aliengod2

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<<score "shalarelationship" 1>> <<set $shalawithyou = true>> <p>"Yes, I'm sure a witness would be helpful," you say as you beckon her to sit with you. Maybe she has ulterior motives, but she seems sympathetic to Weston.</p> /*TODO: put in small changes in dialogue if Shala is with you*/ <p>"What happened out there?" the guard asks. He probably needs to fill out an incident report.</p> <p>[[Tell the guard what happened|report]]</p>

Rachel Meibos Helps and Steve L. Peck

<div class="alienui"> /* style this like a computer is talking to you */ <p>What would your ideal body look like?</p> <div class="avatar-cols"> <div class="avatar-controls"> <p>Height</p> <input type="range" min="60" max="80" @value="$stats.height" oninput="SugarCube.State.variables.stats.height = parseInt(this.value); document.getElementById('heightDisplay').innerText = Math.floor(parseInt(this.value)/12) + '\'' + (parseInt(this.value)%12) + '"'; document.getElementById('bodyPreview').style.setProperty('--bh', this.value)"> <span id="heightDisplay"><<= Math.floor($stats.height/12) + "'" + ($stats.height % 12) + '"'>></span> <small class="scanned">(your scan: 5'2")</small> <p>---</p> <p>Weight</p> <input type="range" min="90" max="250" @value="$stats.weight" oninput="SugarCube.State.variables.stats.weight = parseInt(this.value); document.getElementById('weightDisplay').innerText = parseInt(this.value) + ' lbs'; document.getElementById('bodyPreview').style.setProperty('--bw', this.value)"> <span id="weightDisplay">$stats.weight lbs</span> <small class="scanned">(your scan: 154 lbs)</small> </div> <div id="bodyPreview" aria-hidden="true" @style="'--bh: ' + $stats.height + '; --bw: ' + $stats.weight"><svg viewBox="0 0 256 262" fill="currentColor"><path 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</div> <p>---</p> <p>Skin Tone</p> <<listbox "$stats.skinTone" autoselect>> <<option "Wheat bread — your current skin tone" "Wheat bread">> <<option "Milk">> <<option "Tapioca">> <<option "French Fry">> <<option "Turmeric">> <<option "Matcha">> <<option "Ube">> <<option "Rooibos">> <<option "Ham">> <<option "Blueberry">> <<option "Squid ink">> <<option "Milk Chocolate">> <<option "Rye bread">> <</listbox>> <p>---</p> <p>Hair curliness</p> <<listbox "$stats.hairCurl" autoselect>> <<option "Medium — your current hair texture" "Medium">> <<option "Curly">> <<option "Straight">> <<option "Wavy">> <<option "Kinky">> <</listbox>> <p>---</p> <br>//NEW// Enhancements <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.eideticMemory" false true autocheck>> MemZ - eidetic memory <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.doubleEyelashes" false true autocheck>> Double eyelashes <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.lessSleep" false true autocheck>> Need less sleep <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.lessPainSensitive" false true autocheck>> Be less sensitive to pain <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.supertaster" false true autocheck>> Supertaster <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.vegetablesTasteLessBitter" false true autocheck>> Vegetables taste less bitter <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.seeUV" false true autocheck>> See UV light <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.loveExercise" false true autocheck>> Love to exercise <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.slowCaffeine" false true autocheck>> Metabolize caffeine more slowly <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.moreFaithful" false true autocheck>> Be more likely to be faithful in a pair-bond <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.noSnoring" false true autocheck>> Don't snore <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.noBodyOdor" false true autocheck>> Sweat doesn't stink <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.alcoholAllergy" false true autocheck>> Become allergic to alcohol <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.improvedClotting" false true autocheck>> Improve blood clotting <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.cancerResistant" false true autocheck>> Resist cancer <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.learnQuickly" false true autocheck>> Learn quickly <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.thinkQuickly" false true autocheck>> QuipD - think quickly <br><<checkbox "$enhancements.thinkDeeply" false true autocheck>> DeepPurple - think deeply <br> </div>

<p>Donna starts on her speech. Her intonation is unusual; instead of her sentences lowering at the ends, they often go up:</p> <p>"Yes. I used to be so, so smart. I could do anything a human could. I could make furniture and sell it. I could use the money to buy food. I could bake delicious cookies. I could double the recipe so I had lots of them. Everyone wanted the food I made. But my brain didn't stay smart. Now I'm like a very dumb human. People have to take care of me. That's why you should use Uplift gene spa if want to get smarter. Don't trust humans."</p> <p>So... she's a walking ad for the Uplift procedure, but in reverse. A kind of attack ad on everyone else. Since she's basically a disabled human. Which is, apparently, worse than being a regular bonobo. Weston is still watching the video.</p> <p>@@.consequence;You have time to ask Donna one question.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[What do you think of RexUp?|Donna on Rexup]] [[Who takes care of you now?|Donna on her caretaker.]] [[Why did you want to be smart like humans?|Donna on procedure.]] </div>

<<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <p>You start to order the fig from the small vending machine on the table. Donna is watching you expectantly. Weston notices what you're doing and points to the fig and moans, "EeeYaa!" It sounds like Weston wants the fig too. Donna snatches the fig from your hand but Weston starts fighting her for it. "Excuse me??" you yell reflexively.</p> <p>Donna bares her teeth and yanks. Weston starts to screech. People are looking up and staring. Across the floor, a security officer is making his way over.</p> <p>@@.consequence;No matter what you choose here, the outcome will be the same. Sorry.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[Tell Donna and Weston to stop.]] [[Take the fig for yourself.]] [[Give Weston some apple slices from your purse.]] </div>

<<silently>> /* Change Score */ <<set $changescore = 0>> <<set $heightChange = Math.trunc(($stats.height - 62) / 5)>> <<set $weightChange = Math.trunc(($stats.weight - 154) / 10)>> <<set $changescore += Math.abs($heightChange) + Math.abs($weightChange)>> /* Hair curl */ <<if $stats.hairCurl === "Straight" || $stats.hairCurl ==="Kinky">> <<set $changescore += 2>> <<elseif $stats.hairCurl === "Wavy" || $stats.hairCurl === "Curly">> <<set $changescore += 1>> <</if>> /* Skin tone */ <<if $stats.skinTone === "French Fry" || $stats.skinTone === "Milk Chocolate">> <<set $changescore += 1>> <<elseif $stats.skinTone === "Tapioca" || $stats.skinTone === "Ham" || $stats.skinTone === "Rye bread">> <<set $changescore += 2>> <<elseif $stats.skinTone === "Milk" || $stats.skinTone === "Turmeric" || $stats.skinTone === "Matcha" || $stats.skinTone === "Ube" || $stats.skinTone === "Rooibos" || $stats.skinTone === "Blueberry"|| $stats.skinTone === "Squid ink">> <<set $changescore += 3>> <</if>> /* Skin tone sub-groups. "Wheat bread" is the default and joins none of them, so all three read false for an untouched avatar. Assigned with = (not +=) so this stays safe to re-run from both include sites. */ <<set $lighterskin = ["Milk", "Tapioca", "French Fry", "Ham"].includes($stats.skinTone)>> <<set $darkerskin = ["Milk Chocolate", "Rye bread", "Squid ink"].includes($stats.skinTone)>> <<set $unnaturalskin = ["Turmeric", "Matcha", "Ube", "Rooibos", "Blueberry"].includes($stats.skinTone)>> /* Hair: straighter than the "Medium" default */ <<set $straighterhair = ["Straight", "Wavy"].includes($stats.hairCurl)>> /* Western Conformity Score. Zero is the most conformity; you start at 2, as calculated by the following:*/ <<set $westernconformity = 0>> /* Height: outside 64-70 adds points */ <<if $stats.height < 64 || $stats.height > 70>> <<set $westernconformity += Math.floor(Math.abs($stats.height - 67) / 3)>> <</if>> /* Weight: outside 120-140 adds 1 per 10 lbs difference */ <<if $stats.weight < 120>> <<set $westernconformity += Math.floor((120 - $stats.weight) / 10)>> <<elseif $stats.weight > 140>> <<set $westernconformity += Math.floor(($stats.weight - 140) / 10)>> <</if>> /* Hair */ <<if $stats.hairCurl === "Kinky">> <<set $westernconformity += 2>> <</if>> <<if $stats.hairCurl === "Curly">> <<set $westernconformity +=1>> <</if>> /* Skin tone */ <<if $stats.skinTone !== "Milk" && $stats.skinTone !== "French Fry" && $stats.skinTone !== "Wheat bread">> <<set $westernconformity += 1>> <</if>> <<set _h = Math.sign($heightChange)>> <<set _w = Math.sign($weightChange)>> <<if _h is 0 and _w is 0>> <<set $bodyChange = "unchanged">> <<elseif _h * _w gt 0>> <<set $bodyChange = _h gt 0 ? "scaled up" : "scaled down">> <<elseif _h * _w lt 0>> <<set $bodyChange = _h gt 0 ? "stretched" : "compressed">> <<elseif _h isnot 0>> <<set $bodyChange = _h gt 0 ? "taller only" : "shorter only">> <<else>> <<set $bodyChange = _w gt 0 ? "heavier only" : "lighter only">> <</if>> /* Did the player change ANYTHING on the AvatarForm? Compared against the StoryInit defaults. Any single tweak counts. */ <<set $enhancementCount = 0>> <<for _key, _val range $enhancements>> <<if _val>><<set $enhancementCount++>><</if>> <</for>> <<set $avatarChanged = ($stats.height !== 62 || $stats.weight !== 154 || $stats.skinTone !== "Wheat bread" || $stats.hairCurl !== "Medium" || $enhancementCount > 0)>> <</silently>>

<p>Written by Rachel Meibos Helps and Steve L. Peck.</p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/rachelhelps">Rachel Meibos Helps</a> is a scholar of Mormon literature and former Wikipedian-in-Residence at the Brigham Young University Library. Her 2022 interactive fiction piece, //Admiration Point//, won 20th place in the Interactive Fiction competition. Parts of this story are inspired by Rachel's experience with her second child, whose global delays are caused by a genetic mutation. Two of Rachel's niblings are autistic and her experiences with them also contributed to Weston's character.</p> <p>Steven L. Peck is a professor of biology and is widely published in evolutionary ecology and the philosophy of biology. Currently, he is studying the soundscape ecology of birds and insects. Peck is also an award-winning novelist, essayist, and poet—the author of six novels and two books of poetry. He grew up playing in the red-rock country around Moab, Utah, where he learned to love nature and imaginative literature. His novel //A Short Stay in Hell//, was just selected to be included in Penguin Random House’s Vintage Press as a formal induction into the Western literary canon. An international bestseller, currently on Goodreads it has 107,191 ratings 18,134 reviews and has been, or currently being, translated into 20 languages. </p> <p>Cover art by Rachel Helps, with the background taken from Jean Delville's <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prom%C3%A9th%C3%A9e_(1907)_-_Jean_Delville.jpg">Prométhée (1907)</a>, which is in the public domain.</p> <p>Playtesting by Michael Austin, and Andrea Landaker. Initial sensitivity reading by Mat Sillito.</p> <p>CSS Twine Template taken from and heavily modified from: Sugarcube Epistolary/Prose UI Template & Epistolary Formatting Widgets by <a href="https://lapinlunaire-games.neocities.org">Lapin Lunaire Games</a>. Rachel doesn't know much CSS, so she used Claude Opus to code her design ideas. All user-facing text and images created by humans.</p> <p><a href="https://thenounproject.com/icon/alien-8437004/">Alien icon</a> by Hilmy Abiyyu Asad, <a href="https://thenounproject.com/icon/human-body-2116734/">human body icon</a> by dDara, and <a href="https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/stats/" target="_blank" title="stats Icons">stats icon</a> by Meko, all from <a href="https://thenounproject.com/">the Noun Project,</a> used under CC BY-SA 3.0.</p> <p>Special thanks from Rachel to her nannies, family, and to the members of the Mushroom Kingdom On-Together server for creating a focused environment for her work on this game!</p> <p>Additional acknowledgements: Shoutout to <a href=" https://listen.theautismdad.com/episodes/replay-before-he-could-speak-s6e61/">Autism Dad's episode</a> where his son reflects on his pre-verbal feelings about communication. </p>

<p>You don't owe this creature anything. However, as you were talking, Weston noticed the fruit vending machine. He points at the fig and makes an urgent moan to indicate that he wants it. What's worse, giving Weston what he wants, or sitting through half an hour of whining? Aren't grandmas supposed to spoil their grandchildren a little? You assure Weston that he can have the fig. You buy it and hand it to him.</p> <p>Donna tries to steal the fig from Weston, but he grips onto it tightly. "Excuse me??" you yell reflexively.</p> <p>Donna bares her teeth and yanks. Weston starts to screech. People are looking up and staring. Across the floor, a security officer is making his way over.</p> <p>@@.consequence;No matter what you choose here, the outcome will be the same. Sorry.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[Tell Donna and Weston to stop.]] [[Take the fig for yourself.]] [[Give Weston some apple slices from your purse.]] </div>

/*is this too early to foreshadow?*/ <p>"RexUp?" she asks. "RexUp says they're changing your pet but they are just as bad as the aliens! They kill your pet. Then they make a new one with the old brain!"</p> <p>"But how is that possible? The pets looks the same age. A new one would start as a baby, right?"</p> <p>"They don't smell the same," Donna insists.</p> <p>"Maybe that's part of their genetic changes. If you had a pet with stinky sweat, wouldn't you want that to change?" you don't know why you're defending RexUp, but you're curious about this idea.</p> <p>"Humans forgot that stinky sweat is part of animals!"</p> <p>Maybe arguing with an ape isn't the best use of your time. Ask her about something else.</p> <p>[[Look at the exhibit in more detail|Treat]]</p>

<p>"Gina takes care of me. She lets me play in trees! But I still have to do what my boss says. To pay for these changes I thought I wanted."</p> <p>"Who's your boss?" you ask.</p> <p>"Kaimon. Kaimon makes me sit inside instead of picking fruit. He says it will save other people from becoming like me. But I don't get to talk to other bonobos. I talk to humans like you. I tell them that humans are bad at Uplift."</p> <p>So Donna is basically here under duress. "Is that what you really think?"</p> <p>"I lie? No. I not lie. With humans, I'm low. No one wants what I have to give. They feed me because I'm weak. No one grooms me except Gina. Humans talk to me, but I'm alone."</p> <p>A prescient description of isolation in the modern world.</p> <p>[[Look at the exhibit in more detail|Treat]]</p>

<p>Donna closes her eyes to remember and puts her hand on her brow.</p> <p>"I remember Gina, when she told me about it. She asked if I wanted to be like humans. What did I know about humans? I thought, humans have food. They have keys to get out. They seem nice. Usually if I don't know, I say "yes!" (she shakes her fisted hand up-and-down to indicate the sign for "yes") because sometimes it means I get a treat. So I said "yes". I got a treat! Then I went to sleep and had lots of pain."</p> <p>"I learned about humans. They were not friends. They controlled me with treats. But then I was smart, and the bonobo arguments seemed stupid to me. I learned so many ways to hunt ants and dig up beetle grubs. I even learned how to bake bread with Gina. But I only have Gina to share it with. No lover-bonobos or babies or sisters or aunties."</p> <p>"This film looks like it has other chimps in it who had the same thing done to them though," you say.</p> <p>Gina stands up from her crouch. "THOSE bonobos are the WORST!" she starts to screech. "They think human smarts make them kings of the jungle!"</p> <p>"That's awful," you say, trying to calm her down, "being smarter doesn't mean that you should be in charge." But being smarter than others does give you more power. That's why people want to be uplifted and change their brains as well as their bodies, right?</p> <p>[[Look at the exhibit in more detail|Treat]]</p>

<<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-backward" title="Back"></i>'>> <<run Engine.backward()>> <</link>>  <div class="nav-container"> <ul class="navMenu" id="nav"> <input type="checkbox" id="nav-menu" class="navMenuToggle" name="navMenuToggle" /> <li class=" nav-li ms-li5 ms-li-last"> <<link '<i class="fa-regular fa-floppy-disk" title="Saves"></i>'>> <<run UI.saves();>> <</link>> </li> <li class=" nav-li ms-li4"> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-power-off" title="Restart"></i>'>> <<run UI.restart();>> <</link>> </li> <li class="nav-li ms-li3"> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-hands-clapping" title="Credits"></i>'>> <<run Dialog.create("Credits").wikiPassage("Credits").open();>> <</link>> </li> <li class="nav-li ms-li2"> <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-gears" title="Settings"></i>'>> <<run UI.settings();>> <</link>> </li> <li class="nav-li ms-li1 ms-li-first"> <<link '<svg viewBox="-5 -5 110 110" fill="currentColor" role="img"><title>Bookmarks and relationships</title><path d="m24.996 40.613-2.3516 2.3516v14.047l2.3516 2.3516h18.73l2.3516-2.3516v-14.047l-2.3516-2.3516z"/><path d="m24.996 65.621-2.3516 2.3281v14.07l2.3516 2.3281h40.625l2.3281-2.3281v-14.066l-2.3281-2.3281z"/><path d="m24.996 15.609-2.3516 2.3516v14.047l2.3516 2.3516h60.164l2.3281-2.3516v-14.047l-2.3281-2.3516z"/><path d="m12.492 12.496v74.996h4.6836v-74.996z"/></svg>'>> <<if Dialog.isOpen("key")>> <<run Dialog.close()>> <<else>> <<run Dialog.create("Relationship stats and links to key documents", "key").wikiPassage("Key").open();>> <</if>> <</link>> </li> <li class="nav-main"> <a> <label class="navMenuToggle-lbl" for="nav-menu"> <span><svg viewBox="-5 -5 110 110" fill="currentColor" role="img"><title>Menu</title><path d="m50 8.75c-21.711 0-39.375 15.98-39.375 35.625 0 24.965 24.539 46.875 39.375 46.875s39.375-21.91 39.375-46.875c0-19.645-17.664-35.625-39.375-35.625zm0 78.75c-12.039 0-35.625-19.523-35.625-43.125 0-17.574 15.98-31.875 35.625-31.875s35.625 14.301 35.625 31.875c0 23.602-23.586 43.125-35.625 43.125z"/><path d="m56.746 69.211c-4.2891 1.875-9.207 1.875-13.496 0-0.94922-0.41797-2.0547 0.015624-2.4688 0.96875-0.41406 0.94922 0.015625 2.0547 0.96484 2.4688 2.6211 1.1445 5.3984 1.7305 8.2539 1.7305s5.6289-0.58203 8.2539-1.7305c0.94922-0.41406 1.3828-1.5195 0.96484-2.4688-0.41406-0.94922-1.5234-1.3867-2.4688-0.96875z"/><path d="m74.52 37.453c-5.2383-1.2578-10.156-0.4375-13.844 2.3047-3.5664 2.6562-5.6836 6.8359-5.9609 11.777-0.085938 1.5664 0.50781 3.1094 1.6367 4.2305 1.0547 1.0508 2.4727 1.6367 3.9375 1.6367 0.11328 0 0.22266-0.003906 0.33594-0.011719h0.003906c7.0703-0.4375 16.652-2.3281 18.207-13.625 0.39844-2.9102-1.457-5.6211-4.3164-6.3086zm-14.121 16.195c-0.52344 0.023437-1.0234-0.16797-1.4023-0.53906-0.21875-0.21484-0.57422-0.67969-0.53516-1.3633 0.21094-3.8086 1.7969-6.9961 4.4531-8.9766 1.8984-1.4102 4.2773-2.1367 6.9141-2.1367 1.2227 0 2.5039 0.15625 3.8125 0.47266 0.97656 0.23438 1.6133 1.1602 1.4766 2.1523-0.93359 6.793-5.1992 9.8047-14.723 10.395z"/><path d="m45.281 51.535c-0.27734-4.9375-2.3945-9.1211-5.9609-11.777-3.6875-2.7422-8.6016-3.5586-13.844-2.3047-2.8594 0.6875-4.7148 3.3984-4.3164 6.3086 1.5547 11.301 11.137 13.188 18.207 13.625h0.003906c0.11328 0.007812 0.22266 0.011719 0.33594 0.011719 1.4648 0 2.8828-0.58594 3.9375-1.6367 1.1289-1.1211 1.7227-2.6641 1.6367-4.2305zm-4.2812 1.5703c-0.37891 0.375-0.89453 0.56641-1.4023 0.53906-9.5195-0.58984-13.785-3.6016-14.723-10.395-0.13672-0.99219 0.49609-1.918 1.4766-2.1523 4.1445-0.99219 7.9492-0.40234 10.73 1.6641 2.6602 1.9805 4.2422 5.168 4.4531 8.9766 0.039063 0.68359-0.32031 1.1484-0.53516 1.3633z"/></svg></span> </label> </a> </li> </ul> </div>  <<link '<i class="fa-solid fa-forward" title="Forward"></i>'>> <<run Engine.forward()>> <</link>>

<p>You hurriedly pull out the apple slices you prepared for you and Weston to eat with lunch. "Weston, I have something better. It's apple slices! Wouldn't you like some apple?"</p> <p>Weston does not seem to notice that you are addressing him. He is still wrestling with Donna for the fig.</p> <p>"Donna, what about you? Would you like some apple slices?"</p> <p>"No!" she says during her struggle, "I want FIG!"</p> <p>The [[security guard has arrived]].</p>

<<set _mail = [{sender:"IrisAI", subject:"Welcome!", date:"Today", route:"inboxwelcome", body:"Mail-welcome"},{sender:"Uplift", subject:"Your upcoming Uplift procedure!", date:"Apr 14", route:"Instructions for preparing your body to receive the eggs", body:"Mail-uplift"},{sender:"Patricia Link", subject:"DON'T DO UPLIFT!", date:"Apr 11", route:"readnouplift", body:"Mail-blinda"},{sender:"Uplift PR", subject:'Fwd: "Uplift" in the news today', date:"Apr 9", route:"factvsfiction", body:"Mail-factvsfiction"},{sender:"Werc Society", subject:"Time for ACTION against P. Link!", date:"Mar 30", route:"Wercfanletter", body:"Mail-werc"},{sender:"Stacey Brown", subject:"Fwd: Re: Important request", date:"April 12", route:"sciencerequest", body:"Mail-science"} ]>> <div class="inbox-frame"> <div class="titlebar">Emails Forwarded from Lina</div> <div class="cols"><span class="from">From</span><span class="subj">Subject</span><span class="maildate">Date</span></div> <div class="rows"> <<for _m range _mail>> <<if passage() is _m.route>> <a class="selected" @data-passage="_m.route"><span class="from"><<= _m.sender>></span><span class="subj"><<= _m.subject>></span><span class="maildate"><<= _m.date>></span></a> <div class="inlay"> <div class="headers"><span class="label">From</span><span class="from"><<= _m.sender>></span><span class="label">Date</span><span class="maildate"><<= _m.date>></span><span class="label">Subject</span><span class="subj"><<= _m.subject>></span></div> <div class="mailbody"><<include _m.body>></div> </div> <<else>> <a @data-passage="_m.route"><span class="from"><<= _m.sender>></span><span class="subj"><<= _m.subject>></span><span class="maildate"><<= _m.date>></span></a> <</if>> <</for>> </div> </div> /* Path to Act II appears once the uplift instructions have been opened; currently exploring the rest of the emails is optional not required */ <<if hasVisited("Instructions for preparing your body to receive the eggs")>> <div class="choice">[[Tell Lina what you've learned.|exitinterlude1]]</div> <</if>>

<<include "InboxList">>

<div class="document"> <p><h2>Step one: return to body</h2></p> <p>* Quiet room</p> <p>* Tablet - Cars</p> <p>* Favorites playlist</p> <p><h2>Step two: use body</h2></p> <p>* Straw cup</p> <p>* Applesauce</p> <p>* Hidden objects</p> <p><h2>Step three: Enjoyment</h2></p> <p>* Beads</p> <p>* Real food</p> <p>* Pressure</p> </div> [[Follow the instructions.|reset Weston]] /* have an idea to show photos/tracing and have the player match up what description goes with which object--but I want to come back to that idea later. I downloaded several images that I could trace in C:\Users\rwele\Pictures\aliengod\Aliengod diaperbag. Would I have a bookend experience like this with the buglets? Photo matching seems a bit basic. Is there some way I can make this caretaking part more interactive? */

<div class="texts"><span class="meta">1 hour ago</span> <span class="them">Ahhh mom!!! I am sorry to dump this on you but I need you to find the instructions for the Uplift procedure for Weston. My AI is busy with a million other things, so I just had it send you everything from my inbox about Uplift from the last two days. I know that it's going to be in there. Please tell me what Weston needs to do to prepare. </span><span class="me">of course I can help. </span><span class="them">Great, I think the AI just made you a separate view from my inbox or something? See it [[here|inboxwelcome]].</span> </div> @@.consequence;Reading these emails will give you interesting background information that will enhance your enjoyment of the story. There are two emails which, after you read them, determine the availability of two choices later on in the story.@@

<<if def $relStart>>\ /* min/max per row: relationships run 0..7, loyalty can go negative */ <<set _rels = [ {label:"Weston", now:$westonrelationship, base:$relStart.weston, min:0, max:7}, {label:"Lina", now:$linarelationship, base:$relStart.lina, min:0, max:7}, {label:"Shala", now:$shalarelationship, base:$relStart.shala, min:0, max:7}, {label:"Pierre", now:$pierrerelationship, base:$relStart.pierre, min:0, max:7}, {label:"Donna", now:$donnarelationship, base:$relStart.donna, min:0, max:7}, {label:"Uplift", now:$Upliftloyalty, base:$relStart.loyalty, min:-6, max:4} ]>>\ <<set _anyChanged = false>>\ <<for _r range _rels>><<if _r.now isnot _r.base>><<set _anyChanged = true>><</if>><</for>>\ <<if _anyChanged>>\ <div class="relstats"> <div class="relstats-title">Relationships</div> <<for _r range _rels>><<if _r.now isnot _r.base>><<set _v = Math.max(_r.min, Math.min(_r.max, _r.now))>><<set _pct = (_v - _r.min) / (_r.max - _r.min) * 100>><div class="relrow"><span class="rellabel"><<= _r.label>></span><span class="reltrack"><span class="relfill" @style="'width:' + _pct + '%'"></span></span><span class="relval"><<= _v>></span></div><</if>><</for>> </div> <</if>>\ <</if>>\ You can find your relationship stats and links to important documents here once you have reached a certain point in the story. <<if hasVisited("consentform1")>><a href="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/uplift_contract.pdf" target="_blank">Uplift_contract.pdf</a>.<</if>>

<<if $detail is "detailed" and $tone is "upbeat">> Dear Lina, things have been crazy busy here, but Weston is doing really well! He's been talking much more. <<if $shalaspa is true>>He'll watch me to see how to do something, like when we went to a neighbor's spa night and he put his feet into a saltwater soak.<</if>> He's starting to take more interest in taking care of himself and his buglet, which he named Mater (you can guess why). I've been getting to know the other people in the Uplift cohort a bit better. The people here are really supportive! <<if $shalaspa is true>>Shala is the one who held the spa night, and she was very generous with her time and talents, making a sugar scrub from ingredients in the kitchen.<</if>> <<if $toldpierreoff or $joinedpierresgroup is true>>Pierre, the Black influencer who used to be in a wheelchair, came by to give me the lowdown on looking like a Black person.<</if>><<if $joinedpierresgroup is true>>He was kind enough to add me to a support group for people who chose to get blacker skin, but might not know much about Black culture and how to live in a world where racism is really common.<</if>> Weston LOVES playing with Mater <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>and my buglet<</if>>. They did get into a bit of a scuffle. Weston got a cut on his face about four inches long. But the medical specialist glued it up and it should heal well. At least it was a clean cut! Those buglet claws are sharp.<<if $incubationTerms is 1>>My buglet got hurt too, but it's on the mend.<</if>> Weston has been AMAZING with the buglets! He was even playing in their game or ritual or whatever it was. Some scientists wanted to know how he did it, but he said he couldn't explain it. I'm impressed that he can even explain that he can't explain something! On buglet field day, Weston joined in their game, probably because his experience with autism lets him see patterns other people don't. It was amazing how he was able to join in with the buglets, communicating with them through gestures. Some scientists got really excited about it and wanted to talk to him. <<if $ignroedsci>>I told them to leave Weston alone while he's still transitioning into his Uplift.<</if>><<if $securesci is true>>We started talking to them, but they wouldn't take no for an answer from Weston. I ended up calling Uplift security on them.<</if>> <<if $materinjured>>We started talking to them, but they wouldn't take no for an answer from Weston. A security guard tried to sedate Mater... I think it hurt the poor buglet pretty badly. Weston is pretty sad about it. Hopefully everything will be okay. He really misses you.<</if>> <<elseif $detail is "detailed" and $tone is "cynical">> Dear Lina, things are crazy here. Weston is speaking more, but he still doesn't seem like a normal child. He's obsessed with buglets, and I don't think it's good for his health. I told him over and over again not to wrestle with his buglet, Mater<<if $incubationTerms is 1>> and my buglet<<elseif $incubationTerms gt 1>> and my buglets<</if>>, but he didn't listen to me. He got a huge gash on his cheek today from one of them! I thought he should have had stitches, but the medical professional here just glued his skin together. Hopefully it won't leave a scar. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>My buglet got injured too... I hope this doesn't affect my Uplift service contract terms. On buglet field day, Weston figured out the buglet game and attracted the attention of a bunch of scientists! <<if $ignroedsci>>We ignored them because I wanted Weston to calm down, not get all keyed up.<</if>><<if $securesci is true>>We started talking to them, but they threatened Weston's friend, so I called Uplift security on them.<</if>> <<if $materinjured>>Weston and Mater had a co-meltdown because of something the scientists said and a security guard tried to sedate Mater... Mater did not look well. They took Mater to a medical facility (do they have those for buglets?) and Weston is heartbroken. You should come see him. He needs his mom.<</if>><</if>> <<if $shalaspa is true>>Do you remember Shala, the influencer who uploaded the video of Donna fighting with Weston? She tried to do a foot soak spa night, but she used a bunch of kitchen bowls and dishes for our feet, which I thought was pretty gross. I feel like she's only interested in me because Weston's Conrad's son, and she can smell the political connection from a mile away.<</if>><<if $toldpierreoff or $joinedpierresgroup is true>>Pierre, the Black influencer who used to be in a wheelchair, came by to give me the lowdown on looking like a Black person. As if I couldn't understand what it's like to have people dismiss or ignore me because I'm a short brown person. Well, I was anyway.<</if>><<if $toldpierreoff is true>>I gave him a piece of my mind about how special African-American Black people think they are. Mexico has Black people too! I can be Mexican-American and Black.<</if>> <<elseif $detail is "vague" and $tone is "upbeat">> Hi Lina, I don't have a lot of time to write you, but things are going really well! <<if $shalaspa or $toldpierreoff or $joinedpierresgroup is true>>I've made some new friends with my neighbors.<</if>> Weston really loves playing with his buglet, Mater<<if $incubationTerms is 1>> and my buglet. They got into a bit of a scuffle, but the medical professional patched everything up. Weston has been playing in buglet games too! Maybe he can bring the sport to humans. <<if $materinjured>>Weston has been missing you a little more, since Mater got injured, but he'll be okay.<</if>><</if>> <<elseif $detail is "vague" and $tone is "cynical">> Hi Lina, just checking in to let you know that Weston did get injured while playing with his buglet. <<if $shalaspa or $toldpierreoff or $joinedpierresgroup is true>>I've met some of my neighbors, and they're all kind of weird. I suspect they're befriending me for more content production because it's that or watch the buglets swim.<</if>> Weston is saying more and doing more social things, but I'm not sure if it will stick. I'm a little worried that Weston's buglet is being a bad influence on him--they've been playing together a lot and Weston seems to be getting a bit of an attitude. <<if $materinjured>>Mater got seriously injured and I'm not sure if Weston can take it much longer. You should come cheer him up if you can.<</if>> <</if>>

<<silently>><<switch $donnadescriptor>> <<case "poor" >><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "exploited">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "disenfranchised">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <</switch>><</silently>> <p>"Let me call his mother. I promise we will not cause any problems."</p> <p>He nods and doesn't move.</p> <p>When you open your phone, you notice that you missed a call from Lina. She hardly ever calls you. She texted you:</p> <div class="texts"><span class="meta">Two minutes ago</span> <span class="them">wtf is going on with Weston?? Is he okay? I saw video online of him getting bit by a bonobo?</span> <span class="them">Do I need to come down there??</span> </div> <p>You call her and explain what happened.</p> <p>"Each time I think my life can't get any weirder, I'm wrong. Is he okay?"</p> <p>You try to look at his hand, but it's curled tightly against his chest. You don't see any bloodstains or bleeding.</p> <p>"It's hard to see his hand clearly right now but it doesn't seem to be serious."</p> <p>"But a bonobo bite is probably like a human bite. A high chance of infection... you have to clean it at least."</p> <p>"I know, I know! I've done this before, remember? Weston needs time to recover. But I will try to clean it soon. Security is telling us that children aren't allowed at the conference and we need to leave. Is that right?"</p> <p>"No, ugh, I'll get one of my people on it. He needs a presentation badge to access the greenroom, which now that I think about it, is probably a better place for him than the showroom. I've got to go."</p> <p>The guard looks at you expectantly.</p> <p>"Weston here is going to be presenting at the conference."</p> <p>"Huh. But he doesn't have a presentation badge..."</p> <p>You wait in uncomfortable silence. <<if $shalawithyou is true>> <<score "shalarelationship" 1>></p> <p>Shala is even more interested in Weston now. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing... Weston is presenting today?"</p> <p>"Yes, although I'm not sure what it's about..."</p> <<include "shalaasksaboutweston">> <</if>> <p>A fresh-faced young man dressed in business casual comes up to you.</p> <p>"Sorry about that wait, Victoria. My name is Frank. Here's Weston's presentation badge and your companion ID. Let me show you the greenroom where he can relax until the time of his presentation." He nods the security guard away.</p> <br> <p>[[Enter the greenroom/|greenroom]]</p>

<p>This security guard is definitely not a police officer. He can't arrest you. You don't have to talk to him.</p> <p>"Mom! The video of Weston and that chimp fighting is blowing up! What the hell is going on over there?"</p> <p>"I'm sorry, Linita, but why is there a deranged monkey in your conference? Not very family-friendly."</p> <p>"It's not a conference for families! It's for influencers. Why didn't you protect Weston?"</p> <p>@@.consequence;Apologizing to Lina will make her think you are weak.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[Apologize.|sorryLina]] [[Explain.|sofastLina]] </div>

/*You open the letter so marked and you find this letter with two attachments. One is the fragment of a report from your old college roomate Patricia Link. The other is a link note from her Editor in Chief Melo Kay with instructions not to publish on this topic. */\ Lina, I have but a moment to write. Do not do the Uplift the monsters are offering. I use the word "monstrous" deliberately. We've been lied to and I have proof. I've cut and pasted the beginning of an article I was assigned by *Bone Digger Magazine*. I was doing an undercover piece on Uplift and what I discovered has left me shaking. Don't do Uplift. OK? You are my best friend. Don't do Uplift and don't let anyone you love do it either. OK? Patricia Link Correspondent for //Bone Digger// <div class="quoted">The midnight sun has just bounced off the northern horizon, casting the landscape of the Boreal Forest in an eerie glow. I am on the light rail that runs from Ft. Smith in the Northwest Territories to Edmonton, Alberta, and just crossed a deep river gorge. And as you will see, not deep enough to hold all my feelings. I am returning from three weeks following a cohort of Uplift candidates... [[continue reading.|The Utopia that is not]]</div>

Hi Lina, This interview showed up on my watchlist. The long and short of it is that Mari makes a compelling case that Patty is completely making up the whole slug-womb thing. <span class="Whisper">Teresa McGill</span> //CPO// //Uplift Dynamics// <div class="quoted">Welcome to "Fact vs Fiction," the show where we investigate claims to get at the TRUTH so you don't have to. I'm your host Merisalila Bright, and with me here today is Patricia Link, whose story is sweeping across media about the giant Uplift-beast, people are calling womb-slug. Patty, may I call you Patty? Welcome. Patty: Think you. It is an honor to be here. Mari: We've just shown the audience you testifying to Congress about your experience. It was very brave of you to face such a hostile crowd... [[continue reading|factvsfiction1]]</div>

Dear potential Uplift candidate, No doubt you are bubbling with excitement about your upcoming Uplift. That is quite natural, and we look forward to helping you adjust to the pending changes to both your body and to the state of your current capabilities. The bottom line is when this is over you will feel better than you've ever felt in your life. Whatever enhancements or genetic corrections you have chosen, you will find new spaces to live your life to its fullness. We know you have many questions. Most of your specific questions will be answered by your Uplift midwife, who will assist you in every step of the process, including nutritional guidelines, vaccination schedule, information on exercising with your egg(s), laboratory tests, foods to avoid, and vitamins needed (remember that the egg itself will provide all the necessary macro and micro nutrients needed for proper egg development). The vitamins we suggest are for your health and nutrition. You likely have specific questions, and we invite you to contact the proper office so we can help you in the most efficient and informative way possible! You will find the proper contact information for these individuals in the downloadable file to add to your contact list, which includes phone numbers, email addresses, a quick access emergency contact, and other useful information for maintaining a health maternal environment for the little Tralflamadorian you are assisting into the world. Recall the itinerary for Uplift as you think through what help you may need. If all is normal, it will proceed as follows (visit the full legally signed contract for more specific documentation). 1. Reread the full Patient Informed Consent document. <a href="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/uplift_contract.pdf" target="_blank">Read ICD</a> 2. Fill out the Uplift request document to choose the set of enhancements and genetic corrections you are seeking. The number of eggs you will be asked to incubate will be based on the number and kinds of changes you are making to your genome and your body. The max number of eggs you can implant is three. 3. It will take roughly six months for your egg to mature and to be ready for the next Zydon stage of development. During the egg's incubation, it will be learning your chemical makeup, your neuronal structure, the strengths and deficiencies of your current body's formation, and other things to prepare for your Uplift. 4. After the egg matures, you will be moved to a modern, highly advanced hospital laboratory where the eggs will be extracted, hatched into the Zydon's next larval stage, which is fully aquatic. By this stage, your little "Buglet" will have imprinted on you and you on it to help you nurture your child into its next stage. During the time of the buglet, you will sleep restfully in a medically induced coma, but unlike your own species' less advanced technology, you maintain muscle tone, brain function, circulatory health, and organ functioning. When you emerge from the chamber, you will be fully uplifted in all the ways you specified! Including desired life-length extension (up to the human limit of 174 years). This is an exciting moment. 5. When you emerge you buglet will also have finished its pupal stage. This will be the funnest part of your entire Uplift obligation, as you will be the little creature's parent for the next four years. 6. At the final stage, you and your buglet will depart the company in a completely satisfying way (although you will never forget your surrogate child). At that time, you are free to follow whatever path you like, including another bout of Uplift if desired. For questions about the implantation procedure, contact Directorate WT2. This includes the implantation itself, care of the initial incision and wound, proper coloration and visual monitoring of the egg-bulge, pain medicines you can take and those to avoid, rejection of the egg by the body's immune system, and other emergency instructions. These are rare, and you will likely not have any problems. Most of our Uplift helpers don't even notice the implanted egg for most of the pre-Uplift period. If you are filling these forms out for a minor, or accompanying them during their stay at the Uplift Transition Housing, you must be a parent or legal guardian.

