WINTER-OVER

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/*stress increase/decrease - <<stress 1>> or <<stress -1>>*/ <<widget "stress">> <<set $stress += _args[0]>> <<if $stress < 0>> <<set $stress = 0>> <<elseif $stress > $maxStress>> <<set $stress = $maxStress>> <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "stressDisplay">> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> Unbearable <<elseif $stress > $stressInterval>> High <<else>> Manageable <</if>> <</widget>> /*counts time since PC last slept and increases stress if it's been more than 24 hours, escalating if they've done more than 1 all-nighter in a row - no arguments, mostly meant to be used inside the <<advance>> widget*/ <<widget "sleepCheck">> <<set $timeAwake += 1>> <<if $timeAwake > 4>> <<set $stress += 1>> <<elseif $timeAwake > 8>> <<set $stress += 3>> <</if>> <</widget>> /*prints a message if character has gone too long w/o sleeping; no arguments*/ <<widget "sleepMessage">> <<if $timeAwake > 4>> You're feeling pretty tired. Maybe you should sleep soon. <<elseif $timeAwake > 8>> You've been awake for so long that you feel slightly manic. That's probably not a good thing. <</if>> <</widget>> /*resets timer + decreases stress when PC sleeps*/ <<widget "sleep">> <<set $timeAwake = 0>> <<stress -3>> <</widget>> /*relationships - arguments are character's name and number of points to increase/decrease - e.g. <<relation heather -1>> or <<relation heather 2>>*/ <<widget "relation">> <<set State.variables[_args[0]].relationship += _args[1]>> <<if State.variables[_args[0]].relationship < 0>> <<set State.variables[_args[0]].relationship == 0>> <</if>> <</widget>> /*add general evidence*/ <<widget "evidence">> <<if (not $evidence.includes(_args[0])) && (not $evidencePerm.includes(_args[0])) >> <<run $evidence.push(_args[0])>> <<run $evidencePerm.push(_args[0])>> <</if>> <</widget>> /*add person-specific evidence - call with two-letter name abbreviation for the character followed by the text of the bullet point*/ <<widget "indEv">> <<print "<<run $" + _args[0] + "Ev.push(_args[1])>>">> <</widget>> <<widget "inv">> <<if not $inventory.includes(_args[0])>> <<run $inventory.push(_args[0])>> <</if>> <</widget>> /*delete individual or general evidence (or inventory items) - call with name of array (with sigil) and then string to delete e.g. <<removeNote $evidence "Text of evidence">> */ <<widget "removeNote">> <<run _args[0].delete(_args[1])>> <</widget>> /*time cycles - currently does not take arguments but that could change if we do multiple actions per time period*/ <<widget "advance">> <<set $actions += 1>> <<set $timetaken = false>> <<sleepCheck>> <<if $actions == 1>> <<set $period += 1>> <<reset>> <<setup>> <<if $period == 4>> <<set $period = 0>> <<setup>> <<set $day += 1>> <<set $daysLeft = $dayMax - $day>> <<menuSet>> <</if>> <<set $actions = 0>> <</if>> <<eventCheck>> <<if $day == $dayMax && $period >= 3>> <<goto "timeUp">> <</if>> <</widget>> /*checks for events and forwards the player to them if the criteria are met*/ <<widget "eventCheck">> <<if ($day === $event1) && ($period === $period1)>> <<goto "event1">> <<elseif ($day === $event2) && ($period === $period2)>> <<goto "event2">> <<elseif ($day === $event3) && ($period === $period3)>> <<goto "event3">> <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "timeDisplay">> <<set _date = 14 + $day>> August _date, <<if $period == 0>>morning<<elseif $period == 1>>afternoon<<elseif $period == 2>>evening<<elseif $period == 3>>late night<</if>> <</widget>> /*conversation */ <<widget "conv">> <<set $conv = _args[0]>> <</widget>> /*select correct pronouns for NPCS*/ <<widget "pronouns">> <<if _args[0] === "f">> <<set $pronouns = ["she", "her", "her", "hers"]>> <<elseif _args[0] === "m">> <<set $pronouns = ["he", "him", "his", "his"]>> <<else>> <<set $pronouns = ["they", "them", "their", "theirs"]>> /*just in case*/ <</if>> <</widget>> /*Fills $availableChars with a list of all available characters for a given time period. $availableChars is reset every time this is called. */ <<widget "available">> <<set $availableChars = []>> <<for _i = 0; _i < $characters.length; _i++>> <<set _char = $characters[_i]>> <<print "<<set _charOb =$" + $characters[_i] + ">>">> <<set _available = _charOb.availability>> <<if _available[$period]>> <<run $availableChars.push(_char)>> <</if>> <</for>> <</widget>> /*takes available characters ($availableChars) and assigns them to their current locations. Will not work if $availableChars is empty. */ <<widget "charLocs">> <<for _i = 0; _i < $availableChars.length; _i++>> <<print "<<set _charOb =$" + $availableChars[_i] + ">>">> <<set _loc = _charOb.location[$period]>> <<print "<<set _locArray = $" + _loc + ">>">> <<run _locArray.push($availableChars[_i])>> <</for>> <</widget>> /*sets NPCs up for the current day */ <<widget "setup">> <<available>> <<charLocs>> <</widget>> /*reset NPCs at the end of a day*/ <<widget "reset">> <<for _i = 0; _i < $locations.length; _i++>> <<print "<<set $" + $locations[_i] + "= []>>">> <</for>> <<set $availableChars = []>> /*redundant but just in case */ <</widget>> /*sets up the link to all character conversations currently available in this location. _args[0] is the current location variable */ <<widget "charLinks">> <<if _args[0].length === 1>> /*one person present */ <<set _person = _args[0][0]>> <<print "<<set _personObj = $" + _args[0][0] +">>">> <<set _linkText = _personObj.name + " is here.">> [[_linkText|_person]] <<elseif _args[0].length > 1>> /*more than one person present. Not sure if this ever actually happens so it needs testing.*/ <<for _i = 0; _i < _args[0].length; _i++>> <<set _person = _args[0][_i]>> <<print "<<set _personObj = $" + _args[0][_i] +">>">> <<set _linkText = _personObj.name>> [[_linkText|_person]] <<if _i === _args[0].length>> <<print "are here.">> <<elseif _i === (_args[0].length - 1)>> <<if _args[0].length > 2>> <<print ", and">> <<else>> <<print "and">> <</if>> <<else>> <<print ", ">> <</if>> <</for>> <<else>> /*nobody here */ Nobody's here at the moment. <</if>> <</widget>> /*discuss a new topic - call with interlocutor's two-letter name abbreviation and the topic name - e.g. if you're asking Carla about Daniel it's <<topic ca daniel>> */ <<widget "topic">> <<print "<<run $" + _args[0] + "Topics.push('" + _args[1] + "')>>">> <<set $timetaken = true>> <</widget>> /*do an activity (other than sleep) that will restore sanity and increase your relationship points with another character, and then advance the time. _args[0] os the amount of stress to restore, _args[1] (optional) is the string name of the character to do things with, _args[2] (optional but needed if using _args[1]) is the number of relationship points to restore.*/ <<widget "activity">> <<stress _args[0]>> <<if _args[1]>> <<relation _args[1] _args[2]>> <</if>> <<advance>> <</widget>> /*sets the current day's menu in the cafeteria. Called as part of */ <<widget "menuSet">> <<set $cafFoods = ["chili", "curry", "stew", "fish", "pasta", "pizza"]>> <<set $cafSides = ["pemmican", "steamed vegetables", "bread", "biscuits", "cheese", "oatmeal", "potatoes"]>> <<set $cafDesserts = ["pie", "cake", "hot chocolate", "fruitcake"]>> <<set $mainCourse = $cafFoods.pluck()>> <<set $side = $cafSides.pluck()>> <<set $dessert = $cafDesserts.pluck()>> <</widget>> /*check if character's introductory blurb has been shown; displays it if not + marks character as met. argument is character name (no sigil) */ <<widget "charIntro">> <<if State.variables[_args[0]].met == false>> <<print "<<include'" + _args[0] + "Bio'>>">> <<set State.variables[_args[0]]. met = true>> <</if>> <</widget>> /*arguments: character's index in the "schedules" array, schedule entry to be added */ <<widget "schedule">> <<set _temp = $schedules[_args[0]].locs>> <<if not _temp.includes(_args[1])>> <<run $schedules[_args[0]].locs.push(_args[1])>> <</if>> <</widget>>

<<run Config.passages.nobr = true;>> <<set $debugMode = false>> <<set $stress = 0>> <<set $maxStress = 12>> <<set $stressInterval = $maxStress / 3>> <<set $evidence = []>> <<set $evidencePerm = []>> <<set $inventory = []>> <<set $cafFoods = ["chili", "curry", "stew", "fish", "pasta", "pizza"]>> <<set $cafSides = ["pemmican", "steamed vegetables", "bread", "biscuits", "cheese", "oatmeal", "potatoes"]>> <<set $cafDesserts = ["pie", "cake", "hot chocolate", "fruitcake"]>> <<menuSet>> <<set $characters = ["amanda", "carla", "christian", "gabriela", "heather", "jack", "matthew", "victor", "winston", "bob"]>> <<set $availableChars = []>> <<set $locations = ["atrium", "admin", "maintenance", "machineShop", "astroLab", "bioChem", "store", "ourRoom", "obsDeck", "cafeteria", "greenhouse", "infirmary", "gym", "recRoom", "compRoom"]>> <<set $atrium = []>> <<set $admin = []>> <<set $maintenance = []>> <<set $machineShop = []>> <<set $astroLab = []>> <<set $bioChem = []>> <<set $store = []>> <<set $ourRoom = []>> <<set $obsDeck = []>> <<set $cafeteria = []>> <<set $greenhouse = []>> <<set $infirmary = []>> <<set $gym = []>> <<set $recRoom = []>> <<set $compRoom = []>> <<set $currLocation = "">> <<set $insomnia = false>> <<set $amEv = []>> <<set $caEv = []>> <<set $chEv = []>> <<set $gaEv = []>> <<set $heEv = []>> <<set $jaEv = []>> <<set $maEv = []>> <<set $viEv = []>> <<set $wiEv = []>> <<set $intro = true>> /*NPC setup: Relationship tracks their opinion of the player Availability is in the form of [Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Late Night] with true/false to represent if the character is present on the map Location tracks where they can be found when they are present. Some characters may move around, some will operate on a fixed schedule? we can update this property as the game goes on Name is their first name, properly capitalized and spelled for use in dropping into bonding events FullName - same deal, but with their full names*/ <<set $amanda = { relationship: 0, availability: [false, true, true, true], /*A,E,L*/ location: ["", "bioChem", "greenhouse", "cafeteria"], name: "Amanda", fullName: "Amanda Moretti", met: false }>> <<set $carla = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, true, true, false], /*M,A,E*/ location: ["maintenance","maintenance","compRoom",""], name: "Carla", fullName: "Carla Warner", met: false }>> <<set $christian = { relationship: 0, availability: [false, false, true, true], /*E,L*/ location: ["", "", "astroLab", "gym"], name: "Christian", fullName: "Christian Straub", met: false }>> <<set $gabriela = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, false, false, true], /*M, L*/ location: ["compRoom", "", "", "compRoom"], name: "Gabriela", fullName: "Gabriela Rodriguez", met: false }>> <<set $heather = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, false, true, false], /*M, E*/ location: ["bioChem", "", "gym", ""], name: "Heather", fullName: "Heather Nguyen", met: false }>> <<set $jack = { relationship: 0, availability: [false, true, true, false], /*A, E*/ location: ["", "astroLab", "cafeteria", ""], name: "Jack", fullName: "Jack Griffiths", met: false }>> <<set $matthew = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, true, true, false], /*M, A, E*/ location: ["infirmary", "infirmary", "infirmary", ""], name: "Matthew", fullName: "Matthew Collins", met: false }>> <<set $victor = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, true, false, false], /*M, A*/ location: ["cafeteria", "store", "", ""], name: "Victor", fullName: "Victor Cheng", met: false }>> <<set $winston = { relationship: 0, availability: [true, true, false, true], /*M, A, L*/ location: ["machineShop", "machineShop", "", "obsDeck"], name: "Winston", fullName: "Winston Greene III", met: false }>> <<set $bob = { /*yes I know he's not a "real" character but I think it'll be useful to have him set up anyway*/ relationship: 0, availability: [true, true, true, false], /*E*/ location: ["admin", "admin", "admin", ""], name: "Bob", fullName: "Bob Mitchell" }>> <<set $amTopics = []>> <<set $caTopics = []>> <<set $chTopics = []>> <<set $gaTopics = []>> <<set $heTopics = []>> <<set $jaTopics = []>> <<set $maTopics = []>> <<set $viTopics = []>> <<set $wiTopics = []>> <<set $timetaken = false>> <<set $timeAwake = 0>> <<set $accused = "">> /*time cycles*/ <<set $actions = 0>> <<set $period = 0>> <<set $day = 1>> <<set $dayMax = 10>> <<set $daysLeft = $daysMax - $day>> /*for $period, 0 is morning, 1 is afternoon, 2 is evening, 3 is late night */ /*setting days and time periods for scripted events to happen */ <<set $event1 = 5>> /*Aug 19 */ <<set $period1 = 0>> <<set $event2 = 7>> /*Aug 21 */ <<set $period2 = 2>> <<set $event3 = 9>> /*Aug 23 */ <<set $period3 = 1>> <<set $schedules = [ {name: "Amanda", locs: []}, {name: "Carla", locs: []}, {name: "Christian", locs: []}, {name: "Gabriela", locs: []}, {name: "Heather", locs: []}, {name: "Jack", locs: []}, {name: "Matthew", locs: []}, {name: "Victor", locs: []}, {name: "Winston", locs: []} ]>> <<set $recroom = false>> <<set $flags = []>> /*List of flags (add here as you put them in): "card logs": obtained the card logs from Gabi "card logs complete": card logs have been investigated and all clues received "carlaTools": discovered Carla's weird tool policy "camera": discovered the existence of the security camera in the shop "chips": discovered Christian is stealing chips via the security camera footage "contraband": discovered that Winston was disciplined for having liquor "incident1": incident 1 has happened "incident2": incident 2 has happened "incident3": incident 3 has happened "phoneHack": gotten Gabi on board with hacking the phone "phonePW": gotten Amanda on board with guessing the passcode "victorCarla": discovered that Victor is beefing with Carla "victorTools" discovered that Victor is borrowing tools from Winston's personal stash "victorLab": discovered that Victor has not been in the lab "photo": found the photo of the note on Daniel's phone "supportPhoto": asked support staff member about the photo "labtechPhoto": asked a lab tech about the photo "scientistPhoto": asked a scientist about the photo */

<center>''@@font-size:xx-large;WINTER-OVER@@'' [[Begin|intro01]] [[About]] <<if $debugMode == true>> [[debug]] <</if>></center>

This game was made by Emery Joyce and N. Cormier for IFComp 2024. While the Antarctic research station this game is set in is purely fictional, we did extensive research about the real Antarctic in order to bring it to life. If this game piques your interest about life at the Pole, you can check out our [[bibliography]] for more information. Our cover image was taken by Stephan Richter, and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The original photo can be found [[here|https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/antarcticsun/aroundTheContinent/images5/pole-windows.jpg]]. Our background image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. The original photo can be found [[here|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antarctic_mountains,_pack_ice_and_ice_floes.jpg]]. A special thanks to all of our playtesters: Drew Cook, Josh Grams, Mathbrush, Max Fog, and Tabitha. We couldn't have done it without you! And an extra-special thanks to Winifred Gosling for her mystery consulting work. [[Back to the main page.|Start]]

<div id="PassageHeader"> <<if not tags().includes("notime") && not tags().includes("endings")>> <<if $insomnia == false>>''<<timeDisplay>>'' <</if>> ''Stress:'' <<stressDisplay>> <<if not tags().includes("endings")>><<sleepMessage>><</if>> <</if>> <<if not tags().includes("info")>> <<set $passage = passage()>> <</if>> </div>

<<link "Toggle Dark Mode">> <<set $dark = ! $dark>> <<run Engine.show()>> <</link>> <<if not tags().includes("nonotes")>><<if $intro == false>>[[Notes|notes]]<</if>><</if>> <<if passage() != "Start" && passage() != "About" && passage() != "bibliography">>[[Characters|characters]] [[Inventory|inventory]]<</if>>

<<if $dark == true>> <<addclass "#passages" "dark">> <<addclass ".passage" "dark">> <<addclass "a" "dark">> <<else>> <<removeclass "#passages" "dark">> <<removeclass ".passage" "dark">> <<removeclass "a" "dark">> <</if>> <<if $debugMode == false>> <<addclass "body" "hidehistory">> <</if>>

<<setup>> [[Jump to the interactive prologue|wanderingIntro]] [[Beginning of day 1|info03]] [[Jump straight to an accusation|accusation]] <<link "Jump to day 10" "atrium">><<set $day = 10>><</link>> <<return>>

Ananthaswamy, A. (2021, March 23). Coldest place on Earth tucked in Antarctic ice pocket. New Scientist. [[Link.|https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24731-coldest-place-on-earth-tucked-in-antarctic-ice-pocket/]]. “Antarctica Did That for Me.” n.d. Antarctica Did That for Me. [[Link. |https://www.antarcticadidthatforme.com/]]. Brr. (2023, August 21). South Pole Electrical Infrastructure. brr. Retrieved August 21, 2024. [[Link.|https://brr.fyi/posts/south-pole-electrical-infrastructure]] Coady, Serena. 2023. “How Scientists Are Kept Fed and Happy in One of the Most Remote Places on Earth.” CNN, February 9, 2023. [[Link.|https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antarctica-polar-research-station-chef]]. Debczak, Michele. 2024. “Death at the South Pole: The Mystery of Antarctica's Unsolved Poisoning Case.” Mental Floss. February 2, 2024. [[Link.|https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/579732/mysterious-death-rodney-marks-scientist-who-was-poisoned-antarctica]]. Dell’Amore, Christine. 2017. “100-Year-Old Fruitcake Found in Antarctica Is ‘Almost’ Edible.” Adventure, August 10, 2017. [[Link.|https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/antarctica-fruitcake-scott-terra-nova]]. JoeSpinsTheGlobe. 2021. “I am living at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as part of the medical support staff, ask me anything!” Reddit. October 19, 2021. Accessed August 19, 2024. [[Link.|https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/qb967o/i_am_living_at_the_amundsenscott_south_pole/]]. Kubny, Heiner. 2021. “EDEN-ISS, the Greenhouse in Antarctica.” Polarjournal. March 19, 2021. [[Link.|https://polarjournal.ch/en/2021/03/19/eden-iss-the-greenhouse-in-antarctica/]]. Marcus, Lilit. 2024. “What It’s Really Like to Live in Antarctica.” CNN, May 24, 2024. [[Link.|https://www.cnn.com/travel/what-its-really-like-to-live-in-antarctica-intl-hnk/]]. McKenna, Maddy. 2014. “Home Sweet Amundsen-Scott Station.” Mad Adventures. November 24, 2014. [[Link.|https://maddymck.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/amundsen-scott-station/]]. “McMurdo Master Plan 2.1.” n.d. Mcmurdostation.Com. Accessed August 19, 2024. [[Link.|https://mcmurdostation.com/masterplan.html]]. Nayak, Michael. 2024. “The Last Good Gig: A Summer at the South Pole.” Scientific American, February 20, 2024. [[Link.|https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/the-last-good-gig-a-summer-at-the-south-pole/]]. “Recipes From Antarctica.” n.d. [[Link.|https://www.coolantarctica.com/schools/antarctic-recipes.php]]. Robins, Becki. 2011. “Recipes From Antarctica.” November 10, 2011. [[Link.|https://travelbystove.blogspot.com/2011/11/recipes-from-antarctica.html]]. Rosenblum, Tenney. 2021. “The Antarctic Diet: How Food Fuels Science.” Union Kitchen (blog). July 27, 2021. Accessed August 19, 2024. [[Link.|https://www.unionkitchen.com/resources/the-antarctic-diet-how-food-fuels-science]]. “The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - Welcome to the United States Antarctic Program Portal.” n.d. Public Domain. [[Link.|https://www.usap.gov/]]. <<return>>

You lie down. You stare at the ceiling. You try not to think about Daniel lying on the table in the infirmary, which of course means that's all you can think about. <<stress 2>> [[Time passes.|insomnia02]]

You roll over. Your bed seems unbearably narrow. You close your eyes, but as tired as you are, your mind is still racing. <<stress 2>> [[Time passes.|insomnia03]]

As if you didn't have enough to deal with already, your inability to sleep is itself turning into a source of anxiety. You know that if you can't sleep, it's going to make everything much harder. And you've got important work to do. But knowing this only makes it harder to relax. <<stress 1>> [[Time passes.|insomnia04]]

<<stress 1>> You can't stand to be in bed anymore. You get up and go over to the Scrabble board on your desk -- why, you couldn't say, exactly. Maybe you were thinking of putting it away. The tiles seem to rearrange themselves. You blink hard, and they return to their previous positions. [[This is probably not good.|insomnia05]]

You've only ever been mildly affected by winter-over syndrome (better known to Polies as "getting toasty"). You get a little depressed, a little irritable -- but no more so than the next person. You've never had, or even seen anyone else have, any of the more severe symptoms you sometimes hear about -- losing time, seeing things, getting violent. But, well, the medical literature does say that stress is a contributing factor. And the lack of sleep probably doesn't help either. (Though now that you're thinking about violence... could someone else here be experiencing severe winter-over syndrome? Everyone knows the story of the guy at one of the Russian stations who stabbed his coworker over spoiling the endings of books. If... what happened... was anything like that incident, then you can't truly trust anyone here, even the people who don't seem to have motives.) [[So now what?|insomnia06]]

You look at the clock. It's morning, for all the good that does you. For all the difference it makes. <<set $inventory = []>> <<link [[You should probably go see Bob.|info01]]>><<set $insomnia = false>><</link>>

You step into Bob's office and shut the door behind you. He looks exhausted. Of course, you probably look worse. "What did you find out about the alibis?" you say. You're aware that jumping straight into this is probably rude, but you don't have it in you to exchange pleasantries right now. "Well, Ms. Moretti and Ms. Nguyen--" he seems to be trying for an air of impartiality by using surnames, which even he wouldn't typically do-- "said they were with you all evening and none of you left the room for more than five minutes at any point. Would you say that's accurate?" [[You nod.|info02]]

"Meanwhile," Bob continues, "Dr. Collins, Dr. Rodriguez, and I were in the cafeteria, having a late dinner together. I also invited Ms. Warner, but she declined. After dinner I went to the rec room to pick up a book. When I saw someone lying on the floor, I went to find Dr. Collins immediately." "Okay," you say. "What about everyone else?" "The remaining five people had alibis that couldn't be confirmed," he says. "Dr. Griffiths and Dr. Cheng said they were asleep, and Ms. Warner says she was alone in her room; Mr. Greene says he was working at the store and Dr. Straub says he was in the lab, but both say they saw no one else." [["I see," you say, because you're not really sure what else to say.|info03]]

