowledge."


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

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

[User] "I'm trying to get him to confess..."

[Assistant] "Yes, good going -- that should be our *first* priority."

[User] "I'm slapping myself to get ideas!"

[Assistant] "I can see that, yes. I'm not judging."

[User] "I'm trying to get him to confess..."

[Assistant] "Yes, good going -- that should be our *first* priority."


[User] Next to stacks of bills, you see a note -- a few lines jotted down in large, uneven handwriting just as the writer was about to rush out the door.

[Assistant]
"See you at The Return.

PS. I didn't kill him.

PPS. Gift upstairs."

[User] What could this *gift* be?

[Assistant] "I am not drawing my gun... yet. But I don't like 'gifts'."

[User] He says he's not, but his hand moves instinctively toward his holster as he studies the note.

[Assistant] Just don't walk into another radio trap, okay...


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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["pier.cindy_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[User] "The streets will flow red once more. A great torrent, rushing down Rue d'Esperance. You wait and see." The girl stares at the sailboat by the pier.

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


[User] A rusting control panel with several knobs. Two buttons, marked *Marche* and *Arrêt*, are faded with use. It seems to control the large crane above -- a container is attached to its hook block.

[Assistant] *Marche* -- On. *Arrêt* -- Off.

[User] Press *Arrêt*.

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


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

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

[User] "The palm tree livery should be, like, pastel green. Fucking tropic shit..." He gazes dreamily at Lieutenant Kitsuragi's motor carriage.

[Assistant] "I can see it, bright as day. Oh, if we were SKULLS right now..."


[User] Sounds like you're a potential Suicide Cop! With his finger on the *eject* button. Ready to let go of this life! Guess what?

[Assistant] What's that?

[User] One bullet should do the trick. You have the gun... and you have the bullet.

[Assistant] You've made such a big show out of it too. You feel like everyone basically *expects* you to do it now.

[User] What is this? You're not ready to die, this is garbage.

[Assistant] It *would* be the honourable thing to do. It would really show them. Show her too.

[User] No. It's a sign that I want to live. (Refuse.)

[Assistant] Fine. Keep up the charade another day. This could have been so liberating, but you cling to the case, to your partner, to the world... it's pitiful.


[User] Look around.

[Assistant] The reeds sway in the coastal breeze. They seem to be waiting for something.

[User] The wind picks up here, near the cape's end, surrounding the narrow strip of land from three cardinal directions. It's cold for this time of year.

[Assistant] Look around.

[User] The reeds sway in the coastal breeze. They seem to be waiting for something.

[Assistant] The wind picks up here, near the cape's end, surrounding the narrow strip of land from three cardinal directions. It's cold for this time of year.

[User] Look around.

[Assistant] The reeds sway in the coastal breeze. They seem to be waiting for something.


[User] Hey, so we've been monitoring you internally, and now we know your *copotype*.

[Assistant] Okay. What am I?

[User] Guess.

[Assistant] I was kinda thinking I'm the Regular Cop.

[User] No, you're the *Sorry Cop*. The cop who's sorriest. Let's make it official, then, shall we?

[Assistant] Huge lack of enthusiasm going on in here.

[User] Okay, okay, but what are the *other* copotypes?

[Assistant] Oh, you know. Apocalypse, Superstellar, The Advanced Interesting Cop. Liquid Shadow Cop. But you're too sorry to say those things, so -- here we go?

[User] You know, actually I'm *not* sorry. I change my mind.

[Assistant] No, you don't. C'mon. You'll be back to saying sorry in two minutes. Stop wasting time and begin The Repentance.


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

[Assistant] "What do you mean, lieutenant?"

[User] "You look... different. Constipated somehow?"

[Assistant] "Oh, this?" (Point to your face.)

[User] "Yes, your face." He nods, looking worried. "Looks like you're having a stroke. Can you even move it?"

[Assistant] That's a negative, lieutenant.

[User] "I don't need to 'move it', this is my final form."

[Assistant] "I just don't understand, officer." The lieutenant just stands there, looking perplexed. "Please, help me understand."

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

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

[User] "He Who Stares Straight into the Eclipse."

[Assistant] "So now you want to go blind as well?" He shakes his head. "How about we become Those Who Solve Murder Cases instead and get back to work?"


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

[Assistant] "First, what exactly is a *field autopsy*?"

[User] "Come on, officer." He pulls on a pair of  latex gloves. "You know what a field autopsy is. You've done a hundred of them."

[Assistant] What you *do* know is: at 18.9 km, the dormant shield volcano *Corpus Mundi* is the world's highest summit; and the failure of the '38 single 'Et Puis Du Sang' to crack the Top 20 was the death knell of disco. But -- what a *field autopsy* is? You have no idea.

[User] "Yeah, lets get back to this later." [Leave.]