<p>Welcome! I'm Lina's AI assistant, Iris. I encountered an anti-AI spam filter when I attempted to forward these emails to you, so I made a special view of Lina's inbox so you can view them this way instead. Have a good day!</p>

Dear Subscribers, Precious Followers, Lovers of Werc's work As co-presidents of the Werc Society, me—Belinda Mallard, and my partner Calli Undine, have grown so tired of the constant hate and canceling culture that seems to plague one of the most beautiful and noble men to have ever lived. Conrad Werc. A genuine savior of our time. The harm that that monster, Patricia Link, is causing to his reputation by her endless transparent lies, is dire! Especially after that lying poser's appearance on the investigative news show Fact vs Fiction with Merisalila Bright? How can people be so credulous as to believe any of the vile nonsense that comes out of that woman's mouth? It strains belief. It's time for action! Action! By the time you read this, it will be over. And we will have proved (Proved!) that P. Link has made up the whole story about Uplift "Slug Monsters" where the Uplift takes place in little wombs peppering a massive creature's body, where egg-bearing Uplift candidates are incubated until their Uplift is complete. The story about squid-like alien creatures tossing candidates about unceremoniously like so many bales of hay is so obviously absurd that we cannot believe people are buying into it. A pity that so much of the Uplift work being done by the glorious aliens is being subverted by benighted souls so twisted that they feel like they must lie and lie and lie to achieve their murky ends. We are ready to take on the nonsense. Watch this space! An exposé is forthcoming that will blow your mind clear out of its darkened brain case! Please consider subscribing to our Newsletter to get the latest on our work to promote Werc's work to create a better human than has ever lived on our planet. We will share all our findings. <<linkreplace"Subscribe">><<set $WercfanSubscribed to true>>You're subscribed!<</linkreplace>> /*Those who do not, go back to the main story and miss this interlude*/

Hi! Thanks for downloading my Sugarcube Epistolary/Prose Template. Below is a key to the colour-coded tags I've used to identify which passages should be edited with your own text, which are guides/references for the template's screenplay format widgets, and which should not be edited without deeper HTML/CSS/Twinescript familiarity. I've tried to make the template as plug-and-play friendly as possible, but please don't hesitate to leave a comment on itch or contact me (https://lapinlunaire-games.neocities.org/contact/) if you have any questions and the code comments aren't quite getting you the info you need. Happy Twining! -Jinx //--------------- TAG KEY ----------------- "Guide" (BLUE) Reference passage. "Edit-This!" (GREEN) Passages tagged "Edit-This!" contain text meant for you to change to your own project's information. "No-Touchy!" (RED) Editing not recommended without advanced HTML/CSS/Twinescript knowledge. <div class='choice choicebtn'> <<button "Template Styles">><<goto [[Styles]]>><</button>>

<<include "InboxList">>

<<include "CalcAvatarStats">> <p>This is ridiculous.</p> <<if $changescore == 0>> <p>I don't want to change my body at all.</p> <<elseif $changescore <= 8>> <p>It might be fun to change a few things, but not if it costs a lot of money.</p> <<elseif $changescore <= 12>> <p>I've dreamed of what it would be like to live in a different body, but I'm not in a position to make a drastic change.</p> <<else>> <p>I think it's interesting that so many changes are possible, but I can't take this seriously. Who wants to have purple skin?</p> <</if>> <<if $westernconformity == 0>><p>Do I really want to be some skinny white woman?</p><</if>> <p>And what's with these skin tone names? Seems like some corporate idea of being 'cute' in ways that are going to offend some people.</p> <p>Oh, it looks like Lina is here with Weston. [[Talk to Lina|lina1]]</p>

<p>As much as you love all of your grandchildren, Weston is the one you feel the least bonded to. You think Lina might feel the same way. You feel sad that she didn't get to have the experience of raising a more typical child, who could make jokes and act affectionate in ways that are easy to understand.</p> <p>You wonder how much of Weston's entry into the first cognitive Uplift cohort is motivated by Lina's business ambitions. She is passionately devoted to her work... maybe more than she is devoted to Weston.</p> <p class="consequence">Since you previously told us your attitude about disability... you think...</p> <<if $disabilityattitude.Eliminate is true>> <p>You've often wished that Weston could express himself better, even if just to tell you to get more apple juice or whatever he wanted to eat. You definitely had to modify your expectations of Lina when she was a girl. She hated dance lessons and had no interest in makeup or looking pretty. But at least she could tell you those things! She wasn't just sitting around looking at stuff all day.</p> <p>You don't need Weston to be completely normal. You could connect with him if he had an interest in birds, trucks, or even a videogame. But caring for him feels less rewarding than taking care of a dog. At least a dog is excited to see you and can tell when you're upset. At least a dog can poop in the right place. Is it so bad that you want your own grandson to be able to turn his head when you call his name?</p> <</if>> <<if $disabilityattitude.Criticaldisabilitytheory is true>> <p>Yes, ideally, the world would accommodate Weston. Ideally, he would never have to leave his home and his chill space. His caretakers would tell him exactly what's going on that day, and there would be minimal transitions. But you know that Lina isn't content to limit her life to make Weston's maximally comfortable. Lina is not going to change. But maybe Weston can?</p> <</if>> <p>"Weston's getting uplifted then?" you ask, to gauge Lina's feelings about it.</p> <p>"Yes! I'm so excited to see the results. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Weston will need someone to stay with him during the recovery and labor period. There's a group home and everything."</p> <p>You had plans for next year. Traveling to see your other grandchildren. Checking in at the hospital where you used to work for gossip. But this is more important.</p> <p>"I can stay with him. I'll help him with recovery."</p> <p>"You don't have to agree to anything yet. Let me at least send you the consent form."</p> <p>"I want to know as much as possible beforehand." You know you won't be able to talk Lina out of this. You might as well plan to help with damage control now.</p> <p>Later that night, you [[check your email.|consentform1]]</p>

<p>Conrad, dressed in tech formal (white shirt without a tie but with a dress coat) starts his speech: "Let's take a moment to think about what this latest stage of Uplift represents for us, not just as a company, but as humanity. Previous generations dreamed of ending world hunger and using clean energy for everything. Maybe even harnessing more of the sun's energy from outer space! However, we've learned that we are just not smart enough to figure out how to do that, even with AI helping us. Can a brain make something so complicated that it can't figure it out? No. And so the real limit on humanity right now has been our own bodies."</p> <p>"It turns out that our bodies are extremely personal to us. If you ask someone if they want a new body, they might be worried that they will lose their personality. You still want to be you… just, better, right?"</p> <p>"That's the part we struggled with before the Zydons came. How do you make a person more friendly, or have a better memory, or even a better intuition for when something is wrong, without changing their whole personality? That's why we stuck to physical modifications for humans for so long."</p> <p>"This technology the Zydons have is extremely advanced. They have explained how it works to me, and I can say confidently that their technology is not something humans can replicate. Like I don't even know where we would begin to start creating the system they have in place. I can't tell you very much about it, but I can tell you it is safe."</p> <p>"To show my confidence in the latest Uplift offerings, I'll be sending my son in the first new cohort!"</p> <p>Wait. What? Lina didn't mention this to you. Weston is going to go through Uplift?</p> <<if $uplift is true>> <p>That's great. You can go through the Uplift procedure together. Maybe you can even help him through some parts. But Lina should have consulted with you. This is a huge decision.</p> <<elseif $uplift is false>> <p>Maybe Weston does need some medical assistance, but not like this. You don't think he should be changing his whole body when most of it actually works fine. If the alien technology is so advanced, why does it take six months to do the procedure? Can't they just pinpoint one part of his brain to put a magnet on or something?</p><</if>> <p>"Before he comes on stage, I want to warn you: Weston has autism and isn't interested in talking to you or anyone else. That's fine, introverts have a place in our society! We think Weston would be a lot happier if he could do more things for himself and ask for things he needs help with. Weston doesn't like loud noises, so for once, I'm going to request that you NOT clap or cheer. Think of this as the "before" photo."</p> [[Encourage Weston to go on stage|Robspeech3]]

<p>Weston walks towards Conrad. Conrad holds out an arm to Weston, and Weston holds his hand. "Hello Weston, can you say hi to everyone? They're here to see the spots on your back."</p> <p>Weston waves. Years of ABA therapy for a wave.</p> <p>"Weston has already had the Shepherd egg implanted. I hear that it feels like a blister that doesn't hurt. Let me show you. Weston, guess what? We get to take off your shirt!"</p> <p>Weston tries to take off his shirt, but it's still taped to his pants. Well, if Lina had told you they wanted to take off his shirt, you would have prepared him for this better. Conrad tries to hide his frustration and slowly picks off the duct tape, ripping it in one long strip after getting a bit off. Conrad turns Weston towards him so his back is facing the audience. On his back on one side is what looks like a large welt the size of a golf ball.</p> <p>"This little bump is such a small inconvenience in comparison to prep and recovery from major human-enacted Uplift. The procedure is also much safer! We'll be following Weston's Uplift for the next year to show the future of humanity." Conrad points Weston off-stage and nudges him in that direction.</p> <p>[[Help Weston off the stage|off-stage]]</p>

<p>You guide Weston by the shoulder to a corner behind the booths that looks free at the moment. You give him a few pretzels and he settles into watching videos on his tablet. It reminds you of how Lina would always listen to music at family parties. It felt impossible to get her to socialize with her cousins. She's still quiet at parties and leaves early, but she seems more socially aware now.</p> <p>Lately Weston has been taking off all his clothes in public, so you tape his shirt to his pants with duct tape. You've done this before, and it's a lot better than chasing around a little streaker.</p> <p>Halfway through, he notices what you're doing and tries to push your arms away.</p> <p>"Just a second, I'm almost done."</p> <p>"Eeeeeeaaaa!" he yells.</p> <p>You hurriedly finish and give Weston a few more pretzels, while you sit and read your book. You sit peacefully together for two hours. He pushes away his tablet and starts walking around the exhibit hall. Hurriedly, you put your things in your bag. All of the vendors have set up their stalls by now, and there are a lot of people walking around. A lot of them are young people. There are an unusual amount of people with visible disabilities.</p> <p>Weston stops at tables seemingly at random, picking up free pens and dropping them on the floor. You catch up to him and pick up the things he's dropped, apologizing along the way. He stops in front of a screen that's showing footage from a project to give apes human intelligence. Beneath the screen, an ape with brushed black hair greets you.</p> <p>"Hello, my name is Donna. How are you today?"</p> <p>It's startling to hear such a human-like voice come from, well, an animal. Weston is unfazed. The ape is undressed, which wouldn't be notable, except that there is an ape-sized vest and pants on the floor.</p> <p>"Hello Donna, I'm Victoria and this is my grandson Weston."</p> <p>"It's nice to meet you. Humans are bad at making me smart. Want me to show you?"</p> <p>Her words sound rehearsed, as if it's part of her script.</p> <div class="choice"> [[Ask for a demonstration.|Bad Donna]] [[Look at the exhibit in more detail|Treat]] </div>

<<if $detail and $tone>> <div class="choice">[[Send it.|letterSent]]</div> <<else>> <p><em>Choose both before sending.</em></p> <</if>>

<p>Your daughter, Lina, was apologetic when she asked you to come watch her son.</p> <div class="texts"><span class="meta">Yesterday 10:02 PM</span> <span class="them">Sorry, my nanny is sick today, but it's the influencer days at UpliftCon, and I need to work. But we actually need him in the afternoon for a demonstration. Can you please keep him busy at the convention site? He has been doing really well in therapy lately! I think he will be easier to watch this time!</span> <span class="me">sure. send me the address</span> </div> <p>When you arrive at the convention to pick up Weston, you don't immediately see Lina. She must have told security to expect you though, because they wave you in. You take a look around the show floor. The ceiling is so high that it feels like a warehouse. It's still early, so some people are still setting up their booths, and a few people are walking around talking to their phones. One woman, with chiseled cheekbones and false eyelashes, finishes up her polished performance:</p> <p>"Aaaand the last booth I want to highlight lets you create a custom avatar that is compatible with the Uplift procedure. It's like creating a D&D character where you roll triple six every time! And instead of fantasizing about being smart, strong, and social, you can BE those things. Try it online! Get 20% off a personal preview when you use the code SHALA20!"</p> <p>@@.consequence;You will be able to read each of these. Your choice determines the order.@@</p> <p>@@.consequence;You can hide text like this (that explains choice consequences) and switch to night mode from the settings icon, accessed from the alien circle at the bottom of this passage.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[Eavesdrop on the influencer|eavesdrop on Shala]] [[Walk around to the back of the hall|hallwalk]] [[Ask the information desk for a program|info]] [[Make small talk with a bored vendor|smalltalk]] </div>

<<include "CalcAvatarStats">><div class="alienui"> <p>Wonderful! We have registered your contact information from your retina scan. One of our representatives will contact you shortly.</p></div> <p>What's with the food-based skin tones? Did some human tell the aliens that skin tones should be appetizing?</p> <p>You see Lina with Weston at the entrance. You tell the display that you're done and [[head towards them|lina1]].</p>

\ <<set $header to "Invasive Species">>\  <<set $take to "save file 1">> <<set $stats = { height: 62, weight: 154, skinTone: "Wheat bread", hairCurl: "Medium" }>> <<set $enhancements = { eideticMemory: false, doubleEyelashes: false, lessSleep: false, lessPainSensitive: false, supertaster: false, vegetablesTasteLessBitter: false, seeUV: false, loveExercise: false, slowCaffeine: false, moreFaithful: false, noSnoring: false, noBodyOdor: false, alcoholAllergy: false, improvedClotting: false, cancerResistant: false, learnQuickly: false, thinkQuickly: false, thinkDeeply: false }>> /* Pristine copies of the avatar defaults. Upliftno restores from these, so declining Uplift leaves you in your real body and every $stats / $enhancements check downstream is simply true to life. */ <<set $statsDefault to clone($stats)>> <<set $enhancementsDefault to clone($enhancements)>> <<set $disabilityattitude = { disabilityattitudeCriticaldisabilitytheory: false, disabilityattitudeEomfort: false, disabilityattitudeEliminate: false }>> <<set $suffering = { sufferinghumanreparations: false, sufferingdontbother: false, sufferingremains: false, sufferinghuman: false }>> <<set $visitedupliftbooth = false>> <<set $changescore = 0>> <<set $westernconformity = 0>> <<set $linarelationship= 3>> <<set $uplift = true>> <<set $shalarelationship = 0>> <<set $shalawithyou = false>> <<set $unnaturalskin = false>> <<set $lighterskin = false>> <<set $darkerskin = false>> <<set $straighterhair = false>> <<set $readNoUtopia = false>> <<set $Upliftloyalty = 0>> <<set $pierrerelationship = 0>> <<set $toldpierreoff = false>> <<set $joinedpierresgroup = false>> <<set $incubationTerms = 0>> /* 0 = declined uplift; avatar2 overwrites it */ <<set $bodyChange = "">> <<set $detail to "">> <<set $tone to "">> <<set $letterSent to "">> <<set $shalaspa to false>> <<set $donnarelationship = 0>> <<set $westonrelationship = 3>> <<set $donnadescriptor to "crazy">> <<set $materinjured = false>> <<set $powerofattorney = false>> <<set $letterScored to false>> <<set $tospace = false>> <<set $tospaceno = false>> <<set $toallnat = false>> <<set $toallnatshh = false>> <<set $westonbadmouthedconrad = false>> <<set $Kydy =0>> <<set $ignroedsci = false>> <<set $securesci = false>> <<set $pierreinterviewedweston = false>> <<set $pierreinterviewedyou = false>> <<set $sawantfarm = false>> <<set $allnatend = false>> <<set $materinjuredend = false>> <<set $conradend = false>> /* Snapshot of where each relationship starts. A meter only appears in the Key dialog once its value has moved away from this - which is why we record it rather than testing against 0: Weston and Lina both begin at 3. */ <<set $relStart = { shala : $shalarelationship, weston : $westonrelationship, pierre : $pierrerelationship, donna : $donnarelationship, lina : $linarelationship, loyalty: $Upliftloyalty }>> /* once-only flags, so a re-entered passage can't score twice */ <<set $scored = {}>>

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<p>You hitch your giant purse onto your shoulder and grab Weston's hand, which is in a fist around Donna's wrist. Donna starts shaking up and down to try to get you to let go. You step on her foot and she shrieks, which in turn makes Weston shriek. You don't let go until Donna threatens to bite your hand. "Weston! Stop!" you try to tell him.</p> <p>A [[security guard has arrived]].</p>

<p>"Stop it, both of you!" you yell. Neither Weston nor Donna reacts. Weston tries tickling Donna in the armpit, which almost makes her drop the fig. It does make her screetch "HEEE's taking MY FRUIT!"</p> <p>A [[security guard has arrived]].</p>

<p>"Thank you for your concern. We're doing fine, thank you."</p> <p>She seems a little disappointed. "Let me know if you need someone to talk it out with!"</p> <p>Yeah, and gossip to all her followers about convention drama. "What happened out there?" the guard asks. He probably needs to fill out an incident report.</p> <p>[[Tell the guard what happened|report]]</p>

<<set $readNoUtopia = true>>\ <div class="document"> The midnight sun has just bounced off the northern horizon, casting the landscape of the Boreal Forest in an eerie glow. I am on the light rail that runs from Ft. Smith in the Northwest Territories to Edmonton, Alberta, and just crossed a deep river gorge. And as you will see, not deep enough to hold all my feelings. I am returning from three weeks following a cohort of Uplift candidates from St. Lewis to supposedly the "Tralflamadorians" Uplift care facility near Toronto. But that's not what happened. With the cohort is a friend of mine named Neko who I promised to watch over her travels to the facility near Toronto. That's not where we went. I will not bore you with the details stowing away on the Uplift train loaded with the naked, unconscious bodies of fifty-four Uplift candidates. There were no guards on the train, I assume because of the aliens' arrogance, and I was able to walk freely among the stasis chambers. I could see the bumps and scars of the egg implantations decorating the bodies of these deceived folk. The ugly wounds from the egg implantations were recently stitched and the red murichrome still stained the implantation sites and the seven cm incisions, placed seemingly randomly on the victim's abdomens with from one to four egg implantations. My GPS showed we traveled Northwest and indicated we were nearing the far Eastern shore of the Great Slave Lake at about 62°52' N latitude, only about 400 km south of the Arctic Circle. What was going on? I tried to bring up satellite images of the area, but the area was completely blurry. Masked? By who? We pulled into the freight terminal. I was frightened. I expected angry guards to confront me, but that did not happen. Intelligent machines and some strange aliens I had never seen before, but I wanted to call them "Land Squids." [[Continue.|Continue reporter's story]] </div>

<div class="document"> The dock began to sway and rock. I looked at the water along its edge, and it was frothing, and something large was emerging out of the water like a gigantic submarine surfacing. Slowly, almost like a small island, a pale, white, slug-like thing rose like a mythical beast. No. Like a God. The monstrosity monster was fully disclosed. In the end, the thing was the size of a large navy gun ship, about ten elephants high and about the length of six football pitches. It was a hulking thing pulsating with its own internal rhythms as its surface, its skin rippled in waves across its body. It was segmented like a caterpillar, and its head held two large antennae as tall as a factory smoke stack, which emerged near two glassy, golden colored eye spots. But most grotesque of all, arrayed up and down each massive segment were fleshy puckered orifices of various sizes. Some as small as a child's glass marble, while others ranged in size upward from that of a loaf of bread to massive organs as large as a house. They resembled nothing more than a macabre set of blue-lipped lips ready to offer hideous kisses to unknown recipients. [[Continue.|Unloading the Previous Cohort]] </div>

Invasive Species

<div id="titleCont"> <div id="coverArt"><img src="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/Invasive%20Species%20cover%20art%201.jpeg" alt="A giant alien holds a humanoid doll against a backdrop of dark clouds, with leaf-like firey art surrounding the haloed doll. The doll has brown skin and looks like it's screaming. The alien has a glowing, metallic horn, four eyes, and a beak like a bird of prey. It is red-orange, with black stripes along its long, bendy neck. It only has one arm, and its tentacled hand has a blade jutting out from it. Its mid-body has more tentacles that are bluish and yellowish. Some are overlapping the clouds."></div> <div id="titleText"> ''<<include "Title">>'' <p class="byline">By <<include "Author">></p> <div id="splashLinks"> <<link "Start" "Act I card">><</link>> <span>✦</span> <<if Save.browser.isEnabled() and Save.browser.size gt 0>> <<link "Load">><<script>>UI.saves()<</script>><</link>> <span>✦</span> <</if>> <<link "Settings">><<run UI.settings()>><</link>> <span>✦</span> <<link "Content warnings">><<run Dialog.create("Content warning").wikiPassage("ContentWarning").open();>><</link>> <span>✦</span> <<link "Credits">><<run Dialog.create("Credits").wikiPassage("Credits").open();>><</link>> </div> </div> </div>

<p>Looking at the exhibit in more detail, you notice that there's a vending machine of fresh fruit. The cheapest fruits are apples and oranges, but there are also figs and avocados.</p> <p>"You want to help me? Buy me a fruit. I can't live with the other bonobos anymore. They are scared of me. Humans messed me up. You are a human. You can apologize by giving me fruit."</p> <p>She eyes the fig suggestively.</p> <p>There's a kind of logic to her pitch. Do you agree with it? (check the statements you agree with).</p> <p>@@.consequence;Currently, this choice doesn't affect the game's text, but it will in future versions.@@</p> /* we could make this a dialogue option if a list of checkboxes feels too forced */ <p><<checkbox "$sufferinghumanreparations" false true>> If a human has done a wrong, I feel responsible for making that up, even if it's only in a small way.</p> <p><<checkbox "$sufferingdontbother" false true>> If a human has hurt another person, I can't undo that. It's kind of insulting to imply that I can.</p> <p><<checkbox "$sufferingremains" false true>> It doesn't matter who is responsible for the suffering I encounter. If I have the ability to alleviate it, I should.</p> <p><<checkbox "$sufferinghuman" false true>> Humans are only responsible to other humans. Non-human suffering is not my problem.</p> <p>@@.consequence;If you buy the fig for Donna, she will like you a bit better.@@</p> <div class="choice"> [[Buy a fig.]] [[Don't buy a fig.]] </div>

<div class="document"> If this was not horror enough, suddenly some of the lips began to pucker further as if to form a whistle. From this issued a flood of blue liquid with the viscosity of a thin syrup that drained into the lake. After a short pause, the naked body of an adult human covered in the thin transparent membrane was spat into the air in a perfect arc toward the dock. One of the squid-like helpers leaped up like a baseball outfielder and caught these aberrations and adeptly wrapped it in its tentacles. They quickly and gracefully bore the wet human body and put it in a new stasis pod and closed the lid. I felt woozy, staggered, and propped myself against one of the stasis pods. Unprepared for this uncanny scene. I vomited again and again. [[Continue.|Uploading the New Cohort]] </div>

/*Rachel: draw this???*/ <p>An innocuous-looking cartoon shows a chibi, sad man in a suit with a large nose and spindly legs negotiating with an alien that appears as a column of light. The alien bestows a large pearl onto the man, and he puts it on his belly-button, where it sticks. He sleeps and then his nose becomes smaller and his limbs become swole. He attracts the admiration of men and women. A Thumbelina-like human emerges from the pearl, and the man, starry-eyed, hands her to the alien with pleasure.</p> <p>There's a video of a fancy-looking man. You can't hear it, but you can read its captions: "Welcome and thank you for coming to the influencer days at UpliftCon. Thanks to our partnership with the Zydons, we can offer Uplift to anyone with a disability who wants it!"</p> <p>"I know what you're thinking. When are us normies going to get gud? But I have guuud news for you. I've been able to convince the Zydons that any aspect of your body that you're dissatisfied with is equivalent to a disability. If you're perfectly happy with your body, then you don't need the Uplift procedure. Problem solved!"</p> <p>"The range of Uplifts available this year is incredible. Being able to enjoy cilantro is one thing, but now you can choose from a range of cognitive enhancements that is sure to impress/woo/relieve your friends/crushes/boss! With MemZ, you can memorize a script in the time it takes to look at it. Have unbroken eye contact with all your followers while saying carefully crafted words–I won't go into who wrote them, but it could be you, if you go for the MemRite package, which includes MemZ, which naturally enhances your spelling ability. Like going live? QuipD will make your words come quick and natural. What more philosophizing? DeepPurple will get you making connections between things few people have thought of before--perfect if you want to go for the brainy demographic.</p> <p>"As a special thank-you, those of you enrolled in this initial cohort will only need to participate in the post-Uplift cultural exchange program for 6 months instead of 7. This incredible deal will only be available for the duration of the conference, so sign up now!</p> <p>A young white woman with a strikingly symmetric face and dark hair greets you: "Good morning! Are you considering the Uplift procedure?" </p> <p>"No thank you, I'm just looking," you reply.</p> <p>"You might enjoy seeing the possibilities! Take a look at the customization options next door! Gerald hasn't arrived yet but it's mostly self-sufficient. If you like what you see, I can set you up with a contract."</p> <p>[[Look at the avatar customization booth->avatar]]</p>

<p>Luckily, this is an option in the email. It looks like it's filled in with what you selected earlier.</p> @@.consequence;Your cosmetic avatar decisions will determine if certain NPCs want to befriend you later. Several cognitive enhancements add additional text to the story.@@ <<include "AvatarForm">> <div class="choice"> [[Finalize your changes and sign the contract!|Upliftyes]] </div>

<<silently>> <<set $incubationTerms = 0>> /* You designed a body, then walked away from it. Keep the design in case a later scene wants to mention what you almost chose, then put the live values back so nothing downstream thinks you were modified. */ <<set $avatarWish to clone($stats)>> <<set $enhancementWish to clone($enhancements)>> <<set $stats to clone($statsDefault)>> <<set $enhancements to clone($enhancementsDefault)>> <<include "CalcAvatarStats">> <</silently>> <p>Your body may have some issues, but it's working. You want to be able to focus on helping Weston--not adjusting to some new body at the same time. You have a lot of work ahead of you.</p> [[End Act I|Interlude I card]]

<<silently>> /* Upliftchange can reopen the AvatarForm after avatar2 ran, so the terms are settled here, at the signature, rather than upstream. */ <<include "CalcAvatarStats">> <<set $incubationTerms = $avatarChanged ? 1 : 0>> <</silently>>\ <p>Alright. You're ready to make some changes to your body and grow an alien!</p> [[End Act I.|Interlude I card]]

<div class="document"> This unloading took only about five minutes with several of the squid-like aliens working in tandem. They then opened the lids of the newly arrived cohorts, including my friend Neko. The squids then pulled them out of the mechanical stasis chamber and climbed up the great beast like spiders up a wall. I watched my friend, along with other humans, each with at least one lump obviously caused by the implanted egg protruding through their skin as they rose up the side of the beast. Then, when they reached a human-sized orifice, they tickled the lips with three of their tentacles. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the lips opened and sucked the human into its bowels. In another five minutes, all of the new arrivals were devoured by the monster. When this was over, I fainted. I don't know why, but I was unmolested by any of the creatures dancing around the dock. I suppose, like the beetles that live in ant hills undetected because the ants recognize their nestmates or enemies by their scent or other signals, and they give off the right signals to stay hidden, they could not even sense my presence. The beast was gone. Sunk back into the lake, I must suppose. I followed a road from the dock for about seven or eight miles to a set of lodges for people coming to the lake to fish, and found a bus headed to Ft. Smith. I'm in a state of shock. I can't process what happened. I am undone. [[Back to email inbox|inboxwelcome]] </div>

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<p>"Lina, why didn't you tell me about this experimental procedure you're doing on Weston? It doesn't sound safe."</p> <p>"Mom, it's going to be fine. I've seen some of the results from Uplift and they're incredible. The Zydon empire wants to help children like Weston. I want them to help him. It's going to be such a relief when they're done."</p> <p class="consequence">Since you previously told us your attitude about disability... you say...</p> <<if $disabilityattitude.Eliminate is true>> <p>"I agree. We should give Weston every advantage we can to live like everyone else. But can't you wait a few years for them to work out all the details?"</p> <p>"Mom, Weston's dad is actually taking an interest in him now. Conrad never seemed to care about him before."</p> <p>"And you never seemed to care about if Conrad cared before."</p> <p>"It's good for my company."</p> <p>"But is it good for Weston?"</p> <p>"I know whatever I'm doing right now isn't enough. I don't want his whole life to be looking at ants and screens. I want him to enjoy interacting with other people."</p> <p>"I just hope that this procedure works like you want it to."</p> <<elseif $disabilityattitude.Criticaldisabilitytheory is true>> <p>"Why should Weston change his mind and body to fit into society? I wish we could be more accommodating of disability in general. Not everyone will have the time or money for Uplift. And sometimes you're just disabled for a short time while you heal from sickness or injury."</p> <p>"We're not saying that everyone has to get Uplift, Mom."</p> <p>"But if you can just change your body whenever you want, what's to stop insurance companies from asking people to change their bodies whenever THEY want? And they can make your premiums higher if you don't agree."</p> <p>"With that logic, I guess we shouldn't try to fix anyone's disability by changing their body, because then it could turn into an expectation, right? What about when you got LASIK so you could read better?"</p> <p>"That was my choice. Is this Weston's choice?"</p> <p>"Part of his disability means that he can't tell me what his choice is! If he were just socially awkward like me, I could help him figure that out. But it's like he can't even learn. Does he even care what happens to him?"</p> <p>"Of course he cares!" (As Weston's grandma, you have to say this.)</p> <<else>> <p>"Isn't Weston a bit young for a life-changing transformation?"</p> <p>"Actually, they say that the younger you get Uplift, the better. We're just letting adults get it for publicity, mainly."</p> <p>"So why is Weston getting it?"</p> <p>"Come on Mom. Weston is disabled. I think he and I will have better lives and like each other better if he can do more for himself and talk to me."</p> <</if>> <p>Weston's going to be undergoing Uplift. He's going to need someone to live with him in the group home afterwards for his recovery and as part of the labor the Shepherds require in the contract...</p> <p>You had plans for next year. Traveling to see your sister and your son's family. Volunteering at the hospital. But this is more important.</p> <p>"I can stay with him. I'll help him with recovery."</p> <p>"You don't have to agree to anything yet. Let me at least send you the consent form."</p> <p>"I want to know what I'm getting into, so yes, send it to me." You know you won't be able to talk Lina out of this. You might as well plan to help with damage control now.</p> Later that night, you [[check your email.|consentform1]]

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/* add gender as an option of something to change? */ <p>Several computer stations show a big "click here!" button, inviting your participation. You press the start button, and give permission to do a brief bodyscan. Now your body is up on the screen: 5 foot 2 inches, slightly overweight, with average facial structure. It estimates your age correctly, which is slightly disconcerting, but says that your skin is in excellent condition. You feel proud knowing that your careful sun protection has paid off.</p> @@.consequence;Your cosmetic avatar decisions will determine if certain NPCs want to befriend you later. Several cognitive enhancements add additional text to the story.@@ <<include "AvatarForm">> <p>[[Confirm your choices.|avatar2]]</p>

<<silently>> /* style this like a computer is talking to you */ <<include "CalcAvatarStats">><div class="alienui"> /* Uplift is now all-or-nothing: any change to the avatar = one incubation term. */ <<set $incubationTerms = $avatarChanged ? 1 : 0>> <</silently>> <<if $avatarChanged>> <p>You will require one incubation term for your selected changes! Would you like to start on paperwork today?</p> <div class="choice"> [[Yes|Start uplift]] [[No|Reflect on avatar]] </div> <<else>> <p>You have not requested any changes, so there is nothing for us to incubate. Would you like to revise your avatar?</p></div> <div class="choice"> [[Yes, let me change something.|avatar]] [[No, I am done here.|Reflect on avatar]] </div> <</if>>

