The Promises of Mars

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// Communications <<set $communicationsStage to 1>> <<set $prevComms to "default">> // Inventory management <<set $playerInventory to ['<<if lastVisited("1i. Basement") is 0>><<link "Headlamp">><<goto [[1i.1]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("3g Ground floor corridor") is 0>><<link "Headlamp">><<goto [[3g.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Headlamp<<endif>>', '<<if lastVisited("2k") is 0>><<link "Screwdriver">><<goto [[2k.1]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("1h.1 Door") is 0>><<link "Screwdriver">><<goto [[1h.3]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("5i Fix exhaust") is 0>><<link "Screwdriver">><<goto [[5i.2]]>><</link>><<else>>Screwdriver<<endif>>', '<<if lastVisited("2k") is 0>><<link "Wrench">><<goto [[2k.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("1n.3") is 0 & $frameDisassembled is false>><<link "Wrench">><<goto [[1n.4]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("2j") is 0>><<link "Wrench">><<goto [[2j.3]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("5i Fix exhaust") is 0>><<link "Wrench">><<goto [[5i.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Wrench<<endif>>']>> // Section 1 variables <<set $extinguisherTaken to false>> <<set $attemptedDoor to false>> <<set $ladderTaken to false>> <<set $frameDisassembled to false>> // Section 2 variables <<set $cablesConnected to false>> <<set $batteryConnected to false>> <<set $elevatorFixed to false>> <<set $cctvChecked to false>> <<set $powerOn to false>> // Section 3 variables <<set $leftPipe to "open">> <<set $rightPipe to "open">> <<set $middlePipe to "closed">> <<set $exhaustFixed to false>> <<set $pipesFixed to false>> <<set $reactorFixed to false>> <<set $reactorOpen to false>>

<span class='fade-in'>Atop a windswept tower, the silhouette of [[a Girl|1.1]] wrestles with the setting sun.</span>

She's small, undernourished, though she feels like a giant now, surveying the wasteland from her perch. <span class="continue-block"> The monolith of red dust-stained metal sinks deep into the ground, a geothermal vent long ago repurposed into a tunnel to the surface.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her body is wrapped in layers of black and brown, cloth and leather held together loosely with gaffer tape and thread.</span> <span class="continue-block">A breathing mask is held tightly over her nose and mouth by fraying elastic straps, and goggles cover her eyes. </span> <span class="continue-block">Soldered onto the underside of a peaked visor, the lenses are thick and brown like soda bottle glass.</span> <span class="continue-block">Short tufts of auburn hair sprout through the gaps in her protective gear like weeds through cracked paving slabs.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<link "She scans the horizon.">><<goto [[1.2]]>><</link>></span>

The cord around her waist snaps taut as she approaches the ground, sending her body bobbing upwards with a gasp. <span class="continue-block">She unbuckles the cord from her tool belt and drops to the desert floor.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Descent complete. Moving in."</span> <span class="continue-block">The small screen on her wrist flickers with a mess of static grey.</span> <span class="continue-block">Intertwined wires stretch from the screen into a heavy-duty rucksack strapped to her back, re-emerging at the neckline and connecting to her goggles.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her ear buzzes.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Remember to use your Comms Link to maintain contact."</span> <span class="continue-block"><i>Clicking the Comms Link in your inventory will allow you to contact Command, should you need assistance.</i></span> <span class="continue-block"><<link "She nods to herself, and begins to march towards the city.">><<goto [[1a. Road]]>><</link>></span>

<<if visited("2c")>>Row after row of cylindrical towers fill the clearing, each crowned with a heavy, motionless rotor blade. <span class="continue-block">A squat concrete building stands at the edge of the clearing, its glass dome porch shimmering.</span> [[She approaches the concrete building.|2b]]<<else>>Row after row of hulking cylindrical towers fill the clearing, standing to attention under the beaming gaze of the low-hanging sun. <span class="continue-block">A squat concrete building stands alone at the front of the parade, a drill sergeant to the phalanx of towers.</span> <span class="continue-block">A domed glass porch shimmers at the building's base, clearly designed to add architectural beauty to a project that desperately needed pragmatism above all else. [[She looks up at the towers.|2c]] [[She approaches the concrete building.|2b]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl focuses her attention on the concrete tenement at the far end of the clearing; the entrance to the underground substation. <span class="continue-block">A sign has been fixed halfway up the side of the building. In bold capitals it reads: 'ARCADIA SUBSTATION'.</span> <span class="continue-block">As she gets closer to the building, the Girl notices that a section of the dome is missing.</span> <span class="continue-block">She approaches the breach.</span> <span class="continue-block">Large shards of glass litter the floor. The gap isn't too big; just wide enough for a person to slip through. The outline of the breach reminds the Girl of the old comics her mom had given her to read.</span> <span class="continue-block">There's no sign of anything nearby that could possibly have caused the damage to the glass shell. [[She enters the dome.|2d]] [[She looks around the block.|2f]]</span>

The steel fuselages, identical but for faded letters and numbers printed vertically on their bodywork, sink into the ground. <span class="continue-block">She'd read about them in her briefing.</span> <span class="continue-block">Each tower is fitted with a high-powered turbine, pulling air into the body of the tower as it spins. The air is stripped of its poisons, which is piped into storage containers deep below the earth where it can be safely forgotten about; at least that's what Command says.</span> <span class="continue-block">Skinny service ladders poke out of the towers like Braille. [[She climbs the nearest ladder.|2e]] [[She leaves the towers for now.|2a]]</span>

The Girl circles the desk. A second tier, hidden behind the barricade of the first, is similarly cluttered. <span class="continue-block">She ducks her head under the desk and immediately spots a bright red box with a plexiglass door.</span> <span class="continue-block">Behind it, what appears to be a first aid kit and a <<linkappend "fire extinguisher.">> <span class="continue-block">The Girl, reflecting on the ash-covered streets outside, smiles wryly.</span><</linkappend>> [[She tries to open the box.|2k]] [[She returns to the front of desk.|2d]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited('2d') >=2>>Harsh sunlight reflects through the substation porch's concertina glass panes, brightening the circular room. A two-tier crescent moon desk sits directly beneath the crown of the dome. At the far side of the dome, a sliding door blocks the entrance to the substation. [[The Girl examines the desk.|2g]] [[The Girl approaches the door.|2h]]<<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 6>>The Girl steps through the gap in the dome, holding her breathing tube close to her stomach to prevent it snagging on the glass. <span class="continue-block">An aggressive light show greets her. Whirling bolas of sunlight dance through the air, reflected through the dome's concertina glass panes. She holds up a hand to her brow.</span> <span class="continue-block">The circular room is clean — although dust is beginning to drift through the newly created opening — with no furnishings except for a crescent moon reception desk sitting directly beneath the crown of the dome.</span> <span class="continue-block">At the far side of the dome, where the concrete wall of the main tenement block steeples upwards, a sliding door blocks the entrance to the substation.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She examines the desk.|2g]] [[She approaches the door.|2h]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl scuttles up the ladder, flitting swiftly from rung to rung like a squirrel climbing a tree. <span class="continue-block">She pauses at the top, the arches of her boots locked into the penultimate rung of the ladder, her upper body pressed against the lip of the cylinder.</span> <span class="continue-block">She peers inside. </span> <span class="continue-block">As expected, rotor blades gate the tower's hollow interior, each the size of a prop plane's wing.</span> <span class="continue-block">The blades aren't turning.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl twists her neck and looks across the field of towers. All built in the same way, with the same large blades; all currently idle. [[She descends the tower.|2b.2]]</span>

<<if visited('2j.1') >=2>>The door, one continuous piece of red-painted steel, has been wrenched open, revealing the entrance to the substation. [[The Girl crosses the threshold|II. The Station]]<<elseif visited('2h') >=2>>The door, one continuous piece of red-painted steel, rests on a set of rollers that run perpendicular to the wall.<<if $attemptedDoor is true>> The door's been chained shut from the inside.<<endif>> [[The Girl tries to open the door.|2j]] [[The Girl leaves the door for now.|2d]]<<else>>The Girl approaches the door. <span class="continue-block">A solid piece of steel, painted russet red but now speckled with chips and blemishes, the door rests on a set of rollers that run perpendicular to the wall.</span> [[She tries to open the door.|2j]] [[She leaves the door for now.|2d]]<<endif>>

<<if $extinguisherTaken is true>>The desk has little else to offer aside from obsolete work plans and unfiled expenses. [[She returns to the centre of the room.|2d]]<<else>>A brass plaque is fixed the front of the desk, the words 'DAC Substation: Arcadia' etched in serif. <span class="continue-block">The desk is covered in sheets of paper, all beginning to wither and curl with age.</span> <span class="continue-block">Nothing of interest to the Girl. [[She returns to the centre of the room.|2d]] [[She circles to the back of the desk.|2i]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<set $communicationsStage to 8>>She passes through the newly opened doorway, and follows the doglegged hall into the main building of the substation. <span class="continue-block">At the end of the corridor is a door far more intimidating than the last.</span> <span class="continue-block">It's thick, made of hardened steel, and sealed tightly shut. A lever runs horizontally across the middle of the door.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl had seen a similar door underground. It was guarded round the clock. No one went in, no one went out.</span> <span class="continue-block">She'd never found out what was behind the door, but remembered the <<linkreplace "rumours.">>rumours: that behind the door was <<linkreplace "an upper class palace.">><<linkreplace "a great treasure hoard.">> a secret passage to the surface, to a location with air that hadn't yet been poisoned. <span class="continue-block">She now knows that last rumour couldn't possibly be true.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She squeezes the lever and pulls the door open.|3b]]</span><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>></span>

<span class="continue-block">Moments later, the vent closes and another opens.</span><span class="continue-block"> A gentle jet of cold air streams out of the second vent — the Girl can feel it tickling her exposed fingertips.</span> <span class="continue-block">The second vent closes, and the light turns green, then amber. The door opposite the Girl clicks; the completion of the process.</span> <span class="continue-block">Some kind of airlock, she thinks to herself. A cohort of scientists man the substation. Their air would have to have been oxygenated.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She takes off her breathing mask.|3b.2]] [[She continues to use her breathing mask.|2b.3]]</span>

<span class="continue-block">No palaces or treasures wait behind the door. Instead, the Girl finds herself in an empty metal cube.</span><span class="continue-block"> The cube is symmetrical; an identical door at either end. A narrow strip lamp, embedded in the ceiling, lights up, bathing the room in an amber glow.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl steps in and the first door closes behind her with a heavy click.</span> <span class="continue-block">Silence.</span> <span class="continue-block">Suddenly, the light turns red. A vent in the ceiling opens with a [[gasp|3b.1 Airlock]].</span>

<div id="titleLeft"></div> <div id="titleRight"> <div id="title-text">The Promises of Mars</div><div id="subtitle">By George Larkwright</div> [[Begin.->I. The City]] </div>

Dust clouds swirl in the distance, spells whipped up by a mischievous Djinn. A camera module fixed to the underside of her visor transmits grey images back to the bunker below. <span class="continue-block">She spots the city perimeter, faintly pencilled into the red and orange dust.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Are you seeing this, Command?"</span> <span class="continue-block">The radio receiver in her ear crackles.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Confirm visuals. You may proceed."</span> <span class="continue-block">She takes a deep breath, then <<link "dives off the tower">><<goto [[1.3]]>><</link>>.</span>

The evacuation was overseen by Command, a small leadership group responsible for ensuring life persevered in the underground bunkers. <span class="continue-block">They made sure the oxygen system and power grid were maintained, that food and water supplies never ran low.</span> <span class="continue-block">They also monitored the progress of the vast network of carbon capture stations that purged the atmosphere of toxins.</span> <span class="continue-block">It was one of these stations that the Girl had been sent to [[investigate|1a.2]].</span>

"I've been chosen to join the Expeditionary Force," She announces. <span class="continue-block">Her mother looks up from her sewing. "You're too young."</span> <span class="continue-block">"I want to do it. I want to serve."</span> <span class="continue-block">Silence holds Daughter and Mother apart.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Command wills it," the Girl says.</span> <span class="continue-block">Mother gives in. Her pale face tilts downwards, the remaining strands of silver-grey hair dropping in-front of her eyes. "[[So be it.|1a.3]]"</span>

The Girl crosses the bridge that marks the entrance to the city. <span class="continue-block">The canyon it arches over was once a deep river. Peering over the edge, the Girl can scarcely see a puddle.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her tools scrape against the metal railings as she leans. She's equipped with the basics; anything else she'll have to scavenge.</span> <span class="continue-block"><i>At times you will need to use your inventory items to progress. View your current inventory to the left. Items will be highlighted orange when they can be used. Click an item to use it.</i></span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl breathes in slowly. <span class="continue-block">The tank in her rucksack purrs as it pumps oxygen through her mask and into her scarred lungs.</span> <span class="continue-block">She checks the display on her wrist: a green number burnt into the static. Ninety-seven percent.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She enters the city.|1b. City entrance]]</span>

The Girl leaves the towers, and focuses her attention on the concrete tenement at the far end of the clearing; the entrance to the underground substation. <span class="continue-block">A sign has been fixed halfway up the side of the building. In bold capitals it reads: 'ARCADIA SUBSTATION'.</span> <span class="continue-block">As she gets closer to the building, the Girl notices that a section of the dome is missing.</span> <span class="continue-block">She approaches the breach.</span> <span class="continue-block">Large shards of glass litter the floor. The gap isn't too big; just wide enough for a person to slip through. There's no sign of anything nearby that could have caused the damage. [[She enters the dome.|2d]] [[She looks around the block.|2f]]</span>

\<<set $attemptedDoor to true>><<if visited('2j') >=2>><<set $communicationsStage to 7>>The Girl tries to open the door again. The door shudders on its rails, but it does not open. [[She steps away from the door.|2d]]\<<else>>The Girl grabs the door's handle and attempts to slide the door open. <span class="continue-block">It doesn't move, yielding only the tinny metallic sound of chain clanking against metal. </span> <span class="continue-block">She tries again. Once again the door does not open, its rollers gripping the tracks, refusing to move.</span> <span class="continue-block">She presses a button on her Comms Link. "Command, the entrance is locked. Is there another way in?"</span> <span class="continue-block">"Negative."</span> <span class="continue-block">[[Unperturbed, the Girl steps away from the door.|2d]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl searches her tool belt for a suitable tool to open the box...