<<if visited() === 1>> <<reset>> <<setup>> <<menuSet>> <<set $intro = false>> <<indEv ca "Says she was in her room at the time of the murder.">> <<indEv ja "Says he was asleep at the time of the murder.">> <<indEv vi "Says he was asleep at the time of the murder.">> <<indEv wi "Says he was working at the store at the time of the murder.">> <<indEv ch "Says he was in the lab at the time of the murder.">> <<evidence "Daniel's body was found in the rec room shortly after 1 AM.">> <<evidence "The murder weapon was a blunt object.">> <</if>> You have this sudden strong feeling that none of this is real. Probably mostly a denial-stage-of-grief kind of thing (some distant rational corner of your brain informs you), but the fact that you're sitting here talking about alibis like you're a character in one of those mediocre police procedurals your mother likes to watch is not helping. "That's all I've got," Bob says. "Do you have any more questions?" You shake your head, which is about all you can manage right now. "Of course, you're excused from work for the time being, unless something comes up that no one else can address. Oh, and--" he stands up, takes a piece of paper from his desk, and hands it to you-- "here are my notes." Notes. Right. You probably should be taking notes. You take the paper from him, thank him, and [[leave|northWing]]. /*setting up the map of the station */

''Atrium'' <<set $currLocation = "atrium">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The atrium, though it's at the center of Pickering Station, is really more of a crossroads as there's not much reason to linger. As the sole exception, Daniel used to spend a lot of time mopping in here to clean up after all the foot traffic. Sometimes you'd shoot the breeze with him while he cleaned. But now he's not here, and his absence is an open wound in your chest. <</if>> /*setup for stress level affecting environment descriptions */ <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> /*high stress description */ The atrium is empty... right? Is someone lurking just out of sight in one of the hallways branching off it? You can't watch all four of them at once. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> /*medium stress description */ The atrium is empty. You feel exposed. <<else>> /*low stress description */ The atrium is empty right now. Your footsteps echo loudly as you walk across the tile. <</if>> [[Go to the science wing.|northWing]] [[Go to the living area.|eastWing]] [[Go to the wellness wing.|southWing]] [[Go to the rec wing.|westWing]]

''Science Wing'' <<set $currLocation = "northWing">> <<if visited()=== 1>> You've been excused from most of your responsibilities, given the circumstances, but the science wing is where all the magic happens at the station and as such being here makes you feel vaguely guilty. You're doing important work, you remind yourself (what could be more important than justice?), even if it's not what you're technically getting paid for. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You're in the science wing, where the telescope is. How does it feel about all this chaos? Does it even care, or is it only concerned with the stars? (You know it's just an inanimate object, if a very expensive one, but you feel like it //should// care.) <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The science wing stretches out before you. You can't see the telescope from in here, but the whole corridor is designed around it, so you're aware of it nonetheless. If it had never been built none of this would have happened. <<else>> The corridor stretches on to the north. Here you can find all the work areas: the astronomy and biochem labs, the machine shop, the maintenance room, and the administrative offices. <</if>> [[Visit the admin offices.|admin]] [[Visit the maintenance area.|maintenance]] [[Visit the machine shop.|machineShop]] [[Visit the astronomy lab.|astroLab]] [[Visit the bio-chemistry lab.|bioChem]] [[Go back to the atrium.|atrium]]

''Administrative Offices'' <<set $currLocation = "admin">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The admin offices are really one medium-sized room with multiple desks, divided into ad-hoc cubicles using boxes and whatever else happened to be lying around. Bob, the station manager, is the only one who actually spends a significant amount of time here -- the other desks are only used when someone needs a quiet spot to get their work done. (Or when they need a quiet place away from other people, not that you'd know about that lately.) <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> It's deathly quiet in here, which means you have nothing to drown out your own thoughts. They rush at you like the wind outside, battering at the inside of your skull until you drop to your knees and gasp for mercy. The sound breaks the quiet for long enough that you can pull yourself back together (mostly). <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The admin offices seem to drink up all sound, even the ever-present rush of wind outside the station. In here, you can practically hear your own heartbeat (which is uncomfortably fast). <<else>> The admin offices are quiet -- the "cubicle" walls seem to muffle any noise. You're not sure you like it. <</if>> <<if $period == 3>> Bob is probably asleep at the moment. <<if $day >= $event3 || $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>>If you want to give him the evidence you've found, you'll have to come back tomorrow.<<else>>IWhen you have enough evidence, you'll want to bring it to him, but you don't think you're there yet.<</if>> <</if>> <<charLinks $admin>> [[Return to the science wing.|northWing]]

''Maintenance'' <<set $currLocation = "maintenance">> <<if visited()=== 1>> You've spent a lot of time in the maintenance shop, and you should know it like the back of your hand. Today, however, everything seems new and unfamiliar and slightly menacing. Maybe it's just your grief-addled brain, or maybe there's something to find in here. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You see a shadowy figure in the corner, just at the edge of your vision. In your shock you jump backwards and catch your foot on a workbench, and by the time you regain your balance and look back the corner is empty. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> Debris and clutter have accumulated around the shop while you've been off work, which makes you feel guilty. But you can't spare the energy to tidy right now -- you have to investigate. (And to keep yourself together.) <<else>> The maintenance shop is your typical home base during normal times at the station. It's got everything you could possibly need -- wire, metal, wood, power tools, several workbenches, and an impossibly fancy chest of hand tools. With these you can solve any problem the station throws at you! Well, almost. <</if>> <<charLinks $maintenance>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 1 "Morning: Maintenance">> <<case 1>> <<schedule 1 "Afternoon: Maintenance">> <<case 2>> <<case 3>> <</switch>> There's a large [[sign]] on the toolchest. [[Return to the science wing.|northWing]]

"Please talk to Carla to remove or return tools from the chest." <<set $flags.push("carlaTools")>> Carla's been insisting on this for a week now, which has been driving you crazy. You're supposed to be able to swipe your ID to take tools in and out, and needing to track Carla down for everything means all your jobs take three times as long. <<return>>

''Machine Shop'' <<set $currLocation = "machineShop">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The machine shop is Winston's home turf -- you're qualified to use some of the machines, but he's the one who makes anything complicated, so you come in rarely. The hulking mill and lathe both look extra menacing today, as if they know you don't belong here. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You're surrounded by hulking machinery. The acrid smells of the shop are overwhelming and make your stomach churn. (At least, that's what you hope is the source of your problem.) <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You're surrounded by hulking machinery. The smell of cut metal is giving you a headache. <<else>> You're surrounded by hulking machinery. The air smells metallic and heavy. <</if>> <<charLinks $machineShop>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 8 "Morning: Machine Shop">> <<case 1>> <<schedule 8 "Afternoon: Machine Shop">> <<case 2>> <<case 3>> <</switch>> [[Return to the science wing.|northWing]]

''Astronomy Lab'' <<set $currLocation = "astroLab">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The astronomy lab is actually just another computer room, albeit one with a big whiteboard and much nicer machines. As a tradeoff they're not connected to the station's spotty internet, so the only people who ever go in here are the ones who need the computing power to run their fancy software. You can count the number of times you've been in here on one hand, since there's very little here that you can fix if it breaks. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> The astronomy lab is shiny, clean, and quiet. This should be a nice break from the rest of the station, but instead it makes you angry. Why is someone cleaning in here when that was Daniel's job? //How dare they replace him?// You know you're being unreasonable, so you try and pull it together. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The astronomy lab is shiny, clean, and quiet. This should be a nice break from the rest of the station, but instead it sets you on edge. Is someone in here hiding something? <<else>> The astronomy lab is shiny, clean, and quiet. It's a nice break from the rest of the station, frankly. <</if>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <<schedule 5 "Afternoon: Astronomy Lab">> <<case 2>> <<schedule 2 "Evening: Astronomy Lab">> <<case 3>> <</switch>> <<charLinks $astroLab>> [[Return to the science wing.|northWing]]

''Biology and Chemistry Lab'' <<set $currLocation = "bioChem">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The biology and chemistry lab is the more lived-in of the two lab spaces at the station. It's not dirty by any means (that would be a safety hazard, which Heather won't stand for), but you can tell it's a well-used space. The odd smells and occasional discolored spots on the benches speak to that. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> Is one of the discolored table splotches... moving? You stare at it for several minutes until you've convinced yourself that it isn't. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The bio lab has gotten increasingly cluttered over the last few days. You try to tidy it up a bit, but have to give up quickly once you realize you don't know where anything goes. (Can you do anything right these days?) <<else>> The bio lab has been getting increasingly cluttered. You suspect that Amanda has given up on tidying recently, and while you can't exactly blame her it looks like Heather can't quite keep on top of the accumulating mess. <</if>> <<charLinks $bioChem>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 4 "Morning: Biology & Chemistry Lab">> <<case 1>> <<schedule 0 "Afternoon: Biology & Chemistry Lab">> <<case 2>> <<case 3>> <</switch>> [[Return to the science wing.|northWing]]

''Residence Wing'' <<set $currLocation = "eastWing">> <<if visited()=== 1>> Home, sweet home, or as close as you can get a million miles away from civilization. For the first time in months, you miss your crappy roomshare back in Queens. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> The east hallway stretches out before you, on and on and on and on. There are dozens of doors -- which one is yours? Can you even reach it? Your mouth is dry and your legs are rubber. You blink, and the end of the hallway comes back into focus. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The east hallway stretches out before you. The observation deck is at the end, and there are doors leading to the general store and to everyone's sleeping quarters. You hear indistinct voices coming from down the hall, but you can't pinpoint from where. <<else>> The east hallway stretches out before you. The observation deck is at the end, and there are doors leading to the general store and to everyone's sleeping quarters. <</if>> [[Check the store.|store]] [[Go to your room.|ourRoom]] [[Check the observation deck.|obsDeck]] [[Go back to the atrium.|atrium]]

''Store'' <<set $currLocation = "store">> <<if visited()=== 1>> Looking around the store with new, more suspicious (more paranoid?) eyes, you realize there's a small security camera in one corner. Huh; you hadn't noticed that before. <<set $flags.push("camera")>> <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> The espresso machine is looking at you. You can't see its eyes, but your skin prickles all the same. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The store is full of items, and it seems like there could be clues hiding in every shadow and space between them. You have to fight the urge to rummage through the chip bags for hidden evidence. <<else>> The store is brightly lit and well stocked with all kinds of junk food. If you had an appetite right now you'd probably buy something. <</if>> <<charLinks $store>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <<schedule 7 "Afternoon: Store">> <<case 2>> <<case 3>> <</switch>> If you want to take a break, you could [[mind the store|partnerSelect]] with someone for a bit. [[Return to the living area.|eastWing]]

''Your Room'' <<set $currLocation = "ourRoom">> <<if visited()=== 1>> Your room is a size that's charitably called "cozy", but you've made it your own. And for better or for worse, nobody can come in here if you don't want them to. Maybe you'll want the connection some other time, but for now it's good to be alone. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> This is the smallest room you've ever had in your life, and that includes some truly awful New York apartments. The walls feel like they're closing in on you. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> Between the metal posters and the pile of unmended socks, you've really made this place your own. Is Daniel's room like this too -- a snapshot of his life, frozen in time? You forcibly redirect your thoughts before you get (more) upset. <<else>> It's a mess in here, but that's weirdly comforting. It's //your// mess, so you know it's not hiding any mysteries. <</if>> Your Scrabble game is still set up in the corner. Putting it away feels wrong. <<if $inventory.includes("Daniel's phone, unlocked") && not $flags.includes("photo")>> [[Go through Daniel's phone.|phone]] (This will advance time.) <</if>> <<if $insomnia == false>> <<link [[Sleep.|sleep]]>> <<sleep>> <</link>> [[Return to the living area.|eastWing]] <<else>> [[Try to sleep.|insomnia01]] <</if>>

You lie down on your narrow bed and close your eyes, sinking into a dreamless sleep. Several hours later, you wake up. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> You feel about as refreshed as is possible under the circumstances. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval * 2>> You feel a little better. Not a lot, but it will have to do. <<else>> You feel... not as much better as you might have hoped. Still pretty awful, actually. But if you hadn't slept maybe things would be even worse. <</if>> <<link [[Well, time to get back to your investigation.|ourRoom]]>> <<advance>> <</link>>

<<advance>> Now that you have some privacy, it's time to look through Daniel's phone. You move the dishes on your desk around just enough to free up some real estate, and then sit down and unlock it. At first it doesn't look like there's much to see. And why would there be? There's no cell signal or Wi-Fi down here so it's not like he's been texting anyone. The fact that he carries his phone around the station at all makes him an outlier, although the sheer number of games he's downloaded at least explains why. You open his photo gallery and start scrolling through his pictures. They're mostly idle snapshots from around the station; selfies of Daniel making funny faces in the lab, shots of the food from his turn on kitchen duty, and the occasional blurry photo of his thumb. The rest are beautiful long exposures of the Antarctic night sky. You didn't know that was something he did, let alone was good at. You reach the bottom of his image gallery and scroll back to the top, desperately searching for some sign among the stars and selfies of who might have taken your brother away. But nothing jumps out at you, at least until you get back to the top. Daniel's most recent photo is of a piece of paper, lying on the desk in his room. You'd assumed at first it was an accidental photo of some trash (of which there are several), but on closer inspection the writing on it looks more like handwriting than like a discarded printout. You open the photo to take a closer look, and [[your blood runs cold.|phone2]]

<<stress 3>> <<set $flags.push("photo")>> The photo is of a handwritten note. It reads "MEET ME AT 23:30 IN THE GAME ROOM." This is from the murderer. You zoom in frantically on the note, looking all over for any sign of who, who, //who// might have written this. But there's no signature, no label, no hint whatsoever besides the very letters on the page. The phone slides out of your hands (which are shaking) and hits the desk with a loud thump. You lean forward, cradle your head in your hands, and try to think. Your eyes are shut, but all you can see is the note in your mind's eye. The handwriting is messy and barely legible, which rules out... nobody. (Neither scientists nor technicians are known for their penmanship.) You've barely seen any of your colleagues' handwriting either, so that's out. Maybe someone else could identify it if they saw it? That would certainly give it away that something other than an accident happened, but well... you don't care anymore. What can Bob do about it anyway, if people do figure it out? Write you up? <<inv "A photo of a note.">> [[Stand up.|ourRoom]]

''Observation Deck'' <<set $currLocation = "obsDeck">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The shutters on the deck are open, so you can see out onto the ice (for all the good that does in winter). You almost forgot there's still a world outside the station. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> The light from the observation deck window spills out over the Antarctic snow, illuminating a narrow stripe through the oppressive darkness. Maybe the whole world is darkness now, and your station is the last little speck of light in the universe. Will anyone care if your light goes out? <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The light from the observation deck window spills out over the Antarctic snow, illuminating a narrow stripe through the endless darkness. It makes you feel small and alone. <<else>> The light from the observation deck window spills out over the Antarctic snow, illuminating a narrow stripe through the darkness. Despite everything, you still love how the light reflects off the ice. <</if>> <<charLinks $obsDeck>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <<case 2>> <<schedule 8 "Evening: Observation Deck">> <<case 3>> <</switch>> [[Return to the living area.|eastWing]]

''Wellness Wing'' <<set $currLocation = "southWing">> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> The warmth of the wellness wing reaches out and cradles you, and you close your eyes and take it all in. Your addled brain insists that this is the only safe spot in the station, the continent, the universe, and as long as you stand here you'll be safe -- in this very spot only, where you can see and smell and hear everything and are bothered by nobody. But your body has needs, //Daniel's memory// has needs, and you have to move onward. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> The smells and sounds of the wellness wing envelop you, and you let out a sigh. You didn't realize how much tension you were holding until the coziness of this space let you release some of it. <<else>> The wellness wing has always been the homiest part of the station. You can take care of most of your health and wellness needs here via some combination of the cafeteria, infirmary, and greenhouse. <</if>> [[Visit the cafeteria.|cafeteria]] [[Visit the greenhouse.|greenhouse]] [[Visit the infirmary.|infirmary]] [[Go back to the atrium.|atrium]]

''Cafeteria'' <<set $currLocation = "cafeteria">> <<menuSet>> <<if visited()=== 1>> While the telescope is on paper the most important part of Pickering Station, the whole place would fall apart without the cafeteria. It's usually one of your favorite places to spend time, but today it just feels... grey. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> Nothing on today's menu ($mainCourse, $side, and $dessert) appeals to you, even though you're hungry. All you want right now is a fresh, ripe banana, which is of course impossible. Fresh fruit of any kind is a pipe dream right now -- just like your ability to do anything in this frozen hellhole. Tears begin to well up in your eyes. Over a banana? Really? You might be losing it. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> <<if $cafSides.length > 0>> You have a strong craving for <<print $cafSides.pluck()>>, but that's not on today's menu (which is $mainCourse, $side, and $dessert). This upsets you more than it frankly should. <<else>> You have a horrible craving for tacos, but they're not on the menu today. This upsets you more than it frankly should. <</if>> <<else>> The sign proclaims that today's main dish is $mainCourse, with a side of $side and $dessert for dessert. Nothing too out of the ordinary. <</if>> <<charLinks $cafeteria>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 7 "Morning: Cafeteria">> <<case 1>> <<case 2>> <<schedule 5 "Evening: Cafeteria">> <<case 3>> <<schedule 0 "Late Night: Cafeteria">> <</switch>> There are always chores to be done here. Maybe [[washing some dishes|partnerSelect]] with a friend will help take your mind off things. Or you could [[grab a bite to eat.|eatingTime]] [[Return to the wellness wing. |southWing]]

<<set $choices = either([$side, $dessert])>> You grab yourself a plate of $mainCourse, and after some consideration you also take some $choices. You didn't think you were hungry, but once you start eating you don't stop until every single bite is gone. <<link [[Yeah, you needed that.|cafeteria]]>><<advance>> <<stress -2>><</link>>

''Greenhouse'' <<set $currLocation = "greenhouse">> <<if visited()=== 1>> You were never the most nature-inclined person back home, but after ten months in this tin can, even you crave a beautiful day outdoors. The light in the greenhouse may be artificial, but the plants are very real, so spending time in here is the next best thing. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> There's something off about the greenhouse today. The bright lights, usually calming, instead hurt your head, and there's a rotten undertone to the usual smell of earth. What's wrong here? //(Is it you?)// <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You step over to look at the tomatoes, and see that some of them are developing yellow spots on their leaves. That can't be good, but you don't know what to do about it. You resolve to give someone else (Amanda?) a heads up, and try to ignore how useless you feel. <<else>> The plants are stacked in rows from floor to ceiling. All of them are edible -- from bok choy to cucumbers to rosemary (your favorite). The cucumbers are almost ripe. <</if>> <<charLinks $greenhouse>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <<case 2>> <<schedule 0 "Evening: Greenhouse">> <<case 3>> <</switch>> There's a tray of seedlings here, ready for planting. Maybe it would be good for you to [[garden with a friend|partnerSelect]]? [[Return to the wellness wing. |southWing]]

''Infirmary'' <<set $currLocation = "infirmary">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The infirmary is where you're supposed to go to get fixed, but you don't think the doctor can fix what's wrong with your brain right now. (The only known treatments for winter-over syndrome are "winter ending" or "leaving Antarctica", neither of which is on offer at the moment.) Best not mention it. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You're on your guard in case Matthew comes at you with a straitjacket. (Which is ridiculous -- the station definitely doesn't have straitjackets. Even if you might deserve one right now.) <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> Being in the infirmary right now stresses you out. Matthew's entire job down here is to figure out what's wrong with people, and you //really// don't want him seeing what's wrong with you. <<else>> The infirmary is supposed to be a comforting place, but right now it's setting you on edge. <<if $period != 3>>You hope you're not bothering Matthew too much by being here.<</if>> <</if>> <<charLinks $infirmary>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 6 "Morning: Infirmary">> <<case 1>> <<schedule 6 "Afternoon: Infirmary">> <<case 2>> <<schedule 6 "Evening: Infirmary">> <<case 3>> <</switch>> [[Return to the wellness wing. |southWing]]

''Rec Wing'' <<set $currLocation = "westWing">> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You're in the rec wing. Daniel died here. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You're in the rec wing, or the place that's supposed to keep everyone here sane. You don't think it's working very well for you. <<else>> You're in the rec wing, or, as you sometimes internally call it, the Fun Zone. (It seems a lot less fun now, though.) You can work out in the gym, use the computers, or... well, let's be honest, you're not going to be able to enjoy yourself in the rec room right now. But it is there, if you can bring yourself to go in. <</if>> <<if visited()=== 1>> This is your first time back here since... //it// happened. Being here makes you feel light-headed and nauseous, but you have to soldier on. Whoever killed Daniel must have left some evidence, right? <</if>> [[Go to the gym.|gym]] [[Go to the rec room.|recRoom]] [[Go to the computer room.|compRoom]] [[Go back to the atrium.|atrium]]

''Gym'' <<set $currLocation = "gym">> <<if visited()=== 1>> This is where you last saw Daniel (alive, anyway). You replay that last meeting back in your head, wondering if there was anything you could have said or done that would have changed anything. You know it's not your fault, given that you're not the murderer, but you feel responsible all the same. If you hadn't been annoyed with him for making you work late, maybe you'd have invited him to Scrabble, and maybe that would have changed things, or.... You shake your head. No point continuing down this road. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You catch a glimpse of a haggard-looking stranger in the gym mirror and it gives you a shock. You're even more shocked when you realize it's just your reflection. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You catch sight of yourself in the gym's mirror. Oof. You're not looking too hot right now. <<else>> There's still a noticeable dent in one of the exercise bikes -- Daniel's legacy. (He'd think that was hilarious.) <</if>> <<charLinks $gym>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<case 1>> <<case 2>> <<schedule 4 "Evening: Gym">> <<case 3>> <<schedule 2 "Late Night: Gym">> <</switch>> [[Work out for a bit.|workOut]] [[Return to the rec wing.|westWing]]

<<set $ex = either(["lift some weights", "run on the treadmill", "use the rowing machine"])>> Exercise has always helped you clear your head. You decide to $ex for a bit. <<link [[You're sweaty now, but that felt good.|gym]]>> <<advance>> <<stress -2>> <</link>>

''Rec Room'' <<set $currLocation = "recRoom">> <<if visited()=== 1>> /*first visit - get a clue, avoid the usual descriptions*/ <<stress 2>> You take a deep breath and step into the rec room. It takes you a moment to process what's wrong with it, because what's wrong is that in fact there //is// nothing wrong with it. It looks normal. Clean. No signs of anything unusual having happened here at all. <<evidence "The scene of the crime was cleaned up.">>You make a note of this. The deceptive normality of the room makes you feel sick, a feeling which is half despair at the idea that there may be no information left here to find and half something else less rational -- a sort of need for the world (but especially this part of it) to be visibly, tangibly different now. You shut your eyes briefly, swallow hard, and then force yourself to do a thorough search. It turns out whoever did this did miss something: under a set of shelves, you find a phone you recognize as Daniel's. The screen is cracked, but it does still turn on. You don't know his passcode, though. Maybe you should ask someone about it? Someone who's good with tech, maybe, or someone who knew him well enough that he might have let something slip to them. <<inv "Daniel's phone">> <<else>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> Your hands are shaking and there's a ringing in your ears. You don't think you can handle being in here right now. <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You try to look around, but you keep coming back to the spot where they found Daniel. The blood's all cleaned up but you still can't stop looking. <<else>> The rec room is full of fun things, but you don't really feel like having fun right now in what feels like Daniel's tomb. You should look around and then get out as fast as possible. <</if>> <<charLinks $recRoom>> <</if>> The rec room has a pool table, a regular table, a sofa, and a television. There's several shelves containing all manner of [[books]], [[board games|boardGames]], and [[movies|goslingTape]], including both versions of //The Thing//. [[Return to the rec wing.|westWing]]