[Assistant] "I hope we do." He covers his nose. "It's getting *really* late for an autopsy..."


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

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

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

[Assistant] The lips of the corpse are swollen, preposterously. They are also silent. You have no idea why you just said that.

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

[Assistant] "Who is he? He is male, forty to fifty. With an athletic build."

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

[Assistant] "So, how do we get him down?"

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

[Assistant] "We should have a look at that belt before we even *consider* taking him down. It looks worrisome." (He points to the belt around his neck.)


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

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

[User] Push the eternite over.

[Assistant] The pane falls into the icy snow with a soft thunk.


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

[Assistant] "Hey, Sylvie, it's the police again."

[User] "Oh, great." She doesn't sound thrilled. "What else do you need, detective?"

[Assistant] "Have you seen my badge?"

[User] "Yes, I know who you are. You're a police officer... *the law*."

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

[User] This exact conversation has happened before. Establishing authority before this young girl seems to have been important to you in the past. Don't go there again.

[Assistant] "Wait, how did you first learn I'm a police officer?"

[User] "You told me back in the Whirling... you told *everybody*. And showed us your badge... I don't need to hear about it anymore."

[Assistant] "My badge is missing. Have you seen it anywhere?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.kim_badge_lie"] == true  and  IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "Oh... no, I haven't, sorry."


[User] This is the nightwatchman's booth. The name on the door reads *René Arnoux*. A colourful uniform lies neatly folded on the table.

[Assistant] Listen... It's okay to take a few minutes to yourself. Sit down and have a breather.

[User] You need to rest. Your body is aching. Getting in here has taken something out of you. Have a seat.

[Assistant] Have a seat. Rest.

[User] The chair is not as austere as the rest of the booth. A thin grey pillow is attached to the seat, secured to the stiles by black ribbons.

[Assistant] Get up.


[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] "This looks like a good place to aim from..." The lieutenant looks around. He steps closer with his hand on his gun.

[User] Inspect the mattress.

[Assistant] A single-person mattress. Modern, civilian use. Brand name: Marjorie. There's a fuel stain on the cover, along with cigarette burns.

[User] And an empty can of beans on the ground next to it -- filled to the brim with cigarette butts.

[Assistant] "Someone been hidin' here like a bitch," he whispers. "Maybe  jerkin' off too?"


[User] That isn't *just* a five-pointed star -- it's an inverted white pentagram cradled in a wreath of antlers. The iconography of communism, in other words.

[Assistant] "Look out, Kim: There are communists around here."

[User] "I'll keep my Armistice handy, detective."

[Assistant] He doesn't actually reach for his gun.

[User] Inspect the symbol closer.

[Assistant] The star-and-antlers was developed in the sixth decade of the last century and quickly adopted by Mazov and the communards during the Revolution...

[User] Even today, half a century after, the star-and-antlers retains the ability to evoke hope, disappointment, and fear in equal measure.

[Assistant] Why is the star upside down?

[User] To symbolize the toppling of the old order.

[Assistant] Also, some social democrats were already using it.

[User] Why white?

[Assistant] Because white is the colour of peace.


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

[Assistant] "So the coast is closed off. This may be why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned."

[User] "Looks like it, yes. We should probably go tell Lena. Take a load off her mind."

[Assistant] She *was* quite worried...

[User] Pull the lever -- again.

[Assistant] You pull the lever all the way up until the metal clicks against the contact pins. You hear a soft *clunk*, then...


[User] Stop. Just up ahead: danger.

[Assistant] You are prepared. Don't put away your friend. Your weapon.

[User] Snowflakes speck the barrels of your Nachtwey A80 pistol.

[Assistant] Why don't you take out your trusty Villiers instead?


[User] The graffito has been painted over the traces of the fight that took place here. It smells of blood and heavy fuel oil.

[Assistant] Looks like Cindy the SKULL has been here.

[User] The red-dyed fuel oil glistens. This was painted very recently.

[Assistant] Set the graffito on fire with a lit cigarette.

[User] The fuel oil catches fire immediately with an ominous hiss -- a bright orange flash across the surface of the letters. Black smoke rises from the burning message.

[Assistant] What if the words are not directed at the people of Martinaise, or even the Coalition aerostatics above the city -- they're meant for something above even those...


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

[Assistant] This is the door to the pinball workshop that you left barred on the inside.

[User] "Where does this lead to?"

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

[User] "I don't know." He makes a note in his notebook.

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

[User] "It is not the first closed door we've found in this building -- there is also your mysterious blue kitchen door."

[Assistant] "Do you think it's important?"

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

[Assistant] "The further we get, the more this building seems to be tied to the case..."

[User] Below, the hostel-cafeteria creaks and groans under your added weight -- a skeleton of composite support beams and cantilevers.