She opts for guile. <span class="continue-block">She takes a flathead screwdriver from a slim pouch on her belt and eases the blade between the box's door and hull, levering it left and right to try and force an opening.</span> <span class="continue-block">The door wiggles on its hinges slightly, but <<link "doesn't open">><<goto [[2k]]>><</link>>.</span>

\<<set $extinguisherTaken to true>>She opts for aggression. <span class="continue-block">She unhooks a wrench from her belt and smashes the plexiglass screen out of its frame.</span> <span class="continue-block">She takes the fire extinguisher from the box and [[moves away from the desk.|2d]]<<set $playerInventory.push('<<if lastVisited("2j") is 0>><<link "Fire Extinguisher">><<goto [[2j.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("1n.6") is 0 || lastVisited("1n.4") is 0>><<link "Fire Extinguisher">><<goto [[1n.5]]>><</link>><<else>>Fire Extinguisher<<endif>>')>></span>

The Girl forces the pole into the gap between door and wall, and pulls the end towards her, levering back the <<linkreplace "door.">>door. <span class="continue-block">It judders in its tracks, letting out a metallic wheeze as it clings to the wall.</span> <span class="continue-block">She tries again.</span> <span class="continue-block">The door launches backwards with a snap, sending the Girl flying backwards. The chain that had been holding the door shut falls to the ground with a dissonant clatter.</span> <span class="continue-block">The door teeters, then tumbles off its rails, narrowly missing the Girl.<<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if lastVisited('2j') is 0>><<link 'Pole'>><<goto [[2j.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Pole<<endif>>")>></span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl dusts herself down, and enters the substation.|II. The Station]]</span><</linkreplace>>

<div id="sidebar"> <div class="sidebar-header">  <div class="story-title"></div>  <div class="sidebar-toggle"> <span id="sidebar-toggle-icon" class="lnr lnr-arrow-down-circle"></span> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar-body"> <nav class="sidebar-nav"> <div id="ui-heading">MAP:</div><br> <div id="story-map"></div><br> <div id="story-meters"></div> <ul class="story-tools"> <li> <span id="restart-button" class="lnr lnr-redo"></span> </li> <li> <span id="saves-button" class="lnr lnr-download"></span> </li> <li> <span id="settings-button" class="lnr lnr-cog"></span> </li> </ul> <ul class="story-menu" data-passage="storyMenu"> </ul> </nav> </div>  </div>  <div id="story" role="main"> <div id="passages"> <div id="passage-start" data-passage="start" class="passage"> </div> </div> </div>

---- <div id="inventory"><div id="ui-heading">INVENTORY:</div> <<link 'Comms Link'>><<dialog '"Control, require assistance."'>>The screen on her wrist fizzes.<br><br><<switch $communicationsStage>><<case 1>>"You know the mission. Enter the substation, ascertain the status of the crew and repair the reactor."<<case 2>>"Which way, Command?" The Girl asks.<br><br>"According to your positioning, the substation can be found down the street on your right. Proceed."<<case 3>>"It appears you've taken a wrong turn. The substation is in the right of the city."<<case 4>>"Command, my path is blocked," the Girl says. "Is there another route?"<br><br>"Negative. Explore the city and see if you can find a way over that blockade."<<case 5>>"The substation is nearby. Proceed."<<case 6>>"Substation Arcadia recognised. Proceed with caution."<<case 7>>"You'll have to find a way of opening that door. Some kind of makeshift crowbar should do it. Perhaps that climbing frame you passed can be of use?"<<case 8>>"We can't guarantee the continuity of the oxygen supply within the substation. Maintain oxygen mask protocol."<<case 9>>"You know the mission. Ascertain the status of the substation crew and repair the reactor."<<case 10>>"The elevator will require power to take you to the reactor. Power should be managed from the security room."<<case 11>>"The distribution board has been disconnected", the Girl says. "Who could have done this?"<br><br>"You'll need to find an alternative power source and some way of connecting it. Search the substation."<<case 12>>"You'll need to find an alternative power source and connect it to the distribution board. Have you searched all the rooms upstairs?"<<case 13>>"The wires will need securing before you turn on the power. Remember your training: use electrical tape if you have some."<<case 14>>The Girl considers contacting Command about her discovery, but she loses her nerve. This is not a confrontation she wants to have yet.<<case 15>>"With power restored you can activate the elevator to the underground purification reactor. The activation controls should be accessible from the security room terminal."<<case 16>>"Remember, if vision becomes difficult, you can use your headlamp to light up a space."<<case 17>>"You know the mission. It's all about repairing the reactor now. The bunker's survival depends on it."<<case 18>>"I'm out of my depth here Command," the Girl says. "How do I restart the reactor?"<br><br>The signal is choppy, but she can just about make out the response from Command.<br><br>"To restart the reactor, you'll need to ensure the exhaust is open and the pumps are operational. Copy?"<<case 19>>"The exhaust is fixed. What about the pumps?"<<case 20>>"The pumps are operational. What about the exhaust?"<<case 21>>"We're getting negative readings from the reactor. Enter the observation deck and see what you can do."<br><br>She's so far beneath the earth she can barely hear Command now.<<case 22>>There is no response. Either Command has cut the communication lines or the Girl is too far below the surface.<br><br>She knows she has to enter the control room to restart the reactor.<<case 23>>There is no response. <<default>>There is no response. <</switch>> <</dialog>><</link>> <<for _i to 0; _i lt $playerInventory.length; _i++>> $playerInventory[_i] <</for>> </div> ----

She follows one of the many tarmac highways that run into the city like veins. <span class="continue-block">Progress is slow.</span> <span class="continue-block">Abandoned cars, all rusted and ruined, jam up the road. Some have been stripped for parts by looters who stayed behind after the evacuation, desperately trying to spin a profit from the apocalypse.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl was too young to remember the evacuation.</span> <span class="continue-block">She'd grown up in the serpentine tunnel system that had been hastily constructed as the surface became uninhabitable.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her mother was one of the lucky survivors who'd been chosen to [[descend|1a.1]].</span>

\<<if visited("1b. City entrance") >= 2>><<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>>The Girl retraces her steps completely, returning to the outskirts of the city. Old concrete tenements rise up around the Girl. The street splits into two; one goes left, the other right. She faces the intersection and plans her next route. [[She takes the left street.|1c. Left street]] [[She takes the right street.|1d. Right street]]<<else>>Concrete stretches out before the Girl, cracked and pock-marked, covered in dust and devastatingly barren; the heralded promises of Mars underfoot. <span class="continue-block">The surface world was alien to the Girl.</span> <span class="continue-block">She'd grown up underground, in the serpentine tunnel system that had been hastily constructed on the eve of her birth.</span> <span class="continue-block">Would they ever return to the surface? Command was optimistic. If everyone stuck to the plan, then life would return to normal soon.</span> <span class="continue-block">Soon. Observing the decaying cityscape and the drifting dust clouds, feeling the heat cutting her skin, breathing in infected air through a tube, the Girl had never felt more doubtful.</span> <span class="continue-block">She continues onwards, methodically navigating the [[maze of deserted streets|1b.1]].</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>> \<<if visited("1d. Right street") >= 2>>The Girl revisits the right street. Banks of ash bleed from the buildings. No vegetation grows here. Nothing's grown here for a long time. [[The way ahead is blocked.|1k. Blockade]]<<else>>She walks down the right street. <span class="continue-block">Banks of ash bleed from the buildings either side of her, sliding Appalachian hills in miniature. But no vegetation grows here.</span> <span class="continue-block">Nothing's grown here for a long time.</span> <span class="continue-block">It wasn't always like this. The city was once rich with people and prospects; a bustling hub of industry and trade, an aspirational home for so many, a jewel in the golden crown of America.</span> <span class="continue-block">The city stands empty now.</span> <span class="continue-block">The jewel tarred, the vermeil corroded and broken.</span><span class="continue-block"> A torn standard, stars and bars, flutters in the breeze.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her oxygen tank clicks with every breath; an ominous countdown.</span> <span class="continue-block">Six hours of oxygen, they estimated. Six hours to fix the substation and make it back to the bunker.</span> <span class="continue-block">Back to [[Mom|1d.1]].</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>> \<<if visited("1c. Left street") >= 2>>The Girl revisits the left street. Two-storey apartments line the kerb, their brickwork cracked. The entrances to most of the apartments have been boarded up, except for one. There's an old hot dog stand on the pavement opposite. [[She approaches the hot dog stand.|1e. Hot dog stand]] [[She approaches the apartment.|1f. Apartment]]<<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 3>>She walks down the left street. <span class="continue-block">Two-storey apartments line the kerb, their brickwork cracked, their doors and windows boarded up, packed together like crowds waiting to board the last flight out.</span> <span class="continue-block">The tales her mother had told her about the surface world painted a very different picture of the city.</span><span class="continue-block"> A picture full of colour, of levity and laughter, of good times drowning out the bad.</span> <span class="continue-block">A picture of blindness.</span> <span class="continue-block">A picture of arrogance.</span> <span class="continue-block">The only colour on the landscape comes from the detritus of human consumption. <<linkreplace "Shredded plastic bags, colours faded to faint pastel shades, useful for nothing but impossible to dispose.">><<linkreplace "Drinks cans, their sweet contents long evaporated. Cloth of various shapes and sizes.">>Mounds of plastic: food and drink cartons; flat, sculpted trays; forks and knives and spoons; corrugated twine; cheap toys, played with once then forgotten.<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>></span> <span class="continue-block">Clues to what came [[before|1c.1]].</span><<endif>>

Her mother had grown up the city. Worked in an school, she'd said. Owned a dog. Lived a normal life, blissfully unaware of the coming storm. <span class="continue-block">She's told the Girl stories of the surface world.</span> <span class="continue-block">Stories of her own childhood, resurrecting memories of the good times so her child might experience them too.</span> <span class="continue-block">As she got older, the stories grew more melancholy. Stories of love. Stories of loss. Stories of longing.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl walks deeper into the city|1b.2]].</span>

Old concrete tenements rise up around the Girl as she walks, towering stone hovels erected to house the displaced refugees who flocked to the city as the fire and the fumes spread northwards. <span class="continue-block">The street soon splits into two; one goes left, the other right.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl taps at the static screen on her wrist.</span> <span class="continue-block">It blinks grumpily, before reluctantly agreeing to display a grey satellite map of the area.<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<set $communicationsStage to 2>></span> <span class="continue-block"><i>The map will show your current location. You can click on the map to return to locations you have already discovered.</i></span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl plans her route. [[She takes the left street.|1c. Left street]] [[She takes the right street.|1d. Right street]]</span>

"My mom took me to the mall every Saturday." <span class="continue-block">Garish pop music thumps from the PA system. Bright neon signs advertise a vast range of wares shipped from every corner of the globe, largely ignored by shoppers who traipse down the linoleum floor staring at their phones.</span> <span class="continue-block">"We'd stop for frozen yoghurt. It was so cold. And soft. So delicious."</span> <span class="continue-block">"Can I try some?" The Girl asked.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Maybe [[one day|1c.2]]," her mother replied.</span>

The Girl walks on, kicking aside nickles and dimes of brick and slate with almost every step. <span class="continue-block">The street is longer than she thought, a conveyor belt of road reeling onwards through the dust.</span> <span class="continue-block">She stops.</span> <span class="continue-block">Lost in memories, she'd forgotten to keep track of her route. But she'd gone wrong somewhere, she knew that much.</span> <span class="continue-block">She looks around. To her right, [[an apartment with an open door.|1f. Apartment]] To her left, [[an abandoned hot dog stand.|1e. Hot dog stand]] She turns and [[walks back up the road.|1b. City entrance]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1f. Apartment") >= 2>>The apartment reception room is completely empty. The wallpaper is peeling, the floorboards covered in dust and grime. No one has lived here for a long time. To the left, a doorway opens into a living room. Ribbons of light peep through another doorway at the far side of the room. [[She enters the living room.|1g. Living room]] [[She enters the back of the apartment.|1h. House rear]]<<else>>The apartment looks like all the others, its dilapidated brickwork stained with dust, roof tiles missing from its crown. <span class="continue-block">But unlike the other apartments, its doorway is open; a mouth agape, expressing disbelief at the return of the vagrant.</span> <span class="continue-block">She enters the apartment.</span> <span class="continue-block">The reception room is completely empty. It would once have been described as cosy, the Girl imagines, and the absence of furniture makes the space feel even smaller.</span> <span class="continue-block">Faded peach wallpaper peels away from the wall like the front cover of an old paperback. The floorboards are covered in a thick layer of dust and grime.</span> <span class="continue-block">To the left, a doorway opens into a living room. Ribbons of light peep through another doorway leading to the back of the apartment. [[She enters the living room.|1g. Living room]] [[She enters the back of the apartment.|1h. House rear]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>> \<<if visited("1e. Hot dog stand") >= 2>>The Girl approaches the abandoned hot dog stand. Its rusted sign still advertises five dollar dogs. There's nothing left — no dogs, no sauce, nothing. [[She leaves the stand.|1c. Left street]]<<else>>The Girl approaches the abandoned hot dog stand. Its rusted sign still advertises five dollar dogs. <span class="continue-block">She'd never tasted a hot dog, or a burger, or pizza or cake or sweets.</span> <span class="continue-block">The heavily-processed food rationed out in the bunker was a cruel parody of the delicacies her mother had told her about.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She examines the stand.|1e.1]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1g. Living room") >=2>>The living room is bigger than the reception room. <span class="continue-block"><<if visited("1g.1 Boxes")>>Cardboard boxes are stacked against the walls, each filled with personal possessions deemed unimportant enough to leave behind.<<else>>Cardboard boxes are stacked against the walls.<<endif>></span> <span class="continue-block">A scattering of stale rat droppings surround an old sofa in the middle of the room.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited("1g.2 Table")>>Next to the sofa is a teak side table, on top of which sits a framed family photo.<<else>>Next to the sofa is a teak side table.<<endif>></span> \<span class="continue-block"><<if not hasVisited("1g.2 Table")>>[[The Girl examines the side table.|1g.2 Table]]<<endif>> \<<if not hasVisited("1g.1 Boxes")>>[[The Girl searches the cardboard boxes.|1g.1 Boxes]]<<endif>> [[The Girl returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span><<else>><span class="fade-in">The living room is bigger than the reception room, and busier too. A vast Persian rug covers the floor, its swirling paisley pattern muddied and worn.</span> <span class="continue-block">Cardboard boxes are stacked against the walls.</span> <span class="continue-block">A scattering of stale rat droppings surround an old sofa in the middle of the room. The hem of the sofa's slipcover is chewed and frayed.</span> <span class="continue-block">Next to the sofa is a teak side table.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl examines the side table.|1g.2 Table]] [[The Girl searches the cardboard boxes.|1g.1 Boxes]] [[The Girl returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1h. House rear") >=2>>The rear of the apartment has collapsed inwards, spears of concrete destroying the kitchen and staircase. <<if visited("1h.2")>>Another set of steps descends into a [[dark basement|1i. Basement]].<<else>>There is one door that hasn't been obstructed by stone. [[The Girl tries to open the door.|1h.1 Door]]<<endif>><<else>>The rear of the apartment has collapsed inwards, spears of concrete cascading through what was once a small, homely kitchen. <span class="continue-block">A wooden staircase has also been destroyed. The Girl daren't risk clambering over the concrete that blocks her way — her breathing apparatus is far too vulnerable.</span> <span class="continue-block">However, there is one door that hasn't been obstructed by stone. [[The Girl tries to open the door.|1h.1 Door]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1k. Blockade") >=2>>A titanic apartment block has collapsed, filling the road with a mess of concrete and steel. The rubble is impossible to climb; at least, not safely. She needs to find another route. Another apartment block stands next to the concrete wall, looking down at its fallen comrade. It has a second storey [[balcony|1l. Balcony]] — if she can reach it, and then climb to the next balcony over, the Girl might be able to circumnavigate the wall. [[She turns away from the blockade for now.|1d. Right street]]<<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 4>>A titanic apartment block has collapsed, filling the road with a mess of concrete and steel. It's the sort of pile that might've been considered art a long time ago. <span class="continue-block">The Girl tries to scale the rubble.</span> <span class="continue-block">She grabs a crooked iron rod embedded in the concrete and hauls herself up.</span> <span class="continue-block">Balancing on the rod, she looks around for another foothold. With her toe, she prods tentatively at a large hunk of slate that juts out from the outcrop.</span> <span class="continue-block">She rests her heel on the slate.</span> <span class="continue-block">It gives way, and she tumbles backwards. Her breathing tank breaks her fall with a metallic clunk.</span> <span class="continue-block">She dusts herself down and looks for an alternative route.</span> <span class="continue-block">Another apartment block stands next to the concrete wall, looking down at its fallen comrade. <span class="continue-block">It has a second storey [[balcony|1l. Balcony]] — if she can reach it, and then climb to the next balcony over, the Girl might be able to circumnavigate the wall.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She turns away from the blockade for now.|1d. Right street]]</span><<endif>>