<p>You find an email from the Body Procurement and Earthling Host Network (PPEHN), asking you to complete some paperwork to finalize your Uplift desires. It's from the avatar you created today.<<if $uplift is true>> This is exciting!<<elseif $uplift is false>>How did they get your email address? You weren't interested in getting the Uplift procedure. Although, now that Weston is getting uplifted... maybe you should get it alongside him so you can understand what he's going through?<</if>> Before you make a final decision, you want to read the <a href="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/uplift_contract.pdf" target="_blank">uplift_contract.pdf</a>.</p> <p class="consequence">You can view this document and future important documents anytime from bookmark icon in menu at the bottom of this screen.</p> <div class="choice"> <<if $avatarChanged>>[[Yes, sign the contract!|Upliftyes]] <<else>>@@.consequence;Your avatar is unchanged, so there is nothing to sign for yet.@@ <</if>> [[I want to do uplift, but I want to change my selections|Upliftchange]] [[No, do not sign the contract.|Upliftno]] </div>

<p>The woman who was just livestreaming appears to be making a facetime call. You put your nose in a nearby brochure so it won't be so obvious that you're listening in.</p> /* thinking about making this a little more interactive, like, you have to click the ellipsis to see more text? To mimic the awkward waiting you have to do while you listen */ <p>"Yeah, I just finished up! ... The food here is crap, let's go out for lunch. ... I heard there's a place that does bomb soup! ... It's like a bath bomb but for your soup. We could probably do a sponsored post ... I"m not over my sponsored post limit for this month yet! ... Oh true, we did promise them ... You can have a chicken salad if you want, I'm getting wings ... I haven't felt any changes in my appetite yet! Unless you count craving meat! ... well you know what else is gross? The way we've all been taking drugs to solve our problems instead of getting at the root of the problem. ... Babe, I'll still be me. Just better ... Kay seeya."</p> <p>The brochure describes a different kind of circus:</p> <div class="document circus"> <p class="flyer-title">COME TO THE MUTANT CIRCUS</p> <hr> <img class="flyer-img" src="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/Sandow-with-Horse-no%20bg-small-adj.png" alt="A strongman holding a horse overhead"> <p>You WON'T be able to LOOK AWAY from our AMAZING circus of UPLIFT MUTANTS. </p> <p>SEE the humans and ANIMALS who CHOSE a life of performative AUGMENTATION</p> <p>SEVEN-ARMED SAM can hold FIFTY balls in the air!</p> <p>SLITHERY SALLY can LICK her own BUTTOCKS!</p> <p>Horse CLEVER HANSEL can do CALCULUS while BALANCING on STRONGMAN CLYDE!</p> <p>Ever wondered if a BONOBO can do stand-up? Septimus will have you in STITCHES!</p> <hr> <p class="flyer-title">AN EVENING YOU WON'T FORGET</p> </div> <p>You thought that Uplift procedures were limited to correcting existing disabilities, like diabetes and having hair grow out of your face. But now people are getting extra limbs? You wonder if Seven-Armed Sam really has seven arms, and if so, if they have all the dexterity of his regular arms. How would they fake that? Four people in a single suit? But how would they see the balls they're juggling?</p> [[See what else there is to do.|hub]]

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<div class="document"> Welcome to "Fact vs Fiction," the show where we investigate claims to get at the TRUTH so you don't have to. I'm your host Merisalila Bright, and with me here today is Patricia Link, whose story is sweeping across media about the giant Uplift-beast, people are calling womb-slug. Patty, may I call you Patty? Welcome. Patty: Think you. It is an honor to be here. Mari: We've just shown the audience you testifying to Congress about your experience. It was very brave of you to face such a hostile crowd. How did it make you feel to be dismissed so thoroughly by such an august body of legislators? Patty: It doesn't change the truths I uncovered. What I saw still haunts me. I can't unsee it. Mari: ~shakes her head sadly~! How are you sleeping, Patty? If it were me, I would be having nightmares. Patty: You used a word there I'm not familiar with. "Sleep?" ~Both laugh~! Mari: Well, Patty, as you know, "Fact vs Fiction" is all about getting to the bottom of things. And we have decided to look into the question ourselves. Patty: ~a puzzled look on her face~! Oh . . . OK. Did you go up there? Mari: We did. Patty: I'm so glad. Did you verify my story? ~ Her voice quavers. The lower right corner shows a psychologist analyzing Patty's performance. The text scrolling underneath says, "The voice breaking is the classic tell of someone afraid of prevarications being exposed." Mari: ~affecting deep concern says, reaching out and laying a comforting hand on Patty's shoulder~! Patty. We have some video footage of the place you described. Can we show that to you? Patty: I wish you would have. ... Mari: What do you wish, Patty? Patty: I didn't know you were going to show a video of the things I saw. I'm just hoping it doesn't lock me up seeing the place of such personal trauma. Mari: We have some people here to help if that happens. Patty: OK... Thank you. Mari: Roll the footage. [[Continue.|factvsfiction2]] </div>

<div class="document"> ~Drone footage flying over a pristine high latitude wetland flies down a river until it opens to where it empties into the Great Slave Lake. The drone goes higher, showing a largely undisturbed wetland, the only sign of human habitation is a small fishing village a few miles north of the estuary, then it goes back and flies south of the estuary to where a single-prop plane is floating not far from the shore on which a woman sits on the wing fishing. She flips-off the drone as it flies over.~! Mari: ~her face moving from concern to a hint of skepticism~! Help me out here, Patty. This is the spatial coordinate you gave as the position of the Alien Uplift base. Our investigative team could not find evidence of a dock, dormitories, or any of the structures you described. Can you explain that? Patty: ~her mouth moves but nothing comes out... finally she speaks~! That's not what I saw. Mari: Yes, we noticed that too. Your description... shall we say...differs? Patty: They must have cleaned it up. The aliens, they must have moved it. Mari: Moved it? Don't you think that would leave some evidence, too? Patty: Of course, but they are aliens. Who knows what technology they have? Mari: You resisted the word "technology" in your description. You called it "organic." Patty: ~defensively~! You know what I mean. Mari: Maybe we can shed a little light on this? Can we show our audience something? To do so, we will need your permission. Patty: OK. Mari: Please say "I give full permission for CBCA media outlet to show information related to our investigation into your alleged experience." Patty: ~She repeats the statement timidly at first, then with more force at the end, and seems to mark her conviction to be heard. Mari: Put up the first document. [[Continue.|factvsfiction3]] </div>

<div class="document"> ~a document appears on the screen. It seems to be a court record.~! Mari: Do you recognize this? Patty: I've never seen it before in my life. Mari: It's your drunk driving conviction. Patty: I've never had a drunk driving conviction in my life! Mari: So you're stating this document we obtained by the Freedom of Information Act from the state of Ohio is a forgery? Patty: It must be. I've never had a drunk driving conviction, and I don't even drink. Mari: ~Nodding with a doubtful expression~! Well, what about this one? ~A new document appears from the Indiana State Mental Hospital. In yellow are statements about a state woman named Patricia Link during admission. A slightly younger picture of Patty is stapled to the corner. She looks washed out and rough, like someone waking up from a hangover. Statements like "Not attending to time or place," "Hallucinating," "drug overdose," "Restraints Necessary" are all highlighted.~! Mari: Patty, do you recognize that this admission form would lead to your spending seven months in a state mental facility and treatment center? Patty: It's a lie! I've never even been in therapy! Mari: Well, your therapist will be disappointed to hear this. Of course, we could not get her to disclose any of your sessions, but she did acknowledge that you were her patient. Patty: None of this is true! Nothing. Not the drunk driving conviction, the stay at a mental facility. Nothing. You are lying. Mari: So you are saying Fact vs Fiction fabricated all this? Why would we do that? We can provide strong evidence that we have no ties with either aliens, the government, or any outside source. We are the "Consumer Reports" of media claims investigation. Our track record is unimpeachable. Patty: I don't know why you did, but you did. I know you did because I know what I experienced. Mari: Are you using drugs again? Patty: I've never used drugs. Mari: I see. Patty: ~facing the cameras~! Someone please go there. Look at the place and tell the world what you see. Please. Someone. Mari: ~She reaches out her hand and places it on Patty's knee. saying,~! So you think people should do their own research? ~ Patty viciously slaps her hand away. Mari violently backs up, tipping over her chair and falling to the ground. Three security officers surround and restrain Patty, who is flailing violently, trying to get away. The show cuts to some calm music for a full minute, then returns to Mari. Mari: A sad turn of events. But nonetheless. In the name of TRUTH, we invite our viewers to weigh in digitally. Is Patty telling the TRUTH? Text us at the CBCA dedicated number on the screen Y if you believe her and N if you do not. Your responses will be revealed next episode. We apologize to our sensitive viewers for being with us today. We did not expect the turn of events we all witnessed today, but given our commitment to truth have aired it anyway. Thank you for being with us tonight. [[Back to email inbox|inboxwelcome]] </div>

<p>Weston refuses to move, but Frank picks him up confidently. "We'll be going up this elevator." There are lots of people walking by, probably to the next event, but they don't pay attention to an old lady and her grandson. You start to wonder why Lina didn't direct you to the greenroom when you asked her if there was anywhere for Weston to play.</p> <p>When you arrive, you can see why this wasn't her first choice. Coffee, tea, and gelatin shots are freely available, as well as fancy snacks set up in a selfie-worthy display. One wall is lined with mirrors, and it's crowded with pseudo-celebrities recording themselves doing their makeup and hyping up their next appearance. Another wall provides a bag check service. Frank takes you behind the bag check service wall into the adjoining room that's currently full of checked bags. It's dark and quiet...</p> <p>"Lina said that Weston needed a space like this. If you'll wait here, I'll be back with chairs."</p> <p>"Oh, I don't know if he needs a chair, but I would like one."</p> <p>Frank brings in one of the upholstered benches in case Weston wants to lie on it, and a soft chair for you. You're starting to settle down. Lina sends you a text:</p> <br> <div class="texts"> <span class="meta">Just now</span> <span class="them"> In case you need a refresher: <br>[[*Attachment: How to get Weston to turn back "on"|Instructions for recovery]]</span> </div>

<p>You check in on Weston. He's almost completely shut down. The noise from the exhibit hall alone was overstimulating. To get into a fight with a monkey on top of that... </p> <<if $shalawithyou is true>> <<score "shalarelationship" 1>> <p>Shala is even more interested in you now that she knows that Weston is Conrad's son. It's because Conrad is the CEO of the tech company that owns Uplift Dynamics. "I couldn't help overhearing... so Conrad Werc is Weston's father?" she asks.</p> <p>"Yes. Although I'm not sure if Weston would even recognize him. Conrad is too busy to spend much time with Weston. And Weston isn't especially social..."</p> <p>"Awww, poor kid. I loved spending time with my dad when I was a kid. But my mom was always on her phone. I felt like she loved her phone more than me."</p> <<include "shalaasksaboutweston">> <</if>> <p>Ten minutes later, a young man dressed in business casual hands you VIP badges for you and Weston. "Hello Victoria, my name is Frank. I'm one of Lina's assistants. Let me show you to the greenroom where Weston can relax before his presentation."</p> <br> [[Follow Frank|greenroom]]

<p>Towards the back of the exhibitor's hall are the booths that are a little cheaper. One booth advertises a service to save pets from genetic problems and make them behave better:</p> <p>"Petal was dying of liver cancer even though she was still a puppy. RexUp saved her life!"</p> <p>"One month after RexUp, my dog was just as energetic as before, but without jumping all over me and licking me."</p> <p>"I'd always wanted a spotted dog, but didn't want to give up Stuffles. Now the dog I like can have the look I like!"</p> <p>Another booth is selling gear for influencers. Among the halo lights and selfie sticks, you're surprised to see donut-cut gauze pads and tape. Are they expecting that the influencers will have large boils or blisters? You take note of the snacks they're selling, but their apples are galas, not Weston's preferred pink lady varietal.</p> <p>A makeup stall offers foundational hues in all of the "new skin tones." A screen shows a digital mock-up of a woman in blue skin, contrasted with her natural skin with the makeup on top. She seems to be excited about the makeup. Instead of tan and brown, the foundations span a variety of earth tones in warm and cool colors.</p> <p>Well, if Lina is looking for you, it's likely she'll be [[near the entrance|hub]].</p>

<p>It looks like Lina isn't here yet. What else would you like to do?</p> <div class="choice"> <<if not hasVisited("eavesdrop on Shala")>>[[Eavesdrop on the influencer|eavesdrop on Shala]]<</if>> <<if not hasVisited("hallwalk")>>[[Walk around to the back of the hall|hallwalk]]<</if>> <<if not hasVisited("info")>>[[Ask the information desk for a program|info]]<</if>> <<if not hasVisited("smalltalk")>>[[Make small talk with a bored vendor|smalltalk]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("eavesdrop on Shala", "hallwalk", "info", "hub")>>[[Look at the booth with giant screens advertising Uplift->Uplift booth]]<</if>> </div>

<p>Your phone can wait. How do you want to respond to the security guard asking you why Weston was even present in the conference?</p> <p>@@.consequence;To reconcile the guard, you'll blame this on Lina. That will decrease your relationship with her.@@</p> <p>[[Say something concilatory|reconcile guard]]</p> <p>[[Turn it back on him|turnaboutguard]]</p>

<<include "InboxList">>

<p>You don't need another tote bag, but you would like to know what's going on today. You try to get the attention of one of the people at the registration desk, but they don't see you and you end up taking a program when they aren't looking. You've never really been interested in conferences or conventions--they seemed pretty expensive for being less convenient and entertaining than anything on your phone. However, since Lina got this job, you've heard about the planning of UpliftCon every spring for the last three years. She's always going on about what a drama queen "Lucidius" is or how "Seriftoe" is so nice to work with.</p> <p>The program looks like it's mostly panels of influencers giving each other advice on how to increase engagement, how to get an agent, how to do sponsored content, how to tell your AI assistant how to edit your video, etc. The morning keynote is an interview with Lucidius, and in the afternoon, Lina's boss, Conrad, is promising to demonstrate new capabilities of Uplift. There are recording booths with green screens available upstairs, along with a few designated quiet rooms, but nothing specifically for children. This might be a long day.</p> <p>[[Return to the entrance to see if Lina is there.|hub]]</p>

<<silently>><<if not $letterScored>> <<set $letterScored to true>> <<if $tone is "upbeat">> <<set $Upliftloyalty += 1>> <<elseif $tone is "cynical">> <<set $Upliftloyalty -= 1>> <</if>> <<if $detail is "detailed">> <<set $linarelationship += 1>> <</if>> <</if>><</silently>> You sent the letter. @@.consequence;This is a major fork, with three tines. Your Uplift loyalty score determined where the story branches here.@@ <<if $Upliftloyalty lt -2>> Three days after Mater was taken to the buglet sickbay, Weston wakes up from a nap. You prepare a tomato and cheese sandwich for him, his favorite comfort food. He looks despondent, sitting at the table, looking at this sandwich as if he doesn't recognize it as food. He makes no effort to pick it up and take a bite, then he looks at you and asks, "Any word from the people who took Mater?" His eyes are moist and empty and hurt. "Not yet," you say, "Give it some time. Who knows how the shot will affect him? Give it some time." "Mom is still coming today?" Weston asks. "Yes. I told her right after they took Mater and she arranged to fly in from her meetings in New York as soon as she could. She'll be here pretty soon, she texted me that she landed in Portland and is driving over." Weston picks at this sandwich, but still does not seem to be interested in eating it. He finally picks it up, but only looks at it closely without taking a bite. He sets it back down. You say, "Why don't you play a computer game while you wait? Didn't the new DLC drop based on //Pheidole dentata// for //Invicta Rage IV//? I understand it's pretty fun. You try to get your little ant species colony that lives within the territory of fire ants to thrive by stealth and cunning? Sounds right up your alley. Right?" "I'm tired of ants," Weston says as he goes to the window and looks out at the road to the facility, like he has a million times earlier that morning, looking for someone to deliver his little friend back to him. He plops down on the couch and stares straight ahead, looking at nothing. You walk over and turn on the monitor and say, "Hey, I'm going to turn on the new Pixar movie, //Jabberwocky & Jack//, so we can both watch." <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>"My buglet likes it..." You realize your mistake as Weston chokes down a sob at the reference to your buglet.<</if>> Still, he stays there, and the movie seems to hold his attention just a little bit. After about half an hour, he walks over to the kitchen table, grabs the sandwich, carries it to the couch, and starts slowly eating the lunch you made. Just as he finishes it, the doorbell rings, and there is a second characteristic knock letting you know it's Donna. You answer the door. "Hi Victoria, is the Werclet in?" <<if $donnarelationship lt 2>> "He doesn't like that name," you say. Donna answers, "I know." You respond, "He's been through a lot so let's not plan on you staying long." Donna gives a slight shrug, then a laugh. <<else>> Before you answer, she shouts, "Hey, Werclet, get your butt in here. I want to show you something." <</if>> Weston wanders into the foyer. There is a slight smile on his face that you haven't seen in a couple of days. "Hey, Donna-tello the teen-age mutant turtle," he says, his smile getting bigger at his joke. "Any word on your little guy?" "Not yet." His smile vanishing. "Hey can you talk to it? I mean I've never been that far away from my buglet. But it depends on distance, you know?" "I almost can. I mean, I hear some words, but they seem a little mixed up. But I know his mood and can tell how he feels." "How does he feel?" Donna asks, tilting her head a little. "He's scared and alone. It's like waves of pain running from him to me. I hate finding him feeling like that. I'm scared too." Donna walks over and gives Weston a hug. It still surprises you that Weston does not push her back as he would have in pre-Uplift days. Donna sits down with you and Weston and starts watching the movie. There is a knock. You all stare at each other. Weston jumps up and opens the door, and there is Sandy, the social worker, standing there holding Mater in a soft blanket. She does not smile as Weston pulls him into his arms. "Is he okay?" he asks Sandy. There is a long pause, and then she says, "No. I fear he is not. Can we sit down?" Weston hugs his buglet tight against his chest—as close as he can get him—and says, "What is wrong?" "Weston, this might be hard to explain, but that shot that scientist gave him..." "Yes. What about it?" "It did some damage in a way that can't be fixed. It blocked a hormone, a chemical, that he needs to be in place, so he can go through the second molt. The shot stopped it, and now he can't molt. I'm so sorry, Weston this is such a blow." You pick up the conversation, "Look, I'm sure this is all a terrible inconvenience, but can't it be reversed? You've got all this alien technology. Right? Why can't it be reversed?" "It doesn't work that way. It can't be healed. The hormone was necessary for the completion of the developmental program into Molt 2. I'm sorry. It can't be fixed." Sandy shakes her head slowly and adds, "It's just impossible." You ask, "What will happen to Mater then? What will they do with a body that is stalled forever from further development?" Sandy stares at you too long, then says, "This Mater, the one in Weston's arms, will be reabsorbed so his current body and memory can be put into the new buglet." Sandy turns to Weston and adds, "The new one who will be absolutely identical to your Mater, only without the flaw that the injection caused. There will be no difference between them that anyone could ever tell. He'll remember all the things you and he did together. He is physically and genetically identical. And for all intents and purposes, he will be your Mater!" "But he is not my Mater!" You sense that Weston is heading for a melt down like he did before Uplift. "No one, not even you, will be able to tell the difference." Sandy says her voice rising slightly. "I'll know!" "I know this will be hard," Sandy says, "But it's the best for you and for Mater. You don't want to have him live a life less than he could have would you? One without the ability to grow into what he is capable of?" Weston is crying. "But that is not my Mater! It's some other Mater pretending to be my Mater. My Mater will be killed. Slaughtered. Destroyed. You can't do this." Then, after a pause, he says, "I just asked him. He doesn't want to be destroyed. So, you can't do this. He said no. And no means no." Sandy is starting to look exasperated, "Mater, by the laws Zydon Tau Erot 233 Empire, will not be a person until the third molt. And Weston, I want you to be honest with me. Your Mater should not be genetically disposed to want to remain alive if it can't molt. What did he really say?" Weston's mouth begins to twitch, and he bursts into tears and runs crying into his room, carrying Mater with him in the blanket. Donna walks out with him. You're stunned at Weston's rapid maturation into a child who has strong feelings on consent, is capable of deception, and has strong emotional connections to others. "How long does he have to say goodbye to his current version of Mater?" you ask Sandy. She looks down and says, "A week at most. It will take them that long to biologically program his replacement." Sandy leaves, and you decide to go for a walk. You pop in and Donna and Weston are laughing about something and it warms your heart, "Donna, could you stay with Weston and keep an eye on him? I need a little air. His Mom is stuck in traffic, but should be here soon. Text me if you need me, or when she arrives. Okay?" Donna says, "Sticking me with the brat, is it?" "Hey!" Weston gives Donna a playful punch on her shoulder. She smiles and winks at you. "Thanks." You say and walk out. [[You walk by the pond|AwalkpondinRain]] <<elseif $Upliftloyalty gte -2 and $Upliftloyalty lte 1>> The next day, it's your turn to clean the communal bathrooms and you've managed to talk Weston and Mater into coming with you, promising that they would get to use magical powers to conquer the forces of evil. They realize pretty quickly that the "magic" you promised is cleaning supplies, but they are gamely playing along. One person has been in the shower for a long time, and doesn't come out until the very end of your cleaning session. Weston and Mater have run off to put away the cleaning supplies when Shala comes out fully dressed, but with tears streaming down her face. <<if $shalarelationship gte 2>> "Oh Vicky. I'm so glad to see you here. I am so sick of my body. I just want to go back to how it was before! I chose to need less sleep and love exercise, but now I feel like I can't ever relax. If I'm not constantly moving, things don't feel right. I'm sick of siphoning my buglet. I want my time and money back. This isn't what I signed up for." <<else>> "Oh, hello Victoria. This is embarrassing. I feel so frustrated. The cognitive enhancements I signed up for are making me so restless and exhausted." "I've noticed that you've been exercising a lot, but... are there others?" you ask. "Yes, I also chose to need less sleep. But now I never feel like I've gotten enough rest. It's so hard to turn my mind and body off. I don't like cleaning up my stupid buglet either. I want my body to go back to how it was. And I want my time and money back." <</if>> "I doubt even these advanced aliens have access to time travel. Are you thinking they should give you monetary compensation for your time?" "Yes. And I know I'm not the only dissatisfied customer. We have to do something." <div class = "choice"> [[Reassure her that she will get used to her new body.|reassureshala]] [[Agree with and support her.|shalaprotestsupport]] </div> <<else>> The day after you send the letter, Lina calls you right after lunch. If she's working from New York, it's probably late afternoon there. "MOM! I just got your email. Sorry I didn't call earlier!" "Lina, it's so nice to hear from you. How are things going?" "Ugh, there's so much political stuff with the Zydons. It sucks because I just want to focus on my job. Hey, it seems like Weston's Uplift went pretty well! Sandy is going to do an assessment with him and then he's going to have an interview with Conrad tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" You feel like Weston would want a little more time to prepare mentally, but maybe this will mean you don't have feel anxious all week about him. "Yep, Conrad is pretty excited to show the results of Uplift. <<if $pierreinterviewedweston and not $westonbadmouthedconrad>>Weston did pretty well in that interview with Pierre.<<elseif $westonbadmouthedconrad>>I think Conrad is feeling guilty for not spending more time with Weston, and this is his way of showing people how much he cares. But yeah, it's all for show, you don't need to remind me.<<elseif $pierreinterviewedyou>>From your interview with Pierre, it sounded like Weston's Uplift has gone really well.<<else>>We're anxious to get some more positive publicity.<</if>>" "I'll let Weston know." "Thank you Mom!" A few minutes later, Sandy shows up to do the assessment with Weston. He's been playing more and more on his own, and it takes ten minutes to find him and Mater. They were taking turns jumping off fallen trees in the nearby forest, and looking for ant colonies. Sandy came with you and said she could use it as part of her assessment, since she needed to observe his social behavior with peers. After talking with him for about twenty minutes (which included some time using an eye-tracking device), she said that she had all the information she needed. "Already? I thought you would need more time with him..." you ask. "I've been expecting this assessment, so I've actually been taking notes for the last few months on what I've noticed of Weston's behaviors." "And what did you find?" he definitely seems different from before. @@.consequence;If you have power of attorney, you're able to hear the test results.@@ <<if not $powerofattorney>>"I'm afraid I can only discuss the results with his parent or guardian, sorry." You feel a bit cheated, especially since you've been taking care of Weston this whole time. "I'll ask Lina about the results then." <<else>>"Let's see, I think Lina gave permission for you to see test results for Weston when she gave you power of attorney for him. Obviously, he's talking much more and engaging socially. He is no longer developmentally delayed. Instead, it appears that his development has accelerated quite a bit. You've probably noticed that he's been acting more like a tween than a little kid. I believe this is an effect of the genetic and developmental change from Uplift. "Weston's eye movements and pattern tracking are most similar to those of an autistic individual. He also has high anxiety, and difficulty regulating his moods, but it's much improved from before. I believe that Mater has been helping him with his emotional regulation, actually." "Wait, so... he still has autism?" "Weston is a very unique case. He's the first child to undergo Uplift who was previously diagnosed with autism. Some aspects of his disorder have changed, which make it easier for him to communicate and be independent. Other aspects are still present." You think back to his shutdown after Mater was injured. His cheekiness to the scientists. It does kind of make sense with what Sandy is saying. Sandy interrupts your reverie: "I've got to go write this up before tomorrow. It was nice seeing you again, Victoria." You return to your apartment, thinking about the implications of Weston's accelerated development. That evening, you start telling Weston about the interview with Conrad.<</if>> [[Prep Weston for the interview.|westonprep]] <</if>>

<p>"Sorry about the wait, Mom. There was an issue with a vendor I had to resolve right away. Thanks again for watching him last-minute." She hands you his bag with his diapers and toys as you give her a quick hug.</p> <p>"Hello Weston, it looks like you're all ready for the day." Weston has never been interested in answering questions. Plus, supposedly it stresses him out when you ask lots of questions, even though it doesn't seem like it makes a difference whether you use a question or a statement. You ask Lina, "Is there anywhere quiet where he can play?"</p> <p>"Unfortunately, no. There is a break room for staff members, but it will be smelly and noisy. You could go outside but..."</p> <p>"I don't think anyone should be outside in this heat. We'll find somewhere to hang out."</p> <p>"Oh and he has a boil on his back. The doctor said to leave it alone. Bring him to this room at 3pm. I'll be there and will help prepare Weston for the interview." Lina is pointing to a room upstairs on a map.</p> <p>"An interview? That might be difficult..." Weston can be unpredictable.</p> <p>"We've been practicing. It will be fine. Are you going to need lunch?"</p> <p>"I brought lunch and snacks."</p> <p>"You're prepared then. I've got to run. Bye!" Lina hug you again and walks off.</p> <p>[[Sit with Weston for a bit.|Screens and chill]]</p>

<p>The security guard looks like he's waiting for you to say something to him, but you ignore him. <<if $shalawithyou is true>>Shala is very busy on her phone, and even does a brief livestream where she shows Weston in the background. She calls out the organizers of the conference for endangering their attendees with unsupervised animal exhibits.<</if>> After about ten minutes, a young man wearing a collared shirt and dress pants introduces himself: "Hello Victoria, I'm Frank. Lina sent me to help you find the greenroom. Won't you come with me?" He hands you VIP badges for the conference, and the security guard seems satisfied.</p> <p>[[Head to the greenroom.|greenroom]]</p>

<<silently>><<switch $donnadescriptor>> <<case "poor" >><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "exploited">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "disenfranchised">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <</switch>><</silently>> <p>"Weston is presenting at the conference. I can't leave. He'll miss his interview."</p> <p>"Is he? It looks like you forgot to pick up your identification. Let me show you the registration desk." The guard looks like he's mentally cursing whoever let you in without a badge.</p> <p>You're not sure if Lina officially registered you for the conference. After a mighty effort, you get Weston to sit up, but he doesn't want to move anywhere. The guard sits with him while you go to the registration desk. They can't find Weston's name anywhere. They are credulous, but confused.</p> <p>"This is Lina's grandson," you say. The registration desk staff look at you blankly. "Surely you know Lina..."</p> <p>Finally one of them says, "Do you mean... Angelina?"</p> <p>"Yes, yes, Angelina." You guess that she goes by her full name at work.</p> <<if $shalawithyou is true>> <<score "shalarelationship" 1>> <p>Shala is even more interested in Weston now. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing... Weston is Angelina's son? Is he one of Conrad's sons?"</p> <p>You feel like it's none of her business, but with Weston appearing at this conference, you're guessing it will become everyone's business. "Yes, he is one of Conrad's sons, although I'm not sure if Weston would even recognize Conrad if he saw him. He's not a particularly social kid, and Conrad isn't a very attentive father."</p> <p>"That's what I've heard..." Shala says.</p> <<include "shalaasksaboutweston">> <</if>> <p>The employee gets on the phone and ten minutes later, you and Weston have badges that identify you as VIPs. The guard stops hovering over you and goes back to his rounds.</p> <p>A young man dressed in business casual approaches you. "Hello Victoria, I'm sorry about all this," he waves his hand. "My name is Frank. I'm one of Lina's assistants. Let me show you to the greenroom where Weston can relax before his presentation."</p> <br> <p>[[Follow him to the greenroom.|greenroom]]</p>

You help Weston off-stage and back into his shirt. You make your way back to the greenroom luggage check-in and change his diaper there. He doesn't really fit on the diaper-changing tables anymore so it seems cleaner to change it here than on the floor of the bathroom. Weston won't settle down and keeps standing by the door and moaning. Lina texts you and tells you that you can take him back to your place for the rest of the day, which you do. Lina doesn't come back until late that night. "Thank you so much, Mom. I was able to get a sitter for the rest of the weekend." "No, no, it's okay. I can watch him." "Mom, I know how hard he can be." "This is why I retired. So I can help you with things like this." Your mom would never have left any of you with a stranger to watch you. But at the same time, you like having some time to yourself. "The sitter can take Saturday night." "Okay, Mom. I'll tell them." You're feeling exhausted. But you also have a lot of questions for Lina. <div class="choice"> [[Ask Lina why Weston is getting the Uplift procedure.|WhyWestonUplift]] [[You don't need to ask. You already know.|ReflectWestonUplift]] </div>

<<score "linarelationship" -1>> <p>"Lina shouldn't have let us into the exhibit floor without making sure we had badges. I'm sorry my daughter was so careless."</p> <p>The guard seems... less guarded. "How is his hand?"</p> <p>Weston's hand is curled into his body. It's hard to see it and he resists when you try to bring it out.</p> <p>"Well, it doesn't look like it's bleeding. He'll calm down in a few hours and I can send you a photo if that would help."</p> <p>"Yes, I do need to make a report...." He seems hesitant to leave.</p> <p>"Weston here is actually going to be in a presentation later. We're not going anywhere."</p> <p>"He's actually in the program?"</p> <<if $shalawithyou is true>><p>Shala, who has been listening in, seems intrigued and starts to browse the program on her phone.</p><</if>> <p>"Yes. I don't know how they are going to interview him, especially in this state, but hopefully he'll recover over the next three hours."</p> <p>"Hmm. If he's presenting, he should have a VIP badge..."</p> <p>The lack of planning on Lina's part here is very frustrating. You try to get Weston to sit up, but he insists on lying down.</p> <p>"I'll go ask at the registration desk. What is his name?"</p> <p>"Weston Werc."</p> <p>The guard looks worried. "Like Conrad Werc?"</p> <p>"Yes. Conrad is his father."</p> <<if $shalawithyou is true>><p>You hear Shala gasp. Everyone assumes that being Conrad's son would make you a celebrity, but he has a lot of them.</p><</if>> <p>"Just a minute."</p> <br> <p>[[Wait for the guard to return|guardhelps]]</p>

<p>"Well, I bought a fig from the fruit vending machine and Donna and Weston started fighting over it."</p> <p>"Is this Weston, then?" he looks at the boy, who is engaged in post-sobbing breath-catching.</p> <p>"Yes, he's my grandson. My daughter, Lina, needed me to watch him today."</p> <p>"So you brought him to this conference?"</p> <p>"No, she's one of the conference organizers, so she wanted him close by. I agree that this isn't the ideal environment for children..."</p> <p>"Yes, actually, children aren't allowed at the conference at all."</p> <p>Is this guy trying to make this YOUR fault? You feel your phone buzzing.</p> <<if $shalawithyou is true>> <p>Shala interjects as you check your phone. "The monkey stole the fig from her. I saw it! It was like she was expecting it."</p> <</if>> <p>The guard looks at your expectantly.</p> <div class="choice"> [[Excuse yourself and take the call.|Linaphone1]] [[Ignore the phone.|ignorephone]] </div>

<p>Does Lina think that you don't know what you're doing? That you haven't helped Weston get through a total shutdown before? You know what to do.</p> <p>Weston has already been watching //Cars//. You remember that his favorites playlist is basically river sounds, so you get that playing with your phone. You're ready for step two. You give him a straw cup of water, which he starts sipping, and alternate him with applesauce. You found a clear plastic freezer bag that's sealed shut, full of clear beads and a few other small toys. <p>As you pull out the hidden objects toy, Weston takes off his headphones and takes it from you. He methodically goes through a list of toys taped on the side and finds each one.</p> <p>After a few minutes, you both have your lunches, a little late, and you try to give Weston a backrub. He wriggles out and you hug him aggressively tightly--but he seems to like it. You find the tupperware filled with oversized, silicone beads, which Weston immediately starts chewing on. Eventually, the time comes for [[his stage appearance|Robspeech2]].</p>

<p>By now, multiple people are recording the encounter between Donna and Weston. Donna bites Weston's hand, and he cries out and pokes her in the eye, aggressively. The security guard picks up Weston and he immediately starts crying and kicking. Donna, satisfied that she now has the fig, immediately stuffs it into her mouth.</p> <p>"Donna! I'm going to have to report this to your boss!" the security guard yells.</p> <p>At the same time, Weston starts scream-moaning: "Aaaaugh! Aiiigh! Aough!"</p> <p>There's no point in trying to talk right now. The screaming is too loud. You take Weston from the guard but he refuses to walk. Hurriedly, you find one of his favorite toys and offer it to him, but he refuses. Oh no, it's a meltdown. The guard looks at you to see if there's anything he can do. You motion for him to pick up Weston again and carry him to the exit, which he does. In the convention entrance hall, it's a bit quieter and Weston stops screaming so loudly. The guard sets Weston down on a bench near a window. Weston buries his face in the bench's plush cushions. You sit next to him and stroke his hair until he pushes your hand away.</p> <p>Shala, the influencer you eavesdropped on earlier, follows you and the security guard out of the exhibit hall. "Oh my gosh I saw the whole thing, are you guys okay?"</p> <p>You're not sure what to make of her sudden interest in you and Weston.</p> <p class="consequence">If you ask for the video, Shala will stick around for a bit.</p> <div class="choice"> [[Tell her you're fine|Tell her you're fine (dismiss her)]] [[Ask her for the video|Ask her for the video (engage her)]] </div>

<p>It's time for you to send Lina an update about how things have been going. You'd prefer to just talk to her on the phone, but she never has time to talk when you have time. How do you want to write the email?</p> <p>@@.consequence;Your decisions affect your loyalty to Uplift and your relationship with Lina.@@</p> <div id="detailPick"><<listbox "$detail" autoselect>> <<option "-- how much detail? --" "">> <<option "Tell her every detail" "detailed">> <<option "Just the basics" "vague">> <</listbox>></div> <div id="tonePick"><<listbox "$tone" autoselect>> <<option "-- what tone? --" "">> <<option "Upbeat" "upbeat">> <<option "Keep it real" "cynical">> <</listbox>></div> <div id="preview"><<include "Letter1">></div> <div id="sendbox"><<include "SendLetterLink">></div> <<script>> /* <<listbox>> updates the variable but redraws nothing, so listen for the change and re-wikify the two containers by hand. The setTimeout waits for the passage to actually be in the DOM before binding. */ setTimeout(function () { jQuery('#detailPick select, #tonePick select').on('change', function () { jQuery('#preview').empty().wiki('<<include Letter1>>'); jQuery('#sendbox').empty().wiki('<<include SendLetterLink>>'); }); }, 0); <</script>>