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


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

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

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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["auto.is_raining"] == true  or  Variable["auto.is_snowing"] == true) == false]

[User] The cold metal chills your bare hands. Some part of your brain tells you something is missing...

[Assistant] Chalk powder. Absorbs moisture and keeps your grip firm.

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

[Assistant] ... but before you can decide what, you find yourself safely perched atop the monument.

[User] "That was pretty bad. I hope nobody saw it."

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


[User] The graffito has been painted over the traces of the fight that took place here. It smells of blood and heavy fuel oil.

[Assistant] This was Cindy the SKULL.

[User] I smell heavy fuel oil.

[Assistant] And blood. Some of it may even be yours. Looks like a giant mop was used to turn it into lettering...

[User] Looks like Cindy the SKULL finally found the words for her masterpiece.

[Assistant] The lieutenant crouches, touching the fuel oil with his finger.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["seafort.phasmid_main_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] Hissing and clicking, the arthropod extends its mandible-like antennae to greet you again. You're right below it, looking up at the colossal chitin of its white limbs. Its small eyes look at nothing in particular.

[User] (Look up.) "You're smelling me..."

[Assistant] The insect's head is crowned with reed-like scales, the shape of seed heads. They rustle as the air moves. The ventricles at its abdomen continue to expanding, like lunglets...

[User] Breathing you in -- your sour, greasy semiochemicals on the breeze...

[Assistant] Raise your hand slowly.

[User] The insect stops its stridulation, seeming to observe you. Below its crown of reeds, little pin-prick eyes detect motion, glittering. The world stands still around you.

[Assistant] Suddenly there is silence.

[User] No. Stop. Be afraid.

[Assistant] Raise the other hand too.

[User] As you do, the invertebrate comes to life, its limbs moving independent of each other. As if each has a mind of its own. They are white like stalks of porcelain, knitting above you.

[Assistant] Praying to you.


[User] Convince Titus he is being manipulated.

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

[User] Convince *Titus?* he's being manipulated? You should know by now -- Titus Hardie will never falter.

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

[User] But you know someone who *might*.

[Assistant] "That's it then. Case closed." (Look around.) "We're going home, Kim."

[User] "Huh?" The lieutenant raises his brow.

[Assistant] He'll get it. Go on.

[User] "Write it down, Kim -- in Martinaise they just kill you because they don't *like* you."

[Assistant] "Got it." He takes out his notebook. "Kill you -- because they don't like you. All because..."

[User] "...because of some chick."

[Assistant] A wince. It's involuntary. "Bring that up *one more time* and you won't get to write that report."

[User] The man's fists under the table are balled -- you can tell from his neck and shoulders. He means it.

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


[User] "We requested a semen screening from Processing."

[Assistant] "Good for you."

[User] "What do you think it will tell us?"

[Assistant] "I don't know how a semen sample works, officers. How many days after intercourse does it have to be -- I don't even know if he had sex with someone else. We didn't *go steady*."

[User] Is she avoiding anything? Technically not.

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

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

[Assistant] See? There's something off here. This one *must* know she's deploying flares and countermeasures.

[User] "Could it be love that *did him in*?"

[Assistant] "It very well could be, yes."

[User] "What do you mean?"

[Assistant] "What *do* I mean?" She raises an eyebrow. "I have no idea. I don't even know what *you* mean. Love did him in? What does that mean?"

[User] "He told me -- love did him in."

[Assistant] "That's not funny, officer."


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

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_amends_hub_reached"]]

[User] "Have you come to make your offering to Cuno?"

[Assistant] "Check out this bizarre drug I found." (Show him the pyrholidon.)

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

[Assistant] "Not this *dreamer* shit again..." Cuno slaps his face. "Why do Cuno's bitches always try and bring Cuno that lame sha-la-la-la-bang shit? Cuno's not a fucking witch doctor!"

[User] "It was only once..." The little rat isn't having it. "And you fucking asked me to nick it, *Kuuno*!"

[Assistant] "No, I didn't..." The adolescent is momentarily disoriented. "It's fucking *Cuno*. Say it right, bitch, say it like it's said."

[User] Kuuno. That's an Oranjese name.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_encyclo_kuuno_is_an_oranjese_name"]]


[User] This bookstore is not *strictly* about crime, romance, and biographies of famous people -- there's also a wide range of paranatural literature.

[Assistant] Look through the shelf.

[User] Amidst the various books you find one written by someone named Matthias W. Dundas. It's about "Wholeness, Unity, Balance".

[Assistant] These three things are very important to the working-class mind.

[User] The point of the book, and many others on this shelf, is to give people medicinal advice in situations where they don't have access to paid health services.

[Assistant] How does that work?

[User] It serves platitudes, while also telling everyone that traditional medicine (the kind people don't have access to, and which costs more than this book) is garbage, and would only give you cancer anyway, without even curing your cold or anything.