<<set _text = random(1,3)>> Since you've been having trouble sleeping lately, maybe you should grab a book. Reading before bed is supposed to help, right? <<switch _text>> <<case 1>> There's an entire shelf of dog-eared Agatha Christie novels. Perhaps there are too many, since you get overwhelmed by choice anxiety and don't pick any of them. <<case 2>> //At the Mountains of Madness// is back on the shelf. Didn't you grab that earlier? Either you're misremembering or the book has walked back on its own, and both options are creepy enough that you sour on the whole reading thing. <<case 3>> A book called //Babel// catches your eye, so you grab it and read the summary. It's about an amnesiac trapped in an Arctic research station, using their mysterious ability to view the past in order to figure out what horrible thing trapped them there.... You're starting to get the sense that whoever stocked the rec room is messing with you, specifically. <</switch>> Maybe you'll try again later? <<return>>

<<set _text = random(1,3)>> Maybe a board game would help you de-stress? You take a look at the shelf and see what catches your eye. <<switch _text>> <<case 1>> Your eyes are drawn to //Warlords of the Noble Sea//, which promises an epic Bronze Age sailing adventure. However, it also requires at least four people and three hours. Yikes! <<case 2>> You find //Donut Demolition Derby// balanced precariously on the edge of the shelf. It's a fun party game where you try to collect as many donut cards as possible even if it means stealing from your friends, and doesn't require too much long-term strategy. You remember it was one of Daniel's favorites and your stomach twists a bit. <<case 3>> A loud red-and green box catches your attention. It's a game called //Secret Santa//, where one person is secretly, well, Santa and everyone else has to figure out who it is. This seems a little too much like what you're doing already. <</switch>> You put the game back. <<return>>

You idly thumb through the movies. Maybe something campy and light-hearted would take your mind off this? You spot a movie called //THE LAST OF THE DRUIDS: A MISS GOSLING MYSTERY//. The title is rendered in a cheesily overblown 1970s-style font, and the cover shows a cartoonishly hooded figure menacing an old woman -- this could be exactly what you're looking for! You grab the DVD and flip it over to read the summary. //When the quaint English village of Marswich Green is disrupted...// (You skim a bit.) //The sinister plots of Disgybl Gwydion, heir to the ancient Druids.... Miss Gosling faces her greatest test against the spirit of the immortal sorcerer.... What horrible secrets now lie buried beneath the calendulas?!// You let out a big sigh and put the movie back. You have plenty of horrible secrets to deal with already, thank you very much! <<return>>

''Computer Room'' <<set $currLocation = "compRoom">> <<if visited()=== 1>> The computer room is one of the more popular ones on the station, at least when the satellites are within range. The internet is agonizingly slow even when present, but the lifeline to the outside world is a much needed panacea for station life. <</if>> <<if $stress > ($stressInterval * 2)>> You're badly startled by one of the sleeping computers suddenly flickering back to life. You look around frantically but there's nobody nearby who could have bumped the mouse. Are you seeing things? <<elseif $stress > ($stressInterval)>> You consider checking your email. You know there must be something in there from Daniel's parents (your parents) by now -- are they worried about you, or angry at you? You're not sure which is worse. The guilt from ignoring them gnaws at you, but you still can't bring yourself to check. <<else>> You consider checking your email, but you can't see what good it would do you right now. <</if>> <<charLinks $compRoom>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<schedule 3 "Morning: Computer Room">> <<case 1>> <<case 2>> <<schedule 1 "Evening: Computer Room">> <<case 3>> <<schedule 3 "Late Night: Computer Room">> <</switch>> <<if $flags.includes("card logs")>> [[Check the files Gabi gave you.|cardLogs]] <<if $flags.includes("card logs complete")>>(You've already done this.) <</if>> <</if>> [[Return to the rec wing. |westWing]]

<<if not $flags.includes("card logs complete")>> Gabi's given you an Excel file, and it's not a small one. (You're not sure why you thought it would be -- it has ten months' worth of tracking data in it, after all.) There are probably some clues in here, but they're not going to be quick to find. [[Buckle down and comb through the file.|cardLogs2]] (This will advance time.) [[Save it for later.|compRoom]] <<else>> You recheck the information in the file. Daniel entered the rec room at 23:27, and there's no record of anyone else entering anywhere close to that time. Christian was in the lab at 22:00, in the store at 23:38, then back in the lab at 23:46. Winston entered the store at 22:00 and again at 23:45. [[That's all for now.|compRoom]] <</if>>

<<set $flags.push("card logs complete")>> <<advance>> <<evidence "Daniel was attacked sometime between 23:27 and midnight.">> <<indEv ch "Was in the lab at 22:00, the store at 23:38, and back in the lab at 23:46.">> <<indEv wi "Entered the store at 22:00 and reentered at 23:45.">> <<removeNote $evidence "The attack occurred no later than midnight.">> <<removeNote $chEv "Says he was in the lab at the time of the murder.">> <<removeNote $wiEv "Says he was working at the store at the time of the murder.">> <<removeNote $wiEv "Says he was in the store all night, but can't prove it.">> You jump down to the night of the murder -- August 14, going into August 15. Even that small window of time offers enough data to make your head hurt, but as you stare at it, details start to emerge. The most important bit of information that you see is that Daniel swiped into the rec room at 23:27. There's no record of anyone else entering until Bob got there at 01:03. You scroll back a little, but it doesn't look like anyone came in for a good while before that, either<<if $recroom == true>> (except you, a little before 23:00)<</if>>. Either the killer was waiting in there for hours <<if $recroom == true>>(and hid from you somehow?) <</if>>or they came in at the same time as Daniel and he held the door for them. He did tend to do that a lot. You don't have to swipe to exit a room, only to enter, so even without the door-holding issue, the data is maddeningly incomplete. But you can track some movements for Christian and Winston: the former swiped into the lab around 22:00, entered the store at 23:34, then reentered the lab at 23:46. Winston entered the store around 22:00 and then again at 23:43; there are no other swipes for him between those times, but the bathrooms don't require card access. The station isn't very big; it takes about 5 minutes to get between wings at a regular walking pace and probably a little less if you run, so technically this doesn't prevent either of them from being in the rec room sometime between 23:27 and midnight. But Christian in particular wouldn't have had a lot of time there. [[Fascinating.|compRoom]]

<ul> <li>//Amanda Moretti//, data analyst</li> <li>//Bob Mitchell//, station manager</li> <li>//Carla Warner//, head of maintenance</li> <li>//Christian Straub//, researcher</li> <li>//Daniel Stein//, janitor (also, your brother)</li> <li>//Gabriela Rodriguez//, psychologist</li> <li>//Heather Nguyen//, lab assistant</li> <li>//Jack Griffiths//, researcher</li> <li>//Matthew Collins//, medical doctor</li> <li>//Victor Cheng//, researcher</li> <li>//Winston Greene III//, machinist</li> </ul> [[Return|$passage]]

''Schedules'' <<for _i = 0; _i < $schedules.length; _i++>> <<set _temp = $schedules[_i].locs>> <<if _temp.length > 0>> //<<print $schedules[_i].name>>// <<for _n = 0; _n < _temp.length; _n++>> _temp[_n] <</for>> <</if>> <</for>> ''Evidence'' <<if $evidence.length > 0>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $evidence.length; _i++>> <li><<print $evidence[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul> <<else>> You haven't found anything yet. <</if>> ''Suspects'' //Carla Warner//<<if $caEv.length == 0>> <<else>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $caEv.length; _i++>> <li><<print $caEv[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul><</if>> //Christian Straub//<<if $chEv.length == 0>> <<else>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $chEv.length; _i++>> <li><<print $chEv[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul><</if>> //Jack Griffiths//<<if $jaEv.length == 0>> <<else>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $jaEv.length; _i++>> <li><<print $jaEv[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul><</if>> //Victor Cheng//<<if $viEv.length == 0>> <<else>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $viEv.length; _i++>> <li><<print $viEv[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul><</if>> //Winston Greene III//<<if $wiEv.length == 0>> <<else>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $wiEv.length; _i++>> <li><<print $wiEv[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul><</if>> [[Return|$passage]]

Amanda Moretti is one of the more experienced Polies at this station; this is her fifth or sixth winter-over, and she did a few summer seasons before that. Probably what's helped her get through all those Antarctic winters is that she seems to genuinely like most people, and at least tolerate the rest. She and Daniel were dating, or at least hooking up. It didn't seem that serious, but she was probably the most attached to him of anyone here besides you.

Carla Warner is your boss -- the petty tyrant of all things maintenance-related. She's no more than 5'2" and could, from a distance, be mistaken for a perfectly average middle-aged woman, but she exudes an aura of intimidation that you've never seen anyone challenge. She's Australian, which is a little unusual for non-scientist staff since Denver only hires within the US. Rumor has it that she immigrated to marry an American guy whom she has since divorced, but she's never shared anything about her personal life with you, and you're pretty sure she'd make your life hell if you had the temerity to ask.

Christian Straub is one of the scientists. In general, you don't know the scientists quite as well as the other support staff, but Christian in particular is an enigma. You get the impression that he likes data more than people and does his best to avoid the rest of you whenever possible. Sometimes you wonder how he got through the "are you going to go crazy in Antarctica" screenings, although to be fair you don't know what that process looks like for researchers. Maybe it's not as stringent. Mostly, what you know about him is that he's from Germany; Daniel was oddly fascinated by this and kept asking him questions about what it was like. You got the sense that Christian didn't appreciate the badgering.

Gabriela Rodriguez is also a scientist, but she's a little different from the others; she's doing some kind of observational psychological study about life in Antarctica. To this end, she makes you all fill out weekly surveys (which is mildly annoying, but you're all here to advance the cause of science, right?). She's also a tech enthusiast and has ended up as the station's unofficial IT person, since whoever is in charge of these things couldn't be bothered to hire one. She's from Queens, which hasn't given the two of you any special rapport, but you do find it kind of funny to have traveled to the most remote place on Earth only to run into another New Yorker.

Heather Nguyen is a relative newbie; this is her second season in Antarctica and her first winter. She's taking it pretty well for a Californian who had barely ever experienced normal winter, although you did have to teach her how to tie a scarf. She's well-liked around here for her willingness to take on pretty much any kind of task without complaining, although Amanda has been trying to convince her that she doesn't //always// need to say yes when someone asks her to take their kitchen or store shift.

Jack Griffiths is one of the scientists working with the telescope. Amanda complains sometimes that he's bad with computers and seems disinclined to learn anything as opposed to having her do it for him, but otherwise he seems like a nice enough guy. He's always polite -- a bit apologetic, even -- when making maintenance requests, which not everyone is. He spends a fair amount of time chatting with Bob, which is a little surprising because you know Bob tries to avoid the appearance of favoritism among the staff. You guess fiftysomething white guys need other fiftysomething white guys with whom to discuss football or how weird it is that their young relations aren't buying houses or whatever.

Matthew Collins is the station's only doctor. The combination of tedium and weighty responsibility sounds to you like the worst job imaginable, but he seems to handle it well. He said once that this was relaxing compared to being stationed at Amundsen-Scott, which also has only one doctor for a significantly larger population. <<if $intro == false>>(Though he's probably not finding it so relaxing now.)<</if>>

Victor Cheng is the youngest of the scientists; you gather his PhD research was very impressive, though you've never been able to make sense of Heather's attempts to explain it to you. The important thing is that he's a bit of a rockstar in his field and he unfortunately knows it. He's a friendly enough guy, and more willing to hang out with the support staff than the other researchers (though that might be because he's closer in age to most of you than most of them). He also thinks that he's an expert on absolutely everything. Between that and his total lack of common sense, he drains your patience fast. Daniel <<if $intro == true>>likes<<else>>liked<</if>> him, though.

Winston Greene works in the machine shop making all the parts that maintenance needs to fix stuff. This makes him the person you deal with the most on a daily basis (with Carla in close second). He's easygoing and good-natured, but always a little reserved. He grew up in Atlanta and did his machinist training in Florida, and he said once that he still wasn't used to how white it is down here. You don't think it was //entirely// a joke about the snow. (The percentage of the US Antarctic Program that's made up of white men isn't as disproportionate as it used to be, but that's not saying much.)

<<if $inventory.length > 0>> <ul> <<for _i = 0; _i < $inventory.length; _i++>> <li><<print $inventory[_i]>></li> <</for>> </ul> <<else>> You're not carrying anything. <</if>> [[Return|$passage]]

/*Characters: ["amanda", "carla", "christian", "gabriela", "heather", "jack", "matthew", "victor", "winston", "bob"] except we're not using Bob here, that would be weird*/ <<set $activity = "">> <<set $partner = "">> <<set _stress = -2>> <<set _relPlus = 1>> /*default values, can modify them per activity if we want */ <<switch $currLocation>> <<case "greenhouse">> <<set $activity = "plant seedlings">> <<case "cafeteria">> <<set $activity = "wash dishes">> <<case "store">> <<set $activity = "mind the store">> <<default>> Error! You shouldn't be seeing this. <</switch>> Who would you like to $activity with? <<link [[Amanda|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $amanda>> <<activity _stress "amanda" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Carla|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $carla>> <<activity _stress "carla" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Christian|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $christian>> <<activity _stress "christian" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Gabriela|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $gabriela>> <<activity _stress "gabriela" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Heather|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $heather>> <<activity _stress "heather" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Jack|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $jack>> <<activity _stress "jack" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Victor|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $victor>> <<activity _stress "victor" _relPlus>> <</link>> <<link [[Winston|activityComplete]]>> <<set $partner = $winston>> <<activity _stress "winston" _relPlus>> <</link>>

<<switch $currLocation>> <<case "greenhouse">> You and $partner.name get to work planting the seedlings. It's hard, sweaty work, but ultimately satisfying. <<case "cafeteria">> You and $partner.name decide to tackle the mountain of dishes in the cafeteria sink. Before long the two of you have a good rhythm going, and soon the sink is empty. You exchange a high-five before going your separate ways. <<case "store">> You and $partner.name spend a few hours running the store. It's not very busy right now, so at first it's a bit awkward, but soon you're chatting up a storm over freshly brewed coffee. <<default>> Error! You shouldn't be seeing this. <</switch>> Your heart feels a bit lighter. [[Go back to your investigation.|$currLocation]]

''OCTOBER -- TEN MONTHS AGO'' The buggy from McMurdo drops you off in front of Pickering Station: the United States' newest Antarctic research station and your home for the next twelve months. It's a grey building that stands on the side of the mountain on stilts, giving it a sort of insectoid appearance. The dome that houses its state-of-the-art telescope looms behind it. As soon as you're out of the vehicle, the chill starts to work its way under your skin. Summers at McMurdo can be warmer than winters back home, but out here, it's a different story. Clouds move in to cover the sun, and for a moment the prospect of spending the next twelve months here feels unbearable. But no: you'll adjust. You've done it before; you can do it again. Your brother, Daniel, trails after you, a bag in each hand. He keeps looking around, eyes wide, [[like he can't quite believe that he's here|intro02]].

Antarctica jobs are hard to get -- unless you know someone, in which case they magically become much easier. You put the work in to establish yourself down here, and now Daniel is reaping the rewards. Occasionally you wonder if it was unfair for you to take advantage of that -- if you hadn't recommended him, maybe Pickering's trash cans would be emptied by someone who has a PhD and experience in emergency medicine and has been applying unsuccessfully for the last five seasons. It was probably especially egregious of you to get him one of the very small handful of full-year positions, as opposed to the more common summer-only gigs. But Daniel has been floundering since he dropped out of college--three years of his life with nothing to show for it but debt--and you think this will be good for him. <<link "You //hope// this will be good for him." "intro03">><</link>>

Together, you climb up the stairs and step into the building's atrium. It's spacious, but windowless and rather austere. People do their best to make things homey in the spaces they live, work, and relax in, but no one really bothers to do that for interstitial areas like this. The floor is covered with thick black rubber mats to protect against all the slush that gets tracked in, and indeed, with the amount of comings and goings this time of year, there's a fine layer of the stuff coating the mats. Daniel, though, still looks awed. "This is //so// cool," [[he says|intro04]].

Your first reaction is a flash of annoyance, but honestly? It //is// pretty cool. And you were probably just as much of a dork about it when you first came here, three seasons ago. "Yeah, it's great," you say. "I'll give you the tour later. But we should go to admin and get our room assignments first." You hold up one of your bags to underscore the point. "Lead on!" he says, making an expansive gesture that dislodges one of the bags, which falls to the floor. For better or worse, you think, [[it's going to be an interesting year|wanderingIntro]].

''AUGUST -- PRESENT DAY'' <<set $turns = 0>> <<set $turnsMax = 7>> /*play around with this*/ It's the end of another long day (night? Maybe you should just say "shift") of your job as Pickering's mechanic, handyman, and general jack-of-all-trades. In fact, your day should have ended an hour ago, but you've found yourself doing a favor for your brother. Again. Specifically, this time he's broken an exercise bike under mysterious circumstances -- [[so you're fixing it before the station manager can find out. |wanderingIntro2]]

You give the last bolt one final twist with your wrench and then tip the bike back upright. It's still noticeably dented, but everything appears to be in good working order. You give Daniel and his best friend Victor (one of the scientists) a thumbs up, and they erupt into cheers. You fix Daniel with your steeliest stare, and he goes quiet. "Now, about my payment..." you say, and he turns pale and starts stammering. You let him sweat it out for a few seconds, and then finish with "Tell me //exactly// how this happened and we'll call it square." Victor starts laughing while Daniel squirms. "We, uh, decided to see who could throw a kettlebell the farthest?" he offers. You put your face in your hands and Victor laughs harder, and before you know it you and Daniel are laughing along with him. Hopefully they're done making trouble now because you have places to be. Specifically, you're late for Scrabble Night with the other station techs, and you need to get back to the living area [[ASAP|gymIntro]].

''Atrium'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> <<if visited() === 1>> The atrium is the entrance to (as well as the slightly grubby center of) Pickering Station. The airlock to the outdoors is down a flight of stairs from here, but the flow of traffic in and out as well as to all corners of the base means it never looks as new as the rest of the facility. <</if>> The four wings of the station intersect here. To the north are labs and other working areas. To the south are wellness spaces -- the cafeteria, infirmary, and the like. Recreation rooms are to the west, and the living area is to the east. Scrabble is in your quarters tonight, so you'll want to head there before Amanda gets too impatient. <<link [[Head to the science wing.|northWingIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Go to the living area.|eastWingIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Quickly check the wellness wing.|southWingIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Go back to the rec wing.|westWingIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>>

''Science Wing'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> The science wing houses most of the functional spaces at the base, such as the machine shop, the administration office, and the state-of-the-art Pickering Telescope. The freewheeling nature of schedules at the Pole means that someone is probably working there now, but you're done for the day and you have an important Scrabble game to win. You'd better leave before someone ropes you into another job. [[Go back to the atrium.|atriumIntro]] /*deliberately not upping the turn count for going back to the atrium here*/

''Residence Wing'' Amanda Moretti is waiting in the living area hallway. She mimes exaggerated frustration when she sees you. You should probably get the game started, but there's a few other things you could do here (if she won't kill you first). You could buy snacks at the store, look out the window of the observation deck at the end of the hallway, or (if you've forgotten something) go back to the atrium. <<link [[Get some snacks from the store first.|storeIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Look at the view out the observation deck first.|obsDeckIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Go back to the atrium.|atriumIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> [[You've taken long enough. It's Scrabble time!|ourRoomIntro]]

''Store'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> You turn to head into the store, but Amanda grabs you by the back of your shirt before you've taken two steps. "Nice try, buster. Let's get started before I die of old age!" She motions at the door to your quarters with her free hand. <<link "She's right -- let's get started." "ourRoomIntro">><</link>> <<else>> You decide your game night will be better with snacks, so you duck into the store. Amanda calls after you with (mostly) feigned outrage. Winston is working the store tonight -- the store runs on the honor system, mostly, but it can't stock itself and hot items can't be served without someone there to supervise. The base denizens take turns stocking the store and running the fancy espresso machine, and Winston in particular likes to make sure there's fresh popcorn when he's on shift. [[Go back to the living area.|eastWingIntro]] <</if>>

''Your Room'' Before you go into your room, Amanda knocks on Heather's door to let her know Scrabble is imminent. Amanda and Heather work with the lab scientists as all-purpose assistants, but they're not here on a grant for any particular project; they work for the general services contractor (colloquially known as "Denver") just like you. As support staff of a non-managerial level, you've formed a sort of loose social alliance; Winston sometimes joins you, but obviously he's busy right now. Technically, Daniel also meets the criteria for this group, but, well... he's Daniel. Not everyone gets along with him. You've pulled your desk out from the wall a bit and set up the Scrabble board on it, and Amanda and Heather have dragged their chairs in. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, but sometimes it's nice to have a little more privacy than you'd have in the rec room. (Though the walls are thin, so you still have to be a bit careful.) [[You give everyone their tiles, and then begin sorting through your hand in earnest. | scrabbleIntro]]

''Observation Deck'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> You try to walk past Amanda to briefly check the observation deck, but she grabs you by the back of your shirt before you've taken two steps. "Nice try, buster. Let's get started before I die of old age!" She motions at the door to your quarters with her free hand. <<link "She's right -- let's get started." "ourRoomIntro">><</link>> <<else>> <<if visited() === 1>> The observation deck is mostly useful during the Antarctic summer, but for now you still enjoy seeing the light from the station spread out over the frozen landscape. You can't do that tonight, though, because the window shutters are closed. The shutters are state-of-the-art technology meant to keep light pollution from interfering with the base telescope when it's in operation, and are controlled remotely by whoever's working in the astronomy lab tonight. You get why they're necessary, of course, and it's not like they actually make much difference in the dark Antarctic winter, but you've come to feel trapped whenever the shades are closed. <<else>> The shutters in the observation deck are closed, so you can't see anything. <</if>> [[Tamp down your anxiety and go back to the living area.|eastWingIntro]] <</if>>

''Wellness Wing'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> A mélange of smells assaults your senses as you step into the wellness wing. There's the earthy smell of soil from the greenhouse, antiseptic from the infirmary, and... yes, based on what you smell the cafeteria's serving chili tonight. <<link [[Grab a to-go dinner from the cafeteria.|cafeteriaIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Step into the greenhouse for a minute.|greenhouseIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Stick your head in the infirmary.|infirmaryIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Go back to the atrium.|atriumIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>>

''Cafeteria'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> Since a lot of people like to multitask while eating (or just eat in various other places around the station), the cafeteria keeps some reusable takeout containers on hand. These have a tendency to walk off and not return until someone complains to Bob, the station administrator, and he puts out an official reminder, but luckily today there are a few available.<<if $inventory.includes("A takeout container of chili")>> You've already got one, though, so you'd better leave the rest for people who need them.<</if>> <<if not $inventory.includes("A takeout container of chili")>><<linkreplace "Get some chili.">>You fill a container with chili and take it with you. <<inv "A takeout container of chili">><</linkreplace>> <</if>> [[Go back to the wellness wing corridor. |southWingIntro]]

''Greenhouse'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> <<if visited() ===1 >> In terms of mental health, the greenhouse is the most important room in the station bar none. Yes, the station has more than enough food without it, and technically it's here as an experimental trial for growing food in deep space -- but if you had to go for months without seeing (or eating) fresh greenery the station would riot. You consider harvesting some carrots or tomatoes as snacks for Scrabble night, but decide it'll take too long. You promise yourself you'll come back for them later. <<else>> The greenhouse is warm, lush, and beautiful. Being here is good for your soul, but you can't linger. <</if>> [[Go back to the wellness wing corridor. |southWingIntro]]