<p>"Is Weston going to be in the new Uplift cohort? The one with cognitive improvements? I heard they were looking for autistic kids in particular."</p> <p>You have no idea what she's talking about. "I haven't heard anything like that... but my daughter Lina is very ambitious, so who knows."</p> <p>Shala sits next to Weston and starts stroking his hair. She takes a selfie with him without even asking you. After a minute, he pushes her hand away. Should you say something?</p> <p>"Um," you start, wondering why this feels so awkward, "what are you planning to do with that photo?"</p> <p>"Oh I wanted to reassure my followers that Weston is okay! After I posted the video of his fight with the monkey they were all super worried!" She's busy on her phone responding to comments of what appears to be a post she's already made of her with Weston.</p> <p>You guess that's fair. And an easier way to follow up than trying to get on social media yourself. How far would she go for extra content though...? You're about to politely ask her to leave Weston alone when she gets up and says goodbye. "I hope he recovers okay! Maybe we'll see each other again sometime." She leaves you with her card, which has her contact information on it. It looks like she's some kind of wellness influencer.</p>

<p>You see a man with dark hair wearing a white collared shirt sitting expectantly at a table covered in books. The poster behind him shows the words "stay human" alongside images of a variety of people with disabilities: a veteran without legs in a wheelchair, a woman signing "I love you," and a child with drooping eyelids smiling to the camera.</p> <p>In front of the display, a young man in a wheelchair is filming himself. "I'm tired of companies like this glorifying the experience of being disabled. Yeah. So what if I was born a crip? It doesn't mean I want to stay that way. If Uplift can get us crips walking again, let us get Uplifts first."</p> <p>"If you had a broken leg at a hospital, they would do your surgery before someone's elective nose job. So why aren't they doing this same sort of medical triage to decide who gets to be uplifted first? It seems like they're just going to for people who can bring the most publicity to the company. Pierre out." Pierre stops recording. He notices you watching him and wheels away--probably to edit you out if you appeared in his background footage.</p> <p>"Good morning, how are you this morning?" the man behind the table asks you.</p> <p>"Good, thank you. I'm here to watch my grandson. It looks like you're selling books?" you ask.</p> <p>"Yes, I am. How old is your grandson?"</p> <p>"He's seven but... he acts much younger sometimes."</p> <p>"Don't we all? You might enjoy this book about the experiences of parents of children with Down syndrome."</p> <p>He hands you a collection of tributes from parents to their children with Down syndrome. You're cautiously curious--this publisher definitely has an agenda, especially in buying a booth at this conference. You know without looking the book that the parents will talk about how sweet their children are and how they teach us lessons about appreciating the world around us. And, of course, the unsaid message is that children with Down syndrome deserve to be born and live. </p> <p>You take a look at another book: a memoir about a woman who born deaf but was later able to hear through gene therapy. After a year of hearing, she decided to live as a deaf person again. "The procedure was irreversible. Sounds overwhelmed me every day. That constant overstimulation drove me into a deep depression." She acknowledges that there are times when she enjoys sounds or finds them useful, but she states that she prefers to wear earplugs most of the time. She mourns the loss of solidarity with her Deaf friends.</p> <p>How do you feel about these books? Check all that apply:</p> <p>@@.consequence;Your choices here will determine how you feel about Weston's disability in the future.@@</p> <p><<checkbox "$disabilityattitude.Comfort" false true>> Sometimes we have to live with bodies that are different from most other people. It can be comforting to read about how other people dealt with that difficulty.</p> <p><<checkbox "$disabilityattitude.Criticaldisabilitytheory" false true>> We wouldn't have disability if society could accommodate different levels of ability. We should focus on changing society instead of changing our bodies, because there will always be differences in ability.</p> <p><<checkbox "$disabilityattitude.Eliminate" false true>> We should use technology to minimize disability. It would be weird if someone refused to wear glasses. Why are these people refusing to cure their disabilities?</p> <p>You don't feel the need to buy any of these books, and you return to the entrance to see if Lina is waiting for you.</p> <p>[[Return to the entrance to see if Lina is there.|hub]]</p>

<p>@@.consequence;How you describe Donna will affect your relationship with her.@@</p> <p>"I was trying to, Lina. Everything happened so fast. One minute I'm buying a fig and the next minute, Weston and Donna are fighting over it. It's like that time Gordo bit Rusty's ear half off. By the time the security guard got there--"</p> <p>"--the security guard had to come?" you can hear Lina cursing.</p> <p>"Why is that a problem? Don't you want your security guards to protect the people here from <<cycle "$donnadescriptor" autoselect>>\ <<option "crazy" "crazy">>\ <<option "selfish" "selfish">>\ <<option "poor" "poor">>\ <<option "exploited" "exploited">>\ <<option "disenfranchised" "disenfranchised">>\ <</cycle>> monkeys?"</p> <p>"Donna is not a monkey. She is a bonobo, which is a kind of ape."</p> <p>Lina has a hard time prioritizing when to give people animal facts.</p> <p>"Sure, she's an ape. Don't you want your security guards to protect people from crazy apes?"</p> <p>"Yes, but because of our contract with them, each incident costs us a little money. It's to discourage us from having free drinks or whatever. The guard wasn't injured, was he?"</p> <p>"No, no, he's right here actually, if you want to talk to him."</p> <p>"That won't be necessary. How is Weston?"</p> <p>"He's pretty upset, but otherwise fine. Let me check his hand again."</p> <p>You try to pull out Weston's hand to examine it, but he has it pressed tightly against his chest in a fetal-t-rex hybrid position. Hmm. That's going to be difficult to look at.</p> <p>"It doesn't look serious. There's no bleeding. I'll look more closely in an hour or two when he's calmed down."</p> <p>"That's strange. Aren't bonobos extremely strong? I'm going to send one of my people over to help you find a better place for Weston to stay."</p> <div class="choice"> <<link "Lina hangs up without saying goodbye." "meet frank">> <<switch $donnadescriptor>> <<case "poor" >><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "exploited">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "disenfranchised">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <</switch>> <</link>> </div>

<p>@@.consequence;How you describe Donna will affect your relationship with her.@@</p> <<score "linarelationship" -1>> <p>"I'm sorry Lina. I should have known better than to let Weston anywhere near that <<cycle "$donnadescriptor" autoselect>> <<option "crazy" "crazy">> <<option "selfish" "selfish">> <<option "poor" "poor">> <<option "exploited" "exploited">> <<option "disenfranchised" "disenfranchised">> <</cycle>> monkey."</p> <p>"Actually, Donna is a bonobo, which is a kind of ape."</p> <p>Lina won't let inaccuracies fly around even when she's upset.</p> <p>"Of course. That chimp. I shouldn't have trusted a chimp to be professional and not bite conference attendees," you say sarcastically.</p> <p>"God, Mom. Even when you're apologizing you sound like you're judging me. Could you just not?" Of course Lina took your sarcasm personally.</p> <p>"I'm really trying here! What more do you want from me?"</p> <p>"I want to focus on my job and not worry about my son!"</p> <p>"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."</p> <p>"No, you need help. I'm sending over one of my people now."</p> <br> <div class="choice"> <<link "Lina hangs up without saying goodbye." "meet frank">> <<switch $donnadescriptor>> <<case "poor" >><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "exploited">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <<case "disenfranchised">><<score "donnarelationship" 1>> <</switch>> <</link>> </div>

<p>"I'd like to know more about what kind of security detail allowed a <<cycle "$donnadescriptor" autoselect>> <<option "crazy" "crazy>> <<option "aggressive" "aggressive">> <<option "selfish" "selfish">> <<option "poor" "poor">> <<option "exploited" "exploited">> <<option "disenfranchised" "disenfranchised">> <</cycle>> monkey to be unsupervised. It's a dangerous environment for everyone."</p> <p>The guard doesn't take your bait. "We're a private security firm. We work for the conference center. It's possible that there are risks that weren't covered by our standard questions. However, one of the rules I was given is that children aren't allowed in the conference."</p> <p>"Why didn't anyone tell me about that until now?"</p> <p>"I don't know. But you will need to find somewhere else to babysit your grandson."</p> <p>If this man knew anything about who Lina was, you wouldn't be having this conversation.</p> <br> <p>[[Ask Lina for help.|Linahelp]]</p> <p>[[Tell him Weston is a presenter at the conference.|nobadge]]</p>

<<include "CalcAvatarStats">> /* for where you reflect on changes to your body */ <p>Finally, you're starting to get settled in the communal apartment building for everyone who has gone through Uplift around the same time as you. It's shaped like a circle, with all of the apartments facing into a central courtyard. Your trainers have emphasized that the buglets will need lots of exercise after their first molt, but for now, it's hard to imagine the little larvae moving anywhere.</p> <<if $incubationTerms is 0>> <p>So far, you've been helping Weston with his larva. The work is pretty easy. There's a giant oil drum that the big white grub lives in and you pour a soda pop-like concoction into it every day.</p> <<elseif $incubationTerms is 1>> <p>You've been taking care of both your and Weston's larvae as you both adjust to your new bodies. Each has a separate oil drum they live in, and you pour several liters of a soda pop-like formula into their drums each day. Whenever you have time, you take out your pupa and hold it close. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy. You were going to name yours Barbara, but you found out that the buglets don't develop a gender until much later, so you decide to call it Barb.</p><</if>> <p>While Weston looks the same, he doesn't act like he did before. He follows your gaze when something draws your attention, like a bird call or someone's voice--even if you're not turning your head. He smiled at you once! He's starting to use words more often too, and not just to get you to do what he wants. You're optimistic that this procedure will make Weston into someone you can relate to personally. /* make these thoughts dependent on previously-stated attitudes about disability? */</p> <<if $incubationTerms is 1>><p>You're noticing some changes with your body as well. </p><</if>> /* Reflections on hair *//* will everyone's hair be baby-short? */ <<if $stats.hairCurl === "Kinky">>Your hair has a completely different texture. You've been having fun learning how to style it with online tutorials, although you really wish that you had an African hair salon nearby to do some box braids for you. You bought some buttercream lotion and a silk hair bonnet and feel like you can get your hair under control most of the time, although the humidity here in the north <</if>> <<if $straighterhair>><p>Your hair is much less curly. If you want it to be iron-straight, you hardly have to spend any time with the straightener now. You might even be able to get away with giving up mousse, although not in the humid area you're in now.</p><</if>> /* Reflections on body type */ <<if $incubationTerms is 1>><<switch $bodyChange>><<case "unchanged">> <p>You decided not to change your body height or weight, but your body feels very different. Your joints don't ache at night. Your right forearm, which has always been weak and tight, feels no pain. You no longer have the scar from the car accident you had in your 30s. You feel younger.</p> <<case "scaled up">> <p>Your proportions are about the same as before. It's harder to get comfortable in smaller spaces though, and you can actually feel the bottom edge of the mattress.</p> <<case "scaled down">> <p> Your body is both smaller and lighter. You see different things now that your "eye level" is below the average. Gross things, like used chewing gum on the underside of armrests and unexplained wall stains. People seem a little nicer to you, but they also seem to underestimate your capabilities.</p> <<case "stretched">><p>Your body is taller and lighter. You're not used to working in a body like this, and you stub your toes often. You can reach the top of a fridge and the highest shelves in the kitchen without a stepstool. If you have to run somewhere, you feel a sense of lightness and power that you imagine dogs feel when they get to go off-leash at the dog park.</p> <<case "compressed">><p>Your body is shorter and heavier. You feel a solidity that you're not accustomed to--it would take a lot to knock you over. People seem to be a little more standoffish to you. Maybe it's because you're heavier now?</p> <<case "taller only">><p>Your body is taller, but your weight is about the same, so proportionally, your body is more slender. You feel like people are more likely to smile at you. Is this what "pretty privilege" feels like? You hope that you were never that shallow. It's nice to be able to reach things that are high up, but it's a longer trip to bend over and pick things off the floor.</p> <<case "shorter only">><p>Your body is shorter, but your weight is about the same, so you're a bit denser now. You feel like you're less likely to fall over, and it's easier to pick things up off the floor, like the shreds of paper that Weston likes to make. People seem to talk down to you even more than they did before.</p> <<case "heavier only">><p>You weren't sure if raising your weight would change your body type or just add more fat on your regular body. It looks like a combination of both. You have more fat around your hips, arms, thighs, and breasts. The word "petite" no longer applies to you. Compared to before, it's harder to go up stairs, but you also won't be blown over by a strong wind.</p> <<case "lighter only">><p>You've tried to lose weight in the past, but always gave up after a few weeks. Getting a lighter body though, your frame feels slighter. You didn't have much fat before, but now you feel lean. You get cold more easily, but running and jumping almost feel fun. You feel like people listen to your ideas more closely now. Is this "pretty privilege"?</p> <</switch>><</if>> <p>So far, Weston hasn't really had to help raise the buglets very much, but he can tell which one is his and sings to it every night. It's kind of like having a pet, you decide. Unpredictable but a living thing you feel responsible for. Tonight's the training meeting for raising the buglets after their first molt.</p> <br> /* Reflections on enhancements */ <<if $enhancements.eideticMemory>><p>Your memory for details on objects and people is much better now.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.doubleEyelashes>><p>You have so many eyelashes, and you love how it looks. You have noticed that you're more likely to get an eyelash stuck in your eye now though.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.lessSleep>><p>After just five hours of sleep, you feel refreshed. You're excited to realize that you have an extra three hours of the day! So far you've been spending it watching TV.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.lessPainSensitive>><p>Little things, like stubbing your toe, don't seem like as big of a deal. When you pick up a hot bowl from the microwave, most of the time you don't even need a protective glove.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.supertaster>><p>The supplies for meals in the Uplift Transition Housing are limited, but you don't need special materials to test your supertasting ability. Apples that are already good and crispy taste even sweeter than before. In fact, you find them a bit too sweet.<<if not $enhancements.vegetablesTasteLessBitter>> You don't really like green vegetables anymore, because they're too bitter.<</if>> You find yourself eating less because the flavor is so intense.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.vegetablesTasteLessBitter>><p>You try a kale salad to see what your "vegetables taste less bitter" enhancement is like. Maybe all those people who love kale salad actually are mutants, because it wasn't that bad.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.seeUV>><p>The first thing you noticed when you awoke from your Uplift coma was how you can see UV light now. Flowers look inviting, and things like blood and spit look much darker. You can see when someone is wearing sunscreen, and your underwear looks pretty dingy now. The black-eyed Susans planted in front of the residences for those undergoing Uplift look so different! On the edges, the petals are yellow like the flowers you remember from before your genetic changes, but now you see a dark center that fades into the yellow of the ends of the petals. How strange. The flower uses UV to give a color pattern to make a landing pad for the bees. The plant needs to fertilize its seeds! And you can see it so clearly!</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.loveExercise>><p>You feel a restlessness that compels you to go outside and move your body at least once a day. Moving around feels right, and afterwards, you feel happy inside.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.slowCaffeine>><p>A cup of coffee used to only keep you alert until mid-morning. Now, it seems to make your brain sharper until the late afternoon.<<if $enhancements.lessSleep>> Of course, you don't need as much sleep anymore, so maybe you can cut the coffee... or get greedy and go for four hours of sleep a night instead of five.<</if>></p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.noBodyOdor>><p>You make the scary decision to not wear deodorant, and you don't even notice. Maybe you can go completely without it now.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.learnQuickly>><p>You notice that you don't feel confused as often. When people teach you to do something new, it makes sense faster. It doesn't seem new--it seems like this is how the world is supposed to be.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>><p>You've been providing a lot of snarky comments in your post-Uplift rehab, and other people seem to take a long time to compose their thoughts.</p><</if>> <<if $enhancements.thinkDeeply>><p>Lately, you've been reflecting on the nature of existence. Was your life really so miserable that you wanted a completely new body? What happened to your old body? Your hair is pretty long. Did it grow fast, or was it part of the old body that got "glued" on to you? Hair is weird, because it's dead, but it's still a part of you. Interesting.</p><</if>> [[Attend the training with Weston.|attend training]]

Kehlani is holding a special training on how to care for buglets in the future. "Now, it's very important that you clean between your buglet's plates in the morning and at night, and apply the siphon to its sphincter after every feeding session. This mimics the mother's behavior and it's necessary to avoid waste impaction in the buglet." Kehlani delivers all this information cheerfully, as if describing what ice-cream flavors are available for dessert at a pizza place. "It's important that the buglets socialize with one another, but it's also important to stop them if they get too aggressive. We've sent links with videos of buglet social behavior to you to help you see the difference and we ask that you complete this training tonight." "The pupa stage lasts one month, and then the first molting stage will last another two months. After that, it will be the second molting, and you and your buglet will stay together another three months until the third molting,." "Remember to come to the flex room this Saturday for the first round of vaccinations. Your new bodies also need new vaccines." You and the other members of your cohort practice siphoning on buglet dolls. Weston thinks the dolls look weird, but tries to siphon off some of the dyed liquid. Everyone else seems so young and good-looking. Do you fit in with them now? Most of them are influencers, so they probably already had good-looking faces, although you heard one of the women lament in the bathroom that she would have to get a new nose job. One of the pretty women greets you like she already knows you. She's tall and thin, with ube skin. "Oh, you probably don't recognize me. I've changed a bit. It's me, Shala! I videotaped that crazy monkey trying to take the fig from Weston!" <<if $shalarelationship gt 0>> You remember her, and how she cozied up to Weston afterwards. It's so hard to tell if these influencers are sincere or not.<<else>> You vaguely remember some opportunistic influencer claiming to have important video footage of Weston. <</if>> You greet her politely and finish your training. Weston has been attending sessions with an occupational therapist to learn how to work with his enhancements. He seems more receptive to traditional teaching methods on socialization. Or maybe it's more that he can give feedback in a way you recognize, with head nods and eye contact. The little girl with the sessions after him has been learning how to walk. You assume that beforehand, she had some kind of paralysis or disease that prevented her from walking. She and a young black man have been practicing going up and down stairs with a sense of wonder at their new abilities. Today, he's slowly going up the stairs that you're using to get to your bedroom on the second floor. Weston rushes ahead of you and is in your apartment before you can decide how you want to approach the stairs. Should you wait for Pierre to finish going up the stairs, or walk past him? @@.consequence;This choice doesn't affect anything except the immediately following narrative.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Wait for him to reach the top.|waitpierre]] [[Walk past him.|walkpierre]] </div>

You wait for Pierre to get to the top before you start--you don't want to rush him. He in turn watches you go up the stairs without any hesitation. As your eyes meet, you [[recognize|recognizePierre]] him from UpliftCon.

You think that a disabled person would want you to treat him like anyone else, right? And this stairway is large enough for two people. If he felt like you were waiting for him, it could make him feel pressured to go faster. As you pass him, your eyes meet, and you [[recognize|recognizePierre]] him from UpliftCon.

"I think I recognize you," you say. Realizing that most of your cohort is made up of influencers, you feel a little silly saying that. "I didn't change my skin color or height or anything. I just wanted to be able to get around in the world without my wheelchair. My name's Pierre." "Mine's Victoria. Nice to meet you." You shake hands. "Victoria. With that boy named Weston. He's Conrad's son, right? How is the Uplift working for him?" @@.consequence;Your answer will affect your Uplift loyalty.@@ <div class="choice"> [["He's doing great!"|Westonwell1]] [["I think it's too early to tell."|Westonneutral1]] [["It's like I have a different grandson (negative)."|Westonnegative1]] </div>

<<score "Upliftloyalty" 1>> "He's doing really well!" you say. "I can't believe how much more interested he is in me and what other people want. I think he'll be able to improve his relationships with family members and have friends. Maybe even get a job and support himself when he's an adult." "I'm glad!" Pierre replies. [[Finish walking back to your apartment.|apartment1]]

/* no change to Uplift loyalty */\ "I think it's too early to tell," you say. You worked as a hospital receptionist to know how one surgery could go wrong, maybe months or years later. "He is speaking to other people more, and not just to get what he wants. His signing is getting more complex too." "That sounds like a good sign." Pierre is hopeful. "I think the changes take a while for our bodies to get used to," Pierre says self-consciously. <<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>>"Yeah, and for every//body// else to get used to too!" you quip. "Get it...?" "Yeah, I got it." Pierre looks pained. <<else>>"You'll get it eventually. It took me five years to learn how to ride a bike." You're trying to sound encouraging. "I hope it doesn't take me that long to learn how to walk!"<</if>> [[Finish walking back to your apartment.|apartment1]]

<<score "Upliftloyalty" -1>> "It's a bit uncanny," you say. "Sometimes I wonder if my grandson is gone and they've replaced him with a happier boy." <<if $enhancements.thinkDeeply>>"Like a changeling in reverse."<</if>>. "But what does that mean for the person Weston was before? Is he gone, or just changed?" "I think about that too sometimes," Pierre says, understanding in his eyes. "Now that I can walk, am I a different person than before? I was born with spinal problems. How much of those spinal problems also included things that were part of 'me'? But I don't regret doing this. I've always wanted to walk, and now I can. Even if I can't go very far yet." "Well, you remember who you were before. I remember who I was before. I hope Weston also remembers who he was before and it helps him be a more compassionate person," you conclude. "Why would it make him more compassionate? He might hate parts of how he was before. Or miss when people expected less of him." Pierre sounds like he's encountered your arguments before. "I think it could make him more compassionate, yes. When you've experienced being different, it can help you understand when other people are acting in ways you don't understand. But you're right. There's nothing about him being autistic that would automatically make that true." "Have a good evening." Pierre politely ends the conversation. [[Finish walking back to your apartment.|apartment1]]

<<if $enhancements.seeUV>>You see a flock of starlings sitting in the mulberry trees around the center. They glow like a blacklight poster! Color exploding so bright and beautiful it takes your breath away.<</if>> You make it back to your apartment. Well, it's more like a shared bedroom and sitting room with a toilet than a full apartment. There's a communal kitchen and communal showers on each floor. So far, people have been good about washing their own dishes, although one or two people seem to expect everyone else to take care of their messes. Maybe they're children like Weston. Normally you and Weston would relax in the courtyard, but there's a light drizzle of rain this evening. /* adjust if this is too difficult to trigger */<<if $westernconformity lte 2 or $stats.skinTone is "Ube">> Shala knocks on your door. "Hey, I was able to make a foot scrub out of some ingredients in the kitchen. Me and some of the other girls are going to have a bit of a spa night. Would you like to join us?" "Oh, that sounds nice, but I need to stay with my grandson, Weston," you reply automatically. "Hi Weston! He can come along, it's no trouble at all. Maybe he'd like a little footbath too? What a sweetie." You're about to decide for both of you when Weston looks up and says, "I want to go!" Do you indulge him or stay in for the evening?<</if>> <<if $westernconformity lte 2 or $stats.skinTone is "Ube">> [[Go to the spa night.|spa1]] <</if>> [[Stay home.|stayhome1]]

<<score "shalarelationship" 1>>\ <<set $shalaspa to true>>\ Shala leads you to one of the communal areas on the first floor. Three other women with tall and slender bodies welcome you. Shala's taken some of the bowls and dishes from the kitchen and put them on the floor so everyone can soak their feet while they sit in folding chairs. You feel slightly grossed out by this, although you've used kitchen bowls as barf-catchers in the past. You make a mental note to ask your block's social worker, Sandy, to make rules about using kitchen items only for food. You sit down and take off your shoes. "Weston, can you take off your shoes?" you ask rhetorically. Your muscle memory is planning to do it for him. You reach for his shoe and he says, "I can do it gamma!" You happily watch as he takes off his own shoes for once. He finds a child-sized chair in the stack of chairs towards the back of the flex room and joins the semi-circle of people. "Let's get started! Here's an epsom soak to soften things up." Shala pours hot water from a teapot into lukewarm water in the various basins, instructing each person to stir the water with their feet or hands. Weston is momentarily fascinated by the combination of cold and hot water. "Hot!" he exclaims. "Mix it together," you instruct him, "it will end up nice and warm." Looking around, you notice that everyone's feet look straight out of a sandal catalog. You wonder what the point of this kind of treatment is when your skin is still fresh and new. Maybe some people could have a callus by now? The warm water is relaxing, at least. Shala insists that everyone introduce themselves to the group. Meanwhile, Weston has started playing in his salt water. Making a last-minute change to the schedule seems to have bothered him less than it normally would have. Shala shows everyone the sugar scrub she made and starts giving individual foot massages. "I can do my own," you say when she comes to you. "It's no trouble! I'm happy to make you feel pampered." <div class="choice"> [[Let her pamper you.|Shalafootrub]] [[Do it yourself.|Ownfootrub]] </div>

<<score "shalarelationship" 1>>\ "Okay, go ahead," you say reluctantly. Usually you're the one taking care of everyone else. It feels weird to let Shala do this. As she massages the scrub into your feet, you relax a little bit. Weston is watching you, and lets Shala give him a little foot scrub, but he's too ticklish to let her give him much of a foot massage. He enjoys splashing his feet and hands in the bowl though. You notice [[Weston licking the sugar scrub off his hands|Westoneatscrub]]

"I want to do it myself," you insist. She gives you some of the sugar scrub and you massage it into your own feet. It's been a while since you paid attention to your own body like this. Of course, you've been attending to basic hygiene. You notice your feet and other muscles relaxing as you attend to sensations in the top of your feet and between your toes. Weston has been watching you, and also insists on massaging his own feet. You notice [[Weston licking the sugar scrub off his hands|Westoneatscrub]]

"Oh, don't eat that!" Shala says. "But it's okay. It's completely nontoxic." Weston licks it off his fingers, and you hurry up and dry your feet and put on your shoes so you can take him to the kitchen next door and wash his hands and face. "Sweet!" he informs you. "That's right. Sugar is sweet!" You say goodbye to Shala and apologize for not staying to clean up, explaining that it's Weston's bedtime. After Weston goes to sleep, you take a walk in the evening humid air. It takes a while for you to fall asleep. [[Dream.|nightmare1]]

<<if $stats.hairCurl is "Kinky" or $darkerskin>> /* Pierre comes by and asks what your plan is to learn more about Black culture */ You and Weston are about to settle into an hour of "quiet time" (tablet for him, streaming for you) when Pierre stops by. /* if you chose kinky hair and light skin, or kinky hair and unnatural skin tone, Pierre shouldn't refer to you having darker skin */ <<if $stats.hairCurl is "Kinky" and not $darkerskin>> "I noticed that you chose Black hair, but not a darker skin tone. Why did you choose that?" @@.consequence;Your choice determines the text that immediately follows; all three bottleneck on a second decision.@@ <div class="choice"> [[I didn't like my natural hair, so I wanted to change it.|changehair]] [[I like how it looks.|likekinkyhair]] [[I want to show racists that they're dumb.|antiracisthair]] </div> <<else>> "I noticed that you chose darker skin. I'm curious--why did you choose that?" <div class="choice"> [[I didn't like my natural skin tone, so I wanted to change it.|changeskin]] [[I like how it looks.|likedarkskin]] [[I want to show racists that they're dumb.|antiracistskin]] </div> <</if>> <<else>> You and Weston have a quiet evening at home, with him watching his tablet and you talking to your sister and watching a show. After Weston goes to sleep, you take a walk in the evening humid air. It takes a while for you to fall asleep. [[You have a nightmare.|nightmare1]] <</if>>

"I don't actually know that much about African-American hair," you say dumbly. "I just felt so tired of my own hair. This was like an extreme version of a haircut for me. I wanted a change that would reflect how much I've changed inside." "Like a haircut?" Pierre asks. "Well, obviously, it's more permanent. So maybe more like a piercing." You wonder if you're misunderstanding something. "Choosing textured hair shouldn't just be a cosmetic decision. You're not playing dress-up. You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre lectures you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

"I've always admired African-American women and how their hair looks. Afros, locs, box braids, microbraids, cornrows, wigs--I love it all. I wanted to try it out for myself." "This is like a way to try fun things for you?" Pierre asks. "Well, yeah, kind of. I can have hairstyles I'd never be able to pull off with my old wavy hair." "You can get cornrows and locs even with wavy hair." Pierre sounds like he's trying to point something out that should be obvious to you. "Choosing textured hair shouldn't just be a cosmetic decision. You're not playing dress-up. You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre is lecturing you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

"I wanted to stick it to the man and show everyone how beautiful kinky hair is by choosing it." "So you chose textured hair to... make a political statement?" Pierre asks. "Yeah. Those racist people who think everyone will use Uplift to look like skinny white women will have to deal with an outlier. Me." "Choosing textured hair shouldn't just be a political statement. You're not joining a protest. You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre lectures you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

"So, I don't know that much about African-American culture. I mean, I like mac and cheese from scratch too, but mostly, I wanted a change from my old skin." "So you chose darker skin as like a change of pace. Like you would a haircut," Pierre says. "Well, obviously this is more permanent." "Yes, I know..." "Choosing black skin shouldn't just be a cosmetic decision. You're not playing dress-up. You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre is lecturing you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

"I like how dark skin looks on me. I like it better than my old skin tone. Yeah, I might have to start taking Vitamin D supplements, but now when I wear hot pink it really pops!" "Choosing black skin is more than just liking how it looks! You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre is lecturing you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

"My family thought I was too dark. I was constantly avoiding the sun. But lately I've been thinking, what if instead of buying into their colorism, I go even further and get really dark skin? I can show them and everyone else that dark skin is desirable." "But isn't that still racism, just in the opposite direction?" "No, racism is about power. I don't have any power." "Choosing darker skin shouldn't just be a political statement. You're not joining a protest. You are choosing to join an identity." Pierre lectures you. You don't really like being lectured by a younger man. @@.consequence;If you listen to Pierre, it will improve your relationship with him.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Give him a piece of your mind.|tellpierreoff]] [[Sit and listen to what he has to say.|listentopierre]] </div>

<<set $toldpierreoff to true>>\ "So what are you saying here? I should start singing Gospel music and cooking grits because that's part of the package of getting textured hair or darker skin? Plenty of Black people aren't raised in Black culture. Black people from Africa have a different culture from African-Americans. And Black people in Mexico have a different culture from African-Americans. I can still be Mexican-American and have dark skin, okay?" You can feel your anger rising a bit, but you take a deep breath and sigh. Maybe Pierre is used to angry people from being an influencer. He doesn't seem affected by your outburst. "Aight then, it sounds like you got this all figured out. You don't need some disabled Black boy to teach you what it means to be Black. Have a nice day ma'am." Pierre leaves as you say an awkward goodbye. After Weston goes to sleep, you take a walk in the evening humid air. It takes a while for you to fall asleep. [[Dream.|nightmare1]]

<<score "pierrerelationship" 1>>\ <<set $joinedpierresgroup to true>>\ Does Pierre think you need to take part in Black culture since you look a little more Black now? You're feeling a bit upset, but you force yourself to listen. "People are going to look at you differently now that you look more Black," he says. "If you get angry, they'll be even more dismissive of you. Say you're an angry black woman. Or if you go to the doctor in pain, they won't take you as seriously as before." "Latinas are discriminated against too," you observe. "They are. I'm not saying they're not. I'm just saying, be prepared for it to get even worse. If you have a few Black friends, they can help you deal with it. And sure, maybe you'll find you like things about Black culture that you like. But the reason solidarity is important is because if we don't create community, racism really takes a toll. And yeah, racism against dark-skinned Mexican-Americans is probably different from racism against African-Americans, but either way if it's a pain that's shared, it helps us survive." Pierre seems passionate about the importance of community. Is that what he's offering...? "I have a community for people like us, who need a safe space to bitch about racism. Excuse my language," he says as he reminds himself that Weston is in the room. "Let me send you a message with more details." "So it's like a group text?" "Yeah it's like a lot of different sub-group texts. Anyone who undergoes Uplift and keeps their dark skin, or who chooses to get dark skin or textured hair, will need support for their decision It's easier if I show you." Pierre walks you through the technical details and creating an account for a private forum. It's still pretty new, but there are a few active users asking about fashion and hair, along with another user who shares anti-racist picture books constantly. You're not sure how much you'll participate, but you're touched that Pierre has noticed you and wants to help you. After Weston goes to sleep, you take a walk in the evening humid air. It takes a while for you to fall asleep. [[Dream.|nightmare1]]

You are at the Uplift care facility, and you wake up in the middle of your Uplift-induced coma. You feel sick inside. As you come into consciousness your realize you are not in a medical facility. You are sitting with a woman at a kitchen table with a red and white gingham tablecloth. She is in the chair opposite you, knitting something held too low to tell what she is making. She seems friendly and starts to chat. "What's wrong, sweetheart? You look scared," she says with a smile, although she doesn't look up from her knitting. You admit you are scared and shouldn't be awake. Well, you are right about that. You need to go back to sleep, dearie. We aren't ready for you to wake up yet. "I know," you say, "I'm not ready either." "Well, let's have a little chat, and then we'll see about getting you to sleep. Okay? "Yes. Thank you. What are you making?" you ask. "Can I see?" "Oh, yes!" She answers, "Of course." She lifts what she was working on and places it on the table. It is you, as a tiny person. About the size of a Barbie. But it is alive. And it is an exact copy of you. Only smaller. It is screaming at the woman to let her go. Then she sees you and stops. You look at the copy of you and see it is standing there on the table, looking right at you. She raises her eyes to you and says just above a whisper, "Help me! Please! Please, help me!" "What the hell?" you shout at the woman. She smiles at you and says, "Would you like to see how you are turning out?" "No! What's going on? I shouldn't be here. This should not be happening!" you cry out. "Don't worry. Let me show you. You'll like this," she says in that sweet voice. "No. No. No. What is happening? Get me out of here." She picks up the little version of you, then maneuvering the doll's foot to be flat on the table and stabs it with her knitting needle. But you feel it. It feels like someone has taken a knife and stabbed you violently. The pain is unbearable. Unlike most dreams, this one is creating real pain. "Now that didn't hurt, did it?" she says that as if she is accusing you of something unseemly. "Yes. It is hurting! Make it stop. It really hurts." "Umm …" says the woman. "How about this?" With that, she grabs the little version of you by the shoulder, then twists its lower arm back and forth until it is ripped away from the rest of her upper arm. You feel keenly. It is agony. Torture. It strikes pain the way to your core. The rending muscle. The twisting tendons. The awful feeling of your joints being split asunder like a chicken leg being ripped from its thigh bone. You scream in desperate agony. Then the woman looks at you with real concern and says, "Wow. This makes no sense. You shouldn't be hurting at all." "Well, I am! I'm feeling every little thing you do to that thing. Please stop! This pain is too much." "No. I don't mean this shouldn't be hurting you. I mean she should be feeling it. And you should feel nothing. You are dead. You've really been through it, you know? You have been copied top-to-bottom, inside-to-outside. The twisted fiber stitching your body together has been unknotted completely. And the yarn that was you was thrown into the garbage and burned. This little doll should be all that's left in memory of what you were." This is where you wake up screaming. Or trying to scream but all that comes out is a breathy wet hush. The terrible pain lingers after you awaken and come to your senses. It reminds you that what you experienced was genuine pain. You are shaking because it's not the first time you've had this dream. It keeps returning and returning. You should call your social worker, Sandy, over your block at the Uplift Transition Housing again. But last time you called her, she dismissed your concerns. Like a mother patting her child on the head and sending them back to bed with a glass of milk. "It's all natural!" she said in that patronizingly cheerful voice that seems to say, "You poor little darling. Are the big, scary dreams bothering you again?" @@.consequence;This choice only affects the story in the subsequent passage.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Call the social worker for help.|callsocialworker]] [[Manage this on your own.|selfhelp1]] </div>

/*sometime after the first molt */<<include "CalcBestFriend">>\ /* Weston will get a cut that needs skin glue no matter what. If there are multiple buglets, they get in a fight and one has to be assessed for injuries (maybe Weston's buglet). */\ The first molt produced a larval form that looks like a Mudskipper with two large eyes on stalks, a fishy body with a large dorsal fin, but with eight legs like a lizard, splayed like a sumo wrestler ready to do battle. Its mouth is ringed by long, thin tentacles with which they manipulate food into their mouth. These two front tentacles look similar to an elephant's trunk, but it is not a breathing apparatus like a nose. Housed in the trunks is a chitinous blade about eight centimeters long, with a two-sided blade that comes to a formidable stiletto-type point. The blade can be completely retracted back into the appendage. <<if $incubationTerms is 0>> Weston is getting more interested in his buglet. He named it Mater, after the character in //Cars//, and they wrestle a lot. You've been a bit nervous about it since your training emphasized how sharp buglet claws can get. <<else>>Weston and his buglet, which he named Mater, have been chasing each other and wrestling in the Molting Pond together with your buglet, Barb. You've tried to warn Weston about how dangerous these creatures can be, but he doesn't seem to listen. Even domestic dogs can kill people, and these animals aren't domesticated at all, although you do find them fairly adorable.<</if>> Sure enough, one day while you're on kitchen duty, Weston comes to you with blood and tears streaming down his face. "Gamma!" he screams through sobs. You immediately go to him and start wiping his face with a rag. It's not as bad as you feared, but the bleeding isn't stopping. You immediately worry if he's going to be scarred for life, feel grateful that it wasn't worse, and feel guilty for not insisting that he stay in the kitchen area where you could supervise him indirectly. <<if $bestFriend is "nobody">>Someone<<else>>$bestFriend<</if>> calls the medical specialist and she cleans the wound and glues it shut. Weston is surprisingly compliant--you were a little worried they would have to sedate him for this like when he goes in for dental work. Mater was unharmed, which was a relief to Weston. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>However, your buglet also got a gash on one of its mouth trunks. The medical professional patched it up, but seemed pretty concerned about its health and kept it in the infirmary overnight.<</if>> <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>[[The next day.|toomanybuglets]]<<else>>[[The next day.|pierreinterview]]<</if>>

You get her voicemail, "I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now. If this is a medical emergency, please don't call 911. They will not know how to help. Please dial UPLIFT HELP, and they will guide you on how to proceed. Otherwise, please leave a message after the beep." You start to leave a message, but after a few words, you give up and hang up the phone. [[Take Weston on a walk.]]