[Assistant] "Wholeness, Unity, Balance" on the other hand, can basically take care of anything. Though it is important to note...

[User] "When it's up to your mind to heal yourself, then it's because of your mind that you're *ill* in the first place."

[Assistant] It's your own fault if you're ill, got it.

[User] Uh huh, interesting.

[Assistant] Various paranatural books still litter the shelf.

[User] Look through the shelf.

[Assistant] Amidst the various books you find one written by someone named Matthias W. Dundas. It's about "Wholeness, Unity, Balance".


[User] "I'm looking for Ruby, the *lady driver*. Know anything about her?"

[Assistant] She cups her ear and leans forward. "Did you just call me a *lady*, xerife?"

[User] If you want to know more about Ruby, this is a dead end. She's only heard the word 'lady' and latched onto it. You can push on if you're interested in *that*, though.

[Assistant] "Well, aren't you a lady?"

[User] The woman's malevolent cackling fills the roundabout.

[Assistant] "I'm a lady like you're Gabriel Buenguerro -- only in dreams."

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

[Assistant] "So... you're *not* the driver everyone is terrified of?"

[User] "I'm only terrifying to small children. And to those who used to know me."

[Assistant] Yeah... it's not her. Believe me.

[User] "You said *long* haul. That's..."

[Assistant] "The big ones. The tracts. There's no women and men there, it's all just..." She hums along, as if to a track on repeat...

[User] "'In the middle of this town there's a ghostly motorway -- it takes all the people where they want to stay'..."

[Assistant] You feel very cold suddenly. As if standing face to face with a terrifying adversary. Then the feeling dissipates and all you see is an ageing woman.


[User] ... is what you plan to say. Before you can get past 'you're under', the lieutenant interrupts you:

[Assistant] "Officer -- are we sure?" His voice is lowered. "We could maybe get more."

[User] (Turn to the suspect.) "One more thing, Mr. Dros..."

[Assistant] The old man looks at his rifle in the sand, then up at you -- a little startled for some reason...

[User] You've startled him... maybe it was the silence? He quickly gathers himself. Still -- what could he be afraid of?

[Assistant] Pick up the gun lying in the sand.


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

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

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.karaoke_sung_bad"]  and  Variable["whirling.garte_greet_post_karaoke_done"] == false]

[Assistant] "Wow." He starts a slow clap. "Just wow. I hope you really enjoyed yourself up there -- had a *cathartic* experience. Because for the rest of us..."

[User] "...that really *sucked*."

[Assistant] It's safe to say this is about your karaoke performance.

[User] "You don't *understand* my performance. Those high notes? I purposefully shredded them to convey a strained, worn out sadness."

[Assistant] "I get it. You were *purposefully* shit. So original. I'm not letting *anyone* up there again -- ever. Now what did you want?"

[User] "Is the trash container out back yours?"

[Assistant] "Mine? No, it belongs to the Whirling-in-Rags."


[User] Like a fan of gills the chequered papers dry in your hand. The handwriting is extremely dense, if mostly illegible.

[Assistant] I'm done inspecting these. (Close the case files.)

[User] You don't exactly *close* them, so much as *distance* yourself from the smelly papers. They're a little further from your nose now.

[Assistant] Open the hidden compartment in the clipboard.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["inventory.ledger_interfacing_opened_compartment"]]

[Assistant] Hmm. The two sides of the board appear slightly misaligned. Like a drawer that's come off the slides. If you *bend* the plastic on your knee, slowly...

[User] ...the slides *snap* back into place. It should be possible to just... you know...

[Assistant] Wait... somehow I don't want to.

[User] What are you waiting for? Just...

[Assistant] That's because you know where this leads to.

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

[Assistant] That doesn't sound like it's gonna be *fun*.


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

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

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

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

[User] "Hello again, esteemed officer. And welcome to Crime, Romance, and Biographies of Famous People." Her stare is cold and harsh but the line remains the same.

[Assistant] "Uh, this Dick Mullen book fell apart before I got to the end. Do you have another copy?" (Show her the item.)

[User] "Oh, I'm very sorry, sir. Some of these old paperbacks just don't have the durability. I would be happy to sell you another one, but unfortunately it's the last copy we had in stock."

[Assistant] She calls that customer service?!


[User] That patch of reeds over there -- it's a great place to hide something. Kind of out of the way, being so close to the water.

[Assistant] Wait, I can't see anything interesting...

[User] You don't have a reason to -- yet.

[Assistant] Wait, I can't see anything interesting...

[User] You don't have a reason to -- yet.

[Assistant] [Discard thought.]


[User] Mm, the luxury of fine things. Just look at those black monk straps! After spending an entire day hustling, who's to say that you *didn't* deserve a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes on your tired feet?

[Assistant] You're right, beautiful things do make people happy...

[User] Beautiful things give you a *rush*. It's power -- crafting your style, draping your flesh in silk and leather, deciding how to present yourself to the world.