"We'd play out most days after school. Especially in the summer." <span class="continue-block">Sunshine beats down on the group of school-age children as they laugh their way to a nearby park. They sit down in the grass, patiently waiting for their turn on the colourful four-poster swing set. The park overflows with happy screams and laughter.</span> <span class="continue-block">"I wish we had a park. Like in your stories," the Girl said.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[Her mother did not reply.|1d.2]]</span>

The Girl's mother didn't tell her stories anymore. But the Girl had daydreamed about them so much they'd become seared in her memory. <span class="continue-block">Those stories had inspired her to join the Expeditionary Force; to take the chance to explore above ground, even briefly.</span> <span class="continue-block">Not that she had much choice anyway. Every able-bodied survivor was required to contribute to the cause: to facilitate a safe return to the surface.</span> <span class="continue-block">She stops. [[The way ahead is blocked.|1k. Blockade]]</span>

There is no food left — that was to be expected — but on one of the tarnished shelves is a sheaf of papers. <span class="continue-block">She flicks through the papers: receipts, invoices, bills, all now just notes from a parlour game.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<link [[She unfastens the paperclip holding the papers together and slips it into her pocket.|1c. Left street]]>><<set $playerInventory.push("<<if lastVisited('1h.1 Door') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[1h.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[3e.1]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('4g Key locker') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[4g.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Paperclip<<endif>>")>><</link>></span>

Atop the table is a cracked <<linkreplace 'photo frame'>>photo frame. A man and a woman stand either side of a teenage girl, both beaming proudly. The girl wears a blue dress. A black mortarboard is perched atop her head<</linkreplace>>. <span class="continue-block">A crumpled, yellowing newspaper rests beside the photo.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl picks it up and reads the front page.</span> <span class="continue-block">TIPPING POINT; EVACUATION TO BEGIN.</span> <span class="continue-block">She tosses it aside. She has no memories of the evacuation. She'd only just been born, dragged into the world just as the world collapsed.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if not hasVisited("1g.1 Boxes")>>[[The Girl searches the cardboard boxes.|1g.1 Boxes]]<<endif>> [[The Girl returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span>

The Girl picks a box at random, and lifts it onto the rug. <span class="continue-block">She rifles through the contents: old children's toys, stuffed animals with button eyes, dresses and blouses in various sizes.</span> <span class="continue-block">There's nothing useful here.</span> <span class="continue-block">She elects not to waste any more time with the boxes.</span> \<span class="continue-block"><<if not hasVisited("1g.2 Table")>>[[The Girl examines the side table.|1g.2 Table]]<<endif>> \[[The Girl returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span>

<span class="fade-in"><<linkappend "The Girl turns the brass doorknob.">> The door doesn't budge. It's locked. <span class="continue-block">[[She returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span><</linkappend>></span>

<span class="fade-in">The Girl takes the paperclip from her pocket, straightens it, then slides it delicately into the keyhole. Ear to the lock, she twiddles the paperclip, bumping pins up and down.</span> <span class="continue-block">She turns the doorknob again. The door swings open, revealing a [[shallow staircase|1i. Basement]].</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><span class="fade-in">A rush of heat meets the Girl as she descends the narrow steps into the darkness.</span> <span class="continue-block">The basement smells foul; musty and sour. Even the bunker wasn't this bad. <span class="continue-block">The light from the kitchen pools around the bottom of the stairs, too afraid to go any further.</span><<set $communicationsStage to 16>> <span class="continue-block">[[She turns back.|1h. House rear]]</span>

<span class="fade-in">The Girl tries to pick the lock with her screwdriver, but it jams in the keyhole.</span> <span class="continue-block">She wiggles it loose and returns it to her toolbelt. This clearly requires something more delicate.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]</span>

\<<if visited("1i.1") >=2 & $ladderTaken is true>>The Girl's headlamp illuminates the basement. The basement is small and misshapen, like a gopher's burrow. The ceiling droops in places. A large metal shelving unit is stacked with boxes containing empty tins and torn cartons. Dread crawls over the Girl's skin like flies. [[She returns to the reception room.|1f. Apartment]]<<elseif visited("1i.1") >=2 & $ladderTaken is false>>The Girl flicks her headlamp on. <span class="continue-block">The lamplight pirouettes through the darkness.</span> <span class="continue-block">The basement is small and misshapen, like a gopher's burrow. The ceiling droops in places.</span> <span class="continue-block">Two bicycles — one with basket, one without — lie across the floor, their tyres deflated.</span> <span class="continue-block">A large metal shelving unit has been bolted to the wall next to the bikes. It's stacked with cardboard boxes and wooden crates, each packed with empty tins and torn cartons.</span> <span class="continue-block">Another unit nearby holds an assortment of cobwebbed <<linkappend "tools.">>.<<linkreplace " A corded angle grinder, minus blade.">><<linkreplace " Three tins of paint, presumably empty.">><<linkreplace " Electric drill and drillbits in various sizes.">><<linkreplace " Pliers, gummed up with a hard green film.">><<linkappend " A collapsible ladder with a missing rung.">> That could be useful, the Girl thinks.<<link " She takes the ladder.">><<set $ladderTaken to true>><<set $playerInventory.push('<<if lastVisited("1l. Balcony") is 0>><<link "Ladder">><<goto [[1m. Clamber down]]>><</link>><<else>>Ladder<<endif>>')>><<goto [[1i.2]]>><</link>><</linkappend>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkappend>></span> \<<else>> The Girl flicks her headlamp on. <span class="continue-block">The lamplight pirouettes through the darkness.</span> <span class="continue-block">The basement is small and misshapen, like a gopher's burrow. The ceiling droops in places.</span> <span class="continue-block">Two bicycles — one with basket, one without — lie across the floor, their tyres deflated.</span> <span class="continue-block">A large metal shelving unit has been bolted to the wall next to the bikes. It's stacked with cardboard boxes and wooden crates, each packed with empty tins and torn cartons.</span> <span class="continue-block">Another unit nearby holds an assortment of cobwebbed <<linkappend "tools.">><<linkreplace " A corded angle grinder, minus blade.">><<linkreplace " Three tins of paint, presumably empty.">><<linkreplace " Electric drill and drillbits in various sizes.">><<linkreplace " Pliers, gummed up with a hard green film.">><<linkappend " A collapsible ladder with a missing rung.">> That could be useful, the Girl thinks.<<link " She takes the ladder.">><<set $ladderTaken to true>><<set $playerInventory.push('<<if lastVisited("1l. Balcony") is 0>><<link "Ladder">><<goto [[1m. Clamber down]]>><</link>><<else>>Ladder<<endif>>')>><<goto [[1i.2]]>><</link>><</linkappend>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkappend>></span><<endif>>

The Girl continues to explore. <span class="continue-block">More empty tins, cooking paraphernalia, dirty sheets of paper and cloth.</span><set $communicationsStage to 1>> <span class="continue-block">Her toe hits something metallic. <span class="continue-block">A bucket, full of what looks like tar.</span> <span class="continue-block">A million black specks arch from the base of the bucket.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl looks closer.</span> <span class="continue-block">Dead flies.</span> <span class="continue-block">The flies trail off into the [[darkness|1i.3]].</span>

<span class="continue-block">Flies crunch underfoot like peppercorns.</span> <span class="continue-block">One step.</span> <span class="continue-block">Two steps.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl's lamplight catches what looks like bone.</span> <span class="continue-block">Another step.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[Two figures.|1i.4]]</span>

<<if visited('1m Clamber down') >=1>>The ladder is still propped up against the apartment wall. The Girl clambers up to the second-storey balcony, crossing over to another balcony, and drops down onto the otherside of the concrete blockade. [[She marches deeper into the city.|1m.1]]</span><<else>>She hops on her tiptoes, but it's no use. The balcony is tantalisingly out of reach. [[She turns back to the concrete blockade.|1k. Blockade]]<<endif>>

\<<set $playerInventory.delete('<<if lastVisited("1l. Balcony") is 0>><<link "Ladder">><<goto [[1m. Clamber down]]>><</link>><<else>>Ladder<<endif>>')>>The Girl props the ladder up against the apartment wall and clambers up to the second-storey balcony. <span class="continue-block">She vaults the rusted railings and lands on the balcony floor.</span> <span class="continue-block">She barges past a mess of terracotta pots and cheap plastic chairs, shimmies up a drainpipe and clambers over to a second balcony.</span> <span class="continue-block">She drops down a level, then again, landing on the other side of the concrete blockade. The air still swirls with the dust kicked up by the colossal building's fall.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She marches deeper into the city.|1m.1]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>>She soon emerges into a vast, dirt-covered clearing, a kilometre wide at least, a great scar unhealed after the excising of a tumour. <span class="continue-block">It looks just as Command had described in the mission briefing. Arcadia Substation is nearby.</span> <span class="continue-block">Command had lost contact with Arcadia several days ago.</span> <span class="continue-block">The apex of the carbon capture network, without the station running there'd be no means to facilitate a return to the [[surface|1o.1]].</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1n. Playground") >= 2>>There is a haunting aimlessness about the playground. Looking at the play equipment, the reality of how much she's missed out on begins to sink in. She'd never been on a slide. <<if $frameDisassembled is false>>She'd never played on a [[climbing frame|1n.3]].<<else>>She'd never played on a [[climbing frame|1n.6]].<<endif>> [[She returns to the street.|1m.1]]<<else>>The playground is unremarkable: if it weren't for the surrounding debris and destruction, it wouldn't look out of place on a magazine cover. <span class="continue-block">Colourful four-poster swing-set, slide designed to look like an elephant, rickety metal climbing frame; the Girl thinks about how many children would once have played here.</span> <span class="continue-block">There aren't many children in the tunnels. Resources need to be managed, new additions need to be planned and approved.</span> <span class="continue-block">When the Girl was growing up, she was schooled alongside a handful of others.</span> <span class="continue-block">Bunker babies, they were called, though as she grew older the Girl found this more offensive than affectionate.</span> <span class="continue-block">None of them were even born in the bunker; they'd all followed their parents underground.</span> <span class="continue-block">Teaching them was her [[mom's responsibility|1n.1]].</span><<endif>>

When the air became unbreathable the government turned to science for a solution, humanity's Cassandras asked to solve a crisis they'd been warning about for decades. <span class="continue-block">They constructed gigantic machines designed to pull carbon dioxide from the air and store it deep in the bowels of the earth.</span> <span class="continue-block">Then they stayed behind to man the machines.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She advances into the clearing.|2a]]</span>

The Girl circles around the tenement block. <span class="continue-block">Behind the substation is a sea of ash.</span> <span class="continue-block">Wave after wave lap around the Girl's feet as she walks, reaching the ankle straps of her thick leather boots.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her footsteps disappear as quickly as they appear, scrubbed clean by the cloud of soot that puffs up in her wake.</span> <span class="continue-block">She completes a loop around building, but finds nothing that could have caused the break-in. [[She decides to enter the glass dome.|2d]]</span>

The Girl takes the fire extinguisher by the neck and smashes it into the door with a cacophanous clang. <span class="continue-block">The door shakes <<linkreplace "dramatically." t8n>>dramatically, but still refuses to open. [[Unperturbed, the Girl steps away from the door.|2d]]<</linkreplace>></span>

The Girl slots the end of the wrench between the door and wall and tries to lever open the <<linkreplace "door...">>door. She struggles for a moment, but the door doesn't budge. <span class="continue-block">Something longer might generate enough force, she thinks. [[She steps back from the door.|2d]]</span><</linkreplace>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection1'>><</replace>><<if visited("1m.1") >=2>><<set $communicationsStage to 5>>A harrowing howl echoes down the abandoned street, whipping up a mist of dust around the Girl. The substation is nearby. She notices a children's playground to the side of the road, a blithe enclave amidst the chaotic cityscape. [[She pauses to look at the playground.|1n. Playground]] [[She continues onwards.|1o. Substation path]]<<else>>A harrowing howl echoes down the abandoned street, whipping up a mist of dust around the Girl. <span class="continue-block">The oxygen tank clicks; once, twice.</span> <span class="continue-block">Ninety-one percent.</span> <span class="continue-block">She checks her map. The substation is nearby.</span> <span class="continue-block">She notices a children's playground as she walks, a blithe enclave amidst the chaotic cityscape. [[She pauses to look at the playground.|1n. Playground]] [[She continues onwards.|1o. Substation path]]</span><<endif>>