You can't stand these dreams. You try to reach your social worker again. These dreams are unlike anything you've ever experienced. They have to stop. [[Take Weston on a walk.]]

<div class="texts"><span class="meta">just now</span><span class = "me">I read through the emails you sent me. I don't think Weston needs to do anything to prepare.</span><span class="them">Are you sure?? There must be something. Like, can he eat breakfast the day of his procedure?</span><span class="me">It doesn't say anything about that. He can eat breakfast. He got all his screenings?</span><span class="them">Yes, so many screenings. He refused to run on the treadmill and they ended up doing a continuous monitor for a few days. Does he need to stop taking his ADHD meds?</span><span class = "me">No, nothing like that.</span> </div> <div class = "choice"> [[There is one thing I need help with though.|askforguardianship]] [[End Interlude I.|Act II card]] </div>

Today is the big day, and you are nervous. Buglet day! <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>Your eggs were harvested while you were asleep during your Uplift.<</if>> Weston is standing with you around the big Molting Pond, as it is called because future buglet molts will all take place here. The pond, about the size of a grocery store parking lot, is adjacent to the Uplift Transition Housing. A light wind is tickling the surface of the pond, creating small wavelets sparkling in the morning sun. You are there with about forty other people from group of people who received Uplift at the same time as you--your Uplift cohort. And what variety of people, you think. There are people whose skin is now blue, some are large like athletes, and you can't help but wonder what they looked like before the changes the aliens imposed. Everyone is checking each other out. You wonder if they are asking the same questions about what the others have been through during the change. Weston seems subdued. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>You've both been out of the Uplift Processing Medical Center for two weeks, and you are both getting used to your new bodies while living together at the Uplift Transition Housing. You are still foggy and sore, a little discombobulated with sensations you don't remember having before. Feeling like your body has been through a wringer.<<else>>He's been out of the Uplift Processing Medical Center for two weeks, and you've been helping him get used to his new body at the Uplift Transition Housing. He's been acting like he's sick, lying down all day and sleeping a lot.<</if>> Now Weston seems calmer than you expect, but then you recall that this was why he went through Uplift. Your personally assigned social worker, Sandy, is standing with you reviewing her D-pad to keep up on the procedure for the day. "Are you ready!" Sandy says. Not really a question. [[Ready.|bugletday2]]

You sigh, "I think so. Weston, are you ready?" He looks up and signs "Yes." Then, to your surprise, he signs, "My buglet in water?" while making strange grunting vocalizations that sound as if he's trying to mimic human speech. The sentence he signed was more sophisticated than anything he's ever communicated, and while the sounds he made did not seem to be human speech, you can't be sure they were not. You nod to yourself, recalling that he's trying on new neurons and new bodily jaw movement. Things are going to be weird for him the next few months as he adjusts. You hope he doesn't have a meltdown. You look at him more closely to see if there are strange signs you should be paying attention to. But he just seems a little quiet looking at the pond. Your social worker, Sandy, answers, "Yes! They've been living there for almost three months waiting for you to finish up your Uplift procedure. They are as excited as you are to get back to you. They will remember who you are from their short stay with you." Weston raises his hands as if he is going to say something, but instead his mouth starts to move, and he says in a rough and broken way, "What is taking so long?" You step back in astonishment. You draw closer, but remember he does not like being touched unexpectedly. But you can't keep the wonder out of your voice, "Weston! You just spoke!" He looks at you, shrugs like it was no big deal, and turns back to watching the pond. You start shaking just a little bit. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>> You can't help but wonder about how your changes are developing and growing within your own body. /* reflect- switch - on some body changes here */ <</if>> [[What is that?|bugletday3]]

Suddenly, one of the alien ships pops onto a landing pad on the north side of the pond. It did fly in from somewhere. One second, there was an empty platform, and the next, an alien ship was sitting there, as if by magic. You were looking right there when it arrived. Unnerving. But this is the moment you have waited for. Your first look at the aliens. They have shown themselves to very few humans; mostly government workers or people chosen to be a liaison with the aliens and communicate their wishes to the rest of humanity. But all who undergo Uplift are promised a chance to see the aliens. This is your first glimpse! <p class="consequence">You can take a sidequest to look closely at the aliens or continue with the story in in observing them generally.</p> <div class="choice"> [[Look closely.|aliendescriptionlong]] [[Observe them generally.|aliensmovingout]] </div>

The aliens march out of the ship in a deliberate line. They remind you of a herd of giraffes, with their extremely long necks, but their movements aren't coordinated like a herd's. They are looking in all directions, their beaked heads on uncanny, long necks. Instead of having a stiff neck like a mammal, the aliens have a flexible, bendy neck. Aside from the beak, the alien head is fairly humanlike, but with giant ears like a bat's and four eyes instead of two. It has a curved horn like a cow's, which glows bright lavender. Down on its torso, it has a single main tentacle with a football-sized claw on its end, and several little claws on small, flexible stalks ringing its "wrist" just below its large claw. Its abdomen also has nine octopus-like tentacles running down each side of its thick torso; five on one side, four on the other. Each is a different color with bluish hues on the right and yellowish hues on the right. The alien Zydon walks on two brown legs, which are thick like an elephant's but seem more pliable than something supported by an internal skeleton. Its legs seem to grow longer or shrink in length like a cloth-covered slinky toy, and there are many clusters of waving, randomly-colored tentacles at each leg's end. [[Watch them move.|aliensmovingout]]

The aliens march in unison out of the ship, rubbing pairs of their side-tentacles against blue skin pads on their neighboring tentacle (whether it is a structure on their skin or something artificial placed there is unclear). It creates a beautiful, uncanny, strange, and wondrous music. It feels like it should be familiar, yet it isn't. It sounds as complex as orchestral music but like nothing you've ever heard before. The aliens are decorated with colorful ribbons, scarves, and braided ropes that weigh so little they are tossed by the light wind. Chains of precious metal hang from their various body parts, adding a tinkling like windchimes to their music. They march in and form a line along the lakeshore and face the water. A human in a soft muslin robe and decorated like the aliens goes to the middle of the long line of space creatures and faces the Uplift Cohort. She addresses the gathered group. "Welcome, chosen ones. My name is Kehlani Kanoa, the PPEHN liaison for North America. I speak for the Zydonian empire when I tell you how grateful the Zydons are that you've chosen Uplift. We gather for this moment to reintroduce you to your beloved eggs …" Yada. Yada. Yada. Another corporate sales pitch, you think, and tune out. It seems completely without content. A young lady is standing next to you and tries to engage you in some conversation. "Wow. Not nearly as impressive as I thought they'd be." You've seen her before around the Uplift Transition Housing apartments and have noticed her because she may be the ugliest human you've ever seen. She seems ill-proportioned. Jaw too thick. Legs a little too short. Arms a little too long. Her eyes seem a little too close together. She does have long, beautiful hair. And her teeth are straight, giving her smile a warm glow. <div class="choice"> [[Ignore her.|ignoredonna]] [[Reluctantly engage with her.|engagedonna]] </div>

You ignore her. Now isn't the time for a conversation. <div class="choice"> [[Look at the crowd on the other side of the pond.|pondcrowd]] [[Continue watching the ritual.|watchritual]] </div>

You turn to her. "I don't know, they are so strange! It's wonderful to see how other lifeforms have entered the universe." The young lady cocks her head your direction, "Well I suppose we would look pretty ugly to them, too. I'll cut them some slack." It almost seems like a chance opening to comment on her appearance, but you remain silent. "Look at those things! How do they have sex? I'm not saying I would want to do it with them, but I'm just curious on … well … like what are the mechanics of alien sex?" the woman says. You want to change the subject, but have a genuine question that needs to be answered. "It's funny you say that," you say, "because I find them weirdly sexy. I wonder if we've been modified to not be afraid or disgusted by these bizarre beasts. I find them compelling." You realize you don't want to have this conversation with this odd woman. The woman looks at you and says, "Sorry, I got no hots for these things…" she hesitates a moment and says provocatively, "You, however... plans after?" //Are you being asked on a date??// @@.consequence;Your answer affects your relationship score with this person.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Reject her with horror.|rejectdonna]] [[Let her down gently.|frienddonna]] </div>

You turn away with a huff, muttering things to yourself, but then say loudly, "Can you please shut up? I need to hear this!" The woman looks genuinely hurt look and turns back to the proceedings. @@.consequence;Looking at the crowd is another side-quest.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Look at the crowd on the other side of the pond.|pondcrowd]] [[Continue watching the ritual.|watchritual]] </div>

<<score "donnarelationship" 1>>\ You look at her for a second longer, "Well, we'll be living here awhile maybe we can get to know each other a little. But don't get your hopes up. I'm here to watch my grandson. But I would like a conversation partner and maybe we can start there?" The woman stands up straighter and makes a slight bow, "I would be honored." "Maybe we can talk after?" you ask. "I would like that," she says. And with that, you and she continue watching the ritual. <div class="choice"> [[Look at the crowd on the other side of the pond.|pondcrowd]] [[Continue watching the ritual.|watchritual]] </div>

You see news media crews and influencers milling about on the other side of the pond. Canvas walls have been erected to hide the view of the aliens from the small crowd of invited guests, who are all sitting on bleachers, from where they can only see you and the rest of the cohort of people who received the Uplift procedure, standing on the sloping bank that descends down to the lake. The media influencers look like they're partying. You see cocktail drinks being served and waiters in full 19th-century livery passing out finger food. You see Weston's dad standing there, beaming, greeting people, laughing. You are glad you can't hear him. You are happy to see that he looks for all the world like he is just playing up the spectacle of it all, and although you knew he would put on a performance about this being all about his grandson being uplifted—That's how safe it is! he will be making himself the center of attention. You are happy to see Lina there. You wish you could go over and give her a hug. Apparently the aliens insisted on strict rules about Uplift candidates undergoing a period of initial seclusion after their procedure--something about building up your immune system again with weekly shots? You're glad she came anyway. [[Continue watching the ritual.|watchritual]]

A long, pure 'A' note pierces the air, like before an orchestra starts tuning. It is long and loud, and oddly penetrating. You and the rest of your cohort look at the aliens by the shore who have all looked to the sky. There is no variation in pitch, although there must be hundreds of aliens all reproducing the sound; it is pure, with not a beat of bleeding off of the fundamental frequency. Kehlani holds a loudspeaker to her mouth as she gives some instructions. From her technical language, it sounds like she's some kind of biologist, in addition to her liaison duties. <<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>>A xenobiologist?<</if>> "My fellow humans. The time has come to receive your pupae. They were with you for several months in the egg stage, so they are at last ready to be returned to you. You are likely anxious to meet them again. Their time away has been hard on them and you. They left you four months prior to your eventual departure from the Uplift care facility, and they have been growing rapidly in an embryonic stage. They are no longer the eggs you remember being implanted. They are now ready to return to you." "You will find they have grown to the size of a large loaf of bread, and other than a fine pale hair, you will find them quite featureless, with their pale yellow skin peeking out from under their thin fur. You will be taught how to feed them and care for their needs, which are few at this stage in their development. In your apartments, a crib has been installed with an attached feeding trough. At 7 am each morning, four fresh bottles of formula will be provided. These must be mixed and poured into the trough. While you have received a slight genetic modification that will make the smell of the concoction very pleasant, you may be tempted to sample your buglet's formula; do not taste it. It is not fit for human consumption. Visitors to your apartment who lack the modification will find its smells vile and reek of putrid decay. You will place the small pupae in the trough for three hours, where they will absorb the nutrients they need to continue growing and complete their development." "Each building has a social worker who will assist you and help you with questions that may arise. Now let us begin. When you hear your name, come forth and receive your pupa from the Zydon Empire—Long May it Flourish." There is loud clapping from the media on the other side of the pond. The applause is more subdued among those who have gone through Uplift. [[Wait for Weston's name to be called.|waitbuglet]]

All during this speech, you have noticed that the single monotonous pitch aliens appear to be singing has not wavered or been modulated during the entire introductory speech. Suddenly, a complex sound rings out, and one of the aliens steps forward and wades a few feet into the lake. An object explodes from the water and sails toward the waiting claw of the alien standing in shallow water, who snatches it from the air carefully. It walks back to the shore and says clearly and commandingly in English, "Come forth, Sally Thornapple, and receive your charge." There is some confusion as the assembled cohort each looks at each other in anticipation until one woman with sky blue skin and short shiny silver hair starts moving towards the lake. She walks with some trepidation down to the waiting alien towering above her. She stops in front of it and extends her hands, mouth agape in awe or desire. The alien places the pupa carefully into her waiting arms. She glows as if she were lit up by a sunbeam. Her smile, so genuine and joyous, is infectious. The whole cohort shares her palpable excitement. Strangely, as if she had been given an award, she holds the little tyke high above her head, showing off her new charge. This continues with one or two new adult alien(s) walking into the water, one or two of the pupae launching out of the water, and a name being called to get the beast(s). Apparently is was rare to have received more than two pupae in this cohort. Then finally, after you had been waiting a long time, an alien who had just received another pupa called out, "Weston Werc." He hesitates only a moment, then walks down and receives his charge. If you didn't know him, you would assume he was not happy, but his eyes are brighter than you've seen in years. His mouth is a tight line, clearly in a state of complete concentration. You know he is ecstatic. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>> Your name is called. A sense of dread strikes your whole body. You do not want to do this. You want to run. You wonder what would happen to Weston if you just bolted. Got away. Escaped. Something drives you forward, and as you get closer to the little tyke being held out to you, you feel your panic slipping to the side. You feel strangely calm as you walk forward. As you get closer, you feel a sense of anticipation. An eagerness to snatch the pupa from the alien and hold it to your chest. Its smell is luscious, tantalizing, rich, and fragrant like a spring morning in early summer on the first day of school vacation when you were seven or eight. You hurry forward and hold out your hand as you've seen, and the wondrous little creature is dropped into your hands. It comes to your mind with force. You love this baby. And a fierce determination bubbles out of your heart, and you never, ever want to be away from it again.<</if>> The human spokesperson is saying something about the first molt being in a month, at which time it will enter the first buglet stage. But you don't care. You can't concentrate at all on what he is saying with the little alien pupa lying in your arms and lighting up your world with its presence. [[Enjoy your first week.|firstweekwbug]]

<div class="document"> I followed the unconscious Uplift candidates' white stasis pods into a large building. They were hooked up to a conveyor chain by one end, like animal carcasses being moved through the packing floor of a meat processing plant, and floated along this "zipline" out of the building toward the lake shining in the distance. To follow, I saw no way to stay with them, except to jump onto the top of one of the stasis pods and hold onto the cable holding a grappling hook that was attached to the pod. I was conveyed bouncing out the big door toward the lake, with me standing on the pod like an nineteenth century sailor standing on sail rigging high on the crow's nest of the foremast. We were heading for a long floating dock that stretched far out into the lake. When we reached the pier, the pods were lined up on one side of the wide structure. No one yet had challenged me. The strange alien assistants and the autonomous machines just ignored me as they maneuvered the pods along the wharf and lined them up. After unloading the pods from the train, new pods were placed alongside these with their lids open as if waiting to be filled with new occupants. What happened next was a horror beyond anything I had ever even imagined in my worst nightmares. [[Continue.|The immergence of the slug]] </div>

<<if $enhancements.loveExercise>>While Weston is still sleeping, you sneak out for a quick run and some calisthenics. The recreation room only has basic equipment, but you've been using a stump you found, which is the perfect height for step-ups and other plyometrics.<</if>> Weston has decided to potty train himself and surprises you by peeing in the toilet for the third day in a row. How long will it last? After breakfast, you and Weston check on his buglet. You take the big worm, with surprisingly delicate features, out of its container and help Weston to hold it against his shoulder. The pupa is much bigger now. It must be almost twelve pounds. Weston snuggles his cheek up to it and whispers something to it. The pupae don't need as much attention as a human baby, but the feeling you get when you hold it close reminds you of when your children were newborn... and instead of your body shrinking down from being a giant balloon, it's in better shape than ever. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>> You take your pupa, Barb, out too and hold it close. You can't tell if it's breathing, but it is warm.<</if>> You decide to go on a walk to help clear your head after the nightmare. <<if $enhancements.seeUV>>Like a migrating bird, you see the earth’s magnetic field shining and flowing like a glowing green river moving slowly northward. You’ll never need a compass again!<</if>> In the courtyard, you run into the woman who you think tried to ask you out on a date earlier. She's sitting in a sunbeam, brushing her hair, which is long, straight, and black. It's easily the most attractive thing about her. She brightens up when she sees you approach her. "Oh! Come here!" she beckons to you. "Can you please brush my hair?" "Brush your hair?" you ask. "It looks perfectly fine to me." "In my culture, it's a sign that you are accepted into the group. I haven't found anyone to brush my hair. I feel like I have done something wrong." @@.consequence;If you brush Donna's hair, your relationship with her will improve.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Brush her hair.|Donnabrush]] [[Refuse.|don'tbrush]] </div>

<<score "donnarelationship" 1>>\ You sit next to her and take her brush from her hand. You start to stroke her hair and she closes her eyes in pleasure. You indulge her for a minute. Weston crouches in the grass and looks at a bug. "How was that?" you ask. "Fantastic. Now I'll brush your hair..." Before you can agree, Weston is sitting on her lap, waiting patiently. "Brush me," he orders. <<include "donnabrushconvo">> "We're going to walk to the Molting Pond. You can come with us if you like." Donna joins you, and she provides entertainment for Weston. She seems to know exactly where insects like to hide, and delights in finding them and (to your disgust) eating them. It's been almost a month already. Molting day is almost here! [[Molting day!|Molting day]]

"Oh, well, in my culture, you only brush the hair of people you are close to, like your family and friends," you say. "So you're saying that you're not my friend.?" the woman asks. She seems strangely naive. Was she part of some control group where the autistic genes weren't modified? Weston has climbed into her lap. "Brush me," he commands. <<include "donnabrushconvo">> You continue on your Walk with Weston to the Molting Pond. It's been almost two months already. Molting day is almost here! [[Molting day!|Molting day]]

"You'll let me brush you? It would be my pleasure." Donna starts brushing Weston's hair and stroking his back. "What culture are you from?" Hair-brushing is something a lot of people do. She could be from anywhere. "Oh, my ancestors are from Africa, but I grew up in the United States with my family." "And grooming was really important to your family?" "Not just to my family. To everyone like me." She's put her brush down and is picking through Weston's scalp. What does she think she'll find there? <<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>>"Donna!?" <<else>> "Everyone like you. Like African-Americans?" "No..." she is absorbed in brushing Weston's hair. "Weston, I'm sorry about how we met. I didn't mean to hurt you at all. Just teach you a little lesson about respecting your elders." She takes a look at the hand where the bonobo bit him. "...Donna??" <</if>> She looks up at you, an impish grin crinkling her eyes. "That's right. I got uplifted again. People don't know what to do with a smart bonobo who has dementia. Turns out they don't know what to do with a human who used to be a bonobo either." "Why did you choose this kind of body?" you motion towards her body. "I thought it would be less jarring to have a similar frame as before. People do see me as human. But they don't seem to like me very much."

The buglets have developed rapidly over the last two months after their first molting. Their second molting is coming up soon. While at first they were clumsy with their new bodies, now they seem completely comfortable with them. You look out over the soccer field alive with forty buglets zipping around like so many bees buzzing around an apple tree in full bloom—from a distance, moving this way and that without apparent purpose or direction. Forming clouds of bees that, only when one attends closely, reveal their attention to the flowers scattered randomly about the tree. The buglets are moving fairly fast. Forming clumps, then scattering haphazardly as if receiving a joint signal that tells them it's time to disperse; much like the twisting behavior of a flock of starlings murmurating over the landscape on an autumn day. As you and Weston watch the buglets cavorting or playing or fighting with one another, Weston suddenly jumps over the low fence encircling the soccer pitch. You rush forward as several gasps and expressions of dismay are being expressed by the rest of the hosts. You are yelling at him. "Weston! Get back here! Right now!" He ignores you. Everyone has seen the fierce weapons concealed in the first two appendages of the first molt buglets, and they have come out occasionally in the game, although none of the hosts know why, and no one wants to see Weston hurt. He's become a favorite. <<if $pierrerelationship gt 0>>Pierre<<elseif $shalarelationship gt 1>>Shala<<else>>Someone<</if>> picks up your attempts to get him out of the pitch and adds their voices to try to get Weston back to the safe side of the fence. Suddenly, people start getting quiet, and you see why. Weston is running around in ways that resemble the buglets' play. It is just as random, just as strange, and oddly, the little aliens are responding to him. Could he actually have figured out the game and be playing? He seems purposeful, and he's grinning from ear to ear as if he is having a blast. Then one of the buglets' knives comes out, and it heads directly toward Weston. There are several cries of alarm, and one man leaps over the fence to try to stop the thing from harming the boy. But Weston puts one hand on his opposite elbow and makes a chopping motion with his free hand. He then spins in a circle and waddles over the pitch. The armed buglet resheaths its chitinous daggers, and the game continues. [[Scientists take note.|fieldday3]]

Weston's scream awakens you. It feels like a sword to your heart. He rushes into your room, holding what looks like a giant pale-bluish, almost translucent, insect grub. Its hair has all fallen out, and its skin has taken on a new blue hue. You know what is happening. You'd read about this...and you had read the relevant parts of the instruction to Weston, but apparently it had not sunk in. "Is it dead?" he cries out in desperation. You reach out and comfort him, taking him into your arms. Funny how he would have never allowed this before his Uplift. Now he seems to appreciate an occasional hug, especially if he is anxious about something. "No, silly. It must be molting day! They told us that it would change into its pre-molt stage sometime this week. I guess today is the day. Remember, I showed you pictures of what it would look like." He takes a step back from me, then smiles, and softly says, a little embarrassed, "Oh yeah, I forgot. I looked over the first stage after the first molt a lot, but I forgot about this change right before the molt...Thanks, Gamma." Donna lets herself into your apartment after knocking, not waiting for you to let her in. <<if $donnarelationship gt 2>>/*We may have to change this depending on feedback */ "Hi Donna, did your buglet change into its pre-molt stage?" She smiles and says, "It did! Did yours change too Weston?" Weston holds his up. "Mine did." <<if $incubationTerms is 1>> "Oh my! In all the commotion I forgot to check!" You run over to your drum and pull out a similar buglet grub from the feeding solution and hold it up for Donna and Weston to look at. "Isn't it beautiful?" you say. Weston and Donna break into a chorus of cooing and making comforting sounds. <<elseif $incubationTerms gt 1>> "Oh my! In all the commotion I forgot to check!" You run over to your drums and pull out a similar buglet grub from the feeding solution and hold it up for Donna and Weston to look at. "Isn't it beautiful?" you say. All of your buglets have changed to their new light-blue form. Weston and Donna break into a chorus of cooing and making comforting sounds. <</if>> <<else>> "Donna this isn't really the time. I see your buglet went all pre-molt too. I'm glad for you. But I haven't seen mine yet and we'd like to keep this a family moment, if you don't mind." Donna walks away looking dejected. "You're mean to her," Weston says. "I have my reasons." <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>You run over to your drum and pull out from the feeding solution a similar buglet grub and hold it up for Weston to look at. "Isn't it beautiful?" you say, bringing it to your chest and holding it close so it can feel your body heat. Weston shrugs. <</if>><</if>> Just then, your phone buzzes. Weston looks up. "It's Sandy," you say. "She wants us to all meet at the molting pond with our buglets! This is it. We get to see them in their next stage of life!" [[To the Molting Pond.|The fully molted Buglet.]]

Once again, you and Weston, and Donna, who has joined you, find yourselves on the grassy slope that slips down to the molting pond. The alien spokeshuman is there (<<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>>the xenobiologist<<else>>the biologist?<</if>>), already talking to one of the large, mysterious aliens. With them are two small wagons that look like some sort of space-age covered wagon. Just one alien this time is present, not the long line of beasts that came out of the ship for the arrival ceremony. The uncanny beast takes a large container, like a barrel made of rock, hoists it over its head, and pours it into the lake. The human and the beast watch for a while, then the alien trills something and the human steps a few steps up the bank and raises the megaphone to his mouth and says, "My good Uplift hosts. It is time for the first molt of your charges. This is an exciting day, one I'm sure you have all been looking forward to! So let us begin. The lake has been prepared to initiate the final step of the molt. Please place your charge on the ground, and step back ten paces behind the future buglets. You are going to meet a helper species to assist in today's event. They will look a lot like squids. Please do not be alarmed. They are going to take your little tykes to the lake. They are not going to hurt you or them. It is the first step on to their journey through the molt." You do as he commands, and help Weston, who is reluctant to leave his little larva on the ground. He leaves his larva like the little trooper he is. Donna does it too, but places hers right next to Weston's. <<if $donnarelationship lte 2>>Too close, you think. You consider having her move it further away, but the look of gratitude on Weston's face stays your intervention.<</if>> There is an ear-piercing screech from the alien, and out of one of the wagons issue forth a little army of multi-tentacled German Shepherd-sized squids. With great speed, they stream up the slope. There are outbursts of alarm from many of the hosts, including Weston, as each grabs one of the buglet larvae, hoists it over their heads, runs it downhill to the lake, and leaps into its calm waters without a pause. There is a chaotic moment of wild splashing as they carry the little aliens into the lake. After the flurry of activity, the lake returns to its calm. There is no sign of the squids or the buglet larvae. You feel a little unnerved. <<if hasVisited("Uploading the New Cohort")>>It comes to your mind that these squidish things sound very much like the things that Patricia Link described in her discredited report. How could she have made something up so incredibly close to reality? As if reading your mind, Donna turns to you and gives you a hard stare.<</if>> You set these thoughts aside for later. Something is happening by the lake. [[The buglets arrive.]]

Things are dashing out of the water with great speed. At first, they look like some sort of strange, shiny fish or lizard, but they come so quickly that there is no time to think about it too long. They are dripping slime, thick, bluish slime, and leaving a trail from the lake to where you are standing. One tackles Weston, and you run to save him from this monster until you hear him laughing with pleasure. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>One runs up to you on its many legs and then leaps into your arms. You scream and act to fend it off. But as soon as it hits your arm, covering it with slime, three things happen: 1) You recognize it as Barb, the same one that had been in your body for months, turning Uplift; 2) You love it so deeply and concretely that you know it can never, ever, be separated from you for as long as it takes to become an adult; and 3) You understand it at a visceral level, as it says in a language you both understand, "Hi Mom. I'm so happy to be yours." <</if>> [[Get used to your new buglets.|bugletfight]]

A van full of the scientists who have been studying the game comes roaring into the parking lot and piles from the van like clowns from a circus car and rushes over the field with movie cameras, lighting fixtures, and recording devices. They must have been monitoring the proceedings from their digital observation post and have come here to see Weston's gameplay for themselves. Twice more, the knives' appendages came out, and it was suddenly absolutely clear that Weston was really playing. Both times a player spun in circles the way the human had, and both times the blades were retracted. Weston was playing. The day was not done with its surprises. Suddenly, Donna enters the field and starts running around like it was obvious what to do. You suddenly feel a fondness for her <<score "donnarelationship" 1>>. She's playing too. The game goes about its wild gyrations and movements going on for almost an hour more. The hosts gather and their bonded buglets leap back into their arms. Weston and Donna lie back on the grass with their buglets, and are laughing their heads off. As the researchers rush over, you join them. Weston and Donna are talking like they would in any game. "Did you see when (oddly he used a hand signal to designate the buglet) tried to force a feeding frenzy and unleashed a smoking branch on (he used a different hand signal). Donna laughed and said, "Poor guy." One of the technicians studying the game came over breathless and said in a hushed tone, "Do you know how to play? Can you teach us? Please. We need to understand this." Donna looks at Weston, both cuddling their buglets, and says, "Sorry. The game is not for humans. Savvy?" The way she pronounces the word 'human" is loaded with bile and distaste. Weston says with just as much vitriol, "I doubt you have the skill to understand the game. It's very different and hard to understand. Maybe in a couple of years, we could show you some of the tricks of the game." Then he and Donna walk toward the apartments, laughing together with their buglets carried carefully in their arms. You follow close behind. The scientist calls out to wait. @@.consequence;If you talk to the researchers, you will have the opportunity to make another choice that results in a major fork in the story.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Continue to apartments|postfield]] [[Stop to talk to researchers|talksci]] </div>

<<if $enhancements.loveExercise>>After Weston falls asleep, you decide to get some exercise in the courtyard. Shala is there too, lifting weights. "Are you doing a workout? Would you like to join me?" she asks. @@.consequence;If you exercise with Shala, your relationship with her will improve.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Join her.|exercisewshala]] [[Exercise on your own.|exercise on your own]] </div> <<else>> <<include "leadintoletter">> <</if>>

<<silently>><<score "shalarelationship" 1>><</silently>>\ You and Shala spend the evening doing a HIIT workout, doing exercises like mountain climbers and jumping jacks in quick succession with only a few breaks. Afterwards, you're both drenched in sweat and smiling. Shala: "Did you get the 'love to exercise' cognitive enhancement too?" You: "Yes, I didn't think it would be this effective! I just hope I don't injure myself." Shala: "I've injured myself several times already. Still worth it though." As you take a refreshing shower in the communal bathroom, you think about the recent past. <<include "leadintoletter">>

You tell Shala that you just want to be on your own tonight. After doing some stretches and warm-up exercises, you head out to the pond for a swim. It's deep enough that you can get a nice rhythm going. You never were much of a swimmer before, so you're still learning how to swim efficiently. The sun is setting, and you can hear crickets starting to chirp. As you take a refreshing shower in the communal bathroom, you think about the recent past. <<include "leadintoletter">>

As you look out over the balcony, you notice that Shala is spending another late night exercising in the flex room. Does she even sleep? These last few weeks have felt surreal. You've enjoyed getting closer to Weston, but it's also been exhausting to be away from the rest of your family and having to meet all these new people and species. You miss your own house and your own bed. [[Think about how this week has gone.|sendaletter]]

You stop to talk to the researcher, and several of her colleagues rush over to join the conversation. You point out that Weston needs some rest and has had a very big day. They ignore you and try to talk to Weston. "We watched to play the game, and you two were amazing. It was clear they accepted you and you were fully integrated into the game. We were so excited to see that. We've been using AI to analyze the dynamics of the game, but it did not find any patterns. We'd love to sit down with you two and have a short course on how it is played and how it is used in the development of the buglets. Would you be interested?" Donna and Weston look at each other, and Weston says, "No. I'm not sure we can explain it. It's something more we feel. I think if Mater were not there, I would not have understood at all." The researcher asks, "Mater?" Donna answers for him as it's clear Weston does not want to be there, "Mater is his buglet. But he's right. It has something to do with our connection to the buglet that lets us talk to them. Not in human language. Or even chimp." The researcher says, "Please let us talk to you about that and the game. Your help will be important to science. Please, may we set up an appointment to talk with you?" "I think my friend Weston just told you 'no.'" A man with a toupee, wearing a lab coat with a shirt and oversized bright orange and white striped tie, maneuvers to the front where Weston and Donna are standing. He looks like the scientist from a 1950's science fiction movie. "Look," he says, "I'm sure you think this experience is yours and yours alone, but a big discovery in science goes beyond your petty inconvenience and. . . well, . . . this is bigger than ..." The other researcher scowls at him and says, "Jim, we don't need to do it this way, okay?" Donna says, "Yeah Jim. We don't need to do it this way. So bug off." The man's face reddens, "That's Dr. Crandale to you ..." He suddenly stops, adjusts his glass, squints his eyes, and peers at Donna, his eyes widening with recognition. "Well, I'll be damned!" he says, turning to his five or six colleagues who have joined him, "This is that failed experiment by the Karl Boseman group that tried to uplift a bonobo chimp back in the early days of genetic manipulation. I know Dr. Boseman quite well. We might not need to get anyone's permission to extract some information from this thing. It's an animal. Ethically and legally." He pulls out his phone and starts making calls. He is clearly talking to a lawyer. You stand there in horror. No matter what you think about Donna, she is Weston's friend. Dr. Crandale looks at the other scientist and says to a young graduate student, "Call animal control." @@.consequence;Your choice has a large impact on Mater's health. You may want to save here to return to this choice later.@@ /* how to autosave? */ <div class="choice"> [[You call your lawyer and the Alien uplift hotline|Stopthemadness]] [[You want to get Weston out of there|takeWestonHome]] </div>

<<set $ignroedsci = true>> You are tired too and ignore them, as do Donna and Weston. You continue on your way, ignoring their repeated calls. You're sure Weston especially needs some rest after this. [[Reflect on the last few weeks.|postfightreflect]]

<<score "linarelationship" 1>><<set $securesci = true>>\ You call your lawyer and the Uplift crisis line. Your lawyer says they'll check on the legal status of Donna, but it might take a few days. The Alien Uplift hotline says they will send a team immediately. In moments, the Emergency Uplift Response Team arrives with a security detail of well-armed soldiers. They immediately arrest and handcuff the scientists because they were not credentialed to leave their observation station. Dr. Crandale is yelling that they will hear from his lawyer. One of the security people laughs and pushes him toward what you suppose is the paddy wagon, saying, "Oh, I hope you have a good one. With good behavior, you will only serve a decade in prison." Kehlani, from PPEHN, brings some medical personnel over, and they give everyone a quick look over. "They appear to be fine," one of the EMTs says. "You are okay to go back to your apartment. We'll take things from here. You won't be bothered by this lot again. They're here by the grace of the Zydon Empire. They'll not be back again." You head back to your flat. Weston and Donna are walking together when Weston says, "Donna, we are all animals." She smiles and takes his hand. Then he turns back to you and says, "Grandma did you see us play?" You answer, "I did! I don't know what you were doing but it was magnificent!" Weston and Donna both give a big smile. [[Reflect on the last few weeks.|postfightreflect]]

<<silently>><<set $materinjured = true>><</silently>>\ <<score "Upliftloyalty" -3>> You take Weston by the hand, but he protests and says he will not leave Donna. He pulls away. Then starts to scream. He pushes you further away. His buglet is also very upset. Your grandson is having a full on meltdown, just like his pre-Uplift days. Mater's knife hands are going in and out so quickly you see only a blur. An elderly security guard who has been watching the games runs over to intervene. He has a situation bag that he fumbles around trying to open. Yelling, "We need to get that child under control!" He pulls out a syringe and moves toward Weston. You block him, yelling just as loudly, "You are not touching that child!" He backs off at your mama bear fury. The graduate student who was told by Crandale to call animal control tries to intervene by grabbing Mater, who is thrashing wildly. Mater shreds his hands and arms in a matter of seconds. Boseman grabs the syringe out of the guard's hand and rushes over to the commotion. It is preloaded with a tranquilizer, but rather than trying to inject Weston (or his mother), he jabs it into Mater's abdomen in a mindless attempt to sedate the buglet. He receives a severe jab in his shoulder and another in his upper arm. He screams in pain. Mater is lying on the ground, shaking violently. It seems confused. The emergency team from the Uplift group arrives with a large security team. The security team cuffs everyone so they can get what's happened straightened out—You, Donna, Weston, and all the scientists. The Uplift emergency team rushes over to Mater. They wrap it in a kind of plastic gauze and carry him to a vehicle and speed off. The scientists are all arrested by the security detail as they were not credentialed to leave their observation station, under the threat of severe penalties. The excitement of the game had been too much for them and they didn't stay where they were supposed to. Weston is beside himself and demands to see Mater. EMTs from the Uplift team check the other hosts and buglets. A kind man squats down and takes Weston by the hand, and, surprisingly, he does not try to get away as he might have before his Uplift. The man lets go, and Weston seems completely relaxed. Both walk over to you. The man identifies himself as being part of the PPEHN team. He says, "Please go back to your apartment while we sort this out. We'll come and talk to you soon." He takes Weston's hands again, then lets go and leaves. You take Weston by the other hand. Donna walks somewhat behind. She is downcast and is moving like she is carrying a great weight. As you walk back, you say, "Weston, I'm so so sorry. This isn't what was supposed to happen. I'm so sorry. What can I do?" Weston seems subdued, but says, "That man spoke to me in buglet. He said, they would take good care of Mater. He said he would bring the little creature back as soon as it was better." You breathe a sigh of relief. Then think, "He spoke in buglet?" [[Reflect on the last few weeks.|postfightreflect]]

"There's like, an existing system for it, right? Just use that." Pierre sounds pretty sure of himself. You think about how you and Lina (mostly you) have been trying to get Weston to qualify to be on disability for the last four years or so. There's a waitlist hundreds of children long. School, on the other hand, has been much quicker to recognize that Weston couldn't possibly fill out standardized tests and put him in a special class with other non-verbal autistic children. "You said you were born with your spinal deformity, right? Did you ever have to fill out paperwork proving your disability?" "I don't know. My parents probably did. Or maybe my doctor? I'm not really interested in the details." "The details end up being really important, because it determines how we triage patients. In your system, who would have higher priority, you or Weston?" "Me, since I'm older and my physical disability is easy to define and cure. That's what you think I'm going to say, right? I see what you're saying."