[Assistant] Remember, when they come to take it *away* from you -- you *worked* for those shoes. Whether you like it or not, wearing these shoes has made you more liberal -- *ultra*liberal.


[User] "Them fucking..." He looks at the charred wood. "I didn't like that."

[Assistant] "Okay then."

[User] *Splat*, a bloody spitball lands on the firewood.

[Assistant] Pick up the gun lying in the sand.

[User] His gaze follows your motions. The rifle feels surprisingly light in your hand, frame stocked and patched in places with tape and wire.

[Assistant] Still warm from his parched hands. Not the metal. The metal is ice cold. This weapon has been modified several times.

[User] "It's as he said: it's a Triangong. Made in Hsin-Yao."

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

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

[Assistant] "No one said it has to be a Belle-Magrave..." The lieutenant does not take his eyes off the old man. "We were just guessing."

[User] From ballistics, it could easily have been a Triangong too.

[Assistant] "It doesn't matter if it was made in Shantih-Shantih. All it has to do is use jacketed ammunition. And it does."


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

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

[User] The medicine cabinet has been cleaned out. Nothing remains, not one pill or bottle.

[Assistant] Pity.


[User] "So how about that topping pie?"

[Assistant] "I thought you'd forgotten! I happen to have one on me right now." He smiles broadly as he walks behind the bar and takes a large, flat box out of a black bag. "It should still be warm."

[User] "No need to know what's on it. Just give it to me."

[Assistant] "Enjoy." He smiles broadly.

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

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

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

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

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

[Assistant] "I'm listening."

[User] "Well, the Seolites -- they're a very smart people. Smart and secretive. Most think they have isolated themselves on their landmass because they disdain to mingle with the rest of us..."

[Assistant] "I'm not saying that *you* think that too. You seem like an incisive man, officer. You must be, being a detective."


[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] The lieutenant puts his hand on the metal barrel, checking for warmth...

[User] "It's cold now," he concludes. "But someone has been maintaining it. The wiring has been repaired."

[Assistant] W-w-w-wait. Haven't you heard this before?

[User] Where do these wires lead?

[Assistant] Downstairs somewhere -- or into the lighting perhaps? You can't tell.


[User] To the left of the croissants and juice bottles, several packaged raincoats fill a low shelf. One, however, lies in the dusty floor: the one you tried and failed to steal.

[Assistant] Look at it, detective. And be ashamed. Until you make it right by *legally purchasing* that raincoat, I'll make sure you feel guilty every time you see it.

[User] "I want to buy a raincoat."

[Assistant] "Here you go." The clerk removes the garment from the lower shelf and hands it over.

[User] This will keep you nice and warm out there. Good choice, if a bit goofy looking...

[Assistant] "What's that?" (Point to the raincoat.)


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

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

[User] The boomboxes wait on the shelves. And your boombox -- that gold and amber Harmon Wowshi -- stares at you longingly with its tape reel eyes.

[Assistant] "Can I just play a tape on one of the boomboxes real quick?"

[User] "Sorry, man. I can't be giving out freebies. Never have, won't now."

[Assistant] "Are you sure this is all in working order?"

[User] "Absolutely. I've tested each one myself with recordings of speech, found sounds, and music from a variety of genres. Even though," he grimaces, "I don't really like music."

[Assistant] That's odd. Why doesn't he like music?

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

[Assistant] "Can I just play a tape on one of the boomboxes real quick?"


[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] I don't want this. I really don't care about honour... at all.

[Assistant] Ah... ahhh. You continue to display such humility. This is to be admired! Refusing praise for your personal integrity is most honourable indeed.

[User] No! You're not a snivelling shit-heel chasing imaginary karma-coupons! Not for this, nor the afterlife! Fuck this honour shit!

[Assistant] You're not hearing me. I'm not some creepy honour-lover. Period.

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

[Assistant] You brought much shame on your family today. Your name will forever be tarnished by this most shameful of deeds. Be forever banished, Shameful One!


[User] As you look at the floorboards in this corner of the shack, it's clear one of them isn't quite level with the others.

[Assistant] The edge of a floorboard next to it looks scratched.

[User] "See anything interesting?"

[Assistant] It's nothing. [Leave.]


[User] Was that -- could it be -- the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua?! No. It's probably just your *imagination* ringing in your ear...

[Assistant] Is it? Is there a ringing? (Listen more closely.)

[User] There seems to be. An *extremely* high pitched ring. Ultrasonic. Lena said it was very high-pitched, right? It's like something *tickles* your ear.

[Assistant] Lena also said that it couldn't be heard by any other animal -- including humans. What you're hearing must just be a regular bird.

[User] Honestly, your ear isn't hearing a whole lot. The distant hum of the industrial harbour. The traffic. But, admittedly -- there *is* a high pitched noise somewhere there too. But then, isn't there always...