''Infirmary'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> <<if visited() === 1>> Between the nature of life at the Pole and all the physical labor you do in particular, you're no stranger to the infirmary, although right now you're feeling pretty good, for once. Doctor Matthew Collins ("Matt" to his friends) is sitting at his desk and reading a book. It takes him a moment to notice you've entered, whereupon he gives you a brief wave. Then he goes back to reading, apparently having divined at a glance that you don't actually need anything. Given that the poor guy is on-call pretty much 24/7, you can't blame him for this. <<else>> You're in the infirmary, where Matt is sitting at his desk and reading a book. <</if>> [[Go back to the wellness wing corridor. |southWingIntro]]

''Rec Wing'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> This is where all the recreational spaces are. You privately think of it as the Fun Zone, and one day you're going to accidentally say that out loud and it's going to be very embarrassing. <<link [[Go back to the gym.|gymIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Check the rec room for some reading material.|recRoomIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Check your messages in the computer room.|compRoomIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Go to the atrium.|atriumIntro]]>> <<set $turns += 1>> <</link>>

''Gym'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> Victor and Daniel are here. They're just chatting for now, but every so often one of them eyes the squat rack in a way that makes you nervous. You should leave before they create more problems for you to clean up. [[Exit the gym.|westWingIntro]]

''Rec Room'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> <<if visited() === 1>> <<set $recroom = true>> The rec room is where most fun on the station happens; to facilitate this there's a pool table, a wide selection of books and movies, and even a big stack of board games. Unfortunately this is where //everyone// on the station goes to have fun, so after a few incidents involving uninvited participants, Scrabble Night has been held in your room for the last month or two. And even though you're late for that, you should have time to grab a book before heading over. You scan the shelves and grab a worn copy of //At the Mountains of Madness// by H.P. Lovecraft. At this point in the season it seems fitting. <<inv "A book by H.P. Lovecraft">> <<else>> You've already gotten a book from here. You should head back to the living area before people get angry at you. <</if>> [[Go back to the west corridor. |westWingIntro]]

''Computer Room'' <<if $turns >= $turnsMax>> <<goto "outOfTime">> <</if>> The computer room is dark and silent, so today's period of internet connectivity must be over. You won't be able to check your messages until the satellites come back over the horizon. [[Go back to the west corridor. |westWingIntro]]

/*if you take too many turns */ You feel a hand on your arm and turn to see Amanda, looking exasperated. "Come on," she says, "are we going to start Scrabble any time this century, or what?" "Sorry," you say, "I guess I'm a little distractable tonight." Hopefully she'll cut you some slack. By August, generally regarded as the worst month of the Antarctic winter, even the most levelheaded people get a bit weird -- which means, on the one hand, that you have an excuse for your behavior, but, on the other, that Amanda may not be in the mood to accept it. You're both experienced Polies, but that only goes so far -- this time of year is called "Angry August" for a reason. [[Regardless, you let her lead you back to the living area.|ourRoomIntro]]

<<set $inventory = []>> Several hours later... Scrabble night is going well! Not in terms of your performance (you have an X, a Z, and a Q but precious few vowels) but in terms of cutting loose and having a good time it's a hit. Everyone's having fun and nobody's getting too competitive, contrary to earlier posturing -- although that could be on account of you giving everyone access to your secret stash of vodka. Alcohol (at least the drinking kind) isn't supposed to be allowed on the station after some unfortunate incidents at other bases, but it's not a rule any of your fellow service staff follow. Getting through the long winter while completely sober sounds like a nightmare. Currently, you're having a chat with Heather about the greenhouse tomatoes while Amanda considers her next move. Finally she picks up her tiles and lays H-I-G-H on the board, forming "HIGHJACK". Heather frowns. "Is that a real word? I thought it was spelled just H-I?" Amanda protests that yes, it is a perfectly valid spelling, and you go for the dictionary before this can turn into a //real// argument and ruin the mood. Before you can even find the H section, however, [[there's a knock at your door.|scrabbleIntro2]]

You stand up with a loud sigh. Most people respect the sanctity of Scrabble Night, but you //are// technically on-call at all hours. Since there's no sun during the winter, everyone keeps their own hours, and that means things can (and will) break at any time. Another round of knocking -- pounding, really -- erupts with a frenzy. That's weird. What could be so urgent? You yank the door open to reveal Bob Mitchell, the station master, who is unusually sweaty and pale. "I'm so sorry," he says. "You have to come quickly. Now." His eyes are wild. "Sorry for what? Where are we going?" you say. Bob's not the type to crash your party, so something must be wrong, but what's he talking about? Bob shakes his head, takes a deep breath, and then looks you straight in the eyes. "You have to come with me to the infirmary," he says, more calmly. "It's Daniel. There's been... an accident." [[Your world spins.|intro3]]

//There's been an accident.// [[You follow Bob down the hallway.|intro4]]

//You have to go to the infirmary.// [[You follow Bob through the atrium.|intro5]]

//It's Daniel.// [[You follow Bob into the wellness wing.|intro6]]

You're in the infirmary. Daniel is here, lying stretched out on Matt's exam table. His skin is waxy and pale. His forehead is covered in blood. There are four deep and bloody gouges on his cheek. Daniel is dead. Daniel is //murdered//. How did this happen? "How did this happen?" you ask dully. [[It seems like such a trite question.|intro7]]

"I found him in the game room after dinner," Bob says solemnly. "He was already gone by then. No sign of whoever did this, either." You stare at him blankly. He stares back, clearly at a loss for words. Matt clears his throat. "Someone hit him over the head with a blunt object -- what it was exactly, I'm not yet sure, but it must have been heavy. He struggled with them first, which is where he must have gotten the scratches, but once he was struck he likely would have been dead within minutes. It was a bad blow. I hope it helps to know that," he says awkwardly. It does not help. "So it was murder," you say dully. The word feels heavy and foreign in your mouth, like you're talking about someone else's brother. [['"What are we going to do now?"'|intro8]]

Bob sighs heavily. "I was able to reach New Zealand on the satellite phone, and they'll be sending an investigation team. They can't get here for ten days, though, and in the meantime they've told us to tell the rest of the crew it was an accident." This cuts through your daze like a hot knife. "What?" you squawk. "We're lucky they can get here at all, this late in the season. And they're worried about what the culprit might do if they feel cornered, or if they find out the police are on their way in. They think this is the best course of action to protect everyone else on the station." Bob grimaces as he says this, as if he doesn't like it either. But if he doesn't, why is he going along with it? "That's bullshit. I refuse!" you snap. Your chest feels tight, like you can't get enough air. "All the evidence will be gone by then! That's not justice!" "It's safety!" he shoots back. "I don't care!" you yell. "I'll do it myself if I have to!" You'll put yourself in harm's way. You, and nobody else. The two of you lock eyes again, and [[you stare Bob down.|introEnd]]

Bob breaks first. "Fine," he says, looking away. "See what you can find, but be discreet about it. If they killed once they'll kill again if they think they can get away with it. I won't stand losing another member of my team." He's trying to sound tough, to scare you into being careful, but his voice cracks at the end. You nod in understanding. While you've been squaring off with Bob, Matt has pulled a sheet over Daniel's body. "I'm going to move him to the deep freezer," he announces awkwardly. Then he looks at you and tries to smile. "When I get back, I'll write up my notes. Come see me tomorrow and I'll let you know if there's any useful forensic information I can pass on." You try to smile back, and get at least halfway there. Meanwhile, Bob's pulled himself together and is back in gruff leader mode. "I have to go break the news to everyone," he says. "I'll take statements and figure out where everyone was. I'll let you know who has an alibi and who doesn't." "Thanks," you say. It's all you can muster. Bob goes to leave, but puts a kindly hand on your shoulder in passing. "In the meantime, see if you can sleep," he says. "It's the best thing you can do right now." Then he leaves to deliver the news. <<set $insomnia = true>> [[You'll give it a try.|ourRoom]]

<<charIntro christian>> <<switch $period>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Christian is sitting at a computer, looking through a series of images of space and absentmindedly eating chips. Hearing you come in, he turns around. "Do you need something?" he says. <<else>> Christian sits in his desk chair, occasionally glancing back at his screen as if anxious to get back to work. <</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $timetaken == false>> You see Christian returning some weights to a rack, having apparently just finished a workout. "Do you have a moment to talk?" you ask. "All right," he says. You can't tell how grudging he means it to sound. <<else>> Christian is standing next to the weight rack, looking at you with an expression you can't read. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[What was your relationship with Daniel?|christian1a]]<<if $chTopics.includes("daniel")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Where were you on the night Daniel died?|christian2a]]<<if $chTopics.includes("alibi")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Have you noticed anything strange lately?|christian3a]]<<if $chTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $flags.includes("chips")>>[[I'm sorry to ask, but have you been taking chips from the store?|christian4a]]<<if $chTopics.includes("chips")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident2")>>[[What were you doing on August 21?|christianI2]] <<if $chTopics.includes("incident2")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>> [[Did you go outside at all around the 23rd?|christianI3]] <<if $chTopics.includes("incident3")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|christianPhoto]] <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $christian.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $christian.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $chTopics.includes("daniel")>> <<topic ch daniel>> <<indEv ch "Was annoyed by Daniel.">> "We were not close," he says. "But you knew that, I think?" He seems to be wondering why you're even asking. As well he might; everyone here lives in each other's pockets, so it'd be hard to miss that Christian didn't particularly like Daniel. ("Not close" was perhaps an understatement.) <<set $timetaken = true>> <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> Well, it's understandable that he'd want to try to spare your feelings, under the circumstances. It was probably silly of you to hope the murderer would say something particularly revealing in response to this very basic question, anyway. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> You wish he would just say what he means. Do people think you weren't aware that they couldn't stand your brother? Do they think they're doing you a favor by pretending that everyone besides Victor and Amanda didn't resent you a little for recommending him? You clench your teeth and manage -- just barely -- not to say any of this to Christian. <<else>> "Cut the crap," you say. "I know you didn't like him." Everyone's been fucking tiptoeing around that fact ever since... well, ever since. It's like they think they're doing you a fucking favor, as if you were too dumb to know they were lying. "Excuse me?" says Christian, sounding more mildly puzzled than offended. The sudden wave of anger ebbs away, and you realize you were, not to put too fine a point on it, being a dick for no good reason. "Sorry," you say. "Just... forget I said anything." <</if>> [[Ask another question.|christian]] <<else>> Christian says he and Daniel were "not close," which is probably a polite way of saying that Daniel got on his nerves. Under most circumstances, that wouldn't be a motive for murder, but during an Antarctic winter, who knows? [[Ask another question.|christian]] <</if>>

<<if not $chTopics.includes("alibi")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic ch alibi>> "I was working," he says. "That late?" you ask. He lets out a brief laugh and gestures at the window. "Here we have day and night only by general opinion," he says. "I prefer to be alone in the lab, so I ignore the general opinion." "No one else was there, then?" It's a weak alibi, if so. He frowns. "Why do you ask me this?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "I'm sorry," you say, "it's just that I can't help wondering about what happened, if anyone might have seen anything..." You hope that this sounds plausible for someone who thinks it was an accident. Or at least that Christian will assume you're just paranoid. Boy, you're not doing a great job being subtle about your detective work, are you. "Oh," he says, his expression softening a little. "Unfortunately, I didn't. And I didn't see anyone else, so I can't tell you who else was awake." <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Does it matter? Just answer the question," you snap. He gives you an odd look. "Okay," he says. "No, no one else was there." <<else>> "You're dodging the question," you say. "Why? Are you hiding something?" "What are you talking about?" Christian looks genuinely bewildered. Maybe you were a little hasty with the accusations. You don't think he's a particularly good actor. But then, if he were a good actor with bad intentions, of course he'd want you to think that.... You shake your head to disrupt this train of thought. "Never mind," you say. "Just tell me if you saw anyone else that night or not." "I didn't," he says. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|christian]] <<else>> Christian says he was in the lab alone. No one can back this up, of course. [[Ask another question.|christian]] <</if>>

<<if not $chTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic ch suspects>> "Yes, Jack has been often giving me data that I can't replicate," he says. "I don't know why he seems to get much clearer results from the telescope... ah, but this is probably not of interest to you," he says. <<if not $chEv.includes("Has had trouble confirming Jack's research data.")>> <<indEv ch "Has had trouble confirming Jack's research data.">> <</if>> <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Oh, no, I'm interested in everything that's going on around here," you say. "That's good, since regrettably I don't know much about what happens outside the lab." He smiles wryly. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> On the one hand, it doesn't sound very relevant, but on the other hand, maybe this is an excuse not to talk more about it because he's hiding something? Or maybe he was deliberately wasting your time by bringing it up in the first place. Though in that case why wouldn't he just keep talking about it? You chase this train of thought in circles until Christian says, "Are you all right?" and you realize you've been silent for an awkwardly long time. "I'm fine," you say. "Don't worry about it." <<else>> "I'll decide what's of interest to me," you say sharply. "I'm sorry," says Christian, seeming a bit taken aback. "I only worried about boring you." <</if>> [[Ask another question.|christian]] <<else>> Christian has said that he doesn't pay much attention to what happens outside the lab, so the only weird thing he knows about is a mismatch between his and Jack's telescope data. [[Ask another question.|christian]] <</if>>

<<if not $chTopics.includes("chips")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic ch chips>> Christian doesn't respond right away, so you continue. <<if $gaTopics.includes("camera")>> "I saw security camera footage of you taking some chips without paying."<<else>>"Heather said that paprika chips keep going missing from the store without any record of being sold, and you're the only one I've seen eating them." <</if>> <<if not $chEv.includes("Has been stealing from the store.")>> <<indEv ch "Has been stealing from the store.">> <</if>> <<removeNote $evidence "Chips have been disappearing from the store.">> "Ah," he says awkwardly. "Well... yes, I-- I may have taken some." "Why?" you ask. He doesn't seem the type to do it for the thrill or anything like that. "The pay here isn't great, but it's not //that// bad." He shrugs. "The self-checkout system is not so good. I don't like to deal with it. And since my schedule differs from most, there is usually no one at the store when I want something." <<if not $gaTopics.includes("camera")>>On a hunch, you press a little further.<</if>> "So, when you said you were in the lab all night on August 14..." "Yes, I did leave to go to the store, but I didn't want to mention it." Honestly, you're not sure whether that makes him more or less suspicious. <<if $gaTopics.includes("camera")>>At least maybe the camera footage will help you if you ever narrow the time down to a five-minute window or something.<</if>> <<else>> Christian has admitted that he left the lab to illicitly acquire some chips. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|christian]]

<<if not $chTopics.includes("incident2")>> <<topic ch incident2>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "The 21st?" Christian says, seeming puzzled. <<indEv ch "Says he was alone all evening on the 21st.">> "Particularly in the evening," you clarify. "I was in the lab," he says. Well, that's not surprising. "Let me guess: you were alone the whole time?" "Yes," he says. <<if $chTopics.includes("chips")>>"And this time I actually did not leave."<</if>> It's sort of impressive that people have been managing to avoid each other so completely -- the station's not that big. Of course, it is built to accommodate at least twice as many people in the summer. It's just that it would be convenient for your purposes if people spent more time in the same room. [[Another question: Do you recognize this ruler?|christianI2a]] <<else>> Christian says he was alone in the lab all evening, which you can neither confirm nor deny. He thinks the ruler might have come from the lab. [[Ask another question.|christian]] <</if>>

Christian frowns. "Maybe we have some such in the lab, but I don't use them often, so I couldn't say for sure if it is one of ours. Does it matter? It seems to be rubbish now, anyway." "Thank you," you say, "that's very helpful." Christian looks bewildered. "It is?" <<evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door might have come from one of the labs.">> <<removeNote $evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door probably didn't come from maintenance.">> [[Ask another question.|christian]]

<<if not $chTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic ch incident3>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<if not $jaEv.includes("Went outside on August 22 to de-ice the telescope.")>> <<indEv ja "Went outside on August 22 to de-ice the telescope.">> <</if>> "That was the day the generators went out, correct?" Christian asks, then continues on without waiting for you to confirm. "No, I was inside. The telescope needed some outside work the day before, but I was lucky and Jack volunteered." "What kind of work did they need?" This is the first you've heard of this, and since you'd normally be in the loop on maintenance that's very strange. Christian looks a little uncomfortable at this. "There is ice building up sometimes. It gets in the way." You frown at this. "I thought there were heaters built in to do that for you?" He shrugs. "They are slow and not everywhere. Once they are on, it is better to do the last part by hand." You're annoyed that nobody has ever brought this up to maintenance, but it does make some amount of sense. <<else>> Christian didn't go outside in proximity to the power station incident, but Jack did to de-ice the telescope. Which is apparently a regular thing for the scientists, and you're annoyed nobody ever mentioned it to maintenance. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|christian]]

<<if not $chTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic ch photo>> <<set $flags.push("scientistPhoto")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> Christian fumbles in his coat pocket for a pair of glasses, and once they're on he takes the phone from you. After one quick look at the screen he looks back at you, confused. "Why do you have a note from Jack on this phone?" You stare back at him, shocked. You should say something, but your mouth doesn't want to open. And somewhere in the silence Christian puts two and two together. "Oh! I-- I see. Perhaps I am mistaken?" He looks at the phone again, but then shakes his head. "No, I am sure it is Jack. But there must be some innocent explanation, surely?" He looks utterly lost. "I'm going to take this information to Bob. He'll get to the bottom of this." You take the phone out of Christian's hands. He doesn't offer any resistance. "And try not to spread this around? People might get the wrong idea." "Yes, of course. I will say nothing." Christian is staring at a spot somewhere past you, over your shoulder. Then he straightens abruptly. "I have work to do now. I should get back to it." And with that, he leaves. The bigger issue is that people might get the //right// idea, and that could be dangerous. Right now you need to keep a lid on this, and Christian's concern for his coworker seems like the best avenue to exploit. But even though it's a white lie, even though you've told worse over the course of this investigation, it still turns your stomach. <<if $day < $event3>>You could go straight to Bob to make your accusation now. But you still have $daysLeft days before the police get here, and maybe you should take some time to make sure you haven't missed any evidence that might shore up your case. Of course, now you'll //really// need to watch your back.... <</if>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $christian.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

<<charIntro heather>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Heather is bent over a piece of lab machinery, but when she notices you've come in, she leaves it and hurries over to you. "Hey," she says, gently. "How are you holding up?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>>"As well as can be expected," you say.<<elseif $stress <=8>>"Not great," you admit.<<else>>"I don't want to talk about that," you say, sharply.<</if>> "But anyway, I had some questions for you." "Sure--what about?" <<else>> Heather is regarding you with obvious sympathy, which you're not sure how to feel about. <</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Heather is running on the treadmill and listening to music on a chunky iPod that's probably fifteen years old. (There's no WiFi down here, and the internet you do have doesn't have the bandwidth for streaming in any case, so this is as cutting-edge as music technology gets.) As you approach, Heather pauses the machine and takes out her earbuds. "What's up?" <<else>> Heather leans on the treadmill handlebar, listening attentively. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[Have you noticed anything strange lately?|heather1a]]<<if $heTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $viTopics.includes("incident2")>>[[Victor said you were with him on the 21st?|heather2a]] <<if $heTopics.includes("incident2")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("labtechPhoto") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|heatherPhoto]] <<if $heTopics.includes("photo")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $heather.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $heather.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $heTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic he suspects>> <<evidence "Chips have been disappearing from the store.">> "Like strange how?" Heather asks. "I mean, plenty of weird stuff happens here, especially at this time of year, but..." <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Anything, really," you say. "Just... humor my curiosity, okay?" This would, of course, be easier if you could explain why you were asking -- but on the other hand, maybe it's better not to have the information filtered through other people's preconceptions about [[what might be relevant|heather1b]]. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Anything," you say. "If I had something more specific in mind I would have said so." It comes out sharper than you meant it to. You can practically see Heather silently reminding herself to cut you some slack because of //the circumstances// -- or maybe you're reading too much into the brief pause before she replies. "Sorry," she says, "just checking." "That's okay," you say. [['"I didn\'t mean to be so snippy."'|heather1b]] <<else>> You feel a stab of anger in your gut. There's no way she doesn't know what you mean, right? She's obviously playing dumb. Maybe trying to cover for someone. "Don't fuck with me, Heather," you snap. Heather's eyes go wide and she backs away a little. "I- I didn't mean to. I just wanted to know if you were looking for anything specific." "Oh," you say. [['"No. Not really."'|heather1b]] <</if>> <<else>> Heather says the only particularly weird thing she can think of is that the store keeps running out of paprika chips. [[Ask another question.|heather]] <</if>>

Heather tilts her head, considering. "Well, whenever I'm on duty at the store, the number of bags of paprika chips on the shelf has obviously decreased, but I've never actually had anyone buy any while I was there, so I took a look at the inventory and there's no record of any of them being sold at all. So I guess we've got a chip thief, or some kind of chip-eating ghost. Or they're, like, disappearing into an alternate chip dimension...." She's trying to cheer you up, you're pretty sure. You're not in the mood to play along, but in the interest of not being a jerk to someone who's trying to be nice to you, you attempt a smile (you're not sure it's convincing) and say, "That //is// weird." [[Ask another question.|heather]]

<<if not $heTopics.includes("incident2")>> <<topic he "incident2">> <<set $timetaken = true>> You ask Heather if it's true that she and Victor were hanging out from 18:00 to 22:00 on the 21st. "I didn't look closely at the time, but yeah, something like that," she says. "I was complaining that I was bored but I didn't want to go in the rec room, so he invited me to play cards -- he suggested using his room or my room, actually, but I thought that would be a little weird one-on-one, so I suggested the greenhouse. I don't think he really, you know, meant anything by it, he's just kind of oblivious sometimes." "And you were with him the whole time?" you ask. "He didn't leave for any reason?" "No, I don't think so. We went together to the store for some snacks and then we were in the greenhouse until I left to go to bed, which is when I--" Heather breaks off as she puts two and two together. "Oh my god," she says, "do you think someone stuck that ruler in your door //on purpose//?" "It's... a possibility I'm considering," you admit. "Oh jeez, that's awful!" "Yeah, well, it's not the worst thing that's happened around here lately," you say, before you can stop yourself. "Of course," she says. "I-- I'm sorry." <<else>> Heather says she was with Victor for more or less the whole duration of your ill-fated nap; she found you right after they went their separate ways for the night. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|heather]]

<<if not $heTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic he photo>> <<set $flags.push("labtechPhoto")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> "Hmmmmm," Heather says while looking at the phone. "I definitely feel like I've seen this handwriting before, but I can't quite place it. It's just on the tip of my tongue...?" She pauses, and then deflates a bit. "Nope, it's not coming to me." You sigh and take the phone back. "Well, I appreciate you looking at it anyway. It's... important." Heather looks at you strangely. "Oh my god!" she blurts out. "You should have said something!" When you don't respond, she barrels on. "I think... if I recognize the handwriting it's gotta be someone I work with a lot. One of the scientists, maybe? No, definitely. I'd bet money it's one of the scientists." She looks a bit wild, so you move to cut her off. "I'll ask one of them, then. And in the meantime, can you keep this quiet?" you ask. You know that's going to be difficult for a naturally bubbly person like Heather, in a place where everyone is so //present// all the time, but you have to try. "Oh. Yeah, of course," she says in response. And then she goes quiet. Neither of you say anything for what feels like an hour, and once it's clear that won't change you turn to leave. "Thank you again," you say. She smiles a bit, but doesn't answer. <<evidence "The note was written by a scientist.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $heather.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