<<silently>> <<score "pierrerelationship" 1>> <<score "Upliftloyalty" 1>> <<set $pierreinterviewedyou = true>> <</silently>> "Yes, I'd love to help you, especially if it means that more children with disabilities can access the Uplift procedure." "Great, meet me in the courtyard in about 20 minutes. I'll get my cameras set up." You finish cleaning after breakfast and getting ready for your day. You even put a little makeup on for your imminent media debut. Pierre tells you where to sit and gets into his interview questions right away. "Now, Weston is your grandson. How would you describe him before Uplift?" "Well, he only signed or spoke a few words. He could usually tell us what he wanted if it was in the same room as him. It was difficult to care for him though, because he had unpredictable meltdowns when we changed his routine." "And now how is he?" "He seems like a completely different child. He talks much more, and not just about what he wants for breakfast. And he can use the bathroom on his own now! He taught himself." "Do you like him better now?" "I love him the same, of course! What kind of question is that?" "Of course you love your grandson no matter what... but it's easier to take care of someone that you like. Who you can understand." "It's true that now I can understand him better. I think it has improved our relationship. But he's no angel. He's just as headstrong as he was before." "Thank you for sharing your experience, Victoria." "You're welcome," you reply. As Pierre packs up, you comment on how short the interview was. "Honestly," Pierre says, "I'm probably only going to use about 15 seconds from each interview. That's just how good videos like this are cut." [[Spectate at the Buglet field day.|fieldday1]]

"Yes, we can do an interview. But I want you to interview Weston himself. Now that he can talk, he can say how he feels about Uplift. I'm curious to see what he says about it" "Great, after we finish up here, I can get my cameras set up in the courtyard. Will that work for Weston?" You feel some trepidation at getting Weston to sit still for very long, but agree. [[Get Weston for the interview|westoninterview2]]

"I can share your videos when they post, but I think media attention for Weston is a bad idea right now. He's still figuring out who he is. I don't want him to feel pressured to say certain things." "He can talk about it if he likes, instead of you. No pressure to say anything one way or the other. And you can look at the video afterwards and decide if you want me to share it or not." <div class="choice"> [[Agree that Weston can do the interview.|westoninterview2]] [[Continue to decline.|nointerview]] </div>

"I'm actually not sure if Uplift has been good for Weston. There have been a lot of good things that have come out of it. He can communicate much better, and use the bathroom on his own, and things like that. But he also seems more distant from me. I'm worried that Uplift has changed his brain in ways that might not be good for his development." "He can talk about it if he likes, instead of you. No pressure to say anything one way or the other. And you can look at the video afterwards and decide if you want me to share it or not." <div class="choice"> [[Agree that Weston can do the interview.|westoninterview2]] [[Continue to decline.|nointerview]] </div>

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's not what Weston needs right now. He's still figuring out who he is." "Aight. Let me know if you change your mind." Pierre doesn't miss a beat. He's a pro who's been asking strangers to do things for him for a long time. You and Pierre wash your dishes and go about your day. [[Spectate at the Buglet field day.|fieldday1]]

<<silently>> <<set $pierreinterviewedweston = true>> <<score "pierrerelationship" 1>> <<score "Upliftloyalty" 1>> <</silently>> Pierre has you sign a release form for Weston to be on camera, and for Pierre's social media to use the video on social media. <<if not $powerofattorney>>You're just his grandma, not his mom... can you do that?<</if>> @@.consequence;If you don't have power of attorney, this release is not valid. However, this doesn't affect the ending of Act II.@@ You find Weston playing in the Molting Pond, but without his life jacket. When did he learn to swim? You chew him out a little for doing something so dangerous, and he brushes you off. After much convincing, you get him to come to the courtyard where Pierre has things set up. "I'm sorry he's so dirty," you apologize. "Let me give him a bath and we'll be right back." "Gamma, I don't want a bath! I want to go back to playing." "How he is is fine. It's more natural that way. Everything's recording already, so let's go. Weston, you sit there on the bench and I'll sit on the other side." "Why do I have to do this?" Weston demands. "It could help other kids get Uplift. Do you think other kids should get Uplift?" Pierre slides into his interview questions adroitly. "Yes, because it will give them the best friend they could ever hope for. Someone who can feel and read your thoughts, who will always want to play with you and understand what you need." "You're talking about your buglet, right? I can tell you guys have a special bond. You're maybe closer than any other pair here, and that's saying something. Do you remember how it felt before you got Uplift? How did you feel about your body?" "My body? It was fine, I guess." "But you couldn't talk like you can now." "Yeah. People didn't understand what I wanted. Sometimes I wanted to say something, but it felt like there was like... a wall in the way. I watched screens a lot. At least screens could understand what I wanted. Better than other people." "Do you think your life is better now than it was before Uplift?" "Yeah. I get to play with Mater. He's my best friend. I can play outside. In the evening, I watch my tablet whenever I want. And Gamma makes really good sandwiches every day. I don't have to go to school. What are you going to use this video for?" "I think kids like you should get to have Uplift first, before other people who just want to look pretty. Do you agree?" "Kids like me?" "Kids who have autism." "..." Weston is silent for a bit. "Yes. It can take down the wall. It can let them speak. But they should get to be with a buglet and their gamma. And it makes the noise from my clothes quieter." "Thank you Weston. One last question. What do you think of your dad?" "My dad? Who are you talking about?" "Conrad Werc?" "Mom says he doesn't really act like a dad. She says he gave me some of who I am, but that he doesn't deserve to be called my father." "Why does she say that?" "Dads are supposed to spend time with their sons, even if they don't live together. But he doesn't do that." You're not sure if you like this line of questioning... But now Pierre is wrapping up. "Thanks for talking to me about Uplift, Weston. We're done for now." Weston leaves the bench and runs back to the pond without saying goodbye. Pierre starts taking down his interview setup. @@.consequence;Your choice here will affect your relationship with Lina.@@ <div style = "choice"> [[Ask Pierre to leave out what Weston said about his dad.|leaveoutRob]] [[Don't ask him to leave out anything.|noleaveoutRob]] </div>

<<set $powerofattorney to true>>\ <div class="texts"><span class="meta">just now</span><span class="me">If I'm going to be staying with Weston after his procedure, I need to be his legal guardian.</span><span class="them">You want to become Weston's legal guardian?? Am I that bad a mom???</span><span class="me">It says it's a requirement in the paperwork you sent me.</span><span class="them">I think we can get you temporary power of attorney, would that work?</span><span class="me">I don't know</span> </div> Lina gets you temporary power of attorney while you'll be staying with Weston in the Uplift Transition Housing. <br> [[End Interlude I.|Act II card]]

"I think that went pretty well, but don't include anything about what he said about Conrad," you tell Pierre. "He didn't say anything all that bad. We can go viral with 'Conrad's son talks about his relationship with his father!'" "That's exactly what I don't want! You can say he's Conrad's son reflecting on Uplift. But they don't have much of a relationship. I don't want to do anything that would make it worse." "K k. I got you." [[Spectate at the Buglet field day.|fieldday1]]

<<silently>><<score "linarelationship" -1>><<set $westonbadmouthedconrad = true>><</silently>>\ "That went pretty well," you say. "Hopefully there's something in there you can use." "Oh yeah," he says, "I can definitely use this. Weston being Conrad's son will generate a lot of interest no matter what the content is." [[Spectate at the Buglet field day.|fieldday1]]

"Some of Weston's changes were hard for me to get used to. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>Some of my own changes have been hard to get used to too.<</if>> I think if you give it some more time--" "I've given it enough time. We're what, three months into this? Don't you think that's long enough to know what feels wrong?" You remember how uncomfortable you felt when you were extremely pregnant. It was about four or five months of intense body dysphoria when your body changed shape seemingly without your permission. You remember the months after giving birth too, where you kept hoping things would go back to how they were. You regained your strength, but never felt the same afterwards. You were resigned to your body looking a certain way for the rest of your life. Some of your friends got plastic surgery after they were done having babies though. They got to go back to how they looked before they had kids. Why shouldn't Shala get the same? "What about it feels wrong?" "Like, we've done all this research on race and skin color and how it's an important part of identity, but then the Body Procurement and Earthling Host Network Uplift ethics board says it's fine for people to change their skin tone like they would choose their nail polish color? And some of these cognitive enhancements have bad interactions with existing conditions. Like, I have had problems with OCD in the past, and I can definitely feel "loves to exercise" becoming not just a fun hobby but a full-on obsession, or even an addiction. They should have more psychological screenings. No one has had these enhancements before. We're part of an experiment that we didn't consent to." [[Agree that Shala makes a compelling argument.|shalasargument]]

"It does seem like if they can change your body one way, that they should be able to change it back. I don't remember any guarantee about the result of Uplift in the paperwork though..." "I know! Doesn't that seem strange? Like, shouldn't that be part of the psychological testing, to make sure we don't have underlying conditions that will interact poorly with the enhancements we selected?" "Now that you mention it, it does seem like that should be part of the intake procedure..." "I think that none of these 'enhancements' were tested before they tried them on us. We're the test group, and we never consented to that." [[Agree that Shala makes a compelling argument.|shalasargument]]

<<set $allnatend to true>>\ Conrad did mention that your group was one of the first to get cognitive enhancements. He said it like it was a special privilege, though. "You make a good argument. But what can we do about it?" "I've been thinking about it over and over in all the hours that I'm not sleeping. If we're going to be human test subjects, we need to have informed consent. Someone needs to hold the Body Procurement and Earthling Host Network Uplift ethics board accountable. That's why I'm writing an open letter to them asking them to stop all further Uplift until a third party can review their screening procedures. And the network should also compensate all of us for our time and the psychological and physical damage inflicting on us for their negligence." Shala is in the process of turning her dissatisfaction into a full-on protest. "I'm still drafting the open letter, but will you and Weston sign it?" @@.consequence;Signing Shala's open letter decreases your relationship score with Lina and your loyalty to Uplift.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Agree to sign the letter, after she sends you the complete draft.|agreetosign]] [[Decline to sign.|nosign]] </div>

<<set $scored.agreetosign to true>><<score "Upliftloyalty" -1>> <<score "linarelationship" -1>> "Yes, I'll sign it and ask if Weston wants to too. You're right--we shouldn't be test subjects without knowing what we're getting into. And health professionals should have been able to evaluate our fitness for certain enhancements." "Thank you! I think that your support will be meaningful. People recognize Weston's name and they're starting to recognize you too." Shala sends you the letter the next day, and you explain the letter to Weston. "Shala is upset because the doctors didn't know how the cognitive enhancements would make her feel. They thought it would make life easier for her, but it made it harder. She got enhancements to need less sleep and to love exercise. Now she feels exhausted but can't get enough rest." "How did it make her life harder? Isn't exercise good for you?" "Well, some exercise is good, but too much can hurt your body." "I have things I love to do, but I don't do them all the time. Like eating ice cream." Weston is really thinking about this. "That's true. And normally people don't exercise too much, but something in her brain changed to make it hard for her to stop." "And she's saying that thing was Uplift. Okay. And the doctors should have known better." "Yes, basically." Weston signs the letter. [[Await response from the public.|shalaletterresponse]] /* Weston can ask if Donna wants to sign it too, after he signs it. */

"While I'm sympathetic to your cause, I think Weston and I should stay out of this. My daughter, Lina, works for Conrad and I think we should stay neutral on this." "Neutral? How can you stay neutral? <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>You and<</if>> Weston received the Uplift procedure. In one of the first cohorts to receive cognitive enhancements. Conrad's using it to show how safe and amazing Uplift is. That is a pretty clear message in support of Uplift." Shala wants you to feel guilty for claiming neutrality. Maybe you can turn the tables. <div class="choice"> [[Make HER feel guilty.|deflectguilt]] [[Stand your ground.|stillsayno]] </div>

"You're right. Lina chose for Weston to get Uplift and maybe it was partially a career move. Or maybe it was the desperate choice of a mom who's tired of trying to figure out how to raise an autistic child. As far as I know, you didn't have any disabilities that were treated by Uplift. Why did you even get Uplift in the first place?" You hope she feels rotten. "I know!" Shala bursts into tears. "That makes it even worse. I thought it would be cool to be an early adopter, and that I could get more followers this way. That's why I chose an unusual skin tone, so people could instantly recognize that I've been uplifted. But I hate it! I feel like my body is a puppet that I'm controlling instead of me." Oof. Shala is keeping it real. Maybe you shouldn't be so mean. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you," you say honestly. "You shouldn't have to feel like that. I hope you find lots of other people to sign your letter." Shala wipes her eyes. "Sorry for getting so upset. I just want to stop feeling like this." [[Shala publishes her letter that night.|shalaletterresponse]]

"I'm not interested in debating whether or not I'm truly neutral on the subject. We won't be signing your open letter, but we wish you well." "Got it." Shala doesn't want to engage further. [[Shala publishes her letter that night.|shalaletterresponse]]

Shala published her letter last night and emailed it to a bunch of media outlets. Since she's some kind of minor internet celebrity, you assume that all the right people have seen it and ignored it. Today there's a piece highlighting her grievances from a tech outlet. At lunch, Shala is overflowing with excitement. "Oh my gosh! Lucidius did a Flip Strip response to //The Network//'s piece about my open letter! Maybe this will actually go somewhere?" "Have you gotten a lawyer to take on your case?" You're hoping that she's actually initiating a legal proceeding and not just creating scandal for clicks. "Yeah, I've gotten emails from a bunch who are interested in it... time for our AIs to go to bat to see which one can figure out what the other is really like, el oh el." <<if not $scored.agreetosign>> "Oh, I also got two weird emails. I thought it was a prank, but everything checks out. It kinda makes me scared, to be honest. Here, give me your email address so I can forward it to you." You type your email address into her phone, and she sends the email to you. [[Read the mysterious email.|allnatural warning 1]] <<else>> "Did you get the email from the 'All-Natural Zydons' and see the response from PPEHN?" You haven't checked your email yet, but now you do. [[Read the mysterious email.|allnatural warning 1]] <</if>>

<div class="document allnat">Dear Shala Worthington and her open letter co-signers, You already underwent Uplift, right? It may be too late for you. But we think Uplift is wrong for humans for so many reasons. We're aliens who are also part of the Zydon Empire, but we're not enslavers like the citizens who are forcing you to work for genetic "enhancements" that only make you more dependant on them. We think that life is best when it can evolve naturally over millennia. We have a lot of evidence that natural evolution is a better way for variation and novelty to emerge, but rather than confuse you with all that, we are asking you to trust us when we tell you that Uplift is harmful to humanity. Not just because you're getting the short end of the stick (paying a lot for something that is ultimately making you worse). Your body becomes impure from Uplift. You won't be able to reproduce without another enhancement. We want to support you in every way possible as you protest Uplift through Earth's laws. Please reply to this email if you need support or wish to undergo purification of Uplift modifications. Cheers, All-Natural Zydons </div> [[Read the next email|upliftzydon1]]

<<set $materinjuredend = true>>\ You walk around the entire. Pond. Thinking about what effect this might have on Weston. You can't believe the terrible turn of events. You really want that scientist to be punished. You pull up your phone and call Sandy. She answers. She sounds out of sorts, too. "Sandy, thank you. I know this can't be easy. I was just wondering if the scientist is going to be punished for this." There is a long pause, and he says, "The aliens have no jurisdiction over humans, but he will be forever barred from Zydon grants, opportunities, and ever being uplifted. He's foreclosed all interaction with the aliens." "That seems light, after what he's done," you point out. "I agree," says Sandy. You continue to think about how strange the alien thinking is. They can't seem to realize that Weston's Mater is not the same as the replacement. [[Reflect on what you would do.|morereflect]]

You take a forest path up to the top of a small mountain. You think about what this will do to Weston. It occurs to you that maybe you should pull him out of the program. The confusion of a second Mater seems full of problems for Weston's mental health. You decide to bounce this off Lina. She is his mother. After a long phone call, she backs up your idea that he should withdraw from the program. You call Sandy, and she confirms that under the terms of the contract, this is possible. You've been gone for two hours, and you think you'd better get back and check on Weston. You are glad that Donna is there for him. She's been a good friend. [[Return to the Uplift Transition Housing.|westongone]]

You get back, and Lina is waiting in the front room. She must have rushed over. "Hi Mom," Lina says, "How is my little man?" "Hi Sweetgirl," you answer back, "He's had a rough day. I'm glad you are here. He needs all the help he can get." "He's not with that ape-woman is he?" <<if $donnarelationship lt 2>> "I'm afraid so. She's become a strange friend. But yes, she is in his room talking with him."<<else>> "Sweetie, she's becoming an important part of his life. It's good she's here."<</if>> Lina nods, "OK. I'm still not sure I'm happy about this." Then she gives a loud call toward the back of the apartment. "Weston. Mamma's here. Can we talk?" There is silence. You look at each other, and both get up and walk to his room. It is empty. You check your bedroom, but it is also empty. Lina has checked the bathrooms and the balcony. Nothing. @@.consequence;This choice only affects the narrative in the subsequent passage.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Check the downstairs gameroom|gameroom]] [[Send Lina to check the pond and attached parklands|checksurrounds]] </div>

You do not find them. You find Lina and ask her if she has had any luck. She did not find them either. [[Regroup in your apartment.|regroup]]

She returns and says she cannot find them. She asks you, "Did you find them?" You answer, "No." [[Regroup in your apartment.|regroup]]

You rush back to the apartment and start calling the other members of the cohort that you knew were close to Weston, but no one has seen him at all. Lina runs downstairs to talk to the on-site security guard. He's not seen them either and suggests they must be on the grounds somewhere, or he would have been alerted. He is far too relaxed. You are starting to panic. Lina is afraid too. You decide to check his room again to see if there is a hint of where they might have gone. Searching, you find that his little travel bag is gone, and a good supply of his clothes and other treasures are gone. When Lina discovers that his little stuffed penguin, Chillbane is missing, she knows he has run away. She squats on the floor and starts sobbing. "Where could they go?" Then you find it. The note. [[Read note|Readnote]]

<img src="https://rickertonites.neocities.org/aliengod/westonletter.jpg" alt="A letter in children's handwriting. It says, 'Dear Grandma, I cannot let them take Mader away so they can kill him. We are going to go to the wood to be free. Sorry. Donna come with.'"> You and Lina sit on the bed crying. You are holding hands. Lina says, "What do we do, now?" "I have some ideas where they might have gone. We could go look for them." "Or we can call the Uplift security team and have them start a search party." Lina doesn't like to do things slowly. "We could do that, too." @@.consequence;If you look for Weston yourself, you will be able to learn more about the people he ran to. Otherwise, you won't meet them.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Go look for them.|StartSearch]] [[Call the security team.|callsecurity]] </div>

"Lina, please don't call yet. I've an idea where they might be and I don't want to get the Aliens involved if we don't have to," you say quickly. "If you know where they went, let's go there." "I don't know exactly, but do you remember the carnies at the conference, the people that were touting their early gene-mod attempts by the humans?" "Like Weston's problematic friend Donna who sounds like she might have instigated this running away adventure?" "Yeah, she was one of them. And she said in passing one day that her friends for that event were living near Eugene, Oregon, in the woods. Kind of a survivalist camp off the grid. Weston's note mentions they are going to the woods, and I think this could be the place." You were talking so fast you are surprised Lina could follow you, but you press on—this is urgent. You continue, "Surely, someone involved in the UpliftCon must have a way to contact them, to send payments, or information to them. Can you find where that camp is?" Lina looks thoughtful for a moment, then says, "Maybe," and pulls out her phone and held up her index finger signaling you to wait. You can only hear part of the conversation. <div class = "choice"> [[Listen to Lina's side of the conversation |Linatalk]] [[Move on. You'll pick up the gist later.|GPSgo]] </div>

You look at Lina, and she looks back at you, and there is a decision there that you feel like a punch to the gut. She stands and walks to the other side of the room as if trying to create some space between you. She looks out of the window at the molting pond below. Then she turns to you and says, "Look, Mom. I appreciate all you've done for Weston. <<if $powerofattorney >>I know I gave you power of attorney in case of an emergency, but I think this is my call.<<else>>This is my call.<</if>> I'm his mother and in the end, I'm responsible for all that happens. You've been so good to watch over him during his Uplift, but I'm worried things have gone out of control. First, the loss of his buglet's ability to molt seems to have been avoidable. And yet here it is. Some rogue scientists decided to capture his buglet, something that you should have protected him from, and I'm a little concerned about the way you let him play in a very dangerous game with the other buglets. Sure, he appears to have enjoyed it, but Mom, I would have never let him play the game given all the unknowns. Second, you leave him alone with an ape who has injured him in the past—remember the fig? And they run away? Why would you trust such a beast, even if she is part of the same Uplift cohort as Weston?" Lina is looking more and more angry, and she suddenly gets steely-eyed and spits at you, "What. Were. You. Thinking?" You stammer an attempt to explain how it looks bad, but there were a series of accidents and problems . . . Lina holds up one finger and says, "Stop. I'm calling the authorities." She dials a number and puts it on the speaker. A voice says, "This is the emergency number for Uplift crises. Is this a crisis? If it is not an emergency I can direct you to the appropriate office." "This is an emergency. I believe my son Weston Werc ran away or may have been kidnapped." You say, "He was not kidnapped… but he may have run away with someone he trusts." "Who is on the phone here. I've sent at team to your location please give me the relevant details." "This is Lina Rivera, his mother." "And this is Victoria Rivera, his grandmother in the same Uplift cohort." "I have you identified you both by voice signature. I see Veronica Rivera is the person assigned as the caretaker. Is that right? Please give me the basic facts of what's happened." You try to tell what actually happened with constant interruptions from your daughter. The tension between you is growing. "Victoria, I'm afraid I'm going to defer to your daughter, who has custody status for all things involving Uplift as she is the one with legal standing. OK, we've just located your grandson and his companion by the location of the buglets which we constantly monitor. Would you like us to extract them?" Lina says, "Yes! Immediately." You say, "Are they in danger?" "We don't believe so, they've boarded an eighteen-wheeler semi heading toward a company of anti-uplift survivalists. But the danger seems minimum. We can intercept the truck before it gets to the road to that turns off toward the survivalist camp." "What are our options?" You say as your daughter screams into the phone, "Just go get them!!! NOW!" "We've found the safest way would be for us to fly you out to him and pick him up. Otherwise things could escalate and become far more dangerous." You look at Lina and say, "What should we do? Do you want to take the risk of an armed conflict to take them by force?" "Fine!" your daughter says, not masking her anger, "But I'm going with you!" [[The retrieval]]

<div class="document upalien"> Uplift participant, It has come to my attention that a group of radical terrorists calling themselves "All-Natural Zydons" from within the Zydon empire has contacted you. "All-Natural Zydons" have previously interfered violently with Uplift procedures on other planets. They have attempted to revert the Uplift in multiple species, with disastrous results. Do not attempt to communicate with them, as their psychological techniques are also highly advanced compared to the developmental stage of our species. Our allies in Uplift are worried about your safety on Earth. With your consent, they would like to move you to a nearby Zydon space station to live for the rest of your natural life. You may bring up to six family members or friends with you. This is the only way we can assure your continued safety. You would, of course, be compensated for the work you have trained for during your stay in the Uplift Transition Housing. We cannot require that you relocate to the Zydon space station, but we strongly recommend it. Your social worker will help you navigate through your options. The first shuttles will leave promptly after the second molt ceremony. Kehlani Kanoa PPEHN, North America Division </div> [[Ask Shala what her plan is.|shalaplan]]

<<include "InboxList">>

Angelina, Forwarding this to you as an FYI. Scientists won't be allowed on-site in UTH, but will be allowed to observe common areas. Maybe someone in Uplift host management needs to know about it? <br> -Stacey <div class="quoted">Dear Pentagon scientists, <br> We appreciate your interest in Zydonian larval forms. Unfortunately, because of differences between Earth's environment and their home planet's, there are strict pre-molt protocols that must be met. Interference from scientists could impede their development or have unpredictable effects. Young buglets also may pose a risk to adults who are not bonded to a buglet or who are not related to someone who is raising a buglet.. <br> We welcome diplomatic emissaries from your scientists, who can learn directly from Zydonian trained instructors about their biology, history, and culture. As a sign of their goodwill, they have allowed a set of closed-circuit cameras to be installed in common areas in the Uplift Transition Housing for you to observe from a safe distance. <br> Kehlani Kanoa PPEHN, North America Division <div class="quoted">To the esteemed Zydon Empire's representative, <br> After years of studying the behavior of conscious animals on Earth, the animal behavior specialists at the United States Pentagon would like to formally request access to Uplift hosts and their accompanying buglets while they stay at the Uplift Transition Housing. While we appreciate that your attitude towards humans is one of peace and beneficence, understanding your kind is an issue of national security. Please allow a small group of five scientists to live on-site and study Zydon buglet learning, including language acquisition and human-buglet relations. <br> -Enzo Lloyd </div> </div>

<p>This story contains:</p> <ul> <li>Body dysphoria</li> <li>Body horror</li> <li>Discussion of disability, racism, and colorism</li> </ul> <p>Only 3 out of 5 planned parts are written of this story. The narrative arc is such that it should feel like the ending of the second book in a trilogy.</p>

<<silently>> /* Each card sets _current (which stage it is) and _dest (where that stage leads). The current stage is the link - there's no separate button. */ <<set _stages to ["Act I", "Interlude I", "Act II", "Interlude II", "Act III"]>> <<set _unwritten to ["Interlude II", "Act III"]>> <</silently>> <div class="actstrip"><<for _i, _s range _stages>> <<if _i gt 0>><span class="actsep">✦</span><</if>> <<if _unwritten.includes(_s)>><span class="actstage unwritten"><<= _s>></span> <<elseif _s is _current>><span class="actstage now"><<link _s _dest>><</link>></span> <<else>><span class="actstage"><<= _s>></span><</if>> <</for>></div>

<<set _current to "Act I">><<set _dest to "Start">><<include "ActStrip">>

<<set _current to "Interlude I">><<set _dest to "Interlude 1">><<include "ActStrip">>

<<set _current to "Act II">><<set _dest to "bugletday">><<include "ActStrip">>

… "Thanks, Gina." … "really" … "sounds like they are a little odd" (laughter) … "really they receive correspondence and packages by drone?" … "GPS coordinates would be great…" … "Just how dangerous?" … "We'll hope they understand when they learn a child is involved. … "We are chasing my son there, and we are going to have to visit them unannounced" … "No, we don't want the authorities involved" … "We think the aliens might look for him if we make it public." … "Well, it's complicated. He's got one of their offspring" … … "Yes, a buglet: … … "No one knows but us and we would like to keep it that way." … "Perfect." … "I know, I know, it breaks our confidentiality agreement with the carnies, but it can't be helped. I don't think a judge in the world would convict us. Especially, when they're harboring a runaway might be considered a criminal act." … "Yes, we have no intention of picking up that thread except as a last resort. Gina, you are a gem. Yes, text it to me. Thank you. ba-bye." [[Get the intel from Lina.|GPSgo]]

Lina texts you the GPS to their location in the Cascades. It's about a two-hour drive, the last half hour on an old, unimproved dirt logging road. She's going to stay here because she's doing something for Werc that cannot wait and needs internet access. Within twenty minutes, Swifty Car Rental has dropped off a Jeep Moab for the trip, and in 45 minutes from hanging up with Gina, you are heading south to find Weston. You hops he is there, because if he is not, there will be no other recourse except to tell the Uplift people. While the traffic was light, you're so anxious it seems to take forever. When you get to where the DriveAssist told you to turn, you can hardly see that there is a road. It goes down through a steep embankment that almost looks like a small irrigation ditch. At the top of the ditch there is a cheap gate made of two wooden poles with barbed wire stretched between them and a wire latch to secure it to a more substantial barbed wire fence running off into the forest. You drive another mile or so, then rounded a corner and, in a panic, slam on your brakes to stop right before a massive eight-foot-high steel fence with two men in camouflaged combat fatigues carrying assault rifles. One points his weapon at her, and the other walks to the driver's side window and signals for you to roll it down. You do. And he says, "You are clearly lost. You want to turn around right here ma'am. I don't offer this chance twice. If you look down the hill you'll see a pile of abandoned vehicles who didn't take advantage of my kind offer." @@.consequence;This choice affects the narrative in the following one or two passages, but both return to the same narrative soon afterwards.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Lie about being lost, park further back down the road, and sneak in.|Lostinwoods]] [[Tell the truth about why you're here.|truth]] </div>

You look at the man with steely eyes. "Look. If you are going to try to stop me, why don't you just shoot me<<if $incubationTerms is 1>> and my buglet<</if>> now? Because my son is in there with his friend, the ex-chimp Donna, both of whom have a buglet like this."<<if $incubationTerms is 1>>You gesture to the little alien buckled up in a child's seat,<<else>>You show him a photo of Weston with his buglet,<</if>> then continue, "and if I have to drive this thing through that gate, I will do it. Do you understand? I'm getting in there." The man takes a step back and levels the gun at you. Then bursts into laughter. He shakes his head. "You must be Weston's mom. I see the resemblance. And the orneriness. He said not to let you in, but Donna said we should. Who should I believe?" You look back and shoot him a grin, saying, "Well, you'd better believe Donna if you don't want to have to replace that gate after I drive through the middle of it." Then you add with some seriousness, "Weston is in trouble. I need to help him." He nods and signals the other guard to let you in. That man goes to the gatehouse, and the gate's electronic engine engages and opens it wide. He waves you forward, but leans in and says, "Ma'am, if you ever want to join us, we could use your kind of fire, and you'd be welcome." You nod and drive forward. Your impression of the carnies has been vastly mistaken. The idea of the circus "freak" has obviously been overplayed by the hype accompanying their appearance at the UpliftCon. Away from the performance aspects of their lifestyle, they turned out to be down-to-earth, ordinary folk just trying to make a living. Even so, there is a strangeness about some. A number of people are dressed as soldiers, and a few open carry guns, both sidearms and assault rifles. One is downright scary who walks up to you, pulls out a large Bowie Knife from his hip-sheath. "Name’s Kyby. If you’re looking me just ask around. Hey, mind if I carve off a small piece of your buglet and see how it tastes cooked over an open campfire?" He does not seem to be joking, and as you move to draw your buglet closer, you feel a chill. The man has wide, glassy eyes with tiny pale irises and pinpoint pupils. The whites of his eyes shine with an intensity that seems strangely inhuman. His long, greasy, unkempt hair appears to have never been washed, and he keeps flicking the safety of his assault rifle on and off. You back away, and he shrugs and says, "Maybe later then? After the moon sets? I've heard these monsters taste a little sweeter the darker the skies." He walks away, and you are not sorry to see him go. [[Reunite with Weston.|Westonfound]]

Weston seems both thrilled you've come and angry that you came. Donna is visibly and unmistakably glad to see you. You stare at each other, everyone a little lost, about to say something. Then Weston says, "Gamma, we didn't mean to make you sad. But I can't let Mater die." "I know," you answer. "But we can't hide here forever. If I found you so quickly, they will too. They don't know you are gone. I'm not going to tell them, but they will figure it out. They are rather advanced aliens, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have ways of tracking Mater. It would be better if we tried to make his case using other methods." Weston just stands there looking at the ground. "Weston, get your things we are going home. Donna you are welcome to stay or go, but Weston is coming with me." Donna says, "I'm staying with Weston. But you should stick around until after dinner and get to know the people here. They may help you navigate this better. A lot of people are very unhappy about Uplift. And we are going to tell our stories. There are some things you might not be aware of. Like did you know there were aliens of the same race who disagree with the ones we know?" "What? That surprises me." "Stick around. And there is a person here who did not sleep through Uplift, and rumors are that the revelations she has are horrific." <div class = "choice"> [[Take Weston home immediately.|Westonreturns]] [[Stay to hear what those unhappy with Uplift have to say.|grumpyfolk]] </div>