[Assistant] "Wait, Kim, do *you* hear a high pitched noise?"

[User] "No. I don't hear the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua -- and neither do you."

[Assistant] Of course he doesn't. He's DEAF.

[User] Listen closely first.

[Assistant] There it is again! You are about to re-discover a long-lost species!

[User] Yeah, but how are you going to catch it?

[Assistant] Keep listening.


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

[Assistant] The tracks are as they have ever been. A bit more worn, perhaps. Fortunately, the street sweeper still hasn't noticed their presence.

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

[Assistant] "Is this connected to the case?"

[User] "I'm not sure... there are plenty of traffic accidents waiting to happen in Martinaise. With the jam right here on the roundabout. I would keep them separate."

[Assistant] You could *follow* the tracks south. There seems to be a canal there. See where they went. (If you find the time.)

[User] "This is where I started off with my motor carriage... before sinking it in the sea."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.garte_mentions_cavalry"]  or  Variable["whirling.garte_gives_directions_to_yard"]]

[User] "No wonder the cafeteria manager seemed frustrated when he was giving us directions to the yard."

[Assistant] "Well," he gestures toward the gaping hole in the fence, "you did provide us with a very convenient access point to the crime scene."


[User] The mug, I'm getting that mug too.

[Assistant] You pick out a broken mug, with an oddly racist depiction of *the yellow man* frolicking in saffron.

[User] (Take the mug.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["backyard.gary_mugs"]) == false]

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

[Assistant] "Mhm..." The lieutenant briefly glances at the mug, then returns his sight to the trash.

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

[Assistant] The mug, I'm getting that mug too.

[User] You pick out a broken mug, with an oddly racist depiction of *the yellow man* frolicking in saffron.

[Assistant] An antique?

[User] Only in its social sensibility.

[Assistant] (Take the mug.)


[User] "So you deliver things. What kinds of things?"

[Assistant] "Oh, I don't know the contents, officer. Part of my job is discretion."

[User] He's trying too hard to seem untroubled by your question. The rigidity in his posture gives him away.

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

[User] "I'm into cryptids. Do you have a favourite?"

[Assistant] "Oh, yes! The Burning Rhino. Morell doubts he's real, but I don't much care -- because I won't be the one looking for him out in Safre Serai."

[User] "What's a Burning Rhino?"

[Assistant] "A rhinoceros that looks ordinary during the day, but burns brightly by night. Well, at least the males do."

[User] "How do they burn?"

[Assistant] "They have special ducts just above their shoulder blades that secrete a combustible fluid. When the rhino is just beginning to light itself, it looks as though it has wings of fire."

[User] But how is this combustible fluid lit?

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


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

[Assistant] This panel usually closes the water lock, turning it into a bridge that lets you cross the canal -- but there's a crashed "Samaran butter" sign in the way. Pulling the lever *probably* won't do anything.

[User] Could this be why Morell hasn't returned to Lena?

[Assistant] Pull the lever -- again.

[User] You pull the lever all the way up until the metal clicks against the contact pins. You hear a soft *clunk*, then...

[Assistant] Nothing happens.


[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 since you've offered to help.

[User] "Your friend Gary told me about the burning rhino."

[Assistant] "Did he?" He lowers his voice. "That one's a hoax. Some Seraise rice farmers set fire to rhinoceros cadavers and used them scare tourists."

[User] Gary obliviously stares at the stage -- safe in the knowledge the burning rhinoceros exists.

[Assistant] "I knew it can't be real." (Conclude.)


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

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

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

[Assistant] The bed is cold and not particularly inviting, but it's yours. The sheets look awful...

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

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

[User] The option to go to sleep becomes available every night after 21.00.

[Assistant] Go to sleep.

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

[Assistant] Across the room, the heating system hums its soft lullaby. The mattress feels soft and sheets warm. It only takes you moments for the world to fall away...


[User] In your hand, you hold "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity." The brittle paperback feels fragile to the touch.

[Assistant] Start reading.

[User] Why? There's truly no point. You'll never know who did it, because those pages have literally been scattered to the wind.

[Assistant] I just want to relive the experience.

[User] If you insist. But again, it's really pointless...

[Assistant] The story opens with a knock at the door. Detective Dick Mullen is greeted by an old friend, Charlie Spillane, who's come to Mullen to ask a favour on this dark and cold night...

[User] Spillane needs Mullen to drive him in from Vesper to a small town along the Insulindian coast. Despite his friend's apparent agitation, Mullen does as he's asked, then returns home where he passes out drunk, as he does most nights...

[Assistant] An extremely unprofessional and *hurtful* stereotype that's offensive to all upstanding officers of the law.

[User] But also extremely *accurate*, in your case.

[Assistant] I don't need to read this. I'm already living it. (Close the book.)


