Gragin's Text Adventure

[Pichi2214]

>say "I... can hear you now. Where... where am I and who are you?"

[ಠ_ಠ]

      "I... can hear you now. Where... where am I and who are you?"
     The man grinned in a way that struck you as practiced, as if he had spent hours in front of a mirror trying to get it just right. "You're in St. Paul's Regional Hospital," he said, "and you've been out of it for a while. Otaru. Japanese flu." He took out a pen from his suit pocket -- you noticed now, he was dressed in a sharp suit, like he had just come from some board meeting -- and scribbled something on his notepad before he continued. "We got here just in time to pull you back from the brink."
     You searched your mind for memories, remembering otaru. You didn't remember being put here or contracting it, but you didn't remember a lot. Your head, for its part, gave you a decisive bolt of pain as you dredged up the information to your consciousness. "I got otaru?"
     "Yes," he said, "about a month ago. Antivirals were stretched thin already when you showed up," he glanced around the deserted hospital, "and considering the state of the area it's kind of a miracle we were able to find you and bring you back in the first place."
     Your mind swam a bit as you considered what this meant. Someone had taken you in, despite your express desire against it. Left to rot in this empty shell of a building. Had there even been anyone there to take you? You then noticed your hospital gown, bracelet, and heart monitor, and decided there must have been.
     "Okay," you said, "okay I got otaru. That makes sense. But you still haven't told me who you are."
     He smiled that constructed smile again, as he said, "I'm Tom Hanson, and I'm from GeoTrust."
     GeoTrust. Your heart sank.

>_

[RedGreenBlue]

What's GeoTrust?

[ಠ_ಠ]

     Hearing about GeoTrust made your emotions come forward before your actual processing mind could remember what it was. You still weren't all together yet, it seemed. GeoTrust, you remembered. A consortium of energy and technology companies that came together in the last half of the century, a while before clouds stopped forming in the sky. Proportedly to help stem the worst effects of global warming, in actuality it hastened them by investing heavily in weakening global politics and consolidating power in preparation for what was likely going to be a worldwide famine. Despite what they published, their research and development teams were lagging behind their own projections. There weren't enough bodies, weren't enough minds, weren't enough people anymore with the training to keep up. Which meant--
     "Oh no. I'm not working for you. I already said no."
     "I do understand, ma'am. You have made that very clear. I would, however, ask you to consider your predicament."
     Your eyebrows furrowed as you realized you felt personally insulted by this man. "My predicament? Our predicament. You did nothing while we all died--"
    "--While you all died," he said, staring directly into your eyes. "Trust me, ma'am, the consortium has a plan. It doesn't have to end here."
    You laughed bitterly. "I'm sure. What have you got, huh? A time machine? A magic ritual to bring the rain back? A cure for otaru?"
    "Well," he said, with a genuine smirk this time, "we actually do have one of those." He held up a syringe, still attached to the line leading into your IV bag. You stared, dumbfounded.
    "You actually... I mean, you did it?"
    "We definitely did," he said, "as your current condition can attest to. We only have limited resources, however, and considering the situation we are taking a big risk here giving it to you."
    You thought for a moment. "I see. Well, that still doesn't change anything. I didn't ask to be cured, and I'm not going to take a job with you. Thank you for your help, but I'll be leaving now."
    You got up from your bed to head out of the room. Or at least, you should have. You realized, with dawning horror, that your legs would not move.  You touched them, tentatively, and felt nothing. No matter what you tried, your legs felt completely dead.
    The man gestured to the empty beds and deserted staff counters. "I believe now you may be realizing your predicament."

   >_

[skinstealer]

demand to know what he gave you Does, and if it really only "cures"

[ಠ_ಠ]

     "What the fuck," you said, your voice shaking with barely contained rage, "did you do to me."
     "We saved you."
     "No. I can't fucking walk. What did you do."
     The man grinned that practiced smile again. "You know how otaru works. It inflames the nervous system, degrading it as it spreads through body, until it hits the brain. By the time it progresses to your conscious mind, the damage is already done."
     You stared at the wall, not wanting to look at the man as you spoke. "So... this is permanent, then? It's not some kind of drug-induced effect. I'm not going to get my legs back."
     The man reached under his seat, and tossed a folder onto your lap. "Read for yourself. They were still monitoring you normally, until about two weeks ago. It's all in there."
     Your hands shook. The report was curt, but there was enough information to gather what you needed. Stage III otaru-induced spinal neuropathy. Inflammation of the brainstem. Projected complete loss of motor function below the abdomen. Projected degradation of motor function in the upper abdomen. Brain lesion-induced seizures. You would need medical care for the rest of your life. You looked at the man again. "So..."
    "So. You can refuse to help us, as you have in the past. That's your right. We won't hold that against you, neither will we demand payment for the assistance we just gave you. Rather gracious, don't you think?"
    "But if I refuse, you leave me where I am."
    "No reason to house you if you're just going to take up space," the man said casually. "The clock's run out. We don't have the time or the resources to run a charity. You're resourceful, I'm sure, but considering the state of the city outside I doubt you're resourceful enough to make it very far on your own."
    Your heart raced, the barely contained panic of someone who knew they were trapped and couldn't escape.
   "What would... What would you have me do?"
    The man beamed, from ear to ear. "We're restarting it, Doctor."
   "Restarting what?"
   The man leaned towards you, his eyes shining with manic intensity. "Oneiori." 


[ ]

[...]

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MEMORY LEAK DETECTED. PAUSING ITERATION Zx002qRfT.

STATUS CHECK:

Warning! Maximum entropy level decreased!

Running diagnostic.....

Custom recovery system found. Using latest version....

************************************************************************************************************************

cl.recover version 8.2

Maximum entropy decreased! Good job!

Checking meshed mutagenic codeform....

Codeform: Inform Z-Machine 6.30, circa 1999.

Checking compatible assets.....

Assets Generated.

Please choose an asset. Current entropy levels mandate a single choice. Perceptual bundle included.

     1) Open/Close function.
     2) Expanded directional library
     3) Object placement

************************************************************************************************************************

>_

[RedGreenBlue]

Object Placement.

[ಠ_ಠ]

>Object Placement


************************************************************************************************************************



....Asset Loaded.

Recompiling......OK
Scanning for Cohesive Consciousness.....1 found
Attaching assets......OK
Restarting instance

************************************************************************************************************************




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[Your score has increased by 5 points]

---

Walking through the empty woods, you spy an old, broken down house in a clearing ahead of you.
It's a modest, white, two-story thing that seems to have been abandoned for some time. You can see the entire structure tilting slightly to the left, as if a nasty storm was on the verge of blowing it over.
You will need a place to sleep tonight, and for safety's sake you'd rather not do so under the stars. 
Considering the state of the place, you're going to have to figure out how to get inside first.

---

Gragin's Text Adventure
Copyright 1999 Chris Maitsad
Release 2.1/ Serial Number Zx002qRfT / Inform v6.30 Library 6/11 S

---

FRONT LAWN

You have arrived at the front yard of the house. A brown and withered lawn holds many secrets. There is nothing but darkness and dense foliage behind you. The Moon hangs silently over your head as you observe the area. The house, to the North, is barricaded from entry. Obvious exits are West, to the garden, and a path to the Northeast around the house.

>_

[Orange Juice Goose]

Make sure there are no lawn gnomes spying on us from dark corners.

[ಠ_ಠ]

>Make sure there are no lawn gnomes spying on us from dark corners.

That's not a verb I recognize.

[Type 'Help' to see a list of commands]

>_

[Orange Juice Goose]

Examine Lawn