<<charIntro jack>> <<switch $period>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Jack is sitting at a table in the lab, thumbing through a stack of printouts. (It's kind of a waste of paper, but he's said before that he prefers to do some things the old-fashioned way.) He looks up at you and takes off his reading glasses. "Ah, hello," he says. <<else>> Jack fiddles absently with his glasses. <</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Jack is sitting at a cafeteria table by himself, eating dinner. (Given the small number of people here and the wildly divergent schedules people develop, it's more common than not for people to eat alone.) You sit down across from him. <<else>> Jack is eating dinner. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[What was your relationship with Daniel?|jack1a]]<<if $jaTopics.includes("daniel")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Where were you on the night Daniel died?|jack2a]]<<if $jaTopics.includes("alibi")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Have you noticed anything strange lately?|jack3a]]<<if $jaTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident2")>>[[What were you doing on August 21?|jackI2]] <<if $jaTopics.includes("incident2")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>>[[Did you go outside on or around the 23rd?|jackI3]] <<if $jaTopics.includes("incident3")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|jackPhoto]] <<if $jaTopics.includes("photo")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $jack.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $jack.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $jaTopics.includes("daniel")>><<topic ja daniel>> "I can't say I knew him very well," he says. "I saw him around, of course, but socially -- well, we didn't have much in common. I'm sorry about what happened to him, though." <<indEv ja "Says he didn't know Daniel well.">> <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Thanks," you say. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised you weren't annoyed by him. Most people were." "Well, I don't think he had any interest in me," Jack says. "He mostly left me alone." <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "That's it? That's not very helpful," you say, before you can stop yourself. "If you wanted to reminisce with someone, I suggest you try Victor." Jack's tone is a bit sharp, but you guess you've earned that. <<else>> "Yeah," you say, "you and everyone else, you're all so fucking sorry. What is that supposed to do for me?" It seems like these conversations have gotten you more bullshit platitudes than evidence. Does anyone here actually know anything useful? Are they //all// hiding things from you? "I'm sorry," Jack says again, not meeting your eyes. "I was just-- oh, never mind." "No, I'm sorry," you say, your anger dissipating as abruptly as it arrived. "I'm just, uh, a little... on edge." <</if>> <<else>> Jack says he didn't know Daniel very well. He seems to have no strong feelings about him -- but could that, in itself, be suspicious? <</if>> [[Ask another question.|jack]]

<<if not $jaTopics.includes("alibi")>><<topic ja alibi>> "I was asleep in my room," he says, "like I told Bob. Why do you ask?" <<set $timetaken = true>> <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "I was just curious about, you know, whether anyone saw or heard anything," you say, hoping it sounds convincing. You may have underestimated the difficulty of investigating without letting on to anyone that you're doing it. Then again, maybe people will just assume that you're being paranoid, rather than that you know something they don't. "I see," says Jack. "No, I'm afraid I didn't." <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> God, can't anyone just answer your questions without constantly asking you why this, why that? "It's none of your business," you say. "Can anyone confirm you were there?" "Uh, no, I don't think so," he says, looking a bit taken aback. Your instinct is to find this suspicious, but to be fair, it's pretty uncommon for anyone here to have someone in the room while they're sleeping. The rooms are single-occupancy, and the beds are narrow enough that even the people who are sleeping together usually aren't //literally// sleeping together. <<else>> "Why can't anyone here just answer a goddamn question?" you say, more loudly than you meant to. Jack startles a little, then seems to pull himself together. "I, uh, I did answer the question," he points out. "Right," you say, a bit sheepishly. <</if>> <<else>> Jack says he was asleep in his room by himself, which, of course, no one can confirm. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|jack]]

<<if not $jaTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<topic ja suspects>> <<run $flags.push("victorLab")>> <<indEv vi "Has been absent from the lab lately.">> <<if not $chEv.includes("Has had trouble confirming Jack's research data.")>> <<indEv ch "Has had trouble confirming Jack's research data.">> <</if>> "Well, Victor seems to hardly be in the lab anymore," Jack says. "I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but whatever it is, it's not his job. And Christian does nothing but complain about my data, as if it's //my// fault he can't get the settings on the telescope right." <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "That sounds like a pain," you say, hoping that you sound sufficiently sympathetic. You don't feel much closer to figuring out what happened to Daniel, but you sure have been learning a lot about everyone's petty grudges against their coworkers. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "I was asking about actually weird behavior, not just who's getting on your nerves," you say. "It's not just that Victor's slacking off," Jack says, a bit irritably, "it's that he //used// to be reasonably conscientious and that changed suddenly. Which did seem strange to me. But I'm sorry if it doesn't meet your standards." <<else>> "I wasn't asking because I wanted to hear you whine about your coworkers, I wanted some goddamned //useful information//. But I guess I should have known better," you say. Jack frowns. "Useful information?" "... Never mind," you say. You've got to get a handle on these mood swings or you're going to blurt out something //really// revealing sooner or later. <</if>> <<else>> Jack says Victor has been behaving oddly. He also seems fed up with Christian, but you're not sure how relevant that is. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|jack]]

<<if not $jaTopics.contains("incident2")>> <<topic ja incident2>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<indEv ja "Says he was with Amanda on the 21st until 22:00.">> "I was working in the lab with Amanda's assistance until fairly late," he says. "Then we both went to eat dinner, and then I went back to my room -- that was probably around 22:00." "So before 22:00, you were with Amanda the whole time?" Jack shrugs. "More or less? I don't remember exactly. Why?" "Just wondering," you say quickly, then move on to your next question. [[Do you recognize this ruler?|jackI2a]] <<else>> Jack says that he and Amanda were together all evening, until about 22:00, and that he doesn't know anything about the ruler. [[Ask another question.|jack]] <</if>>

Jack barely glances at the ruler in your hand. "Not particularly," he says. "If you're trying to find its rightful owner... well, I doubt he or she wants it back in that condition." "Probably not," you agree, trying not to sound annoyed. That was unhelpful, but maybe he really doesn't know anything, in which case it's not his fault. [[Ask another question.|jack]]

<<if not $jaTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic ja incident3>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> <<if not $jaEv.includes("Went outside on August 22 to de-ice the telescope.")>> <<indEv ja "Went outside on August 22 to de-ice the telescope.">> <</if>> "I think I went outside the day before? The telescope needed some work and Christian was dragging his feet, so I said I'd do it even though it wasn't my turn. Real nasty day for it, too -- I'd say he owes me a beer, but of course that's not allowed down here." He chuckles and winks at you. You frown. "Why are you guys doing your own maintenance on the telescope? Why aren't you going through Carla?" Maintenance is, after all, your entire job. Even if it's something extremely specialized, shouldn't it be on your radar? Jack looks awkward. "Well, it's unpredictable and you guys are busy. Usually by the time we find one of you guys we could have done it ourselves, right?" He laughs nervously. You don't find this funny at all, because you know if something goes wrong during one of Jack's jaunts the blame will fall on the support staff regardless of who //actually// did the work. But in the interest of keeping the peace you respond with a very forced "ha ha". <<else>> Jack went outside the day before to do some maintenance on the telescope. Apparently it's too inconvenient to always track down a member of support staff to help out. /*OFFICE POLITICS YAY*/ <</if>> [[Ask another question.|jack]]

<<if not $jaTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic ja photo>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 3>> <<set $flags.push("scientistPhoto")>> You hand Jack the phone and he takes it cautiously. He taps on the screen a few times, and something strange flashes over his face. It looks like... rage? It's gone when he looks up at you, but he still looks deeply unsettled. "Where did you get this?" he demands. There's a panicked edge to his voice, and his eyes are darting all around. Something about this isn't right. "It's my brother's phone! Someone found it and gave it back to me!" you say, defensively. You don't think you sound any less panicked than he does. "And I thought this photo was weird, and I wanted to know about it! That's all!" This doesn't calm Jack down any, but he does seem to retreat. "Well, in that case. Let me take another look?" His cadence is odd, and his movements are jerky as he taps on the phone again. "Nope! Never seen this handwriting before, sorry!" Jack hands the phone back to you, and then suddenly blurts out "Oh, I have a meeting! So sorry-- got to run--" and then he's gone. You'd almost feel sympathy for him, after all you've been through since Daniel's death, except... well. You think you've found your author. <<if $day < $event3>>You could go straight to Bob to make your accusation now. But you still have $daysLeft days before the police get here, and maybe you should take some time to make sure you haven't missed any evidence that might shore up your case. Of course, now you'll //really// need to watch your back.... <</if>> <<indEv ja "Is the author of the note on Daniel's phone.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $jack.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

<<charIntro matthew>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Matt is sitting at his desk in the infirmary, scribbling intently in some sort of a book. Upon closer inspection, he appears to be doing a sudoku puzzle. Fair enough -- his job involves sitting here twelve or more hours every day just in case someone needs him, and some days no one does. <<else>> Matt is rolling his pencil between his fingers. <</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Matt is eating a sandwich at his desk. You feel a little bad disturbing him, but, well, time is limited. <<else>> Matt is watching you with a politely attentive expression, although every now and then you think you see him glance longingly at the sandwich. <</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Matt is poking around the infirmary, opening drawers and cabinets as if taking some sort of inventory. "Are you busy?" you ask. "Oh, not really," he says. "I just have to keep myself occupied somehow." <<else>> Matt has stopped poking around and is now sitting in his desk chair. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[Have you noticed anything strange lately?|matt1a]]<<if $maTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[What can you tell me about the wound?|matt2a]]<<if $maTopics.includes("forensics")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $viTopics.includes("injury")>>[[Victor says you've been treating him for a wrist injury; is that true?|matt3a]] <<if $maTopics.includes("victor")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|mattPhoto]] <<if $maTopics.includes("photo")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $matthew.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $matthew.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $maTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic ma suspects>> "What do you mean?" Matt asks. "Well..." you begin; then, with relief, you realize that you can just say what you mean for once. "Honestly, I was wondering if anyone seemed suspicious to you." "I don't think I'm qualified to make that kind of judgement," he says. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "I thought doctors were supposed to believe they were qualified to do basically anything," you say. "I think you're thinking of engineers," says Matt. "Or possibly Victor." "Maybe," you say, attempting a smile. "Anyway, I promise I'm not going to have anyone arrested just on your say-so, or anything -- I'm just looking for leads." "Sorry," he says, "I really don't think I know anything useful. I'm stuck in this room all day every day, so I don't see much of what goes on." <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> You sigh heavily. "Look, I'm not asking you to pick someone to throw in jail forever, okay? I just want some goddamn leads." "Well, I don't have anything useful," Matt says. "I'm stuck in this room all day, so I don't see much of what goes on. Sorry." <<else>> "For fuck's sake, what do you think I'm going to do, enact vigilante justice on the first person you name?" "Uh, no," says Matt, "I just don't want to accidentally mislead you. None of this is really in my wheelhouse." You guess that's fair. Still, though, you wish it were easier to get information out of people than it's proving to be. <</if>> <<else>> Matt doesn't have any thoughts about who might be suspicious -- at least, not that he's willing to share. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|matthew]]

<<if not $maTopics.includes("forensics")>> <<topic ma forensics>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<evidence "The killer was probably Daniel's height or taller.">> <<evidence "The killer was probably right-handed.">> <<if not $evidence.includes("Daniel was attacked sometime between 23:27 and midnight.")>> <<evidence "The attack occurred no later than midnight.">> <</if>> <<stress 2>> "Keep in mind," he says, "that I'm a doctor and not a forensic expert, so take this with a grain of salt." You nod. "I understand." "To the best of my ability to determine this," he continues, "Daniel was struck with a blunt object held in the right hand of someone who was about his height or taller." You make a note of this. "What about the time of death?" you ask. "Well, based on temperature measurements, when I got there, he had been dead for about an hour." You lean forward eagerly at this. "So it would have been around midnight that he was attacked, then?" Matt shifts uncomfortably, either at your question or your sudden proximity. "Maybe. I can determine the approximate time of death, but what I can't say for certain is, uh, how much time passed between the attack and the time of death. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been a couple of hours." "You said it was probably quick," you say. The words come out sounding more accusatory than you meant them to. "Yes, well," he says, looking away, "I thought it was what you'd want to hear." At the time, you'd thought it wasn't any consolation, but now that you're thinking about the alternative, you realize that it was, at least, less awful. Too bad it wasn't true. <<else>> Matt has said (with numerous caveats) that the time of death was around midnight, that the attack occurred an unknown amount of time before that, and that the attacker was probably Daniel's height or taller and held the weapon in their right hand. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|matthew]]

<<if not $maTopics.includes("victor")>> <<removeNote $viEv "Says that his right wrist has been injured for some time.">> <<indEv vi "Probably couldn't have struck someone with a blunt object without aggravating his wrist injury.">> <<topic ma victor>> "Ah, yes, he did tell me I could confirm that if you asked. Actually, I made him sign a release form, just in case." Matt smiles as if at some private joke. (You suspect him of insisting on doing things by the book just to annoy Victor, who often annoys //him//, but you decide not to say anything.) "Anyway," Matt continues, "it's true, he's had that injury for a few months and I've been keeping an eye on it." "Do you think he could..." you begin. "I mean, would the injury..." "Prevent him from hitting someone with a blunt object?" Matt suggests. (Apparently he's less concerned than you are about wording things tactfully.) "Well, I wouldn't swear in court that it would, but I would say it's unlikely he could have done that without aggravating the injury, which I've seen no sign of." "Thanks," you say, making a note of this. <<else>> Matt has confirmed that Victor's injury is real, and has said that although he doesn't think Victor would be physically incapable of committing the crime, it probably would have injured him further. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|matthew]]

<<if not $maTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic ma photo>> Matt squints at the phone and brings it close to his face. You have the strange and entirely inappropriate urge to ask him if he needs reading glasses. But before you can blurt out anything too stupid, he hands it back to you. "Sorry, I haven't seen this before", he says. "It's a hell of a clue, though. Good job!" He's entirely too happy about not giving you anything useful. He turns to go back to his desk. "Are you //sure// you don't recognize it? Is there anyone you can rule out?" The desperation in your voice is more obvious than you'd like it to be. Matt turns back around and stares you straight in the eye. "No, I don't know anything. Why would I ever see anyone's handwriting?" he snaps. "I'm a doctor, not a--" He catches himself before he can complete his accidental Star Trek reference, but unfortunately for him, you laugh anyway. It lightens the mood a bit. "You've got a point there. Sorry about that," you say. <<else>> Matt doesn't have any clue who might have written the note. Which makes sense, now that you think about it. People aren't writing him many notes when he's treating them. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|matthew]]

<<charIntro victor>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Victor is in the cafeteria, loading up a plate with food. He waves you over when he sees you. <<else>> Victor has set his plate down on a table and is watching you with interest. <</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Victor is minding the store. Most of the other scientists don't take store shifts, but Victor seems to enjoy it -- or at least, he enjoys arranging things on the shelves just so. Which is what he's doing now. "Do you have a minute to talk?" you ask. "Sure," he says, "just a sec." He puts a final chip bag on the shelf and steps back to admire his handiwork. <<else>> Victor is sitting on a chair next to the self-checkout. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> <<if $viTopics.length >= 3 && not $viTopics.includes("injury")>> You notice that Victor seems to be favoring his right hand a bit and occasionally rubbing at his wrist. Is he injured? Maybe you should ask about it. <</if>> <<if $viTopics.length >= 4 && $victor.relationship < 4>>There's definitely something up with Victor, but clearly he doesn't trust you any more than you trust him. Maybe if you found some excuses to spend time with him, he'd open up? <</if>> [[What was your relationship with Daniel?|victor1a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("daniel")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Where were you on the night Daniel died?|victor2a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("alibi")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Have you noticed anything strange lately?|victor3a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $viTopics.length >= 3>>[[Did you hurt your wrist?|victor4a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("injury")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("victorLab")>>[[Jack says you haven't been in the lab lately.|victor5a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("lab")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $inventory.includes("Daniel's phone") && not $inventory.includes("A list of potential passcodes")>>[[Can you help me access Daniel's phone?|victor7a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("phone")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $victor.relationship >= 3 && $viTopics.length >= 4>>[[So... you're up to something, right?|victor6a]]<<if $viTopics.includes("investigation")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident2")>> [[What were you doing on August 21?|victorI2]] <<if $viTopics.includes("incident2")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>> [[Did you go outside on or around the 23rd?|victorI3]] <</if>> <<if $viTopics.includes("incident3")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|victorPhoto]] <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $victor.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $victor.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $viTopics.includes("daniel")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi daniel>> Victor gives you an odd look. "We were friends," he says. "As you know." "Everything was okay between the two of you?" you press. "You hadn't fought recently or anything?" "No," he says. "What about you?" <<indEv vi "Says he and Daniel were on good terms.">> <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Well, I was a bit annoyed about the exercise bike thing," you say, "but that's really it. Though I keep thinking, maybe if I'd invited him to Scrabble night, none of this would've happened...." "Maybe," says Victor, "or maybe it would have just happened at a different time." "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" you ask. Victor's expression turns grave. "No, it's just the truth. Unless you know what led to the-- uh, the incident, you don't know whether you could've prevented it or just delayed it." Huh. He's not wrong -- not that that does much to alleviate your guilt -- but what a weird way to talk about something he's supposed to believe was an accident. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Me?" you say (sounding kind of stupid even to yourself). "What do you mean?" "I'm just asking you the same thing you asked me," he says. "Yeah, but why?" you say, unable to keep the frustration from your tone. He shrugs. "I don't know, why did //you// ask?" You sigh. "You know what, forget it." <<else>> "What are you implying?" you demand. Victor holds up his hands. "I'm just asking you the same thing you asked me. It's a bit hypocritical of you to get offended, don't you think?" "Shut the fuck up," you snarl. "Fine, let's not discuss this topic any further, then," he says. (The implication being, of course, that he won't give you any further information, either.) <</if>> <<else>> Victor and Daniel were friends, and Victor says everything was fine between them. Victor is definitely acting a little weird about this, though. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("alibi")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi alibi>> "I went to bed shortly after I saw you last, I'm afraid," he says. "And before you ask, no, no one can confirm that." "What made you think I would ask that?" you say. He's not wrong, of course, which is exactly what bothers you. "Call it a hunch," he says. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Sure," you say, "we'll go with that." After all, the alternative is probably him telling you that it's incredibly obvious what you're up to, and you'd like to maintain a little bit of plausible deniability. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> You clench your fists and tamp down the urge to punch him. It feels like he's mocking you, but that's probably your imagination. You're not at your most rational right now and you know it, so you should try not to do anything too stupid. "You okay?" says Victor. You must have been sitting there in silence for an awkwardly long time. Oops. "Yeah, I'm fine," you say. "Don't worry about it." <<else>> "What the fuck is wrong with you?" you snap. "Uh, what do you mean?" says Victor. "For Daniel's supposed best friend, you don't seem to be taking any of this very seriously," you say. "Is this some kind of game to you?" "I'm taking it just as seriously as you are!" he shoots back. "That's why I'm--" He stops abruptly. "Why you're what?" "... Nothing," he says, looking away. "Never mind." <</if>> <<else>> Victor says he was asleep, but has no proof to offer. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi suspects>> Victor shakes his head. "Nothing that's particularly stranger than usual for the season," he says. "Not before the, uh, the incident, I mean." "What about after?" "Well, yeah, things are pretty weird now, but that's to be expected under the circumstances, isn't it?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "I guess that's fair," you say. "Sorry I don't have any fun gossip or anything," he says. "If that's what you wanted." You figure it's probably best to let him believe that. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> You sigh in frustration -- he's clearly dodging the question. "Look, do you know something or don't you?" He raises an eyebrow. "Know something about what?" It's at this moment that you remember that the investigation is supposed to be a secret and you probably shouldn't openly admit to its existence, even if you are pretty damn sure Victor is hiding something. "Nothing," you say. "Never mind." "If you say so," he replies. <<else>> It takes every ounce of your willpower not to just hit him. "Why are you jerking me around like this?" you say instead. "Do you think I'm stupid?" "I-- I don't know what you're talking about," Victor says. He takes a step backwards though, as if he's afraid of your response. You're not convinced, but you let it slide. For now. "Alright," you say, and let the subject drop. <</if>> <<else>> Victor says he hasn't seen anything strange (or at least, nothing stranger than you'd expect under the circumstances). <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("injury")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi injury>> "Oh, yeah, it's some kind of tendinitis I got from doing lab work," he says. "I've had it for a while. It's really annoying, because whenever it's acting up I have to put half my experiments on hold so I don't aggravate it, and I don't exactly have all the time in the world here...." He sighs, and then seems to realize he's gotten off on a tangent. "Anyway, you can confirm the nature of the injury and how long I've had it with Matt if you want -- I'll tell him it's okay to tell you." <<indEv vi "Says that his right wrist has been injured for some time.">> You're not sure what to make of that last part, other than that it contributes to your growing conviction that Victor //must// know that you're investigating. It's the kind of answer that someone might give if they thought //you// thought that they might have been injured in a struggle with a victim -- but how would he know there was a struggle? <<else>> Victor says that his right wrist has been injured for some time and that you can confirm that with Matt if you want. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("lab")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi lab>> Victor rolls his eyes. "So? I bet I still get more done than he does. I don't know how he even got this grant. I checked his publication history and it's not impressive." <<indEv ja "Has a mediocre track record in his career.">> "Yeah, but why haven't you been in the lab?" "Why aren't //you// doing //your// job?" he asks -- apparently rhetorically, since he doesn't leave you any time to respond. "Has it occurred to you that I'm coping with the same shit you are? Or have you convinced yourself you're the only one who cares?" "Sorry," you say. He hasn't seemed to be quite as much of a mess as you are so far, but some people are good at hiding it, and his anger just then seemed real enough. <<else>> Victor didn't quite answer the question, and mostly seemed annoyed that someone he sees as a lesser scientist was criticizing his work habits. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("investigation")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic vi investigation>> "I guess there's no point trying to hide it from you," Victor says. "I'm investigating. Trying to find out what happened to Daniel." "You don't think it's an accident," you say, not bothering to make this sound like a question. "Neither do you," he shoots back. (That's not a question either.) You look away. "I saw his body. It was... there were signs of a struggle." Of course, as soon as you say this, the image returns to your mind, despite your best efforts. "But I was told not to tell anyone." "Shit," says Victor. There's an awkwardly long pause, and then he adds, "I'm sorry." "Thanks," you say, equally awkwardly. Then, to get away from the subject, you ask, "Do you have any idea why someone would have done this? That's the thing I'm having trouble figuring out." Victor rakes a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I don't know either. He annoyed a lot of people, sure, but //that// much? Although...." He's silent for a moment, thinking about something. "I don't know if this is relevant, but there have been some issues with the telescope, and in the last couple days before the... the incident, Daniel seemed really interested in that suddenly. Like, before that we mostly talked about video games and came up with dumb ways to entertain ourselves and I don't think he'd ever shown any interest in what I did all day, but then out of nowhere he starts asking me stuff about how the telescope works and what kind of data I'm getting from it. But I don't really know how that fits into anything." <<evidence "Daniel was asking questions about the telescope before he died.">> "Thanks," you say, making a note of this. "You never know what might be relevant." <<else>> Victor says he's been conducting his own investigation. It's tempting to think that the two of you could work together, but... he //is// still a suspect. He did mention that Daniel had developed a sudden interest in the workings of the telescope shortly before his death -- could that be related? <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("phone")>> <<topic vi phone>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "What do you mean?" Victor asks. "I found his phone--" you hold it up by way of demonstration-- "but it's locked, and since the two of you were close, I was just wondering if you maybe knew the passcode, or had any guesses." Victor shakes his head. "I mean, we were friends, but we weren't really having heart-to-hearts where we talked about meaningful moments of our pasts or anything. Maybe try Amanda?" "Okay," you say, "I will." <<else>> Victor doesn't have any ideas and suggests you ask Amanda instead. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("incident2")>> <<topic vi incident2>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Any particular time?" Victor asks. "About 18:00 to 22:00?" you hazard. (You wish you'd paid a little more attention to what time it was when you woke up.) "I think Heather and I were hanging out in the greenhouse for most of that time," he says. "Playing cards, mostly. I just... I needed a break." <<if not $viTopics.includes("investigation")>>(A break from what, you wonder, if he hasn't been working? But it doesn't seem important enough to ask.) <</if>> "Okay," you say, making a note of this. It's a relief to have an alibi you can check for once. <<indEv vi "Says he was hanging out with Heather on the evening of the 21st.">> [[Do you know where this ruler came from?|victorI2a]] <<else>> Victor says he was hanging out with Heather on the evening of the 21st. He thinks the ruler might have come from one of the labs, but he's not sure. [[Ask another question.|victor]] <</if>>