A dozen children of varying ages, sat at small wooden desks in a make-shift classroom. The dim cave lamps are just bright enough to see the recycled paper in front of them. <span class="continue-block">Some are paying more attention to their teacher than others.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl sniggers, and passes a note to her neighbour.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Excuse me." Her mother glares at her from the front of the class.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Sorry…" The Girl hesitates. "Sorry, miss."</span> <span class="continue-block">[["Focus up."|1n.2]]</span>

The short metal gate squeaks aggressively as she enters the playground. <span class="continue-block">There is a haunting aimlessness about the place. Looking at the play equipment, the reality of how much she's missed out on begins to sink in. <span class="continue-block">She'd never been on a <<linkappend "slide.">> She places a boot on the slide's bottom step. Her mother's words echo in her ears: "Focus up."<</linkappend>> She'd never played on a [[climbing frame|1n.3]].</span>

<<set $frameDisassembled to true>>She grabs her wrench and sets about loosening the connections at the base of the structure. <span class="continue-block">The bolt clunks to the floor, but the pole remains stuck firmly in the ground. [[She turns to leave the playground.|1n. Playground]]</span>

She slams the fire extinguisher into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. The parched earth cracks around the base of the climbing frame. She swings <<linkreplace "again.">>again, then <<linkreplace "again.">>again, loosening the ground even more. <span class="continue-block">She wrenches the metal pole free of the ground.</span> <span class="continue-block">The end is splayed flat. A makeshift crowbar.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She turns to leave the playground.|1n. Playground]] \<<set $playerInventory.push("<<if lastVisited('2j') is 0>><<link 'Pole'>><<goto [[2j.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Pole<<endif>>")>></span><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<set $playerInventory.delete('<<if lastVisited("2j") is 0>><<link "Fire Extinguisher">><<goto [[2j.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited("1n.6") is 0 || lastVisited("1n.4") is 0>><<link "Fire Extinguisher">><<goto [[1n.5]]>><</link>><<else>>Fire Extinguisher<<endif>>')>>

There'll be no climbing today, but the climbing frame might have another use. <span class="continue-block">A sphere of metal pipes, the top half of the frame is bolted onto a dozen poles. The poles are speared into the ground at intervals, forming a rough circle.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('1n.5') >=1>>There is a gap in the frame where on of the poles has been removed.<<else>>One of the poles has been detached from the rest of the frame, but is still lodged firmly in the ground.<<endif>> [[She turns to leave the playground.|1n. Playground]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection4'>><</replace>> <br> <br> <div class="subtitle"><span class='fade-in'>[[I. The City|1.0]]</span></div>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection4'>><</replace>> <br> <br> <div class="subtitle"><span class='fade-in'>[[II. The Station|3a]]</span></div>

<span class="continue-block">Two blackened skeletons, desiccated flesh clinging to their bones, polyester hanging off their frames, slump against the far wall. Their arms are intertwined, their hands forming a cracked steeple.</span> <span class="continue-block">The skull of one rests on the shoulder blade of the other.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl recoils. She'd seen death before — as the population of the bunker grew older, it became routine — but nothing this stark.</span> <span class="continue-block">Across the city, across the country, there would be many more basements like this. Many more families left to make their own way in a world that no longer tolerated their kind.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She turns away.|1i.1]]</span>

<span class="continue-block">The Girl slips the plastic breathing mask below her chin.</span> <span class="continue-block">She reaches forward and opens the second door. </span><span class="continue-block">But as she moves to leave the airlock she realises something's wrong.</span><span class="continue-block"> A tightness begins to grip her chest, tentatively at first, then increasing in strength with each failed breath.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl's lips twitch. She grabs the mask from her chin and presses it over her nose and mouth, inhaling sharply.</span> <span class="continue-block">She radios Command. "The air system in the substation seems to have failed."</span> <span class="continue-block">"Noted. Investigate, but remember the mission."</span> <span class="continue-block">The mission. [[She gulps in more air then leaves the airlock.|3d Substation foyer]]</span>

The Girl keeps her breathing mask strapped on. <span class="continue-block">The substation is supposed to have its own air system, but there's no guarantee the whole system is still functional. Better to keep breathing her oxygen supplies until she knows its safe.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She reaches forward, opens the second door and leaves the airlock.|3d Substation foyer]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('3d Substation foyer') >=2 && $powerOn is false>><<set $communicationsStage to 10>>The makeshift laboratory is a large room. The dim amber glow from the airlock lamp barely reaches the far wall. <span class="continue-block">Piles of office chairs line the walls. A huge table covered in mechanical equipment and laboratory apparatus stands in the middle of the room. It looks to have been abandoned in a hurry. <span class="continue-block">At the far end of the room, the unmistakable brassy doors of a service elevator.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3k Scientist table') >=1>><<else>>[[She takes a closer look at the scientists' table.|3k Scientist table]]<<endif>> <<if visited('3h Security room interior') >=2>>[[She enters the security room.|3h Security room interior]]<<else>>[[She approaches the black door.|3e Security room door]]<<endif>> [[She calls the elevator.|Elevator]] [[She enters the corridor marked 'second floor'.|3g Ground floor corridor]]</span><<elseif visited('3d Substation foyer') >=2 && $powerOn is true>><<set $communicationsStage to 15>>Sparse orange strip lights glow overhead, illuminating the makeshift laboratory. Piles of office chairs line the walls. A huge table covered in mechanical equipment and laboratory apparatus stands in the middle of the room. <span class="continue-block">At the far end of the room, the unmistakable brassy doors of a service elevator.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3k Scientist table') >=1>><<else>>[[She takes a closer look at the scientists' table.|3k Scientist table]]<<endif>> [[She calls the elevator.|Elevator]] [[She enters the corridor marked 'second floor'.|3g.1]]</span><<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 9>>The Girl emerges in a large room — far larger than any of the rooms back in the caverns, but just as dark. <span class="continue-block">The dim amber glow from the airlock lamp barely reaches the far wall.</span> <span class="continue-block">A huge table dominates the room. It's covered in mechanical equipment and apparatus, all abandoned mid-operation, as if someone had taken a photo of a working laboratory and scrubbed out the scientists.</span> <span class="continue-block">Office chairs have been heaped against the wall to her left in sets of threes and fours with the carelessness of an amateur sculptor.</span><span class="continue-block"> Two piles frame an open doorway, above which hangs a dull sign: SECOND FLOOR.</span> <span class="continue-block">A narrow black door, no more visible than a shadow, is the only marking on the wall to her right, and directly opposite the Girl, the unmistakable brassy doors of a service elevator.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3k Scientist table') >=1>>\<<else>>[[She takes a closer look at the scientists' table.|3k Scientist table]]<<endif>> [[She approaches the black door.|3e Security room door]] [[She calls the elevator.|Elevator]] [[She enters the corridor marked 'second floor'.|3g Ground floor corridor]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl takes a closer look at the pop-up laboratory. <span class="continue-block">It's a sprawling metropolis of scientific paraphernalia: the drum of a helicorder resting next to a thick ream of chart paper; narrow glass tubes filled with multi-coloured liquid; vases of what looks like peat; notepads and biros and strips of litmus paper; canisters of ammonia and dyes.</span> <span class="continue-block">A series of papers have been laid out at one end of the table. On each page is a chart, with titles like <<linkreplace "soil quality,">>soil quality — a steady horizontal line —<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "carbon and methane levels,">>carbon and methane levels — both gradually rising lines —<</linkreplace>> and <<linkreplace "oxygenisation treatment">>oxygenisation treatment — an incomplete mess of declining lines and worried annotations<</linkreplace>>.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl leaves the table.|3d Substation foyer]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('3h Security room interior') >=1>>The door to the security room is open. [[The Girl enters the security room.|3h Security room interior]]<<else>>The Girl wanders over to the narrow black door. <span class="continue-block">Etched into the metal, about three quarters up, is the word 'Security'.</span> <span class="continue-block">She tries the door handle, but no luck. The door is locked.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She gives up on the door for now.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<endif>>

The corridor is darker than the main substation room, like being lost in the jet-black plumage of a blackbird. The Girl can barely see her own hands stretched out before her.<<set $communicationsStage to 16>> [[She returns to the makeshift lab.|3d Substation foyer]]

She tries to use her makeshift lockpick. <span class="continue-block">It snaps in the lock.</span><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if lastVisited('1h.1 Door') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[1h.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[3e.1]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('4g Key locker') is 0>><<link 'Paperclip'>><<goto [[4g.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Paperclip<<endif>>")>> <span class="continue-block">[[She gives up on the door for now.|3d Substation foyer]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5a Substation basement') >=2>>The substation basement. Dim lamps provide just enough light to see the junction's various entrances and exits. To the left, a winding corridor disappears downwards. On the far wall is an imposing marine hatch. To the right, a metal door with a sign written in warning-red block capitals: 'PURIFICATION REACTOR'. A red bulb flashes aggressively above it. [[The Girl walks down the basement corridor.|5c Basement corridor]] [[The Girl approaches the door to the reactor.|5d Reactor door]] [[The Girl approaches the marine hatch.|5b Control room]]<<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 17>>The elevator clunks downwards. She feels safer in the confined space, heading underground once more. <span class="continue-block">Feels closer to home.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl is ejected into another junction room, small and squared, with doorways jutting off at odd angles. Dim lamps shine overhead, the drifting embers of a windswept bonfire.</span> <span class="continue-block">To the left, a winding corridor disappears into the earth.</span> <span class="continue-block">Immediately opposite is an imposing marine hatch, metal welts fused evenly down the hinge and further barricades welded crossways.</span> <span class="continue-block">To the right, a more conventional metal door blocks another potential pathway. The door is marked with a sign written in warning-red block capitals: 'PURIFICATION REACTOR'. A red bulb flashes aggressively above it.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl walks down the basement corridor.|5c Basement corridor]] [[The Girl approaches the door to the reactor.|5d Reactor door]] [[The Girl approaches the marine hatch.|5b Control room]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if $powerOn is false>><<if visited('3g.1') >=2>>The ground floor corridor is lit up by the Girl's headlamp. <span class="continue-block">At one end of the corridor is a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. The door to the makeshift lab is at the opposite end. <<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by a cleaning closet.<<else>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by an ordinary grey door.<<endif>> <<if visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>><<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>[[She looks inside the cleaning closet|3m Cleaning closet interior]]<<else>>[[She opens the grey door.|3l Cleaning closet door]]<<endif>><<endif>> [[She climbs the stairs.|4a Second floor corridor]] [[She returns to the lab.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 10>>The beam of light from the Girl's headlamp slices through the darkness. <span class="continue-block">She scans the corridor. </span><span class="continue-block">It ends abruptly; a set of stairs double back upon themselves. <<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by a cleaning closet.<<else>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by an ordinary grey door.<<endif>> <<if visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>><<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>[[She looks inside the cleaning closet|3m Cleaning closet interior]]<<else>>[[She opens the grey door.|3l Cleaning closet door]]<<endif>><<endif>> [[She climbs the stairs.|4a Second floor corridor]] [[She returns to the lab.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<endif>><<else>><<if visited('3g.1') >=2>>Orange strip lights illuminate the corridor. <span class="continue-block">At one end of the corridor is a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. The door to the makeshift lab is at the opposite end. <<if visited('Search top shelf') >=2 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=2 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=2>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by a cleaning closet.<<else>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by an ordinary grey door.<<endif>> <<if visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>><<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>[[She looks inside the cleaning closet|3m Cleaning closet interior]]<<else>>[[She opens the grey door.|3l Cleaning closet door]]<<endif>><<endif>> [[She climbs the stairs.|4a Second floor corridor]] [[She returns to the lab.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<else>>Orange strip lights illuminate the corridor. <span class="continue-block">She scans the corridor.</span><span class="continue-block">It ends abruptly; a set of stairs double back upon themselves. <<if visited('Search top shelf') >=2 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=2 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=2>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by a cleaning closet.<<else>>The right side of the corridor is interrupted by an ordinary grey door.<<endif>> <<if visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>><<if visited('3l.1') >=1>>[[She looks inside the cleaning closet|3m Cleaning closet interior]]<<else>>[[She opens the grey door.|3l Cleaning closet door]]<<endif>><<endif>> [[She climbs the stairs.|4a Second floor corridor]] [[She returns to the lab.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<endif>><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if lastVisited('3g.1') is 1>>She emerges from the stairwell into an almost identical corridor.<<endif>> A wedge of slate-shaded light glows from <<if visited('4d Canteen') >=1>>the door to the canteen<<else>>a doorway<<endif>> at the end of the corridor, separated from the Girl by a bridge of darkness. <<if visited('4b Leaking pipe') >=1>><span class="continue-block">A hissing sound coils through the air. It seems to be coming from a pipe that runs along the wall.</span><<else>><span class="continue-block">A thick copper pipe runs down the length of the corridor, hissing softly.</span><<endif>> <span class="continue-block">To her left, another open door. Inside she can see a stack of metal lockers.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('4b Leaking pipe') >=1>>[[She enters the locker room.|4c Locker room]] <<if visited('4d Canteen') >=1>>[[She enters the canteen.|4d Canteen]]<<else>>[[She enters the door at the end of the corridor.|4d Canteen]]<<endif>> [[She heads back downstairs.|3g.1]]<<else>>[[She enters the locker room.|4c Locker room]] <<if visited('4d Canteen') >=1>>[[She enters the canteen.|4d Canteen]]<<else>>[[She enters the door at the end of the corridor.|4d Canteen]]<<endif>> [[She investigates the pipe.|4b Leaking pipe]] [[She heads back downstairs.|3g.1]]<<endif>></span>

She tries to open the door, but, much like the other doors in the building, it's locked. [[She leaves the closet for now.|3g.1]]