Weston looks defeated. He goes and gets his small bag and Mater and returns with Donna and her stuff, which they put in the back and get in the car. On the way back, you resist the urge to yell at him. What was he thinking, running away? "Weston, why did you run away?" Weston is quiet. For a few minutes, you wonder if he understood you. "Obviously, I wanted to save Mater," he says. "Do you and Mater want to go to the second molt ceremony? Maybe they can still late Mater participate, even if he can't molt." "It will be too hard. They are going to take Mater away right after." "Well," Donna asks, "does Mater want to go? Weston takes a few minutes to ask Mater. "He wants to go. When a new one of him is made by the aliens he wants the memory of me and him being there so he can think about it until he can go through the the third molt with me in a few months." Donna says, "I thought he might." "Let's get home and get ready for the ceremony, then." When you finally return to your apartment, no one says anything. You're relieved that you found Weston. [[Attend the molting ceremony.|secondmolt]]

The dinner is delicious: Venison stew with potatoes, carrots, onions, some herbs and spices; a healthy submersion of dark Guinness from Dublin, Ireland; and Dutch oven pineapple upside-down cake in a rum sauce. [[Recipe for venison Irish stew]] The people are friendly and helpful, but they are especially interested in your buglets. Most have never seen one before, and people gather to feel their skin. Some mothers let their children touch them, and in one case, even hold one. Donna has passed her charge to a young man in whom she seems particularly interested. Donna sidles over to you and whispers in your ear, "Keep an eye on that Kyby. They say he just ain't right." You look at Donna and say, "Thanks. I definitely will." Finally, a man and a woman stand on the stage dressed like loggers in flannel shirts and jeans. The man blows a blast on a keyless, dented-up old bugle, and the woman places her hand beside her mouth and gives a loud and wild call of "Sooooo-ey Pig." We all turn our attention to the little stage erected from old planks and two-by-fours and placed in front of the many chairs and picnic tables we just had dinner on. "Welcome Hogs!" the man says to general laughter. "We've got some special guests, and we aim to make them feel as welcome as a cool rain in a Texas desert. Now I think most of us are pretty much dead set against the idea of Uplift. Am I right?" (Cheers) "And tonight we are going to hear some stories of this nonsense on stilts. But don't let that turn into making our guests feel unwelcome. They are people who have gone through the new Uplift, contrived and concocted by these invaders from space. We're going to let them have their say, if they are willing, but no pressure. We are all about freedom in this place. Am I right?" (Cheers) "But hear this loud and clear. Remember again, they are our guests and, as the good book says, sometimes guests are really angels in disguise, and we are going to treat them as such. Am I right? (Cheers. It seems a little less enthusiastic than the ones before.) So we've are going to hear from them. And let them tell us their stories. Now these are not the stories about Uplift that you numskulls know from your own human-engineered Uplift, like my color blindness getting fixed or my knees getting an extra flock of tendons. But these have been through the alien version. One our own, beloved Donna …" (Cheers) "… has done both! (More Cheers) "But we got someone who's been through the ringer with alien Uplift. I can tell you, 'cause I heard it already, and it is going to chill your spine down to its marrow. Down to the soul you might even say. Belinda Torres would you stand up?" A small woman with dark features stands up and nods her head. She is not smiling and seems uncomfortable. She seems vaguely familiar, but you can't place her. "OK, let's do this in this order. Victoria, I already done forgot your last name—forgive me, and Weston Werc. Please rise and tell your story." You did not expect this. You were never warned, and you feel hoodwinked into something you had no time to prepare for. But you are not intimidated, and you decide just to play along. You mark where the Jeep is parked just in case things take a weird turn. "Next up Donna. And then Belinda. Victoria the floor is yours." You stand, take Weston by the hand, and walk onto the stage with about three hundred people staring at you. [[Tell your story.|Yourstory]]

Thank you for playing our game! As you may have noticed, Interlude II and Act III are not yet complete. Please <a href="https://buttondown.com/invasivespecies">''sign up for our mailing list''</a> if you would like to know about the future of <i>Invasive Species</i>'s development. <h2>Credits</h2> <<include "Credits">> <h2>Our Influences/Further reading</h2> <h3>Books</h3> David Brin's Uplift trilogy - a world where when one alien species uplifts another alien species, the uplifted species is indebted to them. Humans have uplifted chimps and dolphins. Who will uplift the humans? //Dawn// and //Adulthood Rites// by Octavia Butler - a woman is forced to aid her alien captors in training humans to live in the new world the aliens created for them. The aliens have the ability to change people's genes. Now humans cannot reproduce without them. //Never Let Me Go// by Kazuo Ishiguro - some humans are grown to be dispensible. //The Mercy of the Gods// by James S. A. Corey - aliens will keep some humans, but only if they're useful. Alien species are like thinktank livestock, to be exploited and culled. the book of Job in the Bible - God as an arbitrary, unknowable force, who doesn't care how much good you've done in the world. <h3>TV</h3> //Common Side Effects// - larger powers orchestrating pharmaceuticals for their own gain //Severance// - experimental neurology for better workers? //Widow's Bay// - comedy in the face of horror

"Wow. This is quite unexpected. Do they really expect everyone to move off Earth? That's such a drastic measure. What are you going to do?" "The 'All-Natural' Zydons are offering exactly what I want. Even if I do well in court, I'll likely get a bunch of money, not my old self back. And why should I trust PPEHN? They're the ones who were criminally negligent in allowing me to get cognitive enhancements that made my existing anxiety disorder even worse," Shala explains. "I'm not saying I'll let them do whatever they want to with my body, but I am going to find out more. What about you?" @@.consequence;Your choice here determines how you react to Lina in a subsequent conversation.@@ <div class = "choice"> <<if hasVisited("sciencerequest")>> [[Join the All-Natural Zydons, but don't discuss it here.|allnatjoinshh]]<</if>> [[Join the All-Natural Zydons.|allnatjoin]] [[Wait and see how this plays out.|allnatunsure]] [[Bring your family with you to the Zydon space station.|tospace]] </div>

"I'm not sure what I want to do. Do I really have to pick a side? I think I'll wait and see what happens. I would rather not move off Earth unless I really have to. I want to talk to Lina and see how dangerous she thinks these 'All-Natural' Zydons are. Can you keep me updated on how it goes?" "Yeah, totally, I can do that." Shala finishes eating her tofu curry wrap as you discuss how tall the halls in a Zydon space station must be. You reply to the email from the All-Natural Aliens asking for more information. You want to know what Lina knows too. [[Ask Lina about the All-Natural Aliens.|Linacall]]

<<set $toallnat = true>>\ "I want to join you in finding out more about the 'All-Natural' Zydons. I don't know if I want to reverse my own Uplift, but I feel like I want to like, subscribe to their newsletter at least." "Yeah. You deserve to know what your options are. We know they made changes to us to not be grossed out by the larva food. Who knows what else they did?" You respond to the All-Natural Alien email asking for more information. You're curious about what Lina knows too. [[Ask Lina about the All-Natural Aliens.|Linacall]]

<<set $tospace = true>>/*Chiapas seemed too specific.*/\ "I think I should take Weston and the rest of my family to the space station. They won't all come, and they won't be happy about it, but I think it's the only way to stay safe. We've already seen that alien technology is way beyond what humans can understand. You're right that they should have done better testing for you. But overall, they want to help humans." "Just like that, you're going to upend your whole life to go live in outer space?" Shala is incredulous. "It's not that different from what my grandparents did when they left Mexico. For decades, they couldn't afford to go back. And when they did have enough money to go back, they didn't want to risk the danger. This isn't what I had in mind for my life, but I know that things could get dangerous quickly. "Imagine if aliens attacked us right now," you continue. "Would the US military stand a chance? And the Uplift Transition Housing isn't exactly equipped for defense. Who knows what their defenses even look like." <<if $westernconformity lte 2>>"Oh, you look so white now that I forgot you were Mexican before. Or are Mexican, sorry." <</if>> "That's nuts. What if PPEHN is exaggerating the danger? To like, get you to work for them forever? No one could come rescue you. No human anyway." If you want to take Weston to space, you'll need to get Lina on board. [[Ask Lina about the All-Natural Aliens.|Linacall]]

<<set $toallnatshh = true>>\ "I want to give it proper consideration, but if the 'All-Natural' Zydons used violence to get people's attention, that sounds wrong and dangerous," you say as you send Shala a text. <div class="texts"><span class="meta">just now</span> <span class="me">we are being watched</span></div> Shala looks behind her and around her, trying to see what you're talking about. <div class="texts"><span class="meta">just now</span> <span class="me">we are being watched</span> <span class="me">stop looking around! you're being conspicuous</span> <span class="them">i'm so confused who is watching us and how??</span> <span class="me">the put cameras in common areas for the scientists, but they never told us about it...</span> <span class="them">wtf??? why are you only telling me now???</span> <span class="me">I wasn't positive they actually did it! Until buglet day when the scientists came out and got reprimanded.</span> <span class="me">anyway don't talk about supporting the all-naturals right now. Who knows what else PPEHN isn't telling us.</span></div> "Huh, maybe you're right," Shala plays along. "Maybe they're dangerous and I shouldn't talk to them." You ask Lina to call you to talk things over, but she says she'll talk to you when she sees you in a few days. You've gotten used to communal life at the Uplift Transition Housing, but it will be good to go back to the "real world." Afterwards, you try to see if there's a way to connect to a VPN from the Uplift Transition Housing. You notice that VPNs are blocked. You decide not to email the All-Natural Aliens for information--it's likely that your correspondence is being tracked. [[Ask Lina about the All-Natural Aliens.|Linacall]]

Uncle Red "Big Foot Spotter"Smitty’s Original Venison Stew Ingredients: Haunch of Venison (While roadkill will do in a pinch, fresh kilt is better). Stuff you like in stew. Two 24 oz bottles of as dark a Irish Guinness as you can find. Kill a young deer. Male or Female don’t matter. Field dress it and keep a large haunch and put it in a large stewing pot. Pour in the Guinness. Add fix’ns (including a couple of bay leaves if available). Top off pot with clear river water. Cook all day over an open fire. Preferably with dried fir or pine wood. Serve with sourdough bread spread with way more fresh butter than you think is perspicacious. Enjoy. [[Back|grumpyfolk]]

"Thank you for letting us hear your voices and for the good care you've given my grandson Weston. As I've said before, Uplift has been a mixed bag for Weston and me. Right Weston?" Weston seems shy, but nods, then adds, "I'm glad people can understand me. Speaking helped me to have different thoughts. Bigger thoughts. There is something about not only having wishes, but when you can tell people about them it's great. That was impossible before." You nod. "Yes. For me, I've found strange things too. I've been induced to love my buglet, but the love I feel, I know it was created so I can care for it better, but it is as real as any love I've had. But what changes were made in me to make that so? Won't that have downstream effects, too, when the buglet grows up and leaves? Will he remember my love? I don't know." Suddenly, the man who looks like a lumberjack jumps up and, interrupting, says, "Thank you, Victoria, that is so interesting. You and Weston are so brave. I'm not sure who these extra aliens are… but time's precious… so let's give a round applause for our guests willingness to tell us her most interesting perspective on things. Am I right?" The silence is deafening. You think you hear someone say something about a "corporate shill," but it's not clear. "And now let's hear from one of our own! Donna tell us about your Uplift. Donna the floor is yours!" [[Donna's story.|Donnastory]]

"I do not tell this story willingly. But it must be told. I look at Weston, someone whose life I followed when I was president of the Werc fan club. But my heart breaks for him. I would have stopped him if I could have from going through with this. You too, Victoria. You have been duped in ways you do not suspect. "To make a long story short, my best friend Calli and I were upset by the supposed lies that Patricia Link was telling about the uplift process involving giant womb monsters that lived in the Great Slave Lake in Northern Canada. So we obtained from an anesthesiologist a drug that blocked the coma-inducing drug that keeps people asleep during Uplift. We wanted to see the whole process firsthand." She gives a small, ironic laugh, then adds, "We thought Conrad Werc would be so impressed with our defense of his empire that he would actually want to meet and get to know us. As it is, we have become his #1 enemy. We will do all we can to destroy him." <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time2]] [[Continue listening to Belinda.|Belindastory2]] </div>

"Thanks, Lek Littleton, 'The Human Squirrel' (Weston, you should see him climb trees, he would make a great bonobo)…I think Victoria has more interesting things to say, but I get that time is short. So all I want to say is this. My first Uplift by the humans was a disaster. It turned me into something neither human nor bonobo. The second, by the aliens, drove the final nail in the coffin and took my soul. I've lost my way of being. What am I? From Bonobo perspectives, I am a monster. I go to the zoo to be with my old friend. I don't feel what I should. You, humans, claim to know what eros, what love, is. But for us it is part of the art of living. I remember life in our little troop in the Ohio Primate Center. I didn't have the words that I have since gained in Uplift. Like Weston here, I could not express desires, but how happy I was! How contented. I would wake in the morning to the sound of prairie birds, as I now can name them, Meadow Lark, Eastern King Birds, and Grasshopper Sparrow singing in chorus joyous and free. Then we would gather in the soft morning light, groom each other, running our fingers through our troop's thick fur. We were all friends. All lovers. Males and females, we would stay near, attending to each other's moods and feelings. There might be a fruit that someone wanted, and a small scuffle would start, but such expressions of anger were short-lived. When it happened, we would all gather round the squabbling pair and hug and pet them until soon we found ourselves mating together with such abandon we did not even notice if the person we were with was male or female. There were no ranks, just a mutuality led by our mother. Our matriarch. We helped each other feel the love and commitment of the group. We would mate and hoot. We would mate and hoot again and again until all were satisfied and comfortable and the fruit forgotten. We would mate and cuddle the pain and trouble away. The air was full of the pheromones of desire. We embraced our desire and let it flow through us, around us, affecting the way we glanced at each other, the smells we would send wafting their way, the sound of voices all around us, in joyous contemplation. The matter of our longing that would be so fulfilling and leave us in a state of joyous exhaustion. I miss the feel of their arms and legs wrapped around mine, the joy of being entered or entering a body designed for love. How happy we all were! "Human concepts corrupt sex, it obsesses about reproduction, but bonobos are beings that focus on a sharing of bodies and minds, with knowing and being known. We have no power dynamics except the power of friendship and affection. No male gathers females and protects his ownership of parentage. Our matriarchs teach us how to love each other body and soul. How to share the abundant forest resources we enjoy. We share love and children and enjoy what they teach us about their perspectives. Conflicts are settled by acts of caring and love. But now look at me. I go to my bonobo compatriots, and they run away. I cannot produce the right pheromones that promote shared love. And I cannot sense theirs. My libido, as you humans call it, is wrecked. Nothing turns my affection into arousal. I look at human ideas of beauty, and they make me sick. Bonobos now look to me like the same hideousness you seem to see in chimps: malformed and ugly beyond belief. Humans look to me like bald apes, like those naked hypoallergenic cats people have selected for. No beautiful fur coat that can be brushed and stroked. You are a sick species. And now I'm one of you and not. I hate everything about me. Were it not for my friend Weston, I would be truly and ultimately empty and lost. Uplift was never meant to be a part of this universe. "I'm a sad little monkey." Weston moves to stand by his friend and says, "You are not a monkey." Donna hugs him and says, "Well you are." And they both laugh. Lek Littleton, as Donna has identified him, stands, giving a slow clap, which is joined by everyone who is now rising to their feet in an expression of love and acceptance of Donna. She bows, but seems to take little pleasure from the adulation. Lek motions his palms to the floor to quiet the crowd. He then motions to Belinda. "Please tell us your side of the story, Belinda. For those who don't know her, she was one of the leaders and organizers of the Werc Fan Club." Weston looks up at this, and you realize why she seemed familiar. You've followed her posts and podcasts to try to see what Lina saw in the manic tech bro. You did not know she had become an anti-Uplift person. This is surprising. You lean forward to hear her words. @@.consequence;If you keep a really close eye on Weston, you will enter the darkest timeline.@@ <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time1]] [[Listen to Belinda's story.|BelindaStory]] </div>

"We woke up slowly. My head felt like an angry demolition worker had used it as a jackhammer from inside my skull. I looked around and saw Calli trying to get out of the berth across the hall. We were on a train. We could tell because of the steady clack and click of the track and the berth's slight rhythmic swaying from side to side. I noticed these berths lined up and down the train carriage, stacked about three deep along the wall. On each berth, naked, breathing, akimbo human bodies were scattered on stainless steel beds; some with their heads pointing toward the motion of the train, others pointing the other way. None had IVs or other monitoring equipment—no heart monitor, nothing to indicate they were being attended to medically. "All the uplift candidates were lying on the cold metal tables without any restraints or equipment of any kind to keep them safe. Looking closer, I saw the red-purplish lumps bulging under the skin of the bodies, indicating the implantation site of the eggs or larvae we received from the aliens. I saw two similar lumps, one just under my left breast and one just under my right arm. I tried to speak, but the words came out slurred and garbled. Calli looked frightened, mirroring the panic rising in my chest. /* This seems overly detailed for memories of things that happened weeks ago */"'Calli are you OK?' I called. She sat up. She looked at me, but could not seem to get her mouth working. I tried to sit up but fell back on the cold table. "'Belinda. Where are we?' she said. "I struggled into a sitting position with my legs dangling from the table. I answered her, "I'm not sure. We aren't dreaming, right? "There was a loud bang, and I sensed a commotion at the end of the train compartment. I saw the door starting to open. Calli hissed at me, 'Pretend you are asleep!' "I dropped onto my back with my arms folded across my chest. "Small, roundish mechanical bots about the size of a terrier poured into the room, and each attached itself to one of the metal beds by a mechanism in the middle of the bed. Defying gravity, they then systematically levitated the entire bed and moved it out of the compartment. I found myself floating out the door. <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time4]] [[Continue listening to Belinda.|ProcessUL]] </div>

"Soon we were hovering over a long wooden dock stretching over a calm sea or a large lake. I peeked out from the slits of my barely-open eyelids, and beside the dock was an enormous slug-like thing about as long as four blue whales and as high as five elephants standing on each other's backs, if such a thing were possible. The bots slid next to this massive horror. There is no question in my mind that it was the beast described by Patricia Link. Calli was screaming, and I was too. From a direction that prevented me from seeing its approach, I was grabbed and held tight by large tentacles about as thick as a human thigh. The skin was like sandpaper. There were no suckers on the appendages; it was more like an elephant's trunk than the arms of an octopus. Suddenly, I was picked up by the awful appendages, lifted, then tossed tumbling and helpless into the air. My arms rotated furiously, trying to position my body into… What? There was no up or down, just me in an out-of-control careen toward the beast. I see one of the cave-like openings on the side of the beast rushing toward me. I land with a sickening squelchy splat. The opening closed as if a drawstring was closing a cinch bag. I was in profound dark. Not a hint of light anywhere. I was lying on something organic, wet, and chillingly slimily living. I screamed madly, mindlessly, without a single sliver of hope that anyone could hear me. <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time5]] [[Continue listening to Belinda.|insideWomb]] </div>

"It is hard to explore my time in the womb-creature. I have no words that describe what I experienced. I cannot even think about the things I've been through, but I need to try. To parse the meaning of the horror that I've been through. Here I draw on my Native Heritage. I call upon my ancestors to help me speak this to you so that you can be warned. I have betrayed my ancestor fathers. I have betrayed my ancestor mothers. I betrayed even myself by burying my soul in the colonizer's poison techno prison. But they did not abandon me. Or the me that I was as they embraced the new me. They provided the link between me and her. "First, Calli is dead. And I am dead. She is gone. And a new me was constructed on the pattern of the old me. Over the months that have passed in the ungodly womb within which I was trapped, death would have been welcome. I wanted to die. But my ancestors spoke to me. They told me I would die, but a new me would be born into the world. And that I will be connected through my former self by the Spirits' help. Also, they told me I would become coyote. A trickster that would bring down the aliens and the supposed Uplift. I would die. But a new me would rise again like a phoenix. Perhaps it was spite. Some deep sense that this had to be made known. That I had to tell the world that these creatures, these aliens from Hades, are not what they represent themselves to be. These changes. I watched them happen within me in real time. A time stretched out. Twisted. Turned into a folded corruption of what I'd been… I saw myself made anew…no, the word 'new' should not be associated with anything that happened within that chamber. Othered. That's the word. I'm no longer human. I am not even of Earth." Tears drip from Belinda's chin as she recalls her experience. "What have I lost? Everything. Everything that mattered. Calli is dead. Am I alive anymore? I don't know. <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time6]] [[Listen as Belinda finishes her story.|pain]] </div>

"It was months in that hive of disgust and terror. I cannot be sure of anything. But against all my expectations, I survived. As the pain changed in nature, I saw my flesh dissolve. My bones contorted into new shapes and were hammered back into what they had been, but with differences subtle and fearsome. I did not breathe for months; my lungs were ground into a slurry, stirred into new configurations, cells. I felt them blend like a caterpillar's body in a chrysalis churned into some gooey mass of cells and then reconfigured into a butterfly. Unlike them, I screamed, 'Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?…' on and on with no answer. Only pain. Only pain. Endless pain. "And here I cannot find words. Nor stories. Nor metaphors. But the pain was a new order of horror. It was the creation of an abomination. A fearsome pain different than anything I could have fathomed in a thousand years. A pain of new nuances. Added dimensions that explored pain in monstrous and inhumane ways that exceeded the limits of normal human pain. Like bees, which instead of three colors creating the shades and hues of the earthly colors we know, have four, creating millions of new colors that add not just surprising information but new ways of being. To the species of pain possible in humans and other creatures of our planet, a new flavor was added in the kinds of pain-experience possible. Borrowing from music, there were new fundamental frequencies in pain, new harmonics, all adding abominations in new categories of pain that humans have never experienced. I did. I did. I cannot bring you closer to that pain through words. There are none. Help me forget. Please, help me forget." Belinda sobs as she remembers the pain. She takes a moment to compose herself. "Calli is dead. I am dead. Forever gone. Dr. McCoy from the Original Series was right. To be unmade and made anew means that the continuity between the original and a copy has been broken. The me I knew all my life is dead. And this new me has been charged by my ancestors with a new life. "My experience in hell while over will never leave me. Werc must be made to experience this in its fullness. My pain is over in one small dimension. But it will never, ever, ever, ever, fully end. "Calli is dead. I am dead. "And every one of you who went through Uplift is dead. You are not the same person you were. You are a copy with all the memories and bodily experiences of that other person, but you are not the same. You are a copy. A simulacrum. But you have all the same intrinsic value as the person who was you and that you watched die, but you are not the same. You are a new alien creation that needs to know this. "I died. Cali died. Victoria, you died. Donna, you died. Weston, I'm sorry, but you died too. And the copy they retained is nothing but a physical memory of the person you were. And you are a slave to the monsters that created you. Like Frankenstein, you are one of the living dead. And yet. And yet. You live. And the ancestors love you as one of their own. Welcome to existence." Lek stands in the silence and looks over the crowd, and says, "It's worse than …" He can't finish the thought. He walks over and takes both of Belinda's hands and says, "we are going to do something about this. Leaning toward Weston and Donna you say, "We'd better go if we are going to get back for the Second Molt...Weston, Do you still want to go since Mater is not graduating?" He goes quite and says "Yes. I just asked him. He wants to be there." After some quick goodbyes you lead the small group to the Jeep and drive back to the facility. [[Attend the molting ceremony.|secondmolt]]

In the morning, the mood is of subdued excitement. People are constantly discussing what the new molt will do to their relationships with their buglets. No one has seen what the buglets will look like. Even things like how big they will be, or what their color patterns will look like are unknown. Will they be closer to adults in size? Will they have the same appendages? There is even a small betting pot on the question about what features they may have gained or lost compared to their old selves. Also, despite repeated inquiries and trying to get someone to answer their questions, no one knows how many molts there are in total! Some suggest, like Earth insects, it's likely there will be four or five, but why can't this be the last one? Or the second of two hundred and six? No one knows for sure. And the aliens themselves are holding their cards close to their chest. <<if not $materinjured>>Weston is playing with Mater, who is playing with Donna's buglet. They are having fun, and Weston says thoughtfully, "What are you going to turn into? I can't wait to see!" Donna adds, "It's about time to go. I'm going to change into the festival clothes. I think red looks really good on me." She picks up her little creature and leaves with a wave, saying, "See you in a few." "Meet you down there," Weston says. You and Weston are hopeful as you get ready to walk down to the pond. "This is it!" you say. <<else>>Weston seems especially sad and has withdrawn to his room to be with Mater alone for a little while.<</if>> You think about the changes that are going to take place. You think that likely the size of the buglets will be about the same as they are now, as there has been no talk of a change of quarters to make more room for giant buglets. The aliens you've seen would not even be able to enter these rooms. <<if $materinjured>>You go in and check on Weston, and Lina is with him, trying to help him deal with his buglet not going through the second molt. She's been much kinder to Donna after the recent events, but she still seems a little short with you. "Hi, Lina. Our little man doing OK? "A real trooper, I'd say." You kneel beside the bed and take his hand, "I saw Sandy was here to tell you about your and Mater's next steps. What did she say?" His lower lip starts to quiver, and his eyes get moist, but he doesn't cry. He looks at you and says, "She said you were going to stay here with me through the next few months. Gamma, I'm so glad." "Wouldn't miss it for the world," you say. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>> "My uplift care for my buglet will continue for a while, but I'm glad to be here."<</if>> "Mom, will you be able to visit me?" Lina has a guilty look, but she answers truthfully, "Your dad may have a big assignment for me, and if it comes together, we might be moving together to live somewhere else. It's kind of a big deal, something no one has ever done before. I can't tell you now, but I think you'll be very proud of your mom when I do tell you! But always remember, I'll never be more than a phone call away, so take advantage of that." /* portending her possible stint on the alien ship */ "What else did Sandy tell you?" you ask Weston. <<if $Kydy gte 6>>"She wants me to come a half-hour early. They are going to do something special for me. Is that OK?" You love his surprising independence. You say, "Of course!" Weston explains further: "They'll take Mater after the ceremony today. Next week they will take him and build a blueprint of all he is and put it into an egg. So in a couple of weeks they'll put the egg in me again. Then after six months or so they'll take that and let it grow another three months. It will grow in a chamber, and then we'll put it back in me and we'll go through this whole process again until Mater is well enough to complete the molt."<<else>> "So they'll take Mater after the ceremony today. Next week they will take him and build a blueprint of all he is and put it into an egg. So in a couple of weeks they'll put the egg in me again. Then after six months or so they'll take that and let it grow another three months. It will grow in a chamber, and then we'll put it back in me and we'll go through this whole process again until Mater is well enough to complete the molt."<</if>> "You'll see. It's all going to turn out OK." You squeeze his hand, and he squeezes back. <</if>> [[Get ready to begin the ceremony.|ceremony1]]

You apologize and say you are a bird watcher and heard there was a nesting set of wood ducks in a small pond up this way. The man helps you back up at a small turnaround, and you head back down the road. You go down about a quarter of a mile and park the vehicle. You cover it with branches and attempt to hide it as best you can, then use the compass app on your phone and start heading in the direction you think the camp must lie. [[Find the gate.|gate]]

"We both arrived at the Uplift Medical Launch Facility to check in. A friendly and professional medical technician gave a warm greeting and went over the procedure. She covered how we would be placed in a medical coma for the next nine months while we underwent Uplift. During the procedure, after 6 months, the embryonic alien larvae would be removed and placed in a growth medium until we were restored to full consciousness. She gave us information about compensation to our workplace for missing so much work, and how our bodies would come out with the enhancements we signed up for. We had a lot of questions that I can't quite recall, except none of the answers seemed unusual or strange, and we felt quite satisfied. We were asked to change into loose clothing and escorted to a locker room where we left our purses, phones, street clothes, and other things we brought. The PA told us that they would be returned when the uplift procedure was completed. "We changed and then stepped out of the changing booth, holding the vial of liquid prepared by the chemist that would keep us awake during Uplift. We clicked the vials together in a mock toast and then drank the contents down, then tossed the empty vials into a garbage can. I remember Callie quipped, 'See you in 10 hours!' "We walked to the next staging area, where you are hooked up to an IV. The technician said, 'It's time! You'll be going to sleep for a while. No worries and pleasant dreams... Please count backwards starting at 100.' "I started and began counting, '100, 99, 98, 97, 96 ... 9 ...' <div class = "choice"> [[Visually check on Weston|Kyly time3]] [[Continue listening to Belinda.|actualuplift]] </div>

<<include "CalcBestFriend">>\ Caring for Weston, Mater, and Barb is beginning to wear on you, even with your new body. Weston is uninterested in doing any more food preparation or cleaning than he has to. You're supposed to feed your buglets the same food you're eating since their first molt, but you admit that some evenings, you just pour them a bowl of cereal like you would pour out some dog food for a beloved pet. They have some small prey drive, and you're supposed to let them play catch a lot at this early stage of their first molt. Today, you've been playing catch with a buoyant ball at the pond. Mater is a lot faster than Barb. You can tell that Barb wants to catch the ball too. You feel stupid for taking on so much work without knowing what it meant. You remember that when you felt this way when your kids were little, your sister or a cousin would bring over all their kids, and somehow it made everything easier, even though there was more chaos. Tears spring to your eyes as you realize that your family can't be here to help you right now. You're trying to figure out what to do when you see a figure in the distance. @@.consequence;Your friend with the highest relationship score with you comes to help you out.@@ <<switch $bestFriend>> <<case "Pierre">> Pierre's out for a jog with his buglet. He's getting downright fluent with lumbar movement. He pauses in front of your group. "Do your buglets want to join us for a run-slash-swim? It helps to cut wind resistance if we have more with us." "Yes, they would love that. I'll come too." You're not in exercise clothes but it doesn't really matter. Soon you're playing tag, then throwing a ball at your own buglets to "freeze" them. Then the other team is "unfreezing" them if they can hold their position for five seconds. As you layer on more and more rules, you're surprised that the buglets can understand them all. Afterwards, you feel tired, but in a good way. <<case "Shala">> Shala comes by with her buglet and floaty-ball. She sees how Mater and Barb are competing for just one ball, and that you're getting tired of throwing it. "Here, I saw this as an idea for making it easier to throw balls for dogs." She takes two giant bandanas from around her waist and ties a ball in each of them. She spins one ball around from its long tail and throws it all the way to the other side of the pond. Mater races to find it; Barb and Shala's buglet watch to see what happens with the second ball. Shala spins it from its tail but throws it straight up. They compete to reach up for it as it comes down. She keeps throwing the balls in different directions, staggering the buglets into two groups, which change if they get tired of one, and gossips to you as she does it. <<case "Donna">> Donna notices you're tired, and takes out her own ball. "Come here, little ones. Let me teach you how to play catch." You give her a look of gratitude. She adds her buglet to Mater and Barb, and painstakingly teaches them the idea of tossing the ball to //each other//. They learn much faster than human children, but they're still clumsy at first. Donna keeps things light, laughing when the buglets throw the ball near eye holes instead of tentacles. <<case "nobody">> It's Weston, looking for Mater. He immediately notices that you're upset. "What's wrong Gamma?" "It's hard taking care of you, Mater, and Barb. I feel sad that I can't give each of you the love they deserve." "Having more is good! They love to play together. Let me take them from you." Weston rallies the buglets together. He starts speaking to them rapidly. They race in a relay around the pond. Well, at first you thought it was a relay. When they get to you, they tackle you affectionately, claiming a piece of your body as their personal territory. You throw them off you and start wrestling with them. It's actually kind of fun, and for a few minutes, you forget about your worries, including your worries that you might get injured playing with dangerous aliens like this. <</switch>> [[Next week..|pierreinterview]]

<<silently>> /* First in this list wins ties - reorder to change priority. */ <<set _friends to [ {who: "Donna", score: $donnarelationship}, {who: "Shala", score: $shalarelationship}, {who: "Pierre", score: $pierrerelationship} ]>> <<set _best to _friends[0]>> <<for _f range _friends>> <<if _f.score gt _best.score>><<set _best to _f>><</if>> <</for>> <<set $bestFriend to _best.score gt 0 ? _best.who : "nobody">> <</silently>>

<<include "CalcBestFriend">>The next morning, you and Weston take up your recent morning routine.<<if $incubationTerms is 0>>Weston has become very paternal, preparing breakfast for Mater and himself. He carefully pressure-cleans Mater's plates and siphons its sphincter before they go out to play. <<elseif $incubationTerms is 1>>Weston has become very paternal, preparing breakfast for Mater, himself, and Barb. He carefully pressure-cleans Mater's plates and siphons its sphincter before they go out to play, leaving you to clean Barb. Barb isn't as cooperative as Mater, and it takes you a full twenty minutes to clean it correctly. Your buglet usually spends the rest of the morning playing with Weston and Mater.<</if>> This morning, you overslept a bit and so you're at the communal kitchen when it's crowded with other people cleaning their breakfast dishes. Shala is exercising AGAIN. Pierre is here, confidently standing and shifting his weight from leg to leg. "I know I've told everyone I love not being in my wheelchair anymore, but at times like this, it would be nice to have a portable chair to sit in." "I could get us some chairs--" "Nah, I'm good. Hey, I wanted to ask you about Uplift again. I'm just sussing out people's attitudes right now. Do you think we should let disabled people have access to the Uplift procedure first? Like, before people use it to change to a crazy skin color, shouldn't we let people who can't survive without a feeding tube have a chance at a normal life?" @@.consequence;Your previous opinions on disability affect how you answer.@@ <<if $disabilityattitude.Criticaldisabilitytheory>>"In theory, that sounds nice," you answer. "But I think it would just make life even harder for the disabled people who can't access Uplift, for whatever reason. What if the government stopped accommodating disability because they thought everyone should just get an Uplift procedure? And what if you had a temporary disability? Or one that was just small and you would rather just take a pill for it than dedicate six months of your life to making everything perfect?" You recall the various people who were regulars at the hospital front desk where you worked before you retired. Some of them would have loved Uplift. Others... just wanted to get a quick fix and be done with it. "You're right. It should be up to the disabled person if they want to get Uplift. But the government should keep accommodating people who don't get it. For disabled people who want Uplift, shouldn't they be higher priority?" "Sure, I don't see why not. Ideally, our society would accommodate disability and people wouldn't need to get "cured" of things that are just normal human variations in ability." "Oh, I've seen how that works. No thank you ma'am. We don't live in an ideal society! Let's let disabled people cure themselves." Pierre speaks passionately, likely from his own experience. "Alright. Let's say you succeed and 'disabled people' get priority. How do you decide which of them should get treatment first?" <<elseif $disabilityattitude.Eliminate>>"Yes, that makes complete sense to me! If someone wants to cure their disability, they should have access to treatment before someone who's just doing it for fun. But how do you tell the difference between what's treating a disability and what's an elective procedure?" You feel your years working at the hospital front desk coming back to you. <<include "existingsystem">> <<else>> "Well, first we need to know more information," you say, your training as a hospital receptionist and low-level administrator coming back to you. "Triage is only something hospitals do when they have limited resources, like if there's only one surgeon who can either fix an emergency broken ankle or do an elective bunion surgery. Do the aliens actually have limited resources? What if they could give everyone Uplift who wants it?" "That's irrelevant right now, because Uplift <i>is</i> currently a limited resource. We got it because we're influencers, or connected to people who are in power. Even though I've benefitted from the system, I think it should change. It should let people with real disabilities get Uplift first." Pierre has an opinion and he's sticking to it. "Alright then. How do you decide which people with disabilities should get Uplift first?" <<include "existingsystem">> <</if>> Pierre looks thoughtful. "I think experts can figure it out. I'm not sure if physical or mental disability is worse. It seems like instead of looking at what's wrong with the person, it might be easier to ask them how miserable they are and figure out if treatment will improve their life." "So, you're for quality-of-life assessments?" It feels like Pierre is reinventing a wheel, but he'll have to do it himself to see its importance. "What if the person can't answer for themselves? Do you trust their caregiver to decide for them?" "Yes. That seems reasonable." You wonder if Weston would agree. You feel like you've helped Pierre to learn something, but you feel like it's one of those conversations where everyone talks big, but can't actually do anything about it. "I'm going to launch a campaign on social media about this. Currently, I'm gathering testimonials about how Uplift has helped people with disabilities. Do you want to talk about how much Uplift has helped Weston?" @@.consequence;Your answer will afffect your loyalty to Uplift, your relationship with Weston, and your relationship with Pierre.@@ <div class="choice"> [[Decline--Weston doesn't need more media attention.|nointerviewattention]] [[Decline--You don't know if Uplift has really helped him.|nointerviewupliftbad]] [[Agree to create a video about the benefits of Uplift for Weston.|youinterview]] [[Agree, but only if Weston is allowed to answer for himself.|westoninterview]] </div>

Within a half-hour, you and your daughter are on a helicopter banking toward the location on the GPS identified with their location in the semi. Sandy, your social worker, joins the emergency squad of stoic soldiers who look ready for battle. The social worker shows you aerial footage from a drone of the truck moving along the freeway. The squad leader says, "We've got a good clearing to land in, only a few hundred yards from the entrance to the logging road. We'll land there, and the team will intercept your grandson and bring him and the ape-woman here. You'll wait with the helicopter." It goes off smoothly. Soon, Donna appears, who has been shackled with her hands in front so she can carry the buglet. She does not look happy. Weston sees Lina and screams, "Mom!" and runs to her and jumps into her arms. She hugs him tight. Then says, "I'm glad you are OK. We were so worried. Why did you let this woman (she chokes on the word), take you away from us?" You chafe at the assumption that Weston has been coerced against his will. Weston says, "She did try to talk me out of it, but when I refused and told her I was going with or without her, she would not leave me. She is my friend." "Please remove those handcuffs," you say to one of the security detail. He looks at the commander, who nods, and Donna is released. One of the soldiers says, "We've got movement coming from the west, about twenty people, we'd better go." [[Take the helicopter back.]]