<<evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door might have come from one of the labs.">> <<removeNote $evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door probably didn't come from maintenance.">> "We definitely have some rulers lying around in the labs, but I don't have much use for them," Victor says. "I can't say if this is one of them. I mean, I don't go around memorizing the characteristics of individual rulers." You sigh. "I just wondered where in the station there were rulers //like// these, because we don't use this kind in maintenance." Victor's eyebrows raise at this. "Why? I mean, why were you wondering, not why don't you use them." "Uh, it's... a long story? Maybe I'll tell you later." Or maybe he'll hear it from Heather, if they've been chummy lately, but nevertheless, you feel you should make a token effort to keep everything about the investigation from spilling out. Victor looks at you askance, but all he says is, "Okay." [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic vi incident3>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> <<indEv vi "Went outside to inspect the telescope on August 23.">> "Yeah, I went outside to inspect the telescope a few hours before the generators blew. Why?" He looks at you seriously. You don't answer his question. Instead you ask him, "What needed inspecting?" <<if $chTopics.includes("incident3") or $jaTopics.includes("incident3")>> You're getting //really// fed up with these scientists taking work that should be yours into their own hands.<</if>> Victor shrugs in response. "There's been some weird shit happening with the telescope recently. I wanted to see if I could figure out what's going on." He's, annoyingly, being just as evasive as you are. You could press him further on what this "weird shit" entails, but if you're both going to keep stonewalling your time is better spent doing almost anything else. <<else>> Victor was outside inspecting the telescope a few hours before your incident at the power station. He was pretty vague about //what// exactly that inspection entailed, though, only that there's been "weird shit" happening with the telescope recently. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|victor]]

<<if not $viTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic vi photo>> <<set $flags.push("scientistPhoto")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> Victor grabs the phone -- rather gingerly, you note -- and inspects the photo. It's not long before he goes pale and lets out a whistle. "Well. I'll be damned," he says incredulously. "You really did it." You're not sure if he's talking to you, or to your mystery note writer. "Do you know who wrote it?" you ask. "Yeah. That's the only thing I'm good for, actually." He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and sighs. When he opens them again it looks like he's about to cry. "Jack wrote that. How could I not know? How could I be working alongside that //bastard// the whole time and not see anything?" His voice is wobbling. Maybe his investigation was the only thing keeping him going, just like yours was for you. "I'm going straight to Bob with this," you say, trying to sound authoritative. "He'll know what to do. And then we'll have justice, right?" You're trying to convince Victor here, but you're not so sure yourself. What can Bob do before the actual police show up? But you have to try. "Yeah. Justice. You're right." Victor takes another deep breath and lets it back out. "Good luck. I'll keep quiet and keep an eye on Jack in the meantime. Least I can do, right?" He tries to flash a smile. It's shaky, but it still makes you feel a bit better. "Right," you say and hold out a hand. Victor shakes it and then turns to leave. <<if $day < $event3>>You could go straight to Bob to make your accusation now. But you still have $daysLeft days before the police get here, and maybe you should take some time to make sure you haven't missed any evidence that might shore up your case. Of course, now you'll //really// need to watch your back.... <</if>> <<indEv ja "Is the author of the note on Daniel's phone.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $victor.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

Bob is typing away busily when you enter. (He always seems to be; you wonder whether he has that much actual work or whether he's filling his time with something else.) He swivels his chair to face you. "Can I help you?" <<if $day >= $event3 || $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>>[[I think I know who the killer is.|accusation]] <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[No, just passing through.|" + $bob.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[No, just passing through.|" + $bob.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

Who is the killer? <<listbox "$accused">> <<option "Carla">> <<option "Christian">> <<option "Jack">> <<option "Victor">> <<option "Winston">> <</listbox>> <<button Submit>> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Alert"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("confirmation").text); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<return>>

Are you sure? Once you make this accusation, your investigation will be over. @@float:left;<<button "Yes">> <<goto "ending">> <<run Dialog.close()>> <</button>>@@ \ @@float:right;<<button "No">> <<set $accused = "">> <<run Dialog.close()>> <</button>>@@

<<charIntro amanda>> <<switch $period>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Amanda is sitting in front of a computer, contemplating some numbers that are meaningless to you. "Do you have time to talk?" you ask. "I suppose I can spare a moment while this analysis is running," she says, swiveling her chair around. <<else>> Amanda sits in her desk chair, waiting for you to speak. <</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Amanda is sitting on a bench in the greenhouse with her laptop. Hearing you coming, she looks up. "I miss plants sometimes," she offers by way of explanation, sounding a little defensive. "Am I interrupting your work?" you ask. "I'm not doing anything //too// important," she says. "What do you need?" <<else>> Amanda is sitting on the bench, her laptop closed beside her. <</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Amanda is sitting at a table with a plate of food in front of her, though she seems to be staring at it more than eating it. As you approach, she raises a hand in greeting. <<else>> Amanda is sitting at the table and looking at you, her plate of food apparently forgotten. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[Have you noticed anyone behaving strangely?|amanda1a]]<<if $amTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $inventory.includes("Daniel's phone") && not $inventory.includes("A list of potential passcodes")>>[[Can you help me access Daniel's phone?|amanda2a]] <</if>> <<if $jaTopics.includes("incident2")>>[[Jack says you were with him on the evening of the 21st?|amanda3a]] <<if $amTopics.includes("incident2")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("labtechPhoto") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|amandaPhoto]] <</if>> /*<<if $flags.includes("incident3")>>[[What do you make of this box?|amandaI3]] <<if $amTopics.includes("incident3")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>>*/ <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $amanda.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $amanda.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $amTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<topic am suspects>> <<set $flags.push("victorCarla")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Amanda looks at you flatly. "It's August. //Everyone's// acting strangely." <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> You guess she has a point there, so you quickly amend your statement. "I mean, strangely even by Pole standards?" you offer. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> She has a point, but you don't appreciate the snark right now. "You know what I mean!" you say, a little more harshly than intended. Amanda looks surprised by your tone but quickly collects herself. <<else>> "Look, do you want me to solve this or not!?" you snap. Amanda puts a hand up between you in response. She looks... a little afraid of you? "Sorry," you say quickly. "August, right?" After a beat, she nods and puts her hand back down. <</if>> "All I can think of is that Victor and Carla seem to be mad with each other lately?" Amanda offers. "Victor asked me to switch kitchen shifts last week because he said he didn't want to be around her, and Winston says he keeps sticking his head into the shop and then leaving if Carla's around." "That's weird, even for August," you agree. "Did you ask him anything when you took over his shift?" Amanda shakes her head ruefully. "I mind my own business around here, you know that. It's the best... survival strategy." Her face falls, and you don't have to ask what she's thinking. It //is// the best survival strategy here, and Daniel never learned it. <<indEv ca "Has been on the outs with Victor lately.">> <<indEv vi "Has been on the outs with Carla lately.">> <<else>> According to Amanda, Victor has been on the outs with Carla lately. She doesn't know why, so you'll have to find out. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|amanda]]

<<if $amanda.relationship >= 3>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<topic am phone>> <<set $flags.push("phonePW")>> For a moment, Amanda looks like she's going to turn you down<<if visited() > 1>> again<</if>>, but instead of saying anything she just stares off into the distance. Then her gaze snaps back to you. "You know what?" she says with surprising vigor. "I think it would be nice. I think I'd feel like I had a part of him back. Let me find some paper and I'll make a list of all the numbers and words he might have used." She starts rummaging around in her bag and then gets to work. It only takes her a few minutes, and then she hands you the list. "Here you go," she says. "And oh -- I remember he complained endlessly about how long it locked him out for whenever he got his password wrong too many times. Do you have a plan for that?" <<if $flags.includes("phoneHack")>> "Yeah, I already talked to Gabi about that. She thinks she has a way around it. Thank goodness she's so good with computers!" <<else>> "Oh, good point. Maybe I'll see if Gabi can help? She practically does more tech support than research around here." <</if>> Amanda gives you the first smile you've seen on her in days. "Tell me how it goes." <<inv "A list of potential passcodes">> <<elseif $amanda.relationship > 0 && visited() > 1>> Amanda bites her lip. "I'm sorry," she says, "I don't think I'm up to it yet. But... it was nice spending time with you recently. Maybe we could do that again sometime?" "Sure," you say. That wasn't the response you hoped for, but at least it's good to know that inviting her to do things does seem to be helping. <<else>> Amanda looks wary, and a bit sad. "I get that he was your brother and all, but can't that wait? Thinking about him is hard right now." She seems like she's not doing too well at the moment. Maybe if you spent some time with her and encouraged her to keep busy, it would help? <<indEv am "Might be able to help you break into Daniel's phone, if she feels up to it.">> <</if>> [[Ask another question.|amanda]]

<<if not $amTopics.includes("incident2")>> <<topic am "incident2">> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Yes -- when we were done with work, he said he was going to the caf and asked if I wanted to come along. I said I'd go later, but he..." She looks at the floor. "Well, I hadn't eaten lunch, and he seemed a bit worried." You can sympathize; you're sure you've missed a few meals yourself lately. But right now you have other priorities. "So you were together all evening until you left the caf?" you ask. "Well, he left first." "What time was that?" Amanda thinks for a moment. "Around 21:30? He said something about not having the stamina to stay up late at his age." <<indEv ja "He says he left the cafeteria at 22:00 on the 21st, but Amanda says he left at 21:30.">> <<removeNote $jaEv "Says he was with Amanda on the 21st until 22:00.">> Interesting -- he gave a different time. But one or the other of them could be innocently mistaken. <<else>> Amanda says that she and Jack went to the cafeteria together after work on the 21st, and he left at 21:30. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|amanda]]

<<if not $amTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic am photo>> <<set $flags.push("labtechPhoto")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> Amanda takes the phone and studies it carefully. The color drains from her face, and she looks up at you in shock. "What-- how-- why would this be on Daniel's phone?" she says. There's a dullness to her words, like she's speaking them from far away. "That's what I'm trying to find out. Whoever wrote this note must have..." You can't say it. There's a long, awkward pause, so you continue. "That's why I need to know if you recognize the handwriting. Have you seen it before?" Amanda blinks rapidly and then looks back at the phone with renewed focus. "It's definitely familiar, but I can't quite place it. I want to say it's one of the scientists, though?" "Thanks." You take the phone back and pocket it. "And... don't tell anyone else about this, okay? It might be... they might try...." You swallow around the sudden lump in your throat, and then force out, "Be careful." Amanda nods. "I will." Then she stands up and begins to pack up her belongings. "I think I need a minute. I'll see you later?" You nod. Your hands are shaking, so you think you need a minute too. <<evidence "The note was written by a scientist.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $amanda.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

<<if not $amTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic am incident3>> <<else>> <</if>>

<<charIntro carla>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Carla is pacing around maintenance HQ, moving tools from one shelf to another according to some logic known only to her. "Do you have time to talk?" you ask. She sighs deeply. "All right, if you make it quick." <<else>> Carla shifts her weight from foot to foot, and occasionally glances around the room as if mentally cataloguing the tasks that still need to be done. <</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Carla is sitting in a chair busily scribbling something on a clipboard, which she whisks out of sight as soon as she sees you approaching. "Do you have a moment?" you ask. "Well, I've got work to do, but if you must..." she says, sounding very put-upon. <<else>> Carla sits in her chair, looking at you like she might look at a fly she was unable to swat. <</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Carla is sitting at a computer, angled slightly so that she can see the door. When you come in, she shuts her browser window and stands up. "Did you want something?" she says sharply. <<else>> Carla is hovering awkwardly next to her computer. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[What was your relationship with Daniel?|carla1a]]<<if $caTopics.includes("daniel")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Where were you on the night Daniel died?|carla2a]]<<if $caTopics.includes("alibi")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Have you noticed anyone behaving strangely?|carla3a]]<<if $caTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $caTopics.includes("alibi") && $carla.relationship >= 2>>[[So, about that project you were working on...|carla2b]] <<if $caTopics.includes("influencer")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $wiTopics.includes("daniel") && $caTopics.includes("influencer")>>[[Do you know why Winston and Daniel weren't getting along?|carla3b]] <<if $caTopics.includes("contraband")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("victorTools") or $flags.includes("victorCarla")>> [[Has Victor been acting unusual lately?|carla4a]] <<if $caTopics.includes("victorTools")or $flags.includes("victorCarla") >>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("carlaTools")>> [[What's going on with the toolchest?|carla4b]]<<if $caTopics.includes("toolchest")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident2")>>[[What were you doing on August 21?|carlaI2]] <<if $caTopics.includes("incident2")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>>[[Did you go outside at all around the 23rd? | carlaI3]] <<if $caTopics.includes("incident3")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("supportPhoto")>>[[Do you recognize this handwriting?|carlaPhoto]] <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $carla.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $carla.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $caTopics.includes("daniel")>> <<topic ca daniel>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Carla's face softens as she looks you over. "Are you sure you want to hear that?" she says, more gently. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "No," you say, "But I need to anyway. Can you...?" It's too hard to finish your sentence, but Carla gets the point. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Of course I do!" you say, too shrilly. You can tell by the way Carla is looking at you that she doesn't buy it. "It's just I... need to know. Everything. For closure, you know? Otherwise it's just fake." You wave your arms for emphasis -- probably too vigorously, since Carla takes a step back -- and hope she's convinced. <<else>> Your eyes, unprompted, begin to fill with tears. Your words burst out in a wail. "No! I don't want any of this! But I... he...." You trail off as you try to stop the tears. The shame of crying so publicly just makes it worse, but at least Carla doesn't try to comfort you. Right now kindness would break you entirely. You must have gotten your point across somehow, because once you've pulled yourself together Carla starts to speak. <</if>> Carla rubs her temple and sighs. "I'll make it quick, okay? Daniel was a difficult little bugger. I probably spent more time managing him than the rest of you put together. He couldn't take a simple order -- always had to ask why, or argue about the how, or tell me he knew a better way. Who's the boss, I kept telling him, you or me? I don't think he was a bad kid, but he was a right pain in the arse and I'd just about had it with him!" she says. After a beat, Carla realizes how that sounds and hastily adds, "Not how I wanted him out of my hair though, and Lord knows he didn't deserve what happened to him. May he rest in peace." <<indEv ca "Thought Daniel was a difficult and frustrating employee.">> <<else>> Carla thought Daniel didn't respect her authority and was generally a difficult employee to manage. It's not the greatest motive, but with Angry August in full swing perhaps her feelings could have overwhelmed her? <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("alibi")>> <<topic ca alibi>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "I was in my room all night working on a project. Alone." You wait for Carla to elaborate, but she's not going to. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "What project?" you ask, trying to keep your tone neutral. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Really? What kind of project was worth skipping a dinner invite with Bob?" you say skeptically -- too skeptically, really. <<else>> "Well, that's //awfully// convenient. What kind of project is it, again?" You shouldn't be this sarcastic with your boss, but you can't stop yourself. It feels perversely good to let out some of the nastiness that's been churning inside you, whatever the consequences may be later. <</if>> "A personal one!" Carla snaps. "I don't see why you need to know more than that, anyhow. Can't I have any privacy on this dratted station?" She has a point, or at least would have one if you weren't dealing with a murder. But you are, and it's suspicious. Surely there's a way to find out more about what she was supposedly working on? Maybe if you spent a little time with her outside of work...? <<indEv ca "Was working on a project at the time of the murder, but won't give specifics.">> <<else>> Carla was alone in her room all night, or so she says. She seemed cagey about it, though -- what's she hiding? <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("influencer")>> <<topic ca influencer>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Okay, fine. I'll tell you what I was doing but only if you //promise// to keep your trap shut about it." She glares at you for emphasis. "Yes, of course! No blabbing here." (You almost add //who do you think I am, Daniel?// reflexively, which kills any excitement you might have for this breakthrough.) Carla takes a deep breath, holds it for a second, and then lets it out. She looks at a spot on the wall past your head and says "I was making a video. For TikTok." She pauses there, presumably to give you a chance to speak, but you are frankly stunned. This is the last thing you expected to hear as an alibi, from the last person you'd expect to even know what TikTok was! When you don't respond, she continues on. "I do educational stuff about life at the Pole, okay? And I keep you all out of it. But it had been a minute since I last posted, so I thought I'd put together something about the kitchen and garden since I already had some footage. I thought it needed a bit of voiceover so I started faffing about recording, and before I know it it's two AM and someone's ruined my take shouting in the hallway..." She trails off. The silence stands awkwardly. "Look, do you need to see the video to believe me or can we drop this now?" she asks wearily. You shake yourself and assure her that yes, you believe her, and doubly reassure her that you won't tell anyone. <<indEv ca "Was busy filming a video for social media at the time of the murder.">> <<removeNote $caEv "Was working on a project at the time of the murder, but won't give specifics.">> <<else>> Carla's big secret -- she's a South Pole influencer! The night of the murder she was locked up in her room making her latest video. If you pressed her you could probably get access to harder proof via her video files, but it's such an unlikely excuse that you don't feel the need. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<topic ca suspects>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Carla thinks for a moment, and then shakes her head. "Nah, sorry. Haven't seen anything." <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Are you sure?" you ask. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Oh come on, you have to have seen something!" you say, and then internally cringe at your tone. That didn't come out right. <<else>> "Seriously? Are you being unhelpful on purpose?" Talking to your boss like this is a bad idea, but right now you just can't bring yourself to care. <</if>> "Everyone here is as mad as a cut snake already! It's all normal as far as I'm concerned." Carla turns away, and it's clear this line of questioning is over for now. <<else>> Carla doesn't know anything about anyone. How helpful of her. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("contraband")>> <<topic ca contraband>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<set $flags.push("contraband")>> Carla's voice drops to a hush. "Look, I haven't told anyone about this because it's nobody else's business. The long and the short of it is, Daniel let slip that Winston had a stash of whiskey and I had to take it and write him up for it." <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Really? But everyone's got alcohol stashed away somewhere!" you exclaim. Carla shrugs half-heartedly. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Really? Why would he do that?" you say dejectedly. Carla shrugs half-heartedly. <<else>> "What the hell? Why would you do that?" you say. Carla snaps back, <</if>> "I don't think Daniel did it on purpose, but you know the silly bugger never thought before he spoke. And once I found out I had to do something, or it was my neck on the line. What if Daniel kept running his mouth and Bob found out? Winston and I'd both be on the next shuttle back to McMurdo." You nod unhappily, because you //do// understand, even if you don't like what you're hearing. What a mess! No wonder Winston was upset -- you'd be absolutely livid if you were punished for something everyone did regularly. Plus, despite the station's alcohol ban, you know that booze is the only thing keeping half the station sane. Daniel definitely messed up here, but was it bad enough to be killed for? <<indEv wi "Was mad at Daniel for ratting out his liquor stash.">> <<removeNote $wiEv "Didn't get along with Daniel, but isn't telling the whole story about why.">> <<else>> Daniel accidentally ratted out Winston's contraband alcohol stash, and once Carla found out she had no choice but to confiscate it and reprimand him. She's been keeping it quiet because it wasn't anyone else's business, but if it's a motive for murder then it's definitely your business now. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("victorTools")>> <<topic ca victorTools>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Victor? Oh, he just kept coming to me for tools all the time. Eventually I told him to piss off unless he wanted to work for maintenance part-time, and I haven't seen him since. Think I might have overdone it a bit." Carla looks a bit sheepish, and after working with her for ten months you //know// she overdid it a bit. The scientists were all intimidated by her to start with, so you suspect that after her tongue-lashing Victor didn't sleep for days. "Any idea why he needed tools?" you ask. "Haven't the foggiest, I'm afraid." Carla shrugs. <<indEv ca "Is mildly annoyed at Victor for borrowing tools.">> <<else>> Victor's issues with Carla appear to be rather one-sided -- she yelled at him for borrowing too many tools and it seems to have badly scared him. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("toolchest")>> <<topic ca toolchest>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Oh, that." Carla looks guilty. "What do you mean?" "Well, the checkout system's gone kaput. I tried my best to fix it but it's busted badly enough that the company wants a service tech to look at it. How they expect to get one out here I've no idea." She looks frustrated. You're frustrated too, least of all because she never had you try to fix it. Fixing things is your job! "If that's the case, why not just leave it unlocked? Let people sign things out the old-fashioned way?" Carla scowls. "Bob's orders. He says if we do that all the tools will be gone within a week, but if you ask me I think he's just embarrassed. All this fancy crap was his idea and I'm sure he'll catch an earful if Denver finds out it's all a waste." <<indEv ca "Has been keeping the broken toolchest a secret on Bob's orders.">> <<else>> The fancy toolchest's computer is busted and Carla's been instructed to keep it under wraps by Bob. You can't tell if the very obvious way she handled it was malicious compliance or just apathy. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("incident2")>> <<topic ca incident2>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Carla frowns. "All day? I hardly know where to start. I've been run off my feet since you-- that is, I've been busy." (You realize that Carla must be doing your job as well as hers at this point. Maybe some of Daniel's, too.) "Can you be more specific?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "The evening, I guess?" you say. Since you were asleep at the time, it's hard to get more specific than that. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> You sigh. Once again, you ask a simple question and people just have to start picking at it and complaining that you've asked it wrong. You're doing your best, here, in pretty fucking adverse conditions. Carla looks at you askance. "What?" "Nothing," you say. "I guess mostly I'm wondering about the evening." <<else>> "No," you say sharply, "I can't." "Well, if you insist, I can give you a blow-by-blow of the process of collecting rubbish..." Carla says irritably. "Fine, then," you say. "Where were you in the evening?" <</if>> You think you went into your room around 18:00, but the door-jamming could have happened anytime between then and when you woke up four or five hours later. "I was in the computer lab. Mostly alone -- I think Gabriela popped in briefly at some point." <<indEv ca "Says she was in the computer lab all evening on August 21.">> (That she volunteers this last bit unprompted adds to your growing pile of evidence that, in fact, everyone has guessed what you're up to. Oh well.) [[One more question: do you recognize this ruler?|carlaI2a]] <<else>> Carla was in the computer lab all evening while you were locked in your room. (Or so she says.) [[Ask another question.|carla]] <</if>>