A thick copper pipe runs down the full length of the corridor. It hisses softly. <span class="continue-block">The Girl walks along the pipe, looking for punctures, but she can't find any.</span> <span class="continue-block">What she does notice, as the sibilance reaches a crescendo, is a small gauge. A letter and a number are etched into the middle of the display behind the glass: O2.</span><span class="continue-block"> The ticker points to zero.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She steps away from the pipe.|4a Second floor corridor]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('4c Locker room') >=2 && visited('4f Search lockers') == 0>>Lockers line either side of the room like chess pieces. <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>>The lockbox fastened to the wall at the far side of the room has been opened.<<else>>A small lockbox has been fastened to the tiled partition wall at the far side of the room.<<endif>> [[She searches the lockers.|4f Search lockers]] <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>><<else>>[[She investigates the key locker.|4g Key locker]]<<endif>> [[She leaves the locker room.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<elseif visited('4c Locker room') >=1 && visited('4f Search lockers') >=1>>Empty lockers line either side of the room like chess pieces. <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>>The lockbox fastened to the wall at the far side of the room has been opened.<<else>>A small lockbox has been fastened to the tiled partition wall at the far side of the room.<<endif>> <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>><<else>>[[She investigates the key locker.|4g Key locker]]<<endif>> [[She leaves the locker room.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<else>>Lockers line either side of the room like chess pieces. Chunky wooden benches occupy the middle of the tiled floor, placed back-to-back, thick metal arms stretching upwards between them, holding up a top deck of coat hooks. <span class="continue-block">At the far end of the locker room, a ceramic-coated partition wall conceals shower and wash-basins. A small lockbox has been fastened to this wall with a quartet of loose studs.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She searches the lockers.|4f Search lockers]] [[She investigates the key locker.|4g Key locker]] [[She leaves the locker room.|4a Second floor corridor]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('4d Canteen') >=2>>Slips of natural light cut across the canteen and its plastic-coated furnishings. Through a service hatch at the far end of the room, the Girl spies the metallic glint of kitchen equipment. In the corner, previously hidden behind the mass of tables, is a body. <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.<</dialog>><</link>>")>>[[She enters the kitchen.|4e Kitchen]] [[She leaves the canteen for now.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<else>>[[She moves towards the body.|4i Investigate body]] [[She enters the kitchen.|4e Kitchen]] [[She leaves the canteen for now.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<endif>><<else>>The room is brighter than the corridor, natural light allowed to seep through ventilation ducts evenly spaced along the walls, which have been tiled a mismatch of pale olive and blue. It appears to be a canteen of some kind, crowded with cheap plastic dining tables, much like the large dining quarters in the bunker complex. Through a service hatch at the far end of the room, the Girl spies the metallic glint of kitchen equipment. She takes a couple of steps into the canteen, then stops. In the corner, obscured behind the mass of tables, is a body. <<if $playerInventory.includes("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531<</dialog>><</link>>")>>[[She enters the kitchen.|4e Kitchen]] [[She leaves the canteen for now.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<else>>[[She moves towards the body.|4i Investigate body]] [[She enters the kitchen.|4e Kitchen]] [[She leaves the canteen for now.|4a Second floor corridor]]<<endif>><<endif>>

Figuring the lockers might contain something useful, the Girl searches them all, starting at one end of the row and continuing slowly down the line. <span class="continue-block">A waste of time; she finds nothing of use.</span> <span class="continue-block">Most of them are empty, apart from a column of lockers that have been packed with breathing masks and tubing. Another locked contains an empty oxygen tank.</span> <span class="continue-block">She checks her own tank.</span> <span class="continue-block">Fifty-five percent.</span> <span class="continue-block">The mission is taking longer than she'd planned. [[She turns back to the locker room.|4c Locker room]]</span>

<<if visited('4g Key locker') >=2>><<if $playerInventory.includes("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.<</dialog>><</link>>")>>The four combination dials on the lockbox have been scrambled. It would take immeasurable fortune to guess the passcode. [[She inputs the code: 4313|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 8143|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 4531|4g Correct]] [[She paces about the locker room, deep in thought.|4c Locker room]]<<else>>The four combination dials have been scrambled. It would take immeasurable fortune to guess the passcode. [[She inputs the code: 4313|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 8143|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 4631|4g Wrong]] [[She paces about the locker room, deep in thought.|4c Locker room]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $playerInventory.includes("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.<</dialog>><</link>>")>>The Girl tries to open the lockbox, but the door doesn't budge. <span class="continue-block">The four combination dials have been scrambled. It would take immeasurable fortune to guess the passcode.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She inputs the code: 4313|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 8143|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 4531|4g Correct]] [[She paces about the locker room, deep in thought.|4c Locker room]]</span><<else>>The Girl tries to open the lockbox, but the door doesn't budge. The four combination dials have been scrambled. <span class="continue-block">It would take immeasurable fortune to guess the passcode.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She inputs the code: 4313|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 8143|4g Wrong]] [[She inputs the code: 4631|4g Wrong]] [[She paces about the locker room, deep in thought.|4c Locker room]]</span><<endif>><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('4e Kitchen') >=2>>The kitchen is a rudimentary catering space, barely big enough for two cooks to prepare fussless, underwhelming food. The air smells of stale water and burnt oil. <<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') >=1>><<if visited('4l Stovetop') >=1>>Having searched the kitchen thoroughly, there is little left to do here. [[She exits to the canteen.|4d Canteen]]<<endif>><<endif>><<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') is 0>><<if visited('4l Stovetop') >=1>>The Girl looks around; there must be something useful in here. [[She searches the cupboards.|4k Kitchen cupboards]]<<endif>><<endif>><<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') >=1>><<if visited('4l Stovetop') is 0>>The Girl looks around; there must be something useful in here. [[She searches beneath the stovetop.|4l Stovetop]]<<endif>><<endif>><<else>>The kitchen is a rudimentary catering space, barely big enough for two cooks to prepare fussless, underwhelming food. <span class="continue-block">A serving hatch opens out onto the canteen, barricaded with empty metal serving pots, stacks of plastic trays and troughs of cutlery.</span> <span class="continue-block">Shelves are sparsely stacked with empty boxes of artificially grown proteins and flavourless nutrition cubes.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl wanders down the aisle between stainless steel-plated stoves and worktops. The air smells of stale water and burnt oil, musty and unclean. [[She searches the cupboards.|4k Kitchen cupboards]] [[She searches beneath the stovetop.|4l Stovetop]]</span><<endif>>

<<if visited('4i Investigate body') >=1>>It's not one body, but two: the first cradles the head of a second in his lap. Both are male, no older than forty, and wearing lab coats. Their skin is grey, their lips thin and drawn and blue. <span class="continue-block">[[She breathes in deeply, then searches the bodies.|4j Search body]]</span><<else>>It's not one body, but two: the first cradles the head of a second in his lap. Both are male, no older than forty, and wearing lab coats. Their skin is grey, their lips thin and drawn and blue. <span class="continue-block">"You said this would be routine, Command. What happened here?"</span> <span class="continue-block">"Repeat."</span> <span class="continue-block">"There are casualties," she replies. "Two. Maybe more."</span> <span class="continue-block">"It's too late for them. You know the mission."</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl repeats the question. "What happened here?"</span> <span class="continue-block">No response. [[She breathes in deeply, then searches the bodies.|4j Search body]]</span><<endif>>

The bodies are cold to the touch. <span class="continue-block">The Girl carefully searches through the pockets of both the scientists' filthy lab coats and pulls out a <<linkreplace 'notepad.'>>notepad. <span class="continue-block">It's full of charts and calculations, all scrawled in increasingly erratic pencil.</span><span class="continue-block"> A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.</span><<set $playerInventory.push("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.<</dialog>><</link>>")>> <span class="continue-block">She stands before the bodies and bows her head.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[Then she turns away.|4d Canteen]]</span><</linkreplace>>

She slides the makeshift lockpick between the combination dials, but nothing happens. <span class="continue-block">[[She'll need to find the combination.|4c Locker room]]</span>

The Girl rotates each dial and tries to open the door again, but it doesn't budge. [[She tries another code.|4g Key locker]]

The Girl rotates each dial and tries to open the <<linkreplace "lockbox.">>lockbox. The door swings open and a ring of keys drop out of the front, clattering to the floor with a gritty symphony of clunks. <span class="continue-block"><<link [[She pockets the keys and leaves the locker room.|4a Second floor corridor]]>><<set $playerInventory.push("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>><</link>></span><</linkreplace>>

The Girl unhooks of the rings of keys from her belt and tries the first key in the lock. <span class="continue-block">The door opens outwards to reveal a cupboard; a shallow enclave with three sets of shelves laden with all kinds of junk, offerings for a desperate explorer.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She searches the shelves.|3m Cleaning closet interior]]</span>

She searches the loop of keys for a matching label. Security: the fourth key along. <span class="continue-block">She inserts it into the lock, and turns.</span> <span class="continue-block">The door opens without a sound. [[She enters the security room.|3h Security room interior]]</span>

<<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') >=2>>Three steel cupboards have been screwed into the walls, matching the stainless steel worktops. They're largely empty, apart from a small collection of miscellaneous foodstuffs. The Girl gives up on looking for anything useful and [[leaves the kitchen|4d Canteen]].<<else>>Three steel cupboards have been screwed into the walls, matching the stainless steel worktops. <span class="continue-block">The Girl opens them one-by-one and searches through each in turn.</span> <span class="continue-block">They're largely empty, apart from a small collection of miscellaneous <<linkappend "foodstuffs.">><<linkreplace " Sachets of artificial flavour paste.">><<linkreplace " Ration packs, torn and emptied.">><<linkreplace " A single canister of salt.">><<linkreplace " Two jars of cooking oil.">> Anything of substance has been [[cleared out|4k.2]].<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkappend>></span><<endif>>

<<if $playerInventory.includes("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.1') is 0>><<link 'Cables'>><<goto [[3i.2]]>><</link>><<else>>Cables<<endif>><<endif>>")>>The Girl kneels down to examine the cavity below the stovetop. A heavy battery, too large to move, fills the space once occupied by a gas canister. It has been disconnected from the induction hobs above it. There is nothing else here to see. <<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') >=1>>[[The Girl returns to the canteen.|4d Canteen]]<<else>>[[She turns her attention to the kitchen cupboards.|4k Kitchen cupboards]]<<endif>><<else>>The Girl kneels down to examine the cavity below the stovetop. <span class="continue-block">A heavy battery, too large to move, fills the space once occupied by a gas canister. Two plastic tendrils coil out the top of the battery, connecting induction hobs with their makeshift power source.</span> <span class="continue-block">She unclips the cables from the battery and the hobs and straps them to her belt. \<<set $playerInventory.push("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.1') is 0>><<link 'Cables'>><<goto [[3i.2]]>><</link>><<else>>Cables<<endif>><<endif>>")>></span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('4k Kitchen cupboards') >=1>>[[After one more cursory look beneath the stove, she returns to the canteen.|4d Canteen]]<<else>>[[She turns her attention to the kitchen cupboards.|4k Kitchen cupboards]]<<endif>></span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('3m Cleaning closet interior') >=2>><<if visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>>The cleaning closet has three shelves to search. [[She starts with the top shelf.|Search top shelf]] [[She starts with the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]] [[She starts with the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There are two shelves left to search. [[She searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]] [[She searches the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0 && visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There are two shelves left to search. [[She searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]] [[She searches the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There are two shelves left to search. [[She searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]] [[She searches the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') ==0 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=1 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There is one shelf left to search. [[She searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') >=1 && visited('Search middle shelf') ==0 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There is one shelf left to search. [[She searches the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') >=1 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=1 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==0>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. There is one shelf left to search. [[She searches the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') >=1 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=1 && visited('Search bottom shelf') ==1>>The cupboard has three shelves, each laden with junk. The Girl has searched them all and taken what she needs. [[She returns to the corridor.|3g.1]]<<endif>><<else>>There are three shelves to search. <span class="continue-block">[[She starts with the top shelf.|Search top shelf]] [[She starts with the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]] [[She starts with the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]</span><<endif>>

She brushes aside packets of tissue paper and bottles of cleaning fluid. <span class="continue-block">At the back of the shelf is a small tin of oil and a roll of black electrical tape. She snatches the tape. \<<set $playerInventory.push("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if $batteryConnected is true && lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.3') is 0>><<link 'Tape'>><<goto [[3i.4]]>><</link>><<else>>Tape<<endif>><<else>>Tape<<endif>>")>></span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('Search top shelf') >=1 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>[[She shuts the closet behind her.|3g.1]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') >=1>>[[Finally she searches the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search bottom shelf')>>[[Finally she searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]]<<else>>[[She searches the top shelf next.|Search top shelf]] [[She searches the bottom shelf next.|Search bottom shelf]]<<endif>></span>

She stands on her tiptoes, moving her hand back and forth across the shelf. <span class="continue-block">There's nothing there but dust. <<if visited('Search middle shelf') >=1 && visited('Search bottom shelf') >=1>>[[She shuts the closet behind her.|3g.1]]<<elseif visited('Search middle shelf') >=1>>[[Finally she searches the bottom shelf.|Search bottom shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search bottom shelf')>>[[Finally she searches the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]]<<else>>[[She searches the middle shelf next.|Search middle shelf]] [[She searches the bottom shelf next.|Search bottom shelf]]<<endif>></span>

She kneels down and checks the bottom shelf. <span class="continue-block">There are two large boxes on the shelf; she rummages through both.</span> <span class="continue-block">Bits of old pipe, probably from a vacuum cleaner? Could be put to use back at the bunker, but no time to scavenge now.</span> <span class="continue-block">At the bottom of the box she finds something more immediately useful; a large power cell. \<<set $playerInventory.push("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if $cablesConnected is true && lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.2') is 0>><<link 'Battery'>><<goto [[3i.3]]>><</link>><<else>>Battery<<endif>><<else>>Battery<<endif>>")>></span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('Search top shelf') >=1 && visited('Search middle shelf') >=1>>[[She shuts the closet behind her.|3g.1]]<<elseif visited('Search top shelf') >=1>>[[Finally she searches the middle shelf.|Search middle shelf]]<<elseif visited('Search middle shelf')>>[[Finally she searches the top shelf.|Search top shelf]]<<else>>[[She searches the top shelf next.|Search top shelf]] [[She searches the middle shelf next.|Search middle shelf]]<<endif>></span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection2'>><</replace>><<if visited('3h Security room interior') >=2>>The security room is small and cramped. A trio of screens extend from one wall, wired up to a slim desktop computer and a security interface. Fastened to the wall next to the screens is an electricity distribution board. <<if $powerOn is false>>[[The Girl investigates the distribution board.|3i Fusebox]]<<endif>> <<if $powerOn is false>>[[The Girl turns on the screens.|3j Security panel]]<<else>>[[The Girl turns on the screens.|3j Power on]]<<endif>> [[The Girl leaves the security room for now.|3d Substation foyer]]<<else>>The room is tiny, barely big enough for the trio of computer screens that extend from the walls on metal pump-arms, proffering their blank innocence. <span class="continue-block">A rickety metal-frame desk stands beneath the screens, peripherals strewn across it, including a keyboard-like interface fixed to what looks like an upturned rollerball mouse.</span> <span class="continue-block">And, fastened onto the wall next to the screens, is the battered plastic shell of an electricity distribution board.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if $powerOn is false>>[[The Girl investigates the distribution board.|3i Fusebox]]<<endif>> <<if $powerOn is false>>[[The Girl turns on the screens.|3j Security panel]]<<else>>[[The Girl turns on the screens.|3j Power on]]<<endif>> [[The Girl leaves the security room for now.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<endif>>