[User] "Looks like a gym to me."

[Assistant] "Yes, but no one's been here in ages." He draws a stripe on the dusty floor with his foot...

[User] "I doubt the electricity still works... We should find a flashlight if we want to go on. There should be one in my Kineema."

[Assistant] Some specks of dust shimmer in a faint beam of daylight falling from the window. Other than that, the room is dark.

[User] An eerie feeling rises in your chest...

[Assistant] "Let's just keep going, I'm sure it's just a regular abandoned house, nothing mysterious here."


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

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

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.cuno_locked_yourself_out_of_cuno_in_his_post_cunoesse_gunpointing_greeting"] == true  or  (Variable["TASK.make_truce_with_Cuno"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.make_truce_with_Cuno_done"] == false)  or  Variable["yard.cuno_befriend_lost_to_cunoesse"] == true) == false]

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

[User] "Everyone says you started crying in the middle of a firefight and then bled like a pig." He shrugs. "I guess that was cool."

[Assistant] "Who's saying that?"

[User] "People. They say you kind of *died* for a moment. That you let your shit out already, but then came back. So I guess that's what's cool now."

[Assistant] "Just don't think coz you got half your dick shot off -- and you're an invalid now -- Cuno's gonna treat you different."

[User] "Cuno doesn't reward weakness," he says looking at your pathetic limp. "It's business as usual with Cuno. Cuno's cold like that."

[Assistant] Feels good for some reason.

[User] "So you respect me now?"

[Assistant] "You're dreamin' pig. That's not how this shit *works*."


[User] The man plucks at the seabird, frowning.

[Assistant] "Are you the bartender?"

[User] "No, I'm not the *bartender*. I'm the cafeteria manager."

[Assistant] He's very animated all of a sudden. This seems like a touchy subject.

[User] "Understood."

[Assistant] "Mhm."

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

[Assistant] "Where exactly is the body?"

[User] "Behind this building, there's a courtyard." He points to the kitchen behind him. "They hoisted him up on a tree there."

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

[User] "And how do we get there then?"

[Assistant] "That's easy! See that door there?" He points to the west. "First you exit through that. Then to your right you should see a big hole in the fence -- a really big one. You can get to the courtyard through there. No need for the keys. The hole is big enough for the Franconigerian cavalry to fit through."


[User] The super fancy topping pie is waiting for you to dig in.

[Assistant] You should eat it slowly, really savour the chef's concept.

[User] Eating this pie will almost certainly make you less of a man. What were you thinking, agreeing to take a wheat-free, meat-free pie from that sleazy bastard?

[Assistant] "Hey, Kim, share this topping pie with me?"

[User] "No, thank you."

[Assistant] "Don't you ever eat?"

[User] The lieutenant crosses his arms. "Food of my choice, on my own schedule."

[Assistant] "Okay."


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

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

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

[Assistant] "The legend returns! You know the dance. Smokable smokes. Pissable pilsner -- drink it, then convert it to piss! And there's... spirits and speed too."

[User] "Friend? Do we know each other?"

[Assistant] "Sure, friend! You know it!" He points a finger-pistol at you and squeezes the trigger. "*Chck-chck*."

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

[Assistant] "Yeah, Rosie was there too," the tracksuited man nods, "for your ocean-based antics. We all were. Unforgettable night."

[User] "Amphetamine?"

[Assistant] "Aye, by amphetamine I mean speed."


[User] "Sylvie? I believe we've met before. This is me, a detective from the Whirling-in-Rags!"

[Assistant] "Oh, right..." She recognizes your voice almost immediately. "Hello, officer, what can I do for you?"

[User] You can hear resentment in her tone -- she's not thrilled to be talking to you again.

[Assistant] There is *no* resentment in her tone. She wants you to ask her out. No question about it.

[User] "You quit your job at the Whirling -- why?"

[Assistant] "You mean why did I leave the bar?" You can hear her tense up on the other side. "Honestly, I'm... not really comfortable discussing it with you, sir."

[User] Why not?

[Assistant] "Alright, I won't push you on this. Are you ever coming back to work?" (Conclude.)

[User] "Maybe, I don't know..." She seems to relax a little bit. "I just know I have to take some time off right now."

[Assistant] "Have you seen my badge?"

[User] "Yes, I know who you are. You're a police officer... *the law*."

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


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

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

[User] Tiles on the cube are still smouldering, casting the framework in a soft glow. Virescent PLAY and PRINT keys shine on the keyboard.

[Assistant] Look inside the compartment.

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

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

[User] Behind the hatch sits a cube-like crisscross of filaments, smouldering in the dark like fireflies. Silver tape on the side says in a black marker: "THE OFF-SITE COPY".

[Assistant] Press PRINT.


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

[Assistant] A scattering of bullet holes is spread across the cracked wall, reaching from one corner to the other.