Carla takes the (half of a) ruler from you and squints at it, then hands it back. "I don't think it's one of ours," she says. "We don't really have wooden ones in here." That's a good point; you haven't seen a ruler like this around maintenance HQ. It's also been snapped off roughly, and anyone from the maintenance team could have sanded it down into a wedge instead. Although then it would be more obvious that it was done on purpose, so it's possible they were avoiding that. "You can fill out a form to report it broken anyway, if you like," Carla adds. "That's okay, thanks," you say. "Just trying to figure out whose it was." <<evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door probably didn't come from maintenance.">> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic ca incident3>> <<set $timetaken = true>> "Yeah, I'd gone out earlier that day to do weekly maintenance on the snowmobiles. You know they don't like sitting for too long in this weather." She pauses, clearly uncomfortable with you staring at her. "And sorry about not helping out with the generators later on! I was too knackered to go out there a second time. You know how it is?" she says nervously. You //do// know how it is, so you reassure her as such. Then you try and think back about the maintenance schedule. You vaguely remember someone going out to work on the snowblowers about a week ago, but you can't remember who it was or exactly when it happened. All you know is that it was after Daniel's death, so as far as you're concerned it could have been yesterday. Drat. <<else>> Carla went out earlier that day to perform weekly maintenance on the station's snowmobiles. You //think// it's been about a week since the last time someone did that, but with how scrambled your head is you can't be sure. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|carla]]

<<if not $caTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic ca photo>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> <<set $flags.push("supportPhoto")>> Carla looks at the image on the phone, and then back at you. "Is this some kind of joke?" she demands. "No," you say. You try to sound stoic, but instead it comes out as defeated. Carla waits for you to elaborate, and when you don't she instead takes the phone from you and zooms in on the note. Then she shakes her head. "Nah, can't say I recognize it. I can say it's not one of the support staff though, since I process all the timesheets for Denver. I couldn't forget all your handwriting if I tried." She gives you the phone back, and then brings her hands up to massage her temples. "Strewth, I need a drink. Was he really...?" You need a drink too. "I think so. Don't... tell anyone, okay?" Carla snorts at that. "Like I'd be that stupid! I may as well paint a target on my back at that point, it'd spare me the effort." She pauses, and then looks at you with real concern. "Will you be alright, asking these questions?" All you can do is shrug. <<evidence "The note-writer isn't one of the support staff.">> [[Ask another question.|carla]] <<else>> <</if>>

<<charIntro gabriela>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Gabriela is typing away, pausing at intervals to sip from a large coffee. She doesn't seem to notice that you're here. You clear your throat, and when that gets no response, venture an "Excuse me?" She startles slightly, then relaxes. "What can I do for you?" <<else>> Gabriela watches you, drinking her coffee. <</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Gabriela is leaning in close to her computer screen. "Come on," she says, under her breath, "don't do this to me." Then she seems to realize you've arrived, and turns around. "Uh, hi," you say. "I had some questions for you, but if now's a bad time--" "No, no," she says, "I could use a break, honestly. Ask away." <<else>> Gabriela leans back in her chair, waiting for you to speak. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> [[Have you noticed anyone behaving strangely?|gabi1a]]<<if $gaTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $flags.includes("camera")>> [[Do you know anything about the security camera in the store?|gabi2a]]<<if $gaTopics.includes("camera")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $inventory.includes("Daniel's phone")>>[[Can you help me access Daniel's phone?|gabi3a]] <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("scientistPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|gabiPhoto]] <</if>> <<if $caTopics.includes("incident2")>>[[Carla says you saw her in the computer room on August 21?|gabi4a]]<<if $gaTopics.includes("carla")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>>[[Can you check who went outside around the 23rd? |gabiI3]] <<if $gaTopics.includes("incident3")>> (You've already asked about this.) <</if>> <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $gabriela.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $gabriela.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $gaTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<topic ga suspects>> <<set $flags.push("card logs")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Gabi shakes her head. "Nah. I'm in here most of the time so I haven't seen much. That said...." She pauses thoughtfully. "Perhaps my research can help you out?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "What do you mean?" you say eagerly. "Is that the wellness surveys you have us fill out every week?" <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "How? Tell me!" you demand. "I know -- it's those wellness surveys we do, right? Those must show if someone's acting off!" <<else>> "What? I don't understand," you say. Truth be told, you're struggling to understand anything that's happening right now -- your brain feels foggy, like it's been wrapped in cotton wool. "How would the weekly wellness surveys show anything?" <</if>> Gabi pushes her chair back and swivels to face you directly. "No, those are confidential medical information, technically speaking. I mean the other part of my research." She gets up and motions for you to follow her, and then walks over to the open door. "See this?" You're not quite following. "The door?" She smiles wryly. "Close! I mean the card reader, specifically. Whenever you badge into a room it creates a log in my database. The goal is to see how people's activity on the station correlates with their overall well-being, and see if we can eventually use that data to spot patterns with struggling people so we can intervene. The swipe data by itself is unrestricted, so you can take a look at it and see if anyone's been up to something funny." She looks proud. "I had no idea you were tracking us like this," you say dully. This is going to be useful for your investigation, but finding out it exists is still pretty weird. Gabi looks a bit sheepish. "Yes, well, it was important that people didn't know about this or else they'd change their behavior. But Bob doesn't have access to open it, and it'll get anonymized in the end before I publish." She looks at you, and clearly sees that this hasn't moved the needle, so she continues on. "Besides, it's not perfect -- you can get around it by having someone else hold a door for you, which people do more often than I'd like." She huffs with annoyance. "Anyway, I'll put the logs on a thumb drive and then you can go through them whenever you want. You're lucky this lab is cozy!" She indicates the computer lab with a wave of her hand. Then she fishes a thumb drive out of her pocket and sticks it in the computer. Several minutes later, she gives you a thumb drive full of data. "Good luck!" she says. <<inv "A thumb drive containing card swipe logs">> <<else>> Gabi hasn't seen anyone acting oddly, but she's given you the station's card swipe logs so that you can check them for anything suspicious. You can access them from the computer lab. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<if not $gaTopics.includes("camera")>> <<topic ga camera>> <<set $flags.push("chips")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Gabi tilts her head thoughtfully. "You know, I'd completely forgotten about that. Let me check something." She bends over her keyboard and starts typing furiously. After a minute or two she leans back triumphantly. "Got it!" she crows. "Here's all the store's camera footage for the last two weeks. What do you want to see?" You give her the day and approximate time, and after a bunch more clicking she has a video pulled up on her screen. You take a deep breath, unsure of what this is going to show you. "I'm ready," you say, and Gabi presses play. The video starts a few hours before the incident, around the time you started playing Scrabble. It shows Winston popping popcorn and making coffee. Gabi hits a button and the video leaps into fast-forward. Winston bounces around the shop like a pinball, drinking coffee arranging merchandise, but as the time ticks closer to midnight he stays in the store. Finally at 23:30 he steps out. Two minutes later a figure steps back into the store -- but it's obviously not Winston. Gabi slows the video back down and you both lean in closer to the screen. The figure walks over to the potato chips with purpose and begins stuffing chip bags into their coat pockets. Then they turn around and head for the exit, and for a split second the camera has a clear view of their face. Gabi hits pause and backs the video up until you can clearly see the person is Christian Straub, caught in the act. After a beat, you grab the mouse from Gabi and resume the video. Christian walks out, and then at 23:43 Winston walks back in. Gabi hits pause and turns to look you in the eye. "Well, that's interesting," she says. Talk about an understatement! You'll have to talk to Christian about this ASAP. <<if not $chEv.includes("Has been stealing from the store.")>> <<indEv ch "Has been stealing from the store.">> <</if>> <<removeNote $evidence "Chips have been disappearing from the store.">> <<else>> With Gabi's help, you were able to access the security camera footage from the shop. It clearly shows Winston was present for the whole night, minus a small break -- during which it caught Christian stealing from the store. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<if not $flags.includes("phoneHack")>> <<set $flags.push("phoneHack")>> Gabi's eyes light up. "Y'know, that's an interesting challenge. I think I could create a virtual clone of his phone to prevent us getting locked out from too many wrong guesses? Actually guessing the password might be tricky though -- trying to brute force it won't be quick. Unless I had a likely starting point...?" Luckily, she doesn't seem to have any ethical hangups about this. <<if $flags.includes("phonePW")>> "Amanda's agreed to help me out with that, actually," you offer. "She has a few ideas of what his password might have been." Gabi fist-pumps in response. "Excellent! When can you get it?" <<else>> "Maybe Amanda could help?" you offer. It kills you that you didn't know your little brother well enough to put this together yourself, but at least there's someone else around who might have. "Oh, that's a good idea," Gabi says. "Assuming she's willing to help, anyway. She's not looking so hot these days." Well, neither are you. "I'll see what I can do," you say. [[Ask another question.|gabriela]] <</if>> <<else>> "Hey! Do you have the list of starting codes yet?" Gabi looks excited. <<if not $flags.includes("phonePW")>> "Not yet," you say. "I'll keep working on Amanda." [[Ask another question.|gabriela]] <</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("phonePW") and $flags.includes("phoneHack")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<run $inventory.delete("Daniel's phone")>> "I've got the list right here, actually." You pull the crumpled paper out of your pocket and hand it to Gabi. She quickly grabs it and looks it over. "Yeah, I can work with this!" she says, her eyes lighting up. (It's maybe a little inappropriate to the situation, but you know she likes a challenge.) "If you give me the phone I think I can get in within a few hours." You dutifully hand the phone over and watch her plug it in. She launches a few programs, and then turns to look at you. "Um, this isn't going to be very interesting to watch," she says apologetically. "You can come back in a few hours?" You take the hint and <<link [[leave.|gabi3b]]>> <<stress 2>> <</link>> <</if>>

<<inv "Daniel's phone, unlocked">> You could use this time to take a break, or to chase down other leads, but you can't seem to think about anything but what might be on Daniel's phone. So instead you end up aimlessly wandering the station to kill time. It's amazing how small this place is, really -- you can walk from one end to the other in under ten minutes, and that's if you're not in a hurry. By the time several hours have passed, you're more stir-crazy than you've ever been. You're seriously considering taking a jaunt outside to clear your head, -40 weather be damned, when you pass the computer lab one final time. Gabi sticks her head out and calls your name, stopping you in your ill-advised tracks. "I got it!" she says, and waves the phone at you for emphasis. "I broke in and disabled the password, so you should be able to get in without it now. I promise I didn't look at anything, though." She hands you the phone. "Thanks," you say as you pocket it. "What was the password?" "Oh, some date. 12-21-2012? Anyway, I'm starving so I'm going to head to the caf. Let me know if there's anything interesting on there?" And with that, Gabi brushes past you and heads towards the atrium. You watch her go without really seeing her. Daniel's password was the day he got his childhood dog. It's... endearing. But that emotion is mixing oddly with your grief and you don't know what to do with it. All you know is you'll want to be alone when you go through Daniel's phone, either because of what you might find or how hard it's going to be to keep it together. Your room should be the perfect place. You can take a look through the phone next time you're there, at least once you can muster up the courage. <<link [[Get back to the investigation.|westWing]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>> (This will advance time.)

<<if not $gaTopics.includes("carla")>> <<topic ga carla>> <<set $timetaken = true>> Gabi considers for a moment. "Yeah, briefly. I think around 19:30? But I didn't stay more than half an hour." "Thanks," you say. Then, just in case, you show her the broken half-ruler and ask, "Do you know who this belongs to?" "No idea," she says. "I mean, it's almost certainly the station's, right? No one's using their limited baggage allowance for their favorite ruler. ... Well, //probably// not." <<else>> Gabi confirmed she did see Carla in the computer room on the night of the 21st, but that only accounts for a small amount of time. She didn't know anything about the ruler. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<if not $gaTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic ga photo>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> <<set $flags.push("scientistPhoto")>> Gabi takes the phone from you, looks at the screen, and holds up a hand. "Hang on," she says, and then starts fiddling with a bunch of image settings you didn't even know existed. You watch what you can see of the screen as she fiddles with the brightness, contrast, and God knows what else. Finally she looks up at you with a furrowed brow. "I wouldn't bet my life on it, but I think this is Jack's handwriting," she says slowly. "Which implies a whole lot of things. Like the fact he might have been... involved, somehow? With Daniel's death." Her face screws up and she practically shoves the phone back into your hand. "God, that's awful!" Her voice cracks on the last word, and her eyes begin darting around wildly. "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to take it to Bob. He's the only one who can do anything at this point, right? If anyone else found out I think they might make it worse." You're struggling to keep it together too, but you make sure to emphasize the last point. "Right. I get it. I'll keep quiet, and you let me know if you need support bringing this to Bob," she says. You won't need her help (or don't think you could handle it), but you appreciate the thought. But for now, you need air. <<if $day < $event3>>You could go straight to Bob to make your accusation now. But you still have $daysLeft days before the police get here, and maybe you should take some time to make sure you haven't missed any evidence that might shore up your case. Of course, now you'll //really// need to watch your back.... <</if>> <<indEv ja "Is the author of the note on Daniel's phone.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $gabriela.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>> [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<if not $gaTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic ga incident3>> <<set $timeTaken = true>> "Sure thing! Give me a minute." Gabi starts typing furiously. Time stretches on, and on, and after a while you're pretty sure it's been more than several minutes. You clear your throat, and Gabi jumps. "Sorry! I'm having trouble finding the logs right now -- it looks like they might have accidentally been deleted? But I think I can recover them, if you give me another minute." She looks both frustrated and apologetic. You don't believe that the deletion was accidental or that the recovery will just take a minute, but it's in your best interest to let her continue. "Go ahead," you say tiredly, and then [[settle in to wait.|gabiI3a]] <<else>> Carla, Jack, Heather, and Victor all went outside within a day or two of the incident at the power station. Why can't anyone at Pickering stay put for once? Someone tried to delete the logs, so you're lucky to even have this information. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<stress 2>> Gabi's attempts at file recovery take long enough that you get bored of Minesweeper, Solitaire, //and// Pinball. Eventually you leave and go to the store, less because you're hungry and more for something to keep yourself occupied. You come back twenty minutes later with a bag of popcorn and two coffees (you figure you owe Gabi for all the work she's doing). Gabi jumps again when you walk in the door, but perks up immediately when she sees the coffee you're holding. "Oh, thank you so much!" she says and then, without preamble, grabs one coffee and takes an incredibly large gulp. Once she's drained half the cup, she turns back to you. "Sorry this has been taking so long," she says. "Nobody should have been able to delete this without some seriously elevated admin permissions, so it's been a real mess to fix. But once this script finishes I should have it back." She waves her mug at the screen, which is displaying a green progress bar. It's filling up just quickly enough to be mesmerizing, so you both watch silently as the progress creeps up. The only sound is the whirring of a computer fan and the occasional slurp of coffee. When the bar finally hits 100%, Gabi lets out a cheer, which makes //you// jump this time. She doesn't seem to notice, though, and quickly opens the recovered file as if it's going to vanish again any minute. "Okay... let me see...." She scrolls through the data at lightning speed, too fast for you to follow. "Got it! Four people went outside in the 36 or so hours before the generators failed -- Carla, Jack, Heather, and Victor. And you, of course. Does that help?" "Yes, it does!" You try and force a smile. You were hoping that one or two people at most had gone outside during the critical period, but of course that's not Gabi's fault. Your forced smile is hurting your face, though, and you ought to leave before you snap at Gabi anyway over this. [[Ask another question.|gabriela]]

<<charIntro winston>> <<switch $period>> <<case 0>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Winston is cutting chunks off a metal bar using the shop's bandsaw. He catches sight of you as you walk in, and once he's finished the cut he switches off the machine. "Hey," he says politely. "Can I help you with anything?" <<else>> Winston is idly fidgeting with his metal bar. <</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Sparks are flying from the back of the shop. As you approach you see they're from Winston working on something with an angle grinder. You raise your voice over the noise to get Winston's attention (staying well out of reach of the sparks), and give him a small wave once he notices you. "Hey, do you have a minute?" you ask. He nods, and unplugs the angle grinder before facing you. "What do you need?" he says cautiously. <<else>> Winston is coiling up his tool's power cord, but it doesn't seem to be going well since he keeps shaking it out and starting over. <</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $timetaken == false>> Winston sits, looking out at the snow. "Not much to see at this time of year, is there?" you say. He shrugs. "It's quiet. I come here to think, you know?" "I'm sorry to interrupt, then." He shakes his head. "It's fine." <<else>> Winston continues to look out the window, or at least in the direction of the window. <</if>> <<default>> You shouldn't be seeing this text. <</switch>> <<if $wiTopics.length >= 4>> You notice Winston is wearing a watch on his right wrist. [[Maybe he's a lefty? You should ask.|winston5a]]<<if $wiTopics.includes("handedness")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> [[What was your relationship with Daniel?|winston1a]]<<if $wiTopics.includes("daniel")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Where were you on the night Daniel died?|winston2a]]<<if $wiTopics.includes("alibi")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> [[Have you noticed anyone behaving strangely?|winston3a]]<<if $wiTopics.includes("suspects")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<if $flags.includes("contraband")>>[[I heard something interesting from Carla...|winston1b]] <<if $wiTopics.includes("danielUpset")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <<elseif $winston.relationship >= 3>> [[So, why were you really on the outs with Daniel?|winston1b]] <<if $wiTopics.includes("danielUpset")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("victorCarla")>>[[I heard Victor's been dropping by a bunch. Any idea why?|winston4a]]<<if $wiTopics.includes("victor")>> (You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident2")>> [[What were you doing on August 21?|winstonI2]] <<if $wiTopics.includes("incident2")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("incident3")>> [[Did you go outside at all around the 23rd? | winstonI3]] <<if $wiTopics.includes("incident3")>>(You've already asked about this.)<</if>> <</if>> <<if $flags.includes("photo") && not $flags.includes("supportPhoto")>> [[Do you recognize this handwriting?|winstonPhoto]] <</if>> <<if $timetaken == false>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $winston.location[$period] + "]]>><</link>>">> <<else>> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $winston.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <</if>>

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("daniel")>> <<topic wi daniel>> Winston's face tightens at the question, <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> but quickly smooths when he notices you looking. You soften your gaze a bit and try to look more friendly. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> and he looks at you uncomfortably. You realize you've been staring at him -- no wonder his back is up. <<else>> and he looks at you nervously. You stare at him intently, as if you could see the secrets written on his skull if you tried hard enough. <</if>> "He was... a lot to deal with," Winston says carefully. "He wasn't so good with boundaries. He wasn't a bad kid, and I'm really sorry about what happened but -- I mostly kept my distance. Sorry if you're looking for any good stories about him, but I don't have any." He idly<<if $period === 0>> flips his metal bar<<elseif $period === 1>> fidgets with his power cord<<else>> fiddles with his watch<</if>>. Winston is eyeing you in a way that suggests he's trying to read your expression. You try to read his right back. This can't be the whole story -- the station is small enough that keeping one's distance from anyone is a losing battle. But whatever he's holding back isn't obvious on his face. Under the circumstances, you can't blame him for being cautious about what he shares with you. But maybe if you spent a little more time with him, he'd trust that you're not trying to throw him under the bus? <<indEv wi "Didn't get along with Daniel, but isn't telling the whole story about why.">> <<else>> Winston didn't seem to get along with Daniel, but was vague and evasive about why. That can't be the whole story, can it? <</if>> [[Ask another question. |winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("danielUpset")>> <<topic wi danielUpset>> <<if $winston.relationship >= 3 >> Winston rubs his temple. "Look, I //really// don't want to talk about this, but I can see you're trying to do the right thing about all this. So, I'll spill." <<elseif $flags.includes("contraband")>> Winston narrows his eyes. "Why did Carla tell you anything?" "I, uh, may have committed a little light blackmail," you say sheepishly. Winston lets out a surprised laugh. "Well, you must have found some good stuff, because that woman won't bend for nobody!" <</if>> He takes a deep breath. "I actually liked Daniel, y'know? He wasn't a //bad// kid, and I thought I might be able to mentor him a bit and get him pointed in the right direction. So a few weeks ago I invited him to play cards in my room, and I thought I could trust him enough to bring out the whiskey. And then the next day he goes and fucks up something or other, and when Carla calls him on it you know what he says? 'Sorry, I was up late drinking with Winston last night'." You wince. Winston continues, "So of course Carla had to write me up. And tell Bob. And take away my booze. So now I've got this black mark on my record and I can't even drink about it!" He tries to laugh, but it falls flat. "Anyway, that was the end of trying to be friendly with Daniel. Just stung too much, you know? He was trying to make it up to me, and it probably would have worked eventually, but I just needed some time." Winston looks sad at the thought. "I wish he'd had it. The time, I mean," he says. "Yeah," is all you can say. "Me too." <<indEv wi "Was mad at Daniel for ratting out his liquor stash.">> <<removeNote $wiEv "Didn't get along with Daniel, but isn't telling the whole story about why.">> <<else>> So, Daniel got Winston in trouble by blabbing about his stash of contraband liquor (which, admittedly, everyone else also has here -- including you). You're not surprised he still has hard feelings about it. But was he upset enough for murder? <</if>> [[Ask another question. |winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("alibi")>> <<topic wi alibi>> Winston straightens up slightly. "I was running the store, just like I was supposed to," he says stiffly. "I stepped out for a bit to use the facilities, but otherwise I was there the whole time." "Did anyone come in while you were working?" you ask. This is going to make him uncomfortable, but you have to ask anyway. "Christian stuck his head in around 22:45 but didn't come in. Otherwise, it was a quiet night. Weirdly quiet, actually." He pauses, and then asks, "Was it really an accident? Is that why you're grilling me like this?" He says it as gently as possible, but it's still accusatory. <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> You don't answer, but you can't stop your face from twisting in response. Which probably tells him everything. <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "I-- I-- I don't know what you're talking about," you lie. It's not convincing in the slightest, since your voice has gone all high-pitched and stuttery. Why did you think that was a good idea? <<else>> You open your mouth to answer, but your chest is tight and suddenly you can't breathe. Your mouth flaps uselessly while you make a horrendous wheezing sound instead of anything resembling speech. Winston looks at you with alarm and says "Whoa, hey. Forget I said anything," and suddenly you can breathe again. <</if>> <<indEv wi "Says he was in the store all night, but can't prove it.">> <<removeNote $wiEv "Says he was working at the store at the time of the murder.">> <<else>> Winston was manning the shop all night, but nobody came by during the critical time period (although Christian stuck his head in earlier). That's either very unlucky or very convenient, depending. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("suspects")>> <<topic wi suspects>> <<set $flags.push("victorTools")>> Winston tilts his head thoughtfully. "You know, Victor's been asking me to borrow tools an awful lot recently. Can't imagine what he needs them for in the bio lab. If stuff breaks he's supposed to ask you, right?" <<if $stress <= $stressInterval>> "Yeah, and unlike some of the other scientists he usually does. Weird." You tilt your head in thought. What could Victor be up to? <<elseif $stress <= $stressInterval*2>> "Yeah, and I can't think of anything he'd do with them that isn't against the rules. Crazy bastard." That came out ruder than you intended, but still -- what could Victor be up to? <<else>> "Ugh, that's weird. What's that fucker up to?" You didn't mean to say the last part out loud, but it slipped out anyway. Winston raises an eyebrow. "Sorry. I mean, what could Victor possibly be up to?" <</if>> <<indEv vi "Has been borrowing a lot of tools from Winston lately.">> <<else>> Winston says Victor has been borrowing a lot of tools lately -- way more than he should need for his job. You wonder what he's up to. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<topic wi victor>> "Yeah, I guess he doesn't want to deal with Carla now that she's gone all iron-fisted about the tool chest? No idea what he needs them for, but whatever the reason I can't blame him for wanting to do things the easy way." Winston looks thoughtful. "Honestly, I wonder if she told him off about something -- she walked in on him buying coffee last week, and let me tell you I have //never// seen a man run that fast." He laughs a bit at the memory. You chuckle too, despite yourself. <<indEv vi "Is scared of Carla.">> <<removeNote $viEv "Has been on the outs with Carla lately.">> [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<topic wi handedness>> Winston raises an eyebrow at the question. "Yeah, I'm a southpaw. Why do you ask?" You scramble for an excuse. "Oh, uh, I just wondered if it caused you any problems down here, is all. Since you can't run to the store for lefty scissors or anything?" Winston smiles dryly. "The world down here isn't made for me, but I make do anyway. Always have." <<indEv wi "Is left-handed.">> [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic wi incident2>> Winston looks up at the ceiling briefly, as if searching for the answers there. "It was just a normal day, I think," he says."Spent most of it in here. Hung out on the observation deck some. Probably went to the cafeteria at least twice, but I don't remember specifics. Why?" You hadn't really thought of a good excuse for asking about this. "I'm... just curious?" you try. "Sure," says Winston, regarding you skeptically. At this point you think you've blown your chance to ask about whether anyone can confirm where he was, so you change tacks. [[Do you recognize this ruler?|winstonI2a]] <<else>> Winston says he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary the day you got trapped in your room. [[Ask another question.|winston]] <</if>>