<<if visited('3j Security panel') >=2>>The Girl stares at the blank screens. They'll keep hiding their secrets until the power is restored. [[She turns away.|3h Security room interior]]<<else>>The Girl tries to wake the screens, pressing emergency key combinations embedded into her memory from years spent interacting with failing technology. <span class="continue-block">Nothing works. Even the rollerball, when spun backwards and forwards with a swish of her palm, yields no response.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She turns away from the security system.|3h Security room interior]]</span><<endif>>

<<if visited('3i Fusebox') >=2>><<if $cablesConnected is false && $batteryConnected is false>>The distribution board has been disconnected from the mains. Two wires hang limply from the side of the weathered box. [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]<<elseif $batteryConnected is false>>The distribution board has been disconnected from the mains. Two wires hang from the side of the weathered box, haphazardly connected to a set of longer cables. [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]<<else>>The distribution board has been disconnected from the mains. Two wires hang from the side of the weathered box, haphazardly connected to a requisitioned battery. [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]<<endif>><<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 11>>The distribution board has been disconnected from the mains. Two wires hang limply from the side of the weathered box. <span class="continue-block">It seems the board has shorted: the vertical plastic switches are all pointing upwards.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl flicks the switches down with a click, but they immediately return to their upright position.</span> <span class="continue-block">The box appears old. The plastic casing is cracked and discoloured.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl notices that two wires, one red, one black, hang limply out the side of the box, their copper entrails splayed out like the wings of a dying eagle. They pair up with two holes, no bigger than cigarette burns, poked into the wall.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]</span><<endif>>

A chance to find out more about what happened to the crew of the Arcadia Substation. Not exactly in the purview of the mission, but curiosity gets the better of the Girl. She moves the cursor to the righthand screen, and selects a small button below the collage of camera feeds: RECORDS VIEWER. A table of graphics appears, cascading camera stills stamped with different numbers: recorded CCTV footage from the different rooms within the substation. <span class="continue-block">[[She selects the file titled 'Canteen'|3n.1]] [[She selects the file titled 'Lab'|3n.2]] [[She selects the file titled 'Reactor'.|3n.3]]</span>

The Girl scrolls through the mass of electronic messages sent to and from the substation. <span class="continue-block">Sent to and from Command.</span> <span class="continue-block">When the satellites began to fail, a fog descended over communications between the bunker and the outside world. Contact with the substation had been lost weeks ago. At least that's what Command had said.</span> <span class="continue-block">Here, documented in black and white pixels, were the last transmissions between the two bases. [[The Girl opens the most recent message.|3o.1]]</span>

\<<set $elevatorFixed to true>>A pop-up appears in the middle of the screen. The Girl barely even has to read it. Are you sure you want to initiate elevator reactivation sequence? She clicks <<linkreplace 'OK.'>>OK. The pop-up disappears. The command window screed now all in white; ELEVATOR ACTIVE. <span class="continue-block">She was expecting the hiss of hydraulic pumps, the crunch of gears, an alert over the tannoy. This would have to do; at least it was fixed. [[She returns to the elevator.|3d Substation foyer]] [[She checks the CCTV records before leaving.|3j Power on]]</span><</linkreplace>>

<<if visited('3j Power on') >=2>><<set $communicationsStage to 15>>White text fills the screen on the left. On the right, four camera stills blink in and out of greyscale focus. The Girl sits at the security interface, deciding what to do. <<if $cctvChecked is false>>[[She scrolls through the CCTV records.|3n CCTV records]]<<endif>> [[She scrolls through the communications logs.|3o Communications logs]] <<if $elevatorFixed is false>>[[She clicks the red text to reactivate the elevator.|3p Activate elevators]]<<endif>> [[The Girl leaves the security room for now.|3d Substation foyer]]<<else>>White glyphs of code hopping across the screens as the operating system boots up. <span class="continue-block">The screen on the right flashes with four camera stills, awkwardly skewed stills of seemingly pyramidal rooms, shaded grey as if coated in ash from the city streets. The Girl recognises some of the rooms.</span> <span class="continue-block">A list of options appears in a window on the screen on the left: various meaningless operating phrases, though one scratch of red text stands out. ELEVATOR DISABLED. REACTIVATION AVAILABLE.</span> <span class="continue-block">The central screen displays a communications interface — a series of messages sent to and from the substation.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl sits at the security interface, deciding what to do. <<if $cctvChecked is false>>[[She scrolls through the CCTV records.|3n CCTV records]]<<endif>> [[View communications|She scrolls through the communications logs.|3o Communications logs]] <<if $elevatorFixed is false>>[[She clicks the red text to reactivate the elevator.|3p Activate elevators]]<<endif>> [[The Girl leaves the security room for now.|3d Substation foyer]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl has a battery, but no way of connecting it to the distribution board. [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]

The Girl teases the copper filament from the ends of the cables, tightly intertwining them with the frayed wires from the distribution board. Now to attach a battery. \<<set $cablesConnected to true>><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.1') is 0>><<link 'Cables'>><<goto [[3i.2]]>><</link>><<else>>Cables<<endif>><<endif>>")>><<set $communicationsStage to 12>> [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]

The Girl slams the battery down on the security desk and sets about hooking it up to the distribution board. In her operations training, she'd learnt how to make the most of any power source. <span class="continue-block">She slices the end of one of the cables and teases out the copper filament, which she intertwines tightly with the frayed wire from the box.</span> <span class="continue-block">She repeats the process for the second wire, then hooks them up to the battery.<<set $communicationsStage to 13>> \<<set $batteryConnected to true>><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if $cablesConnected is true && lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.2') is 0>><<link 'Battery'>><<goto [[3i.3]]>><</link>><<else>>Battery<<endif>><<else>>Battery<<endif>>")>> <span class="continue-block">The connections will just about hold for now. They'll need to be secured before turning on the power. [[She leaves the distribution board for now.|3h Security room interior]]</span>

The Girl wraps the newly joined wires with electrical tape, before flicking all the breakers back into position. <span class="continue-block">The bulbs overhead flicker to life, bathing the room in a dim orange glow. \<<set $powerOn to true>><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if $powerOn is false>><<if $batteryConnected is true && lastVisited('3i Fusebox') is 0 || lastVisited('3i.3') is 0>><<link 'Tape'>><<goto [[3i.4]]>><</link>><<else>>Tape<<endif>><<else>>Tape<<endif>>")>> [[With power restored, she investigates the security system.|3j Security panel]]</span>

She spools back through the footage. <span class="continue-block">A man, shoulder-length ginger hair, staggering from the kitchen. Leaning on the wall for support. Sliding to the floor, but continuing to crawl forward, then disappearing out of the camera's sight.</span> <span class="continue-block">The footage continues to play, but the canteen is still.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3n.2') >=1 && visited('3n.3') >=1>>\<<set $cctvChecked to true>>[[The records exhausted, the Girl turns her attention to the other screens.|3j Power on]]<<elseif visited('3n.2') >=1>>[[She selects the file titled 'Reactor'.|3n.3]]<<elseif visited('3n.3')>>[[She selects the file titled 'Lab'|3n.2]]<<else>>[[She selects the file titled 'Lab'|3n.2]] [[She selects the file titled 'Reactor'.|3n.3]]<<endif>></span>

She spools back through the footage. <span class="continue-block">The makeshift laboratory, disorganised and idle. Three figures, dressed in black. They strap oxygen tanks to their back, then pass into the airlock.</span> <span class="continue-block">The footage jitters, patches of glitch pooling across the screen like insects, before fading to black.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3n.1') >=1 && visited('3n.3') >=1>>\<<set $cctvChecked to true>>[[The records exhausted, the Girl turns her attention to the other screens.|3j Power on]]<<elseif visited('3n.1') >=1>>[[She selects the file titled 'Reactor'.|3n.3]]<<elseif visited('3n.3')>>[[She selects the file titled 'Canteen'|3n.1]]<<else>>[[She selects the file titled 'Canteen'|3n.1]] [[She selects the file titled 'Reactor'.|3n.3]]<<endif>></span>

She spools back through the footage. <span class="continue-block">A seashell-shaped room. Men and women in lab coats run frantically from flashing control panel to flashing control panel, hitting buttons and adjusting sliders. A woman shouts into an old-fashioned phone handset wired into the wall.</span> <span class="continue-block">The footage jumps forward abruptly. The room is empty. The control panels are blank.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('3n.1') >=1 && visited('3n.2') >=1>>\<<set $cctvChecked to true>>[[The records exhausted, the Girl turns her attention to the other screens.|3j Power on]]<<elseif visited('3n.1') >=1>>[[She selects the file titled 'Lab'|3n.2]]<<elseif visited('3n.2')>>[[She selects the file titled 'Canteen'|3n.1]]<<else>>[[She selects the file titled 'Canteen'|3n.1]] [[She selects the file titled 'Lab'|3n.2]]<<endif>></span>

The Girl opens the most recent message, sent from Command two weeks ago. <span class="continue-block">A simple four word dispatch.</span><span class="continue-block"> 'Understood. Support decision pending.'</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl scrolls up to read the previous message.|3o.2]]</span>