On the way back, Weston and Donna are laughing and talking about how small everything looks from high up. They've never been on an aircraft before, and they are full of chatter and wonder about the things they are seeing. You look at Lina, and she seems strangely silent. The relationship between Donna and her son should be abundantly apparent by the way they are interacting at this new adventure. Lina suddenly says, "So tomorrow is the second molt! Are you excited, Weston?" How in the hell could she forget so thoroughly what Weston was going through? The whole reason he tried to run away was his pending loss of Mater. You grab and squeeze Lina's thigh to try to shut her up, but it is too late. She tenses as she realizes what she said. Weston bursts into tears. Donna holds and rocks him compassionately. "I'm sorry Weston. I'm so tired. Of course you aren't going to the second molt!" Your daughter tries to back-peddle. Donna says, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the second molt?" "It will be too hard. They are going to take Mater away right after." "Well," Donna says, "does Mater want to go? Only the rotation of the blades and the roar of the engine interrupt the silence as Weston talks to Mater. "He wants to go. When a new one of him is made by the aliens he wants the memory of me and him being there so he can think about it until he can go through the third molt with me in a few months." Donna says, "I thought he might." Lina seems a little humbled and embarrassed. She says, "Weston. Would you ask Mater if I can attend too." After a brief silence, Weston says, "Yes. He would love for you to be there. You are part of his family." "Thanks," Lina says, then mouths to you, "I'm sorry." [[Attend the molting ceremony.|secondmolt]]

/* currently, you can go live in space with Lina if your relationship with her is less than 3 only if you decided to go to space anyway... maybe it makes sense? */\ <<if $toallnatshh>>While you and Weston and Donna and the buglets are playing outside, away from the Molting Pond and other popular areas that are likely to have cameras, you decide to call Lina. The extra noise from the buglets and Weston should make it harder for anyone to listen in... unless the cellular network is being tapped, in which case you're not sure what to do.<<else>>You call Lina from your apartment after Weston has gone to bed.<</if>> "Hi Lina, is now a good time? I wanted to ask you about some of the recent developments here at the Uplift Transition Housing." "Yes, now is fine Mom. Good timing! I wanted to talk to you about that too. I was finally able to get ahold of Conrad to learn more about if the All-Natural Zydons are a credible threat." "And what did he say?" "He doesn't think they're worth bothering with. However, he does want to assign me to go live on the space station for a few years. He said it would be good to take Weston with me, too." @@.consequence;Your previous decision about how to deal with the All-Natural Zydons and your relationship with Lina determine how this conversation plays out.@@ <<if $tospace>>You thought that getting Lina to agree to move to outer space would be a hard sell, but this might be easier than you thought. "I think that the All-Natural Zydons might be a real terrorist organization. I think it's best if I move to the space station too." <<if $linarelationship lt 3>><<set $tospaceno = true>>"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mom. <<if $westonbadmouthedconrad>>You let Weston complain about what a bad dad Conor is on Pierre's Uplift propaganda. Like, yes, it's good publicity for Uplift, but not for Conor! I know it seems like he doesn't care about Weston, but he does at least care about his reputation, and it's a pain to have to reassure him all the time when Weston's absolutely right. <</if>>Do we really get along well enough to live together? I know you think we were all a happy family together, but I think it would just cause more drama." "What, and I just never see Weston again?" "I'm not saying it will be forever. Besides, you have a lot of other grandchildren." Now that Weston has connected with you so much more, you feel more affection for him, but Lina has a point. You feel tears stinging your eyes. "Tell Conrad you want to come back to Earth after a year out there." "I will, Mom. I know I joke about never wanting to go outdoors, but I might miss seeing the sun from Earth. Plus I bet Conrad will find some way for us to get internet out there, so we'll be in touch." [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] <<else>> "Well, that's better for me, but PPEHN might be exaggerating the danger of the All-Natural Zydons. You don't have to go to the space station to like, be safe from terrorists." "I still want to go." <<include "tospace2">> [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] <</if>> <<elseif $toallnat or $toallnatshh>> "I think we should stay far away from that space station. I can't believe we let Weston have the Uplift procedure without knowing //all// the changes they made. They didn't mention that they would make us love their young by changing our genes. <<if not $toallnatshh>>The All-Natural Zydons have some valid points. I want to join them, to be honest.<</if>> I know you've put a lot of work into making Uplift go well, but I don't know if it's the best thing for humanity." "Oh. My. God. Mom! Not you too! This isn't even super-human brainwashing they're doing. It's the same purity discourse that big Wellness has been pushing for years. Come on. No body is 'pure' of interference." "But do the Zydons who are doing Uplift have the best interests of humanity at heart? Or are they just looking for some cheap babysitting?" "Mom, you don't understand how difficult it was for them to set up all their Uplift technology. They're the ones who are doing all they can to make humans how they want to be. And how is this suddenly about all of humanity? There are only a few hundred people who have even undergone Uplift." "Lina, is it true that Weston will need an additional enhancement if he ever wants to have children?" Lina's tirade stops for a moment. She sighs. "Yes, it's true. But it's not like he was going to find someone to have a baby with before his Uplift. It's a side effect of almost any genetic engineering." "That should be part of the paperwork!" "Okay, okay. You're right. Uplift does need to make some changes. And if I stick with my job, maybe I can make them. I want to take Weston to the space station for the next year or so--but not for the rest of my life.<<if $linarelationship gte 3>> Do you want to come with us?" <div class = "choice"> [[Yes. If it's just for a year or two.|tospaceanyway]] [[No, definitely not.|nospace]] </div> <<else>>" "Oh, can I come with you?" <<if $linarelationship lt 3>><<set $tospaceno = true>>"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mom. <<if $westonbadmouthedconrad>>You let Weston complain about what a bad dad Conor is on Pierre's Uplift propaganda. Like, yes, it's good publicity for Uplift, but not for Conor! I know it seems like he doesn't care about Weston, but he does at least care about his reputation, and it's a pain to have to reassure him all the time when Weston's absolutely right. <</if>>Do we really get along well enough to live together? I know you think we were all a happy family together, but I think it would just cause more drama." "What, and I just never see Weston again?" "I'm not saying it will be forever. Besides, you have a lot of other grandchildren." Now that Weston has connected with you so much more, you feel more affection for him, but Lina has a point. You feel tears stinging your eyes. "Tell Conrad you want to come back to Earth after a year out there." "I will, Mom. I know I joke about never wanting to go outdoors, but I might miss seeing the sun from Earth. Plus I bet Conrad will find some way for us to get internet out there, so we'll be in touch." [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] <</if>> <</if>> <<else>> "Hmm, so the All-Natural Zydons aren't actually going to bomb us in protest?" you ask. "No, no. Conrad says he heard from some of the other Zydons that they're all bark and no bite. It's just like on Earth. No matter what you do, someone is going to tell you you're living life wrong." "I want to take Weston to the space station for the next year or so--but not for the rest of my life.<<if $linarelationship gte 3>> Do you want to come with us?" <div class="choice"> [[Yes. If it's just for a year or two.|tospaceanyway]] [[No, definitely not.|nospace]] </div> <<else>>" "Oh, can I come with you?" <<if $linarelationship lt 3>><<set $tospaceno = true>>"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mom. <<if $westonbadmouthedconrad>>You let Weston complain about what a bad dad Conor is on Pierre's Uplift propaganda. Like, yes, it's good publicity for Uplift, but not for Conor! I know it seems like he doesn't care about Weston, but he does at least care about his reputation, and it's a pain to have to reassure him all the time when Weston's absolutely right. <</if>>Do we really get along well enough to live together? I know you think we were all a happy family together, but I think it would just cause more drama." "What, and I just never see Weston again?" "I'm not saying it will be forever. Besides, you have a lot of other grandchildren." Now that Weston has connected with you so much more, you feel more affection for him, but Lina has a point. You feel tears stinging your eyes. "Tell Conrad you want to come back to Earth after a year out there." "I will, Mom. I know I joke about never wanting to go outdoors, but I might miss seeing the sun from Earth. Plus I bet Conrad will find some way for us to get internet out there, so we'll be in touch." [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] <</if>> <</if>><</if>>

<<include "tospace2">> [[Attend the final molting ceremony.|secondmolt]]

<<silently>>/* you can get $tospaceno if you wanted to go to space and Lina refused you, or if Lina asked you to go and you refused. Use other variables to distinguish between the two? */ <<set $tospaceno = true>><</silently>> <<if $toallnat>> "No, I think that giving aliens more control over my life is the wrong thing for me to do right now. I don't think you should go either, but I know that I can't stop you."<<else>>"Thanks for the offer, but I feel like I should spend some time with my other grandchildren for a bit. I know I'm getting older and don't want to go out as much... but isn't leaving Earth a bit much? I've only been away from my home for four months and I already miss it a lot." <</if>> "That's surprisingly mature of you, Mom. It would have been really nice to have you along. I'll have to make other arrangements for Weston... maybe one of his nannys will want to come on an extended vacation?" "Ha. Good luck with that." "See you at the final molting ritual tomorrow!" [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] /* <<if $linarelationship lt 3>>You're upset that Lina so baldly stated that you don't get along well. You're family. Shouldn't that take precedence over "compatibility"? Then again, Lina always one to do her own thing. This will take a while for you to accept.<</if>> */

<<set $tospace = true>>\ "Wow, you're willing to just move to outer space, no questions asked? You must have really bonded with Weston during Uplift transition. It will be good publicity for us to move there, and it won't be forever. More like a year or two while we establish operations there." "Yes. Just tell me what I need to do." "I will. This will be so incredibly helpful. I had no idea who would babysit Weston, or homeschool him, or whatever else he'll need there. See you at the final molting ceremony soon."

Kehlani Kanoa raises her hands high in the air. From somewhere a drum beats powerful rhythms into the ceremony grounds. When she lowers her arms, she says, "Welcome one and all. Today is the most sacred of the Molt Ceremonies, for after today, your buglet will be considered a person. An individual. A being worthy of all ethical consideration in Zydon law and culture." At that, the aliens commence singing a strange polyphonic piece that is as haunting and original as any piece of music ever heard on Earth. It is rich and moves the core of your entire physiology, heart, and mind to a new place. You find yourself weeping, and you don't know why. Then Kehlani raises a conch shell and blows a blast that echoes over the pond. You smile that she was allowed a small piece of her culture to be borrowed for this. And she raises her hand in the air and shouts, "Let the buglets enter!" We all lay our buglets on the ground, and like the instinct that allows salmon to find their home, they careen down the slope and into the water. <<if $materinjured>>Weston's is not the slowest, but poor Weston is near breaking, you can tell. He will soon lose his little Mater.<</if>> Soon, they are all submerged. The aliens remain in their line but now face the lake. No one speaks, and it seems somehow embedded in us that we are not to talk or look impatient. It seems like nearly forever, but it is really only after an hour or so that the buglets begin to emerge. They are about the same size but walk on two legs! The walk forward, more like the aliens on the shore, but more spindly, and their tentacles are very thin, and their horn is not well developed. The beak is sharp. Each newly molted buglet then heads toward the line of adult aliens, where one reaches down and picks it up. It is then carried solemnly to a person and placed in their arms. The look of delight and cooing suggest that these are the same ones they had, but have completely metamorphosed. Then the alien returns to its place in line. <<if $incubationTerms is 1>>Your buglet emerges from the pond, and an adult alien picks it up and hands it to you. You feel a little nervous being next to the adult alien, but you're not sure why. With shaking arms, you receive your new bipedal buglet.<</if>> <<if $Kydy gte 6>>Where is Weston? He was not here when the other biglets entered the water. Did Mader go in separately? What is going on? <<elseif $materinjured>>You start to worry when you notice that everyone's changed buglets have returned to their host, except Mater. Weston breaks to the shore and starts to call his name. Nothing happens. He calls louder. Then, finally, the little creature, unchanged, walks on its same legs connected to the same body out of the water. Weston runs forward and is about to scoop it up when Kehlani shouts a loud command, "STOP!" Then we see why. One of the aliens is coming forward, it bends down and picks up the alien, then places it in Weston's arms. But the massive alien does not return to its place in line, as did all the other handoffs of the buglets. Kehlani comes forward and places a hand on Weston's shoulder and tells him, "Weston, say goodbye to Mater. This one will take it away until it is returned to you." Weston is crying, but kneels on the sand with it and strokes it tenderly. The alien waits in stillness. Kehlani then helps him to his feet and guides him to the waiting giant, who takes it tenderly into its tentacles and takes its place in line. Kehlani blows another blast on her conch shell, and the aliens go back to their ship and fly off. Weston is unreconcilable and runs to Lina, and she holds him tight.<</if>> [[You hear a loud noise.|explosion]]

<<if $Kydy gte 6>>Everyone gathers in the front room: you, Lina, Donna, and your buglets. Weston as already gone to meet Sandy.<<else>> Everyone gathers in the front room: you, Lina, Donna, Weston, and your buglets.<</if>> You are all dressed in bright red, with tall cone-shaped purple hats, reminiscent of the alien's horn, with straight white streamers coming off the top. Your buglets have been wrapped in a yellow blanket, and on your feet are gold colored sandals. Sandy is there dressed as you are. There is a clear bell that sounds in the distance, and after looking at each other excitedly, you walk out the door. You are silent as ghosts as you make your way down the stairs and walk down toward the slope on the beach of the molting pond. You see the others from the apartments dressed identically. When you arrive, Kehlani Kanoa is there standing on the platform in a stunning red dress that billows and flows in the slight wind. <<if $Kydy gte 6>>Sandy directs you to your place on the beach, and you wait nervously as everyone gets in place. You wonder where Weston is but you suppose he’s getting ready for the the special thing they are doing for him. <<else>>Sandy directs you to your place on the beach, and you wait nervously as everyone gets in place. <</if>>Then, when everyone is ready, the aliens arrive in their large shuttle craft. They are without ornament or clothes except for a red sash that is stretched across their torso. When they are lined up on the shore, they face the Uplift people standing on the sward who are all holding their individual buglets. [[Begin the ceremony.|ceremony2]]

Suddenly, an ear-splitting explosion comes out of the middle of the pond. A column of water rages into the air. It goes higher than the highest building in the complex. Everyone dives to the ground. Kehlani, who was close to the water, is bleeding badly from one arm. Everyone seems dazed and confused. Some people are snapping their fingers at their ears, trying to see if they can still hear. All the buglets are hanging onto their hosts like scared children who are trying to find comfort. You run over to Weston and see if he is okay. He appears to be, but your ears are ringing, and you know his must be too. You hold onto him until Lina, who was much further up from the shore, gets down to you. <<if $Kydy gte 6>>Where is Weston? You start to panic, running up and down the slope to the molting pond. You can’t see him anywhere. Was he in that explosion? "Where is he?" You ask Donna and Lina, but they were wondering the same thing. You all begin to panic. Lina says she’ll look in the apartment. Donna goes in search of him among the crowds of people who have gathered for the festivities. You see Sandy, who is sitting on the ground holding her head from the sound percussion of the explosion. Overall, though, she looks to be OK. "Where is Weston!!?" you shout at her. "Weston? He’s not with you?" "No! You told him to come a half-hour early." "What?” "You told him to come a half-hour early!" You repeat loudly as if her "what?"was a hearing problem. "I never said anything like that. I thought he would come down with you? I have a whole building to take care of so I just assumed things were going as they should.” You stare in stunned silence. Where is Weston? You see Donna running toward you, her face a mask of terror. With her is another resident, Mince, from the apartment below. She runs up to you and says breathless, eyes wide. "He got in an old car with Kyby. He’s been taken by Kyby. They must have prearranged this." Mince relates to you what he saw: "I wondered what was going on. I got down here early and I saw this guy with long greasy hair, in combat fatigues, helping him and his buglet into a car. But I thought it must be something to do with ceremony business," Mince said, then added sheepishly, "I’m sorry." Weston was with Kyby. The guy who wanted to eat a buglet. You collapse on the ground, a numbing horror falling over you as blackness takes you in a faint.<<else>> "What happened? That wasn't a part of the ceremony, was it?" You can only imagine what she was saying because the ringing in your ears is too loud to make sense. Kehlani is shouting into a megaphone, telling everyone to get back to their apartment while what happened is sorted out. Soldiers are everywhere. A helicopter drops a team of divers into the lake from a hoist. It is chaos. You grab Weston and run toward the apartment.<</if>> <<if $conradend>>Ending 1/4: Conrad's Neglect <<elseif $allnatend>>Ending 2/4: All-Natural Aliens <<elseif $materinjuredend and $Kydy gte 6>>Ending 4/4: Darkest Timeline <<else>>Ending 3/4: Weston Died (during Uplift)<</if>> [[END ACT II|The End]]

You head in the direction you think the camp is, but after about half an hour, you have to admit that you're completely lost. You're not even sure how to get back to your Jeep. The guards you saw earlier calls out to you. "Excuse me ma'am! You look like you're even more lost than before!" Compared to earlier, they seem more friendly. "We heard that it's your grandson who joined us! You should join us too!" They guide you back to the gate, which was actually only a 15-minute walk away, but in the opposite direction that you thought you should go. As you walk in, you see people with unusual physical characteristics, like an extra arm, or feathers. Your impression of the carnies has been vastly mistaken. The idea of the circus "freak" has obviously been overplayed by the hype accompanying their appearance at the UpliftCon. Away from the performance aspects of their lifestyle, they turned out to be down-to-earth, ordinary folk just trying to make a living. Even so, there is a strangeness about some. A number of people are dressed as soldiers, and a few open carry guns, both sidearms and assault rifles. One is downright scary who walks up to you, pulls out a large Bowie Knife from his hip-sheath. "Name’s Kyby. If you’re looking me just ask around. Hey, mind if I carve off a small piece of your buglet and see how it tastes cooked over an open campfire?" He does not seem to be joking, and as you move to draw your buglet closer, you feel a chill. The man has wide, glassy eyes with tiny pale irises and pinpoint pupils. The whites of his eyes shine with an intensity that seems strangely inhuman. His long, greasy, unkempt hair appears to have never been washed, and he keeps flicking the safety of his assault rifle on and off. You back away, and he shrugs and says, "Maybe later then? After the moon sets? I've heard these monsters taste a little sweeter the darker the skies." He walks away, and you are not sorry to see him go. [[Reunite with Weston.|Westonfound]]

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Listen to Belinda's story.|BelindaStory]]

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Continue listening to Belinda.|Belindastory2]]

<<score "Kydy" 1>> That Kyly kid is talking to Weston. He’s keeping his distance, but you need to keep an eye on this.

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Continue listening to Belinda.|actualuplift]]

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Continue listening to Belinda.|ProcessUL]]

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Continue listening to Belinda.|insideWomb]]

<<include "Kyly time">> [[Listen as Belinda finishes her story.|pain]]

/* currently, you can go live in space with Lina if your relationship with her is less than 3 only if you decided to go to space anyway... maybe it makes sense? */\ "Hi Lina, how is everything?" "Kind of dumpster fire, honestly. How did the interview go today?" <<if $sawantfarm>>"Weston showed Conrad an ant ranch. He was happy to educate him about different ant species." "That doesn't surprise me. He was always watching those ant videos before. And Conrad actually like, paid attention?" "For a few minutes. He kept trying to steer Weston back into talking about Uplift, and I think Weston got frustrated and said he was totally done playing." "They both just want to talk about the Thing they're into. Gah." <<else>>"Conrad wasn't very good at engaging in Weston's interests. Weston talked to him a little, but then got angry and decided to stop talking after only a few minutes." "They both just want to talk about the Thing they're into. Gah. Mom, couldn't you have helped a little?" "Maybe I could have... but I felt so angry at Conrad. It was all I could do not to blow up at him." "I get it Mom."<</if>> "So I'm calling you for a reason, other than checking up on the interview. Conrad wants to assign me to go live on the Zydon space station for a few years. He said it would be good to take Weston with me, too. Some of the Uplift hosts are being invited to live there." <<if $sawantfarm>>"Yes, Conrad was just asking Weston if he wanted to be a space cowboy." "Really. What did Weston say?" "He said space didn't have any ants and would be uncomfortable, so he declined." Lina sighs with exasperation. "Not the best way to invite him to space. I'll have to introduce the idea gradually..." <<else>>"Really? Why?" you haven't heard anything about this. "The Zydons are saying it's safer there or something. Don't worry about it."<</if>> "Are you actually going to go live in space?" "Yes, come on Mom! I want the Uplift program to succeed. If some of the Uplift cohort goes up there, I want to be there to oversee Uplift operations." You imagine Weston, taken against his will into a desolate space station. "Can I come with you?" @@.consequence;Your relationship with Lina determine how this conversation plays out.@@ <<if $linarelationship lt 3>><<set $tospaceno = true>>"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mom. <<if $westonbadmouthedconrad>>You let Weston complain about what a bad dad Conor is on Pierre's Uplift propaganda. Like, yes, it's good publicity for Uplift, but not for Conor! I know it seems like he doesn't care about Weston, but he does at least care about his reputation, and it's a pain to have to reassure him all the time when Weston's absolutely right. <</if>>Do we really get along well enough to live together? I know you think we were all a happy family together, but I think it would just cause more drama." "What, and I just never see Weston again?" "I'm not saying it will be forever. Besides, you have a lot of other grandchildren." Now that Weston has connected with you so much more, you feel more affection for him, but Lina has a point. You feel tears stinging your eyes. "Tell Conrad you want to come back to Earth after a year out there." "I will, Mom. I know I joke about never wanting to go outdoors, but I might miss seeing the sun from Earth. Plus I bet Conrad will find some way for us to get internet out there, so we'll be in touch." [[Attend the final molt ritual.|secondmolt]] <<else>> "Yes, actually, that would solve a lot of problems for me, but think about it, Mom. You'll be stuck with just me and Weston for family and friends. You'll be out in outer space and I have no idea what the accomodations will be like. And I'll be even more stressed than normal because everything will be different. Conrad said he would make sure we have internet, though." <div class = "choice"> [[Yes. If it's just for a year or two.|tospaceanyway]] [[Actually, I'll stay on earth.|nospace]] </div> <</if>>

<<silently>> /* ---- TEST HARNESS - DELETE BEFORE RELEASE ---- letterSent re-scores $Upliftloyalty and $linarelationship the first time it runs, which would overwrite whatever you set below. Flipping $letterScored on up front skips that block so your values stick. */ <<set $letterScored to true>> <<set $tone to "upbeat">> <<set $detail to "detailed">> <</silently>> <div class="alienui"> <b>TEST HARNESS — not part of the game</b> <p>Shared state, read by both timelines. Set these first, then pick a route below.</p> <p>Incubation terms: <<cycle "$incubationTerms" autoselect>><<option "1 (took Uplift)" 1>><<option "0 (declined)" 0>><</cycle>></p> /*<p>Mater injured: <<checkbox "$materinjured" false true autocheck>></p>*/ <p>Weston badmouthed Conrad: <<checkbox "$westonbadmouthedconrad" false true autocheck>></p> </div> <<link "Loyal to Uplift and good relationship w Lina. Power of attorney.">> <<set $Upliftloyalty to 4>> <<set $linarelationship to 5>> <<set $powerofattorney to true>> <<goto "letterSent">> <</link>> /*<b>Timeline 1 — letterSent → Linacall2</b> <p>Needs $Upliftloyalty gt 1 to reach the third fork of letterSent. Inside Linacall2, $linarelationship picks the sub-branch.</p> <div class="choice"> <<link "1a. Lina gte 3 — she offers to take you to space">> <<set $Upliftloyalty to 2>> <<set $linarelationship to 5>> <<goto "letterSent">> <</link>> <<link "1b. Lina lt 3 — she turns you down, sets $tospaceno">> <<set $Upliftloyalty to 2>> <<set $linarelationship to 1>> <<goto "letterSent">> <</link>> </div> <b>Timeline 2 — $Kydy gte 6</b> <p>$Kydy rises by 1 in each of Kyly time1–6, so 6 means every Kyly beat was seen. It is read in secondmolt, ceremony1, ceremony2 and explosion, so enter at secondmolt and click through the whole chain.</p> <div class="choice"> <<link "2a. $Kydy = 6 — Weston leaves early with Sandy">> <<set $Kydy to 6>> <<goto "secondmolt">> <</link>> <<link "2b. $Kydy = 0 — control, for comparison">> <<set $Kydy to 0>> <<goto "secondmolt">> <</link>> </div>*/

<<set $conradend = true>>\ You've made some chicken nuggets for Weston, which he eats with ketchup. You've put your chicken nuggets on a sandwich with some pickled vegetables and sriracha mayo. While he's eating, you tell him that Conrad will be visiting him and asking him some questions while someone else records it. "Why does he want to talk to me?" You hate having to make excuses for Conrad's neglect. Maybe you can explain it in a way Weston will understand. @@.consequence;What you say depends on if you or Weston interviewed with Pierre, and how the interview went.@@ <<if $pierreinterviewedweston and not $westonbadmouthedconrad>>"Since your interview with Pierre went so well, Conrad wants to talk to you too."<<elseif $westonbadmouthedconrad>>"Conrad heard what you told Pierre about how you thought he should spend more time with you if he wants to call himself your dad. He probably also wants to show everyone how effective your Uplift was."<<elseif $pierreinterviewedyou>>"I told Pierre how well your Uplift has been going, in helping you talk and everything, that I think Conrad wants to see the new you."<<else>>"You remember when Conrad showed you off at UpliftCon, right? That was the 'before,' and now he wants to show the 'after.'"<</if>> "So... my talking shows how good Uplift is?" "Yes, exactly." "All I have to do is talk?" "Yes, like we're talking now.<<if $pierreinterviewedweston>> Just like you did with Pierre.<</if>>" "I can do that." There. Now he knows about it. [[Conrad arrives.|conradvisit]]

The morning of Conrad's visit, cleaners and other service personnel fill the common areas and even your apartment. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?" you ask. "Oh we're just preparing a few things for Conrad's arrival." A media team replaces the furniture in your apartment with newer and cleaner couches. They set up lights there and in the flex room, which they've commandeered for the whole day. They've also been setting up a few scenes outside. "Where is the interview going to take place?" You want to tell Weston so he knows what to expect. "Oh, we are going to do a bit of filming of Conrad with his son now. Some of it will be used in the interview, and we'll be using some of it in promotional media for Uplift." And Lina signed off on this? After lunch, you warn Weston that the "interview" may include some other videoing. He sighs and goes to his room to watch his tablet with Mater. <<if $enhancements.thinkDeeply>>Does Mater like watching the tablet? Does the buglet even have the cognitive capacity to interpret flashing lights as representative of real life? You shake your head and try to focus on the matter at hand.<</if>> You take Weston to the flex room at the appointed time. Conrad shows up with his posse of assistants and security, talking to them and looking at his phone until the cameras are rolling and he's with Weston. He tries to get Weston to sit on his lap, but Weston clearly refuses by squiggling onto the floor. "Weston. Come sit here! I'm your father, come sit on my lap." Conrad seems to be struggling to compromise with Weston. Does he have some mental image of fatherhood meaning your son sits in your lap? <<if $enhancements.thinkQuickly>>Conrad has no idea how to talk to any child, let alone his own.<<else>>Conrad picks Weston up and tries to force him to sit on his lap. Weston is doing an excellent impression of a wet noodle. You know what comes next... kicking and screaming. Conrad has no idea what he's doing.<</if>> You intervene: "Weston, come here. You don't have to sit on Conrad's lap. Just sit here next to him." Weston grudgingly complies. Conrad grudgingly accepts that Weston won't sit on his lap. "Well, Weston. It's so nice to meet you today. How are you?" "I'm fine." "How are you liking your new body?" "It's fine." Weston is in a bad mood. If Conrad is going to get him talking at all, he should warm him up a bit... but he has no idea about Weston's interests. You're fairly certain that none of this initial part will be used in the final interview, if anything at all. You ask Weston a question to try to nudge things along. "Weston, why don't you tell Conrad about the ants you found yesterday?" "We found a Velvety tree colony. And I saw some Thief ants in it! I opened up some of the bark and I saw the nursury. I saw the Thief ants eating the Velvety tree ant larvae." At first, Conrad looks displeased that you've interrupted their talk, but he picks up on what you're doing, eventually. "What else did you notice about the Thief ants?" Conrad asks. "Well, they are much smaller than the Velvety tree ants. Maybe the Velvety tree ants didn't notice the Thief ant tunnels because the tunnels were too small for them to go down. Oh and they smell like ants. So even though the Thief ants are smaller and the Velvety tree ants could kill them all, the Thief ants live peacefully with the Velvety tree ants." "Peacefully?" Conrad looks like he's actually getting into the conversation instead of reading off a mental script. "What's peaceful about it? Aren't the Thief ants stealing from the other ones?" "True. The Thief ants sometimes eat the eggs and the larvae. And their food. But they don't hurt the grown-up ants." "So if you were an ant, what kind would you be?" "I don't want to be an ant. I like looking at them. If I were an ant, I wouldn't be able to look at them." "Just tell me another cool thing about ants." "One other cool thing I found with ants here is ants farming aphids." "The ants were... farming?" "Yes, they had a herd of aphids! They milk them for the honeydew. I can show you." Conrad looks to you, presumably for advice. This may be the first time he's ever made eye contact with you. @@.consequence;Your choice determines if Conrad's media team can successfully film Conrad and Weston enjoying one another's company.@@ <div class = "choice"> [[Encourage them to go look at the ant "farm."|antfarm]] [[Stay silent. Conrad made his bed and he can sleep in it.|staysilent]] </div>

<<set $sawantfarm = true>>\ "Yes," you say, "let's all go look at the Carpenter ants! It's not very far from here." The media crew accompanies Conrad as he follows Weston and an excited Mater through long grasses and pine needles. Conrad's spotless outfit gets a little dirty, but his assistant assures him they can clean it up in post-processing. "Here they are. These are Carpenter ants. They are taking care of the aphids. They understand the aphids well. If they have to move, they'll take an egg with them so they can start a new aphid colony. If a ladybug tries to eat their aphids, they will kill the ladybug." "Wait, so these little bumps are the aphids?" Conrad is actually starting to look at what Weston is showing him. "Yes, and you can see the nectar-like stuff the ants are taking from them. The ants eat it." "Is the farming good for both the aphids and the ants?" "Well, people don't agree about that." Weston is preparing to talk in detail about one of his favorite subjects. "The ants keep the aphids from growing wings. Sometimes they actually take the wings off, and sometimes they use a chemical to prevent them from growing wings. So the aphids are kinda stuck. And sometimes the ants eat the aphid babies to control the population." "It's not that different from humans and cows, I suppose." "That's why we call these aphid herds. And this ant is an aphid rancher. And this ant looks like a cowboy." Weston giggles at his own silliness. The media crew has been taking film and photo of the whole encounter. "How would you like to be a cowboy in outer space?" Conrad asks Weston. That seems to have come from nowhere. "There shouldn't be any ants in space. So I couldn't watch ants. And it's really cold unless you're in the sun, and then it's melting hot." Huh, some of those educational videos really sunk in. "Overall, I'd say that space sounds uncomfortable and boring." "I heard that the Zydons are taking some of your Uplift cohort to their space station! Would that make any difference?" Conrad's negotiation skills are those of a spurned lover. "I'm going to go wherever Mater goes. So if Mater has to go back to the space station, I'll go with him." You can see the gears turning in Conrad's head. "I see." After a minute more of looking at the ants, Conrad is ready to move on. "Weston, I'd like to see your apartment where you've been staying this whole time. Can you show me your room?" "No." Weston is unexpectedly calm in his defiance. You notice Mater holding his ankle. "I'm done playing with you today. Goodbye." You hoped that Weston would come around after having a snack, or even after dinner, but he stubbornly refused to have anything else to do with Conrad for the rest of the day. The media team seems to have got what they came for though, and packs up. Conrad leaves with them. That evening, Lina calls you. [[Take the call.|Linacall2]]

You return Conrad's stare. You know there's judgement in your eyes. You can't help it. Weston should have a father in his life and Conrad is not doing that. It's only through redirecting your energy on what's best for Weston that you're able to resist publicly berating Conrad right now. He should feel the awkwardness of not knowing his own grandson. It's probably the only sip of justice he'll experience all year. "Let's finish up here, Weston. Can you tell me about what it was like when you got out of Uplift and started talking more?" Weston is in a factual mood. "Yes. It felt like my mouth was starting to work with my brain better. Before, I wanted to say things, and they couldn't come out. Maybe it was like my words were water in a cup with a lid. The words only came out if I was really shook up or bent out of shape enough for some to leak out. Now, it's like, there's a hole in the lid. I can get water of out it. And by water, I mean words." "That's wonderful. Are there any other things you noticed about Uplift that you want to tell me?" "Yes. Having a friend like Mater is the best thing in the world. He knows what is going on in my brain. He can help me know what to do when I can't calm down." "I'm happy for you and Mater. Did you notice any other changes with Uplift?" "Yes, my clothes and shoes aren't as noisy. Meaning they don't grab my attention. And bright lights don't bother me as much as they did before." "Anything else?" Weston, exiting fact-mode, is realizing that he's being pumped for information. "No. Mostly just talking. And even then, I don't always like to talk. For example, I'm done talking with you now." "Alright, let's take a break." Conrad looks up to his crew, also exiting dad-mode. "No," Weston persists, "I'm done talking to you and hanging out with you today." You hoped that Weston would come around after having a snack, or even after dinner, but he stubbornly refused to have anything else to do with Conrad for the rest of the day. Conrad's assistant tries to get Weston to come out for the rest of the afternoon, and he stubbornly refuses to have anything to do with her. It seems that the media team wasn't able to get any outdoor shots, although they do have the material from the main interview. They stick around until Weston goes to bed, hoping that he'll change his mind, but end up going home without any outdoor footage. Conrad leaves with them. That evening, Lina calls you. [[Take the call.|Linacall2]]