Winston looks at it and shakes his head. "I don't remember seeing any wooden rulers around. Could be from one of the labs, maybe? Where'd you find it?" <<evidence "The ruler that was jammed under your door probably didn't come from maintenance.">> "I just, uh, picked it up in the hallway," you say. Which is almost true, sort of. "You can probably just throw it out," he says. "We've got plenty of rulers." "Thanks," you say, and decide to drop the subject before the whole thing becomes even more awkward. [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("incident3")>> <<topic wi incident3>> "Why the hell would I do that? It's cold out there!" Winston laughs. You bristle a little, given that //someone// had to go out to fix the generators (and that someone was you), but at least this is useful information. You can double-check it with Gabi later. <<else>> Winston goes outside as little as possible, so he wasn't out around the 23rd. You can't say you blame him. <</if>> [[Ask another question.|winston]]

<<if not $wiTopics.includes("photo")>> <<topic wi photo>> <<set $flags.push("supportPhoto")>> <<set $timetaken = true>> <<stress 1>> Winston takes the phone and looks hard at the photograph. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise and he shoves the phone back at you like it's about to burn his hand. "What the //hell// are you showing me this for?" In his haste he lets go before you have a good grip on the phone, and you have to dive to catch it before it hits the ground. Once you've got a secure grip you straighten up and look Winston in the eye. "I have to find out who wrote this. Do you know this handwriting?" You leave the //why// of your ask unspoken, because you can tell Winston already knows. His shoulders slump a little, and he takes Daniel's phone back to look at it again. A few seconds later he gives his verdict. "No... don't say I do. I'm sorry." He pats you on the shoulder a little awkwardly, and then pauses. "I think it's not one of the support staff, though. Half my work is drawn on the back of literal envelopes by you all, so if it were one of them I think I'd recognize it." He hands you the phone back again (more gently). "Thanks, Winston," you say with a weary smile. "That's a huge help." You clap him on the shoulder this time and he smiles in response. "And if anybody asks you did //not// hear this from me, got it? Whatever's going on, I am staying the hell out of it." And with that, Winston turns around. Clearly this conversation is over. <<evidence "The note-writer isn't one of the support staff.">> <<print "<<link [[Return|" + $winston.location[$period] + "]]>><<set $timetaken = false>><<advance>><</link>>">> (This will advance time.) <<else>> <</if>>

You have just accused $accused of being the murderer. Bob nods and scribbles notes as you explain your reasoning. "Thanks for all this," he says. "You've done a way better job than you had any right to. I'll pass it on to New Zealand on the sat phone in a minute." And with that, he waves you out of the office. It feels... anticlimactic, somehow. You walk into the north hallway and start wandering back towards your room. Your body feels light and floaty. Nothing feels real except the thoughts swirling in your head. <<if $accused === "Jack">> [[Did you make the right choice?|endingJack]] <<else>> [[Did you make the right choice?|endingWrong]] <</if>>

You spend the remaining day<<if $daysLeft > 1>>s<</if>> holed up in your room, too afraid to leave lest you see $accused and give everything away. Bob has picked up on what's happening and delivers you <<if $daysLeft > 1>>a few meals<<else>>a meal or two<</if>> from the cafeteria, but he never stays long. So the rest of the time you're alone, with nothing to do but think over your investigation. You go through pages and pages of notebook paper rewriting and reorganizing your clues, trying to convince yourself you've come to the right conclusion. That you haven't put an innocent person in the crosshairs of the law. That you're truly going to get justice for Daniel. You do little other than write and write and write, trying to scratch certainty into your brainstem along with the paper. [[By the time the police come to Pickering Station, you're a complete wreck.|endingWrong1]]

The police herd everyone into the cafeteria, and then bring everyone into the infirmary one by one to take your statements. They save you for last, and the wait is agony. When it's finally your turn you feel like your soul is trailing a foot behind your body. Over the next several hours, you watch yourself spill the entire contents of your investigation to the cops, several times over. They take notes and ask questions, which your body tries its best to answer, but it's rough going. You want to stand up and scream, to ask them to give you a break or more time to collect yourself, but that part of you is broken right now. So your body keeps talking and talking, until eventually they're done. Once you're free you walk into the south hallway and lean against the nearest wall. It feels cool and solid under your cheek, like it's the only real thing in the universe. You stay there for an unknown amount of time, face pressed to the paint, trying to knit yourself back together. You hear a commotion from down the hallway, and peel yourself up just in time to see the police lead $accused out of the cafeteria in handcuffs. [[You can't bear to look them in the eye.|endingWrong2]]

Months later, you get word that $accused has been released from custody with all charges dropped. Apparently the info you provided didn't hold up to the scrutiny of a //real// investigation. So $accused is in fact innocent, but the real killer? The cops haven't said anything, but you think that means they don't know. And because you led them astray, they might never know. In your mind's eye, Daniel's restless ghost wanders the halls of Pickering Station, never to be put to rest. Part of your soul will always stay there with him, trying to answer an impossible question in a harsh and unforgiving world. You're never going back to the Antarctic, but now you'll never truly be able to leave it behind either. If only you could go back and do things differently.... THE END [[Make a different accusation?|accusation]] <<link "Start over?">> <<script>> Engine.restart(); <</script>> <</link>>

You're halfway down the hallway toward your room when the lights shut off, and you're plunged into the most complete darkness of your life. There's no way this is an accident -- you've seen a few lightbulbs burn out in here during the last ten months, but you've never seen the lights completely off. You don't even think there's a convenient switch. Someone's done this to you on purpose, and there's only one possible reason why. Heart pounding, you proceed cautiously down the hallway. It's so dark that you're forced to feel your way down the hall with one hand, counting doorways and hoping you know where you are. With every step you expect to hear the sound of someone walking towards you, but instead the hallway is dead silent. Or maybe you can't hear them over your heavy heartbeat and panicked breathing. Finally you reach what you're pretty sure is the door to your room. If you can make it to the other side of that door, you'll be safe! With a shaking hand you fumble your keycard out of your pocket and start patting around for the card reader. Too late, you realize that you've just turned your back to the hallway, but before you can do anything about it [[a rope drops around your neck.|endingJack1]]

Your assailant pulls on the rope hard, and stars erupt in the darkness. You can't breathe or cry out -- right now your universe just consists of you, the pain in your neck, and the awful feeling of suffocation. You try to thrash, to claw at the rope, but your assailant's grip is unrelenting. There's nothing you can do now except struggle to stay upright, and even that's a losing battle. Your knees give out and <<if $stress > ($stressInterval*2)>> [[you fall violently backward.|endingStress1]] <<else>> [[you fall violently backward.|endingTrue]] <</if>>

Suddenly, the pressure on your neck is gone. Your attacker must have lost their grip when you fell over. Disoriented, you try to suck in air but your throat isn't working right, and then a hand grabs your hair. //It's not going to end this way.// Driven by anger, fear, and pure desperation, you fling yourself backwards into the assailant's legs. They crash to the ground with a loud cry (taking a chunk of your hair with them) -- and now's your chance. Something inside you snaps. When you think back on this later, all you can remember is fragments. The feel of a skull shattering under your boot. The awful, guttural sound coming from your throat. The lights turning on. Hands grabbing your shoulders. Jack on the floor, his smashed head at an angle. The stickiness of drying blood on your hands. [[The chafing of restraints on your wrists and ankles.|endingStress2]]

In the end, you're airlifted to a hospital in New Zealand for emergency medical treatment. Jack wasn't airlifted with you, because it wouldn't have made a difference for him. The New Zealand police say that, while there are some jurisdictional issues to sort out, it's unlikely you'll be charged with his murder. Their preliminary investigation shows that he almost certainly was responsible for killing Daniel, and his fingerprints were found on the box of electronics used to sabotage the generators. Evidence will show he tried to kill you as a last-ditch effort to cover his tracks, so it's a clear-cut case of self defense. Or so they say. But there are so many questions you have for Jack that he can't answer now. How did Jack know you turned him in? What did he do with the murder weapon? Why kill Daniel in the first place? Could things have gone differently, if you'd held it together just a little bit longer? If you'd taken care of yourself a bit more, would you have had more restraint? If only you could go back and do things over.... THE END You can load a save from the menu (the game autosaves at the beginning of each day), or you can <<link "start over from scratch.">> <<script>> Engine.restart(); <</script>> <</link>>

Suddenly, the pressure on your neck is gone. Your attacker must have lost their grip when you fell over. Disoriented, you try to suck in air but your throat isn't working right, and then a hand grabs your hair. //It's not going to end this way.// Driven by anger, fear, and pure desperation, you fling yourself backwards into the assailant's legs. They crash to the ground with a loud cry (taking a chunk of your hair with them) -- and now's your chance. You fling yourself on top of their body and land a haymaker straight to what feels like their nose. Your attacker -- //Jack// -- screams in agony and tries to push you off with one hand to your face. You end this attempt by biting down hard on his thumb. Your teeth meet bone, and Jack screams louder. He pulls his hand back, and you use the opportunity to hit him in the face again. And again. There's a pounding of feet behind you. A door flies open nearby and light spills out, allowing you to take in the bloody scene. The sight of Jack's smashed face makes you pause your assault just long enough for [[someone to pull you off him.|endingTrue1]]

"What the hell is going on?" Winston demands. You try to answer him, but all you can do is make a horrible wheezing noise. Winston stares at your neck, and doesn't say anything. There's the sound of more pounding feet, and then the hallway lights turn back on. More and more people are arriving. You need to catch your breath and say something, pronto, before someone draws the wrong conclusion. Someone bends down over Jack to try and stop his bleeding, and somehow this gives you the energy to choke out a sentence. "He tried to kill me," you wheeze. "What the... why?" says Winston. "He killed Daniel," you say. Talking hurts like hell and your voice sounds awful, but you have to do it. "I told Bob. Then he...." Wait a minute. How did Jack know that? And then, the last piece of the puzzle clicks into place. You quickly stand up and are greeted with an immediate wave of dizziness. Luckily, Winston grabs your shoulders and steadies you. "Whoa! Shouldn't you sit down?" he says worriedly. "I need to talk to Bob," you growl. "Now." Something in your tone makes Winston stand back, and once you're sure you can walk you take off down the hallway. [[You stop by the shop to grab a crowbar.|endingTrue2]]

Bob, predictably, isn't in his office. Instead you intercept him in the atrium. He's bundled up to go outside, and judging by the pack he's carrying he doesn't intend on coming back in. (With the winter almost over, this is risky, but not quite suicidal.) Yelling is beyond you right now, so instead you bang the crowbar on the floor to get his attention. Bob stops in his tracks. He looks briefly at the stairs down to the outside, but even in your current state you could get to him before he could make it. And he knows it, because he drops the pack and puts his hands up. There's a thousand questions swirling inside of you, in addition to the urge to just bash Bob's head in here and now. So instead of trying to formulate any of them, you ask: "Why?" Bob doesn't answer at first, and instead turns his head towards the science wing. After a long moment, he sighs and says, <<link '"The telescope doesn\'t work."' 'endingTrue3'>> <</link>>

Of all the shocks you've had tonight, this one might be the biggest. "What?" You can't see Bob's face under his scarves, but his voice sounds distraught. "Something went wrong after they built it. The alignment shifted, or a lens warped in the cold, or something like that. Jack and I have been trying to figure out the best way to fix it, but it's bad." "And Daniel found out?" Bob nods. And just like that, your confusion is gone -- replaced with crystal clear, white-hot rage. "Why?" you scream. "Why is this a secret at all? How is this worth killing over?!" Your outburst sends you into a fit of coughing, and for a second you're terrified that Bob will take advantage. But while he drops his hands, he doesn't move. Instead, he tears off his goggles and stares you straight in the eyes. "Do you know how much this place cost to build?" he demands. "How many hours of wheedling and gladhanding and grant-writing I had to do? How much of a struggle it is to get every single dollar that's ever been spent on Antarctica when it could go to rockets and missiles instead? What do you think they'll do when they find out it's all a waste?" Bob's yelling now. "It's not just our work at stake here! They'll paint every station with the same brush. And all the hard work that's been done here, and McMurdo, and Amundsen-Scott -- it will all be gone!" Bob's crying now, but he's not done talking. "Please, don't tell them about the telescope. When the police come tell them everything else and put me in prison for the rest of my life, but //don't tell them it's broken!//" And then he collapses into full-on sobs. There's more footsteps, and then Winston and Victor arrive in the atrium. Jack must have told them something, because without a word they force Bob's arms behind his back and [[march him away.|endingTrue4]]

You spend your remaining time before the police arrive in the infirmary, recuperating from all the physical and mental trauma that's been inflicted on you. Matt says he's going to try and get you evacuated once the police show up. He's worried that any more time in this godforsaken station might do permanent damage to your psyche -- or at least, //more// permanent damage. With little else to do, you've been turning Bob's words over and over in your head. Is the telescope's failure really such a threat to all research in Antarctica? It doesn't feel that plausible. Almost certainly, he was dressing up his concern for his own job and the station he's grown attached to as a high-minded consideration for the cause of science. But then... the funding for //this// station, at least, would be in jeopardy, and it's very likely that you'd be putting a bunch of people you know and care about out of a job. Is it worth it? This should be an easy question to answer, but you find yourself going around and around. The fact that you're even entertaining the request of your brother's murderer-by-proxy is ridiculous. ... And yet. You're going to have some tough questions to answer tomorrow, when the police arrive. But the hardest part is over now, and Daniel can rest easy. THE END <<link "Play again?">> <<script>> Engine.restart(); <</script>> <</link>>

The New Zealand police will be here tomorrow. You may not be as certain as you'd like to be, but it's time to give Bob [[whatever information you've got|accusation]].

<<advance>> <<set $flags.push("incident1")>> <<stress 4>> You decide to head to the cafeteria in search of food, but when you reach down for your ID to swipe in, you find that it's gone. Did you drop it somewhere? Or did someone take it? You retrace your steps, as best you can remember, scanning the floor for your ID, but it's nowhere to be seen. You try to remember who you've run into since you last had it, who you passed in the halls. But you've probably seen everyone in passing at least once, and in any case, when you see the same faces day in and day out for ten months, it all kind of blurs together. Giving up, you head to the admin offices. Luckily, Bob is there and lets you in when you knock. [["My ID card has gone missing," you explain.|event1b]]

"That's all right," he says, very gently. "Under the circumstances, it's understandable that you'd misplace things. I can get a new card set up for you -- just bring it back when you find your old one so we don't have an extra floating around." You open your mouth to say that you don't think you //lost// it, you think someone //took// it. Then you reconsider -- he seems to already think that you're not all there, so he might just chalk it up to paranoia, and you don't think you can deal with that gracefully. "Thank you," you say instead. You sit there and wait while he activates the card. Having failed to check the time when you came in, you can't tell whether it actually takes an unreasonably long time or if you're just impatient. One way or another, when you count the time you spent searching the hallways, you've unquestionably lost a chunk of your precious, limited investigation time to this mess. Which was probably exactly the point. [[You take your new card and go back to your room.|ourRoom]]

<<advance>> <<set $flags.push("incident2")>> <<stress 4>> <<set $timeAwake = 0>> Feeling suddenly exhausted, you <<if previous() == "ourRoom">>lie down<<else>>go back to your room<</if>> for a nap. (It's only 6 pm, but you're not sure your internal clock is functioning at this point.) You fall asleep relatively easily, and in the blink of an eye it's several hours later. Time to get back to the investigation. You go to the door, turn the handle -- but the door doesn't budge. It's stuck. You try jiggling the handle and leaning hard into the door (it opens outward, which is probably supposed to make the tiny rooms here feel less cramped). It remains firmly shut. A wave of nausea comes over you, and your chest feels tight. You're breathing, but it feels like the air isn't going into your lungs. You sit down on the floor (your bed is steps away, but the effort of getting there seems too much) and lean back against the wall. You don't know what's wrong with you. You also don't know what to do about it, other than [[wait for it to stop.|event2a]]

After some amount of time -- you have no idea how long -- you start to feel a bit better. You take a deep breath and stand up. You try the door again. It's still stuck. Well, there's only one thing you can think of to do now. You start pounding on the door and yelling as loud as you can. If it's barricaded or jammed, anyone passing by should be able to help, and if there's some sort of actual damage to the lock, then you just need someone to go find Carla. Before long, your hands hurt and you're starting to get hoarse. But just when you're thinking of giving up -- at least for now -- you hear a voice. "Are you okay?" It's Heather. "What's going on?" "My door is stuck," you say. "Do you see anything blocking it?" There's a brief pause, and then she says, "Oh, yeah, it looks like something's jammed under it... okay, [[give me a sec.|event2b]]"

You don't exactly have a choice in the matter, so you wait, as directed. There's a scraping sound, and then Heather says, "Okay, try the door again." You do, and to your overwhelming relief, it swings open. You step out into the hall. "This is what was under your door," says Heather, handing you half of a broken wooden ruler. "It was //really// wedged in. I wonder how it got there?" <<inv "Half of a broken wooden ruler.">> <<evidence "On the evening of August 21, someone trapped you in your room.">> "Yeah," you say, vaguely. "I wonder." But as many questions as this whole thing has raised, it's also answered one for you. The missing ID really could have been an accident, but this? [[Someone is definitely trying to sabotage you.|eastWing]]

<<advance>> <<set $flags.push("incident3")>> Your stomach grumbles, and you realize it's been a while since you ate anything. You're not actually feeling very hungry, but your personal feelings haven't been terribly reliable since Daniel's death. Which you can't investigate if you pass out. You briefly ponder grabbing a snack from the store, but instead head towards the cafeteria to try and eat a full meal. The overhead lights start flickering when you step into the atrium. This isn't a terribly uncommon occurrence, since the massive generators powering the station are of a new and slightly finicky design and sometimes have trouble during gusty weather. But while this makes high-tech equipment unreliable during a storm, they've never actually gone offline, so it's no more than an inconvenience. You turn down the south hallway and are greeted by the warm, inviting smells of the cafeteria. Then all the lights go out. The cafeteria is pitch black for several terrifying seconds, and then the lights come back on. They're dimmer than they were before, and that tells you the backup generator has kicked on. Something's gone very wrong with the station's power, and even before Bob's voice crackles over the intercom you know that [[you're going to have to fix it.|event3a]]

<<stress 4>> Bob let you eat first before heading out to do your repairs, but the backup generator won't last forever and if it fails the entire station will freeze solid. So now you're fully bundled up, with what feels like seven layers of clothing plus all kinds of gadgets to help you survive the walk to the power station. It's not a far walk, or at least it wouldn't be anywhere else on earth, but even though you have a special device to warm the air every breath feels like a knife to your lungs. You wish the designers of Pickering Station could have put the building closer, but given the amount of fuel stored nearby you can't exactly blame them. When you finally reach the power station you lean against the wall for a minute to try and catch your breath. Then you pull open the door to the control room (which is, thankfully, only frozen shut a little) and step inside to survey the damage. The air inside smells like burnt plastic and the massive breakers for the two main generators have both tripped, which seems improbable if not impossible. You remember the ruler and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. A quick investigation reveals the source of the burnt smell, which is a box containing some electronics and wires (all now rather charred.) As best you can tell there was a timer in here that someone had wired into the generator, and when the timer went off it caused a short and popped the breakers. Which means once you remove this mess all you need to do is flip the breakers again to get the generators up and running. As far as sabotage goes it's remarkably polite, so why do it at all? You carefully flip the breakers and listen as the generators roar back to life. Once you're satisfied everything is functional you reset the backup generator and turn to leave. But your path out is blocked by a hastily installed latch on the inside of the door, which definitely wasn't present [[last time you were here. |event3b]]

The latch is of a type that automatically locks when pulled closed, and despite the shoddy installation is definitely too sturdy to break. A printed note has been stuck next to it that reads "STOP, OR IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE." Below the letters someone has taped a key. You try to grab it, but your gloved hands are clumsy and it falls to the floor instead. The bottom drops out of your stomach as you fully understand the trap that's been set here for you. In your bulky gloves you have practically zero ability to grab the key, much less manipulate it enough to unlock the door. And if you take the gloves off, even inside the power station it's cold enough that you'll get frostbite in a matter of seconds. Not badly enough to cause permanent damage, but enough to take you out of commission for several days of pure agony. You've seen other Polies go through this, and they call it the "screaming barfies" for a reason. Someone //really// wants you to stop investigating. Somehow, this thought is enough to keep you from collapsing then and there. Instead, it gives you the determination to get yourself out of this through pure spite. [[It's what Daniel would have done, anyway. |event3c]]

<<inv "A burned-out box of electronics.">> You survey the inside of the control room looking for anything you can use as a tool. There's a cache of tools in a shed around the back of the power station, but of course you can't get to those now. You mentally kick yourself for not at least grabbing the heat lamp, but not for too long -- your time out here is limited, one way or another. Unfortunately for you, the control room is as tidy as can be. There's not so much as a discarded pen around for you to use! The only thing you can see is the remnants of the timer box -- and then, suddenly, you have an idea. It's going to be tricky to pull off, but it's a better shot than anything else you can think of. It takes some doing with your gloves still on, but after a few false starts you manage to yank the two trailing wires free from the box. There's a power outlet nearby and you carefully thread one wire into each side of the outlet. Then you very, very gently bring the other two ends of the wire up to the note on the wall, and (holding your breath) cross them. There's a bang and a flash, and then the note's on fire. You seize the opportunity and yank one glove off, grab the key as quickly as you can, and then jam it into the lock. The cold bites deep, but the fire keeps it at bay long enough to get your glove back on. You turn the key, and by the time you get the door open the paper has entirely turned to ash. It floats down, indistinguishable from the Antarctic snow. You clumsily gather up the parts of the sabotage box before trudging outside. Your hand smarts but you're grateful for the pain -- the fact that you can feel it at all is a miracle. You'll need to visit Matt for treatment but it will be okay. You'll be okay, for now. But now it's a deadly race between you and the saboteur and you can't afford to lose. [[You'll need to go to Bob and make an accusation as soon as you have enough info.|infirmary]]