The Girl reads the previous message, the message to which Command was responding. <span class="continue-block">'Supplies low. Oxygen system: catastrophic failure imminent. Send relief ASAP.'</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl swallows hard. </span><span class="continue-block">The consequence of this message exchange begins to sink in. A ball of rising anger thuds against the inside of her chest.</span> <span class="continue-block">The final message the substation sent, received and responded to by Command, but too late.</span><span class="continue-block"> Command had failed the substation.</span> <span class="continue-block">Then they'd sent her to clean up the mess.</span><<set $communicationsStage to 14>> <span class="continue-block">[[She closes the communication logs.|3j Power on]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5c Basement corridor') >=2>>Orange lights illuminate the path down the winding, metal-plated corridor which connects the sleeping quarters with the substation's main basement area. [[The Girl enters the sleeping quarters.|5r Sleeping quarters]] [[The Girl returns to the basement junction.|5a Substation basement]]<<else>>Twinkles of orange light direct her down the corridor. It slopes further and further downwards with each step, narrowing significantly, squeezed in by the earth. <span class="continue-block">The walls and ceiling of the corridor are reinforced with metal plates. Cave-ins and tunnel collapses were a constant risk.</span> <span class="continue-block">And if the earth didn't strangle you, then <<linkreplace 'the Cave Phthisis would'>>the Cave Phthisis would. The illness had first appeared soon after the move to the tunnels, though no one knew how it spread; it just seemed like the human body began to give up. The symptoms attacked quickly and without mercy. Bleaching skin. Loss of sight. Muscle wasting. Delirium. Memory loss. A heavy, bellowing cough<span class="continue-block">. Not many clung on to life as long as the Girl's mother. But cling on she does</span><</linkreplace>>.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She continues to walk down the hallway.|5r Sleeping quarters]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5d Reactor door') >=2>><<if $reactorFixed is true>>The LED above the door is now lit up in a steady pale green.<<else>>The red LED above the door continues to flash angrily.<<endif>> [[She steps back from the door.|5a Substation basement]] [[She enters the purification reactor.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>>The red LED above the door flashes again and again, angrily indicating the yellow and black signs which depict the protective equipment required to be worn inside. <span class="continue-block">The Girl adjusts her goggles.</span> <span class="continue-block">She grabs the handle of the door and [[enters the purification reactor.|5e Purification reactor]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5b Control room') >=2>>The thick titanium hatch bars her entry to the control room. Without an access card there's no way in. [[She steps away from the door.|5a Substation basement]]<<else>>The Girl had seen schematics of a similar hatch in her mission briefing. <span class="continue-block">She radios in: "Command, I've identified the control room."</span> <span class="continue-block">She knocks on the hatch. The flawless titanium hums in response. </span><span class="continue-block">The hatch has no handle, no identifiable lock, no dents or grazes or weaknesses to exploit.</span> <span class="continue-block">The only detail is a small glass panel embedded in the centre of the metal: a card scanner.</span> <span class="continue-block">But without an access card there's no way in. [[She steps away from the door.|5a Substation basement]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5r Sleeping quarters') >=2>>Six bunks, six lockers, six lamps; the sleeping quarters are modestly furnished. A shared desk has been wedged into the corner of the room, a large paperback lying open on top of it. <<if visited('5s Search beds') is 0>>[[She searches the beds.|5s Search beds]]<<endif>> [[She rifles through the lockers.|5t Personal lockers]] <<if visited('5u Read book') is 0>>[[She examines the book.|5u Read book]]<<endif>> [[She leaves the sleeping quarters.|5a Substation basement]]<<else>>The Girl enters the substation sleeping quarters. <span class="continue-block">They are furnished with a military precision and paucity, much like the quarters the Girl had moved into after signing on with the Expeditionary Force.</span> <span class="continue-block">The substation quarters housed six; six bunks, six free-standing lockers, six lamps. </span><span class="continue-block">The bunks are untidy. Colourless sheets have been crushed into fleshy-petalled flowers or left straddling the edge of the thin sleeping mats.</span> <span class="continue-block">Lockers stand next to each bunk, a lamp resting on each. They've all been left open, an exhibit of personal items, each a window into the lives of one of the room's six occupants.</span> <span class="continue-block">A shared desk has been wedged into the corner of the room, several thick books stacked in uneven piles on the shelf above it. A large paperback lies open on the desk.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('5s Search beds') is 0>>[[She searches the beds.|5s Search beds]]<<endif>> <<if visited('5t Personal lockers') is 0>>[[She rifles through the lockers.|5t Personal lockers]]<<endif>> <<if visited('5u Read book') is 0>>[[She examines the book.|5u Read book]]<<endif>> [[She leaves the sleeping quarters.|5a Substation basement]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5e Purification reactor') >=2>>Multi-tiered scaffolding borders the concrete-clad reactor chamber. A huge pit sinks deep into the earth, emitting a steady stream of heat. A halo of flashing warning lights wreathes the chamber in an intermittent red glow. <span class="continue-block">Much of the reactor's upper platform is blocked off by glass. The lower platform runs around a set of three copper pipes that drop into the central pit. A colossal pipe runs down the far wall. [[She exits the purification reactor.|5a Substation basement]] [[She heads to the upper level.|5f Safety glass]] <<if $exhaustFixed is false>>[[She investigates the pipe.|5g Examine exhaust]]<<endif>> <<if $pipesFixed is false>>[[She heads to the lower level.|5h Pump room]]<<endif>></span><<else>><<set $communicationsStage to 18>>The Girl emerges onto a narrow scaffold; spiderwebbed metal slats running around the border of the concrete-clad chamber, tentatively balancing on huge beams. <span class="continue-block">She leans over the railings and is struck by a wave of heat. </span><span class="continue-block">A deep pit, the maw of an irascible screaming beast, rages below her.</span> <span class="continue-block">The reactor was designed to process the carbon dioxide stripped from the air, trapping it in a solution which is then pumped into the ground, out of sight and out of mind.</span><span class="continue-block"> This had been the plan all along, a plan that was accelerated as the situation topside worsened. <span class="continue-block">An insufficient plan, some in the bunker occasionally muttered, but it was all they had.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl steps back and looks around the chamber.|5e.1]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl steps back and looks around the chamber. <span class="continue-block">The scaffold structure resembles a splintered claw, gantries splayed outwards at different parts of the vast reactor, slatted metal steps linking the different levels.</span> <span class="continue-block">A halo of flashing warning lights wreathes the chamber in an intermittent red glow.</span> <span class="continue-block">The upper level towers over the others, a platform boxed off by glass looking out across the whole reactor system; some kind of observation area. The hull of an enormous exhaust pipe, the size of a small cargo tank, bulges out of the wall opposite.</span> <span class="continue-block">Smaller pipes wind round the upper echelons, disappearing and re-emerging from the concrete walls like fattened worms, transporting gas or fluid to the lower level, where they feed into three thicker pipes that pass through the gangway and drop into the screaming pit below.</span><span class="continue-block"> [[She exits the purification reactor.|5a Substation basement]] [[She heads to the upper level.|5f Safety glass]] <<if $exhaustFixed is false>>[[She investigates the exhaust pipe.|5g Examine exhaust]]<<endif>> <<if $pipesFixed is false>>[[She heads to the lower level.|5h Pump room]]<<endif>></span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if $exhaustFixed is true && $pipesFixed is true>>The Girl climbs the steps to the top level. <span class="continue-block">The titanium shutters, once blocking the glass doors before her, have rolled away. [[She enters the newly unlocked observation deck.|5m Observation deck]]</span><<else>><<if visited('5f Safety glass') >=2>>Red warning lights flash brightly around the upper level. The uppermost platform's viewing box is shut off by titanium shields layered inside the glass, but through a porthole the girl can see a slip of coloured plastic wedged beneath a monitor.<<else>>The Girl climbs to the upper level, hollow clanging accompanying each footstep. <span class="continue-block">The entrance to the glass box is blocked by a panel of titanium. Similar panels layer the inside of the glass, blocking much of the platform from view, but there is a small porthole cut out in the titanium door.</span> <span class="continue-block">Through the glass she can see a row of monitors, deep black screens void of all meaning.</span> <span class="continue-block">Wedged beneath the last monitor is a slip of coloured plastic.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[Unable to enter the box, she returns to the middle level.|5e Purification reactor]]</span><<endif>><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if $exhaustFixed is true>>The Girl edges her way around the platforms to the hulking pipe embedded into the wall. She checks the control panel fixed to the beast. A tiny green LED flashes next to one of the levers: OPEN. Everything is now functioning as expected. [[She turns away from the pipe.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>><<if visited('5g Examine exhaust') >=2>>The Girl edges her way around the platforms to the hulking pipe embedded into the wall. She reads the black and yellow warning sign stuck aslant to the face of the metal beast: EXHAUST MUST REMAIN OPEN DURING REACTOR OPERATION. A control panel is immediately below the sign. A tiny red LED flashes next to one of the levers: CLOSED. [[She attempts to reopen the exhaust.|5i Fix exhaust]] [[She leaves the pipe for now.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>>The Girl edges her way around the platforms to the hulking ventilation shaft embedded into the wall. <span class="continue-block">She reads the black and yellow warning sign stuck aslant to the face of the metal beast: EXHAUST MUST REMAIN OPEN DURING REACTOR OPERATION.</span> <span class="continue-block">A control panel, a jumble of buttons and levers each labelled with studded black letters, is immediately below the sign. A tiny red LED flashes next to one of the levers: CLOSED.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She attempts to reopen the exhaust.|5i Fix exhaust]] [[She leaves the pipe for now.|5e Purification reactor]]</span><<endif>><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if $pipesFixed is true>>The Girl descends the steps to the lower level and faces the trio of broad copper pipes. All three pipes sibilate softly like waves lapping up a vacant beach. The warning light behind the pipes is glowing green. Satisfied the pipes are fixed, [[she returns to the central gantry of the reactor.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>><<if visited('5h Pump room') >=2>>The Girl descends the steps to the lower level and faces the trio of broad copper pipes. A stout cylinder has been fitted to the pipes, upon which, etched in small writing, is a short phrase: 'opt. 800 mbar'. Fixed to the wall behind the pipes, a red warning light gleams. [[She examines the pipes.|5k Adjust pumps]]<<else>>The Girl descends the steps to the lower level and faces the triplet of broad copper pipes. <span class="continue-block">They swell in the middle where a stout cylinder has been fitted, decorative blades fanning out from the sides like the pages of an open book. Small numbers and letters are etched into an inlet between two of the blades: 'opt. 800 mbar'.</span> <span class="continue-block">Fixed to the wall behind the pipes, a red warning light gleams.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She examines the pipes.|5k Adjust pumps]]</span><<endif>><<endif>>

<<if visited('5i Fix exhaust') >=2>>The exhaust pipe control panel stands before the Girl. The lever used to open and close the exhaust is broken, the lever arm missing. The slot where the lever arm used to be is just about visible; it's tiny, no wider than the tip of a pen. [[She leaves the exhaust shaft for now.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>>The Girl's eyes flick left and right as she scans the panel for any sign of how to reopen the exhaust feed. Two labels, 'open' and 'closed', flank a lever. <span class="continue-block">But there is no lever arm, just a grinning gap where it used to be.</span> <span class="continue-block">She runs the tip of index finger along the lever-less gap. It catches a small ball bearing, fixed into position by the 'closed' label.</span><span class="continue-block"> The slot where the lever arm once sat is just about visible; it's tiny, no wider than the tip of a pen.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She leaves the exhaust shaft for now.|5e Purification reactor]]</span><<endif>>

<<set _checkPipe to "left">><<set _turnValve to "left">>Each cylinder has a ship wheel valve facing towards the gangway, and a circular pressure gauge jutting outwards in naval salute. The dial on the gauge runs from 0 to 1600. <span class="action">She examines the different pipes...</span> She <<link "checks">><<replace ".action" t8n>><<if _checkPipe is "left">><<if $leftPipe is "open">>The left gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 750 and 800.<<elseif $leftPipe is "closed">>The left gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 1400 and 1450.<</if>><<elseif _checkPipe is "middle">><<if $middlePipe is "open">>The middle gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 750 and 800.<<elseif $middlePipe is "closed">>The middle gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 1400 and 1450.<</if>><<elseif _checkPipe is "right">><<if $rightPipe is "open">>The right gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 750 and 800.<<elseif $rightPipe is "closed">>The right gauge's pointer trembles, flicking between a reading of 1400 and 1450.<</if>><</if>><</replace>><</link>> the gauge for the <<cycle "_checkPipe" autoselect>><<option "left">><<option "middle">><<option "right">><</cycle>> pipe. She <<link "turns">><<replace ".action" t8n>><<if _turnValve is "left">> \<<if $leftPipe is "open">> \<<set $leftPipe to "closed">> \<<elseif $leftPipe is "closed">> \<<set $leftPipe to "open">> \<</if>>The Girl notices the pressure gauge pointers on both the left and middle pipes move. \<<if $middlePipe is "open">> \<<set $middlePipe to "closed">> \<<elseif $middlePipe is "closed">> \<<set $middlePipe to "open">> \<</if>> \<<elseif _turnValve is "middle">> \<<if $middlePipe is "open">> \<<set $middlePipe to "closed">> \<<elseif $middlePipe is "closed">> \<<set $middlePipe to "open">> \<</if>>The Girl notices the pressure gauge pointers on both the middle and right pipes move. \<<if $rightPipe is "open">> \<<set $rightPipe to "closed">> \<<elseif $rightPipe is "closed">> \<<set $rightPipe to "open">> \<</if>> \<<elseif _turnValve is "right">> \<<if $rightPipe is "open">> \<<set $rightPipe to "closed">> \<<elseif $rightPipe is "closed">> \<<set $rightPipe to "open">> \<</if>>The Girl notices the pressure gauge pointer on the right pipe moves. \<</if>><</replace>><</link>> the valve for the <<cycle "_turnValve" autoselect>><<option "left">><<option "middle">><<option "right">><</cycle>> pipe. \<<repeat 0.125s>><<if $leftPipe is "open" && $middlePipe is "open" && $rightPipe is "open">><<goto [[5k.1]] t8n>><</if>><</repeat>> [[She leaves the pipes alone for now.|5e Purification reactor]]

<<set $pipesFixed to true>>The Girl steps back. All three pipes sibilate softly like waves lapping up a vacant beach. The warning light behind the pipes is now glowing green.<<set $communicationsStage to 20>> <span class="continue-block"><<if $exhaustFixed is true && $pipesFixed is true>>[[Shrill sirens echo around the reactor.|5j Reactor control]]<<else>>[[She returns to the main gantry.|5e Purification reactor]]<<endif>></span>

The Girl considers just hammering the panel with her wrench, then thinks better of it. This is a task that requires finesse rather than force. [[She leaves the exhaust shaft for now.|5e Purification reactor]]

The Girl tries to insert the head of a screwdriver into the gap, but even the flattest tip is too wide for the miniscule aperture. [[She leaves the exhaust shaft for now.|5e Purification reactor]]

The Girl carefully inserts the pen into the gap vacated by the broken lever-arm, then slowly drags the ball across to the 'open' position. <span class="continue-block">The exhaust shaft sighs softly as air begins to flow back through its vents.</span><<set $exhaustFixed to true>><<set $playerInventory.delete('<<if lastVisited("5i Fix exhaust") is 0>><<link "Ballpoint pen">><<goto [[5i.3]]>><</link>><<else>>Ballpoint pen<<endif>>')>><<set $communicationsStage to 19>> <span class="continue-block"><<if $exhaustFixed is true && $pipesFixed is true>>[[Shrill sirens echo around the reactor.|5j Reactor control]]<<else>>[[She returns to the central platform.|5e Purification reactor]]<<endif>></span>

The Girl looks through the different items in the lockers — miniature framed photos, hand-written notes from loved ones, heavily thumbed novels and pamphlets, the occasional flattened candy wrapper. <span class="continue-block">One item in particular catches the Girl's eye.</span> <span class="continue-block">It's a small [[ring|5t.1]], a viridian gem set into a band of burnished silver.</span>

The book looks to be a manual of some kind, long and detailed. Small-print text lists down one page, complicated diagrams fill the other. <span class="continue-block">Keeping a thumb on the current page, the Girl flips the book shut; the monochrome print on the front cover reads: 'Direct Air Capture Purification Reactor BN56 — Maintenance Manual'.</span> <span class="continue-block">She reopens the book to a page titled 'In event of pump blockage'. She skims through the text. A detailed explanation of pressure release, emergency shutdowns, automatic exhaust closure, safety procedures, observation deck lockdown...</span> <span class="continue-block">It means very little to the Girl, but <<link 'she slips the book into her backpack all the same.'>><<goto '5r Sleeping quarters'>><<set $playerInventory.push("<<link 'Manual'>><<dialog 'Manual'>>The monochrome print on the front cover reads: 'Direct Air Capture Purification Reactor BN56 — Maintenance Manual'.<br><br>'In event of pump blockage': a detailed explanation of pressure release, emergency shutdowns, automatic exhaust closure, safety procedures, observation deck lockdown...<br><br>The purification reactor cannot function without an open exhaust and matching pressure values across all three main pumps.<</dialog>><</link>>")>><</link>></span>

She searches the beds, tossing aside sheets and pillows and upturning the sleeping mats.<span class="continue-block"> A ballpoint pen, previously lodged beneath one of the mats, drops to the floor.</span> <span class="continue-block">She reaches down and picks it up. <<link [[The clear plastic shell is almost exhausted of ink, but she slips it into one of her pockets anyway.|5r Sleeping quarters]]>><<set $playerInventory.push('<<if lastVisited("5i Fix exhaust") is 0>><<link "Ballpoint pen">><<goto [[5i.3]]>><</link>><<else>>Ballpoint pen<<endif>>')>><</link>></span>

Her mother had a similar ring, with a blue sapphire stone.<span class="continue-block"> It was one of the only possessions she did have, aside from a few clothes and other curios accumulated from around the bunker; that's how the Girl came into possession of her old comics.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her mother looked after her as best she could, but they rarely talked; not in the way the Girl sensed they perhaps should. The bond between mother and daughter remained a silent one.</span> <span class="continue-block">She never said who the ring belonged to.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl turns to examine the rest of the room.|5r Sleeping quarters]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>>The Girl spins around to see the titanium shields lifting from the windows of the observation deck. The red warning lamps burn out.<<set $communicationsStage to 21>> The room suddenly falls silent once more, as if all the noise and light had been consumed by the black hole pit in the centre of the reactor. [[She gazes into the pit.|5l Pit]] [[She enters the observation deck.|5m Observation deck]]