[User] Even more bullet holes. Something has definitely happened here.

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

[User] The density and spread of these bullet holes is surprising -- this takes *a lot* of bullets. Fully-automatic rifle fire.

[Assistant] Walk away. [Leave.]


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

[Assistant] "I've got nothing to say to you. Why are you wasting your time?" She crosses her arms.

[User] "Why are you so aggressive?"

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

[User] "I'm being aggressive?" She raises her eyebrows. "Listen, you Moralintern lackey, you're part of a mob, enforcing the unlawful privatization of Revachol. Twenty fat men in the Occident are stealing it all -- and you are their body guard."

[Assistant] "Fuck yeah," the tall, broad shouldered man takes a sip of his beer.

[User] "So ask what you came to ask -- or get back to your commanders."

[Assistant] "I don't know where you heard that, but it's wrong. The RCM is principled and *strong*, unlike you socialists."

[User] "Get sober." Her expression stiffens. "Do your *job*. Ask your questions and get the hell out of Martinaise."

[Assistant] "What's your role in all this?"


[User] "Acele."

[Assistant] "Acele who? I'm not a young suitor, this is official police business."

[User] "Okay..." She hesitates. "It's Berger."

[Assistant] A very common name.

[User] "Have you seen a suspicious woman around here? A woman who looked like she might be on the run?"

[Assistant] "No."

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

[Assistant] "Just no?"


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

[Assistant] What did the smoke smell like?

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

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

[User] What about the bus stop?

[Assistant] #312D. Young girls used to come here, huddled up, hoping for more warmth than their thin coats give them. The bus took them to school. It has not run for eight years; there were not enough girls to sustain its cost.

[User] Who are the people who live across the road?

[Assistant] A tub warm with water, white with soap. A man bathes while radio waves transmit the lottery numbers: 4, 18, 21, 4, 1... A modern washing machine rattles a drawer full of silverware.

[User] His boyfriend is on his way home. He brings tins of meat and vegetables with him. Their pockets are heavier with money; but only slightly.

[Assistant] What about the road?

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

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


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

[Assistant] "Ruud? Ruud is the killer --" The armoured woman smiles a vicious smile. "Ruud 'The Killer' Hoenkloewen -- he doesn't talk much."

[User] "... all of you fucking cunts inside out..."

[Assistant] "Okay. Let's just keep talking -- no one needs to die today." (Back off.)

[User] "This... talking-shit won't help you." The man shakes his head and staggers forward.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckItem("gun_villiers")  or  CheckItem("gun_ruby")  or  CheckItem("spirit_bomb")) == false]

[User] "Who is that?" (Point to the man) "I didn't know you had a third guy."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.ruby_third_merc"] == true]

[User] "Oh yeah, that's Ruud." The armoured woman smiles a vicious smile. "Ruud 'The Killer' Hoenkloewen -- he doesn't talk much."

[Assistant] "... all of you fucking cunts inside out..."

[User] "What was that, Ruud?"

[Assistant] "... rip you open..."


[User] "Gary, do you know how to turn back time?"

[Assistant] "Do I know how to turn back time...?" He gives you a sideways glance. "Is that a trick question?"

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

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

[User] "Are you *still* pursuing this?" The lieutenant gives you a tired look.

[Assistant] "What's wrong? Material not good enough to send back to your Seolite masters?"

[User] "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer." The lieutenant's voice is cold and official as he opens his notebook. "Make it quick, we're in the middle of a murder investigation."

[Assistant] "Make what quick?" He shrugs. "You're asking me about time travel. Is this some kind of a trick?"

[User] "I don't joke around about time, Gary." (Stare at him intently.)

[Assistant] "Phew..." He scratches his head. "I don't know what to tell you. I mean of course there are *theories* out there..."

[User] The further out, the better.

[Assistant] "What kind of theories are we talking about here?"


[User] "Yes?"

[Assistant] "I found the victim's clothes in the trash container out back."

[User] "How... strange. *I* certainly didn't put them there."

[Assistant] "Who else has keys to the trash container?"

[User] "The Trash Collection Service? CS Municipal. I don't see why they would *put* anything in the trash, though."

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

[User] "Ah, the illusive CS Municipal. I doubt we'll be able to track down who was sent here last and when. This will have to be one of those *little* threads that solves itself -- down the road."

[Assistant] On Clinton Street, near the Boogie Street Diamond, a small truck rattles down an alleyway. It stops by a rusted trash container. Two men, their faces rough and swollen, jump out. They look at the container, despondently. CSM is written on their backs...

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

[Assistant] He turns to the man. "Thank you anyway."

[User] "Could someone on your staff have put them there?"

[Assistant] "Sylvie had the keys before I got here, and, as I've said before -- I can vouch for all my staff. None of us would tamper with a crime scene."