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>><<if visited('5m Observation deck') >=2>>The observation deck is full of monitoring equipment. Four monitors display the same simple message: REACTOR DISABLED — CONTROL ROOM OVERRIDE. <<if visited('5o Card') >=1>>With the security pass in her pocket, the Girl can now access the substation control room.<<else>>A slip of coloured plastic has been wedged beneath one of the monitors.<<endif>> <<if visited('5p View body') >=1>>The grey, lifeless body of the reactor's final operator is slumped in a high-backed office chair.<<else>>A grey, lifeless body is slumped over one of the control desks.<<endif>> [[The Girl tries to restart the reactor.|5n Restart reactor]] <<if visited('5o Card') >=1>><<else>>[[The Girl picks up the plastic.|5o Card]]<<endif>> <<if visited('5p View body') >=1>><<else>>[[The Girl examines the body.|5p View body]]<<endif>> [[The Girl leaves the observation deck.|5e Purification reactor]]<<else>>The Girl climbs the steps to the top level and enters the newly unlocked observation deck. <span class="continue-block">The interior is similar to Command's own control room, their bunker within a bunker.</span><span class="continue-block"> The glass box is full of monitoring equipment: control panels with buttons, dials, switches and heavy levers, gauges and thermometers.</span> <span class="continue-block">Four monitors, meant to display the vital signs of the reactor, communicate the same simple message: REACTOR DISABLED — CONTROL ROOM OVERRIDE.</span> <span class="continue-block">A slip of coloured plastic has been wedged beneath one of the monitors.</span> <span class="continue-block">And, slumped over one of the control desks, is another lifeless body.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl tries to restart the reactor.|5n Restart reactor]] [[The Girl examines the body.|5p View body]] [[The Girl picks up the plastic.|5o Card]] [[The Girl leaves the observation deck.|5e Purification reactor]]</span><<endif>>

The Girl looks into the <<linkreplace 'pit...'>>pit and the pit roars back. <span class="continue-block">Her goggles steam up quickly.</span><span class="continue-block"> She steps back from the precipice.</span><span class="continue-block"> She doesn't know if this boiling of the earth is an expected part of the process or a sign that something has gone badly wrong. [[The Girl makes her way to the observation deck.|5m Observation deck]]</span><</linkreplace>>

The corpse lies face down on the control desk, one hand stretched forwards, crooked arthritic fingers bent backwards and pointing to the heavens. <span class="continue-block">The Girl rolls the body over.</span><span class="continue-block"> A woman in her mid-sixties, choked to death by circumstance. Her puckered, grey face is framed by grey hair, stretching to her shoulders but thinning at the pate. The woman's bulbous eyes stare vacantly at the Girl.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl closes the woman's eyelids. Her plight should have been noticed earlier. There's a breathing tank strapped to her back, but its contents must have run out long ago.</span> <span class="continue-block">The flexible plastic mouthpiece appears fused to the woman's face, her cheeks distorted with blotches of indigo and puce. The Girl thinks of her mother.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[There's a note on the control desk.|5q Read note]]</span>

The Girl grabs the plastic card from beneath the monitor. <span class="continue-block">It's a security pass, name and photo printed in faded ink.</span> <span class="continue-block">Members of the Expeditionary Force had similar passes, allowing them freer access around the bunker complex.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl had used hers to sneak into the infirmary, to see her mother at night. </span><span class="continue-block">The nurses never questioned it, when they saw her waiting by her ailing mother's bedside outside visiting hours. </span><span class="continue-block">They carried on working like automatons, drudging forever onwards as, one-by-one, their colleagues silently fell around them.</span> <span class="continue-block"><<link [[She stows the pass safely in a pouch on her belt.|5m Observation deck]]>><<set $playerInventory.push('<<if lastVisited("5b Control room") is 0>><<link "Security pass">><<goto [[6a.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Security pass<<endif>>')>><</link>></span>

<<if visited('5n Restart reactor') >=2>>The Girl sits down at the control desk. According to Command, none of the many buttons and levers will restart the reactor. She'll have to override the shutdown from the control room. [[The Girl stands up.|5m Observation deck]]<<else>>The Girl sits down at the control desk. <span class="continue-block">The intimidating array of buttons and levers make her head spin. Her self-assured attitude evaporates.</span> <span class="continue-block">"Command, I've repaired the faults but the reactor's still disabled."</span> <span class="continue-block">The communications line opens with a crackle. "The reactor equipment is for monitoring only. You'll need to get into the control room to override the shutdown."</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl chances her arm. "Command, surely we need to send a professional crew down here? To repair and man the substation properly?"</span><<set $communicationsStage to 22>> <span class="continue-block">No response. [[The crackle in her ear dies.|5m Observation deck]]</span><<endif>>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection4'>><</replace>><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<link 'Notepad'>><<dialog 'Notepad'>>A four digit number has been etched firmly onto the inside cover of the pad — 4531.<</dialog>><</link>>")>><<set $playerInventory.delete("<<if lastVisited('3e Security room door') is 0 && visited('3h Security room interior') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3e.2]]>><</link>><<elseif lastVisited('3l Cleaning closet door') is 0>><<link 'Ring of keys'>><<goto [[3l.1]]>><</link>><<else>>Ring of keys<<endif>>")>> <br> <br> <div class="subtitle"><span class='fade-in'>[[III. The Heart|5a Substation basement]]</span></div>

A short message has been scrawled on a scrap of paper: <span class="continue-block">'Why would the others leave? We have our orders. To protect the reactor and ensure nothing goes wrong.</span><span class="continue-block"> To protect the reactor.</span> <span class="continue-block">Just because they've lost faith, doesn't mean they can abandon their posts.</span> <span class="continue-block">If anyone finds me here, know I persevered. Know I did my bit.'</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl leaves the note on the desk.|5m Observation deck]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection4'>><</replace>>The oval control room looks like the inside of a child's idea of a spaceship. Smooth cream walls curve slightly towards the ceiling, where a large panel light beams brightly, like a newly formed sun.<<set $communicationsStage to 23>> <span class="continue-block">The room is quiet.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl can hear the ticking of her oxygen tank and the hum of the light. There's no one else here but her.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her heart sinks.</span> <span class="continue-block">Substation Arcadia truly had been abandoned.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl looks around.|6b Control room desk]]</span>

\<<replace "#story-map">><<include 'StoryMapSection3'>><</replace>>The Girl swipes the security pass across the card scanner embedded in the door. <span class="continue-block">A brief beep, then the titanium hatch begins to open.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl steps into the heart of the substation.|6a Control room]]</span>

As with many of the rooms in the substation, a desk of monitoring equipment has been laid out below a large computer monitor, which displays a simple message: REACTOR DISABLED — RESTART AVAILABLE. <span class="continue-block">Lights flit across the control desk like restless fireflies.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She approaches the desk.|6c Interact desk]]</span>

Dents and scars run along the aging reactor control unit. <span class="continue-block">Spools of plastic-coated wire and miniature screwdrivers sit at the back of the desk, behind warning lights and toggle switches and a keyboard interface similar to that found in the substation security room.</span> <span class="continue-block">A corded communications phone hangs from the desk, slipped loose of its holster.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl sits down at the desk.|6d Sit down desk]]</span>

The Girl sits down on a small black chair and rests her hands on the keyboard. The controls of the substation are suddenly at her fingertips. <span class="continue-block">She presses a key. </span><span class="continue-block">The warning message on the screen disappears and is replaced by the face of a haggard <<linkreplace 'man.'>>man. His face is skeletal, blanched skin stretched taut over ensiform cheekbones, thin pale lips curled into a sneer; as haunting a visage as the Girl had ever seen. <span class="continue-block">Wispy grey hair falls around his eyes and ears like stray cobwebs.</span> <span class="continue-block">He begins to speak.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[And the Girl listens.|6e Video]]</span><</linkreplace>>

"Hello," the man says, his baritone crackling through the screen. He repeats himself calmly. "Hello." <span class="continue-block">"Hello? Who is this?" The Girl says back.</span> <span class="continue-block">"This is the final message from Arcadia," the man continues.</span> <span class="continue-block">He does not respond to the Girl's question, instead staring right through her; it could be anyone hearing his words, or one — it wouldn't [[matter|6e.1]].</span>

"We are the forgotten, the left behind, the ignored. We've been here from the start, following orders, slavishly monitoring screens and charts, the progress of this miracle mission." <span class="continue-block">He pauses.</span> <span class="continue-block">"But we can continue no more."</span> <span class="continue-block">It's a transition recording, the Girl realises. Nurses used them in the infirmary to share important messages between shifts.</span> <span class="continue-block">"The dream was this machinery would reverse the catastrophe. That we'd be able to return to normality, with renewed commitment to cooperating with a planet pushed to the brink. The reality is..."</span> <span class="continue-block">His pace slackens with every word, the effort of speech draining him faster than his thoughts can escape.</span> <span class="continue-block">"This technology is decrepit. Fragile. A thousand warnings delivered, yet none heeded. There are some who don't want to face that [[reality|6e.2]]."</span>

The Girl presses a clawed hand against her temple. She can hear the faint crackle of feedback from her communications device. <span class="continue-block">"Even with proper support to service the reactor, to cool the pit and to dig another. Even then…"</span> <span class="continue-block">The man turns away from the camera, then swiftly back again.</span> <span class="continue-block">"The gambit has failed, but to admit that would be to admit the gravest mistake. So we cower in hovels like rats, spluttering into the darkness. We feed off misbegotten hope and we wait and we [[wonder|6e.3]]."</span>

The man leans towards the camera, practically leaning out of the screen, his swollen eyes shimmering in the harsh white light. <span class="continue-block">"So I ask you, whoever finds this message. Heed my warning. Your hope betrays you. Humanity, Ozymandias eternal, cannot find a way. Not now."</span> <span class="continue-block">He drops back into his chair, his breathing shallow, his shoulders hunched.</span> <span class="continue-block">"This is the final message from Arcadia. [[Do with it what you will.|7a Ending]]"</span>

The screen fades to black, and then the words return. <span class="continue-block">Bright orange letters, a suggestion rather than a command: REACTOR DISABLED - RESTART AVAILABLE.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl plants her hands on the desk. She looks down at the controls. A blood-orange button, protected by a clear plastic flap, calls out to the Girl from the middle of the panel.</span> <span class="continue-block">The Girl thinks back to a conversation she had with her mother when she was younger.</span> <span class="continue-block">Her mother had always been an idealist. Always telling the Girl about the surface, about how wonderful it was and how wonderful it will be again. <span class="continue-block">"When we're finally able to return home," she'd say. When, not if.</span> <span class="continue-block">But as she grew older, this optimism began to fade along with [[the light in her eyes|7a.1]].</span>

The Girl lifts the flap and places her palm on the button. <span class="continue-block">She'd often asked her mother what they were thinking. Why they didn't do anything sooner.</span> <span class="continue-block">"We had hoped it wasn't real," her mother would respond. "We had hoped it wasn't real."</span> <span class="continue-block"><<link 'She pushes the button.'>><<goto [[7b Ending Positive]] t8n>><</link>> <<link 'She refuses to push the button and leaves the substation.'>><<goto [[7c Ending Negative]] t8n>><</link>></span>

The elevator doors are drawn shut like the pursed lips of a giant slumbering automaton. <span class="continue-block">The metal is dappled with specks, chalk-white and ambergris, a spray of rust.</span> <span class="continue-block">She presses the oval button embedded into the wall beside the elevator doors.</span> <<if $elevatorFixed is false>><span class="continue-block">Nothing happens.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The Girl backs away from the elevator.|3d Substation foyer]]</span> <<else>><span class="continue-block">A mechanical growl, followed by the grinding and crunching of gears and bands lifting the elevator to the surface. </span><span class="continue-block">The doors open stiffly and the Girl steps inside the metal box; atop the monster's tongue, ready to be swallowed whole.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[The elevator descends into the earth.|III. The Heart]]</span><<endif>>

Food was a constant worry back home in the bunker. <span class="continue-block">With nothing growing on the surface, a vast underground food manufacturing plant had to be created underground.</span><span class="continue-block"> This secured a steady food supply for the bunker's residents, but the produce was uninspiring and the nutrition lacking. Synthesised vitamins and minerals were relied upon to prevent the worst deficiencies.</span> <span class="continue-block">It wasn't unusual for a working canteen in the bunker to be understocked, but a canteen as important as this?</span> <span class="continue-block"><<if visited('4l Stovetop') >=2>>The Girl gives up on looking for anything useful and [[leaves the kitchen|4d Canteen]].<<else>>[[The Girl turns to search beneath the stovetop.|4l Stovetop]]<<endif>></span>

The Girl pauses for a moment, then pushes the button. <span class="continue-block">The recording of the scientist is replaced by a loading bar, counting down to the reboot of the reactor.</span> <span class="continue-block">The entire room begins to shake as the beast awakens once more.</span> <span class="continue-block">Even here, cocooned in the control room, the Girl can hear the infernal crunching of the heavy purification machinery and the loud whistling of the pipes as they begin to process infected air from the surface.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She thinks about the scientist's words.|7b.1]]</span>

The Girl pauses for a moment more, then lifts her palm away from the button. <span class="continue-block">She stares at the looping video on the screen, the greyscale scientist making one last plea to the remnants of humanity.</span> <span class="continue-block">She thinks about the warnings missed.</span> <span class="continue-block">She thinks about the reckless men now hiding in their bunkers.</span> <span class="continue-block">[[She thinks about their promises.|7c.1]]</span>

She thinks about the scientist's words. <span class="continue-block">Maybe this was all futile.</span> <span class="continue-block">Maybe it wasn't working.</span> <span class="continue-block">Maybe Command's plan was crumbling into dust.</span> <span class="continue-block">But she had to hope.</span> <span class="continue-block">Just because others hadn't acted in the past, doesn't mean she shouldn't act now, she thought.</span> <span class="continue-block">Even if it was [[too late|End screen]].</span>

She thinks about the promises. <span class="continue-block">Promises of a great step forward, beyond a thousand final frontiers.</span> <span class="continue-block">Promises of a brighter future, of a better tomorrow.</span> <span class="continue-block">Promises of a return to a life that she had never known but had spent every day dreaming about anyway.</span> <span class="continue-block">She checks the oxygen levels on the display on her wrist.</span> <span class="continue-block">Fifteen percent.</span> <span class="continue-block">Just enough.</span> <span class="continue-block">Just enough to get back to bunker.</span> <span class="continue-block">To see her mother once more and hold her close.</span> <span class="continue-block">To confront the Commanders who continue to lie and obfuscate and ignore. </span> <span class="continue-block">To make sure that this time, [[a reckoning would come|End screen]].</span>