Horizons

It's dark. Can you see anything? [[Let your eyes adjust.]] [[I'm scared of the dark.]]

You can focus your eyes through the haze of nausea. It feels like you've had one hell of a night, or something like that. You can hear beeping, distantly. You look harder. You're in something wet. That's unfortunate. It's a stasis chamber, used for recovery. You've been in one of these before. Despite having a union job, your mining detail still sees a high workplace hazard rate. You lost your good eye in an accident years ago. You got a great benefits package after, for not suing, but still. Seems like something has happened again. Just your luck. [[Climb out of the chamber.]] [[Stay here, in the dark. You don't know what's out there.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Hospital%20Beep%20(Pitido%20hospital)%20%5BVideo%20and%20Sound%5D%20%5BDownload%20Link%5D.mp3" autoplay>

Who isn't? It's creepy. There could be anything out there. But you're also 40 years old. You have a wife and daughter. You're supposed to find them. You need to. [[Let your eyes adjust.]]

Something is definitely wrong. The station must be on auxillary power; nothing is lit except for the red of emergency lights. You wonder about the oxygen levels, the life support systems. Your kid has asthma. Will she be okay? You had been working to afford her new lung cybernetics, but the co-pay was just too steep. You should get back to work, soon. Your boss won't be happy about this. You look around. The rest of the chambers are faintly illuminated by your own. Yours is the only one activated, a faint hum from the hydraulics. The rest of the machines are off. That's abnormal. This area is usually bustling with activity. Where is everyone? You're in space without power or people, and you may not have a degree, but you're pretty sure this is not good. <img src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4441.png"> [[Damn. Just kill yourself.]] [[Look around for anything useful.]]

Stop it. You know you need to get out, make sure your kid is alright. She must be waiting for you. Something bothers you though. Your wife. Your stomach drops. You remember. [[The accident.]]

What accident? You've wasted enough time. You should really get going. [[Climb out of the chamber.]]

Stop doing that. You're better than that. Your government mandated mother figure bot didn't raise a quitter. Quit throwing a tantrum. So what you're stuck in a 28 days later situation? That guy totally survived, didn't he? Go find something useful. [[Look around for anything useful.]]

This is the medical bay. There should be plenty of sharp, pointy objects you can use to defend yourself, if need be. You see a laser scalpel, stuck into the pseudo-wood panelling the station uses to mimic a retro style more popular on your home planet. The newest nanobots are really good at mimicking that classic wood texture. Someone was really mad at this desk, you assume. There's also a photonbeam. What? That's what you call flashlights on XR-5089, don't look at me. Photonbeam first; you figure you should work on seeing clearly before you put your hands near anything that sharp, anyway. [[Take the flashlight.]] [[Take the photonbeam.]]

You mean the photonbeam? [[No.]] [[Yes.]]

Awesome, now you can see. With a click, the path in front of you is bathed in bright white. You flinch, your eyes unaccustomed to the glare. When you refocus, your breath hitches. Shit. The medical bay is a mess. You had a vague idea, of course, in your half-blind explorations, but what you see in front of you is something else. There's blood, the floor slick with fluids. Some of the pods aren't just inactive; they're broken, goo oozing out from between the cracks. You don't want to check if there are people inside; from the looks of things, you wouldn't be any help. Clipboards and pieces of furniture are overturned; it looks like someone tried to make a barricade, at some point. Was there an attack? Did the station drift into something? Did you encounter an unfriendly ship? Pirates are a real concern in space, nowadays, with the economy and all. It's not unheard of, but it's not really good. You take a breath to steel your nerves. You're not sure what's happened, but you feel like that scalpel should really come in handy. [[That's way too scary. Kill yourself now?]] [[Take the scalpel.]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:white))

It's a long piece of metal. You press the button on its smooth side, hoping it hasn't run out of battery. You're lucky -- it turns on, and with it, a blade consisting of several neon lines of lasers stutter to life. These things are small and precise, used for fine-tuning and surgery, but it's better than nothing. You think you could leverage your weight in a way so that you could do some damage with this. It could work. Still, you hope you run into someone with a phaser rifle; higher ranking officers -- higher ranking than you at least -- carry them. [[Move forward, weapon and light in hand.]] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#131363,0.6779,#000000,1,#000000)))

Was that so hard? [[Take the photonbeam.]]

Why are you being so difficult? You know what it's called. [[I really don't.]] [[Take the photonbeam.]]

Ok. Well, you died. Game over. Not really, but take the sci-fi conceit already, damn. Haven't you watched a movie or read a book before? Immerse yourself in the world. What is wrong with you? [[Take the photonbeam.]]

Stop doing that. You're not going to kill yourself, you're going to find your family, and get out of here. You have to make sure they're safe. [[Take the scalpel.]]

You gingerly step over puddles of goo and blood and medical equipment as you make your way towards the end of the bay. Despite the apparent violence, you don't see any bodies. You're hoping that's a good thing; maybe there's working medical support somewhere else. It's plausible. Everything could be okay; maybe only this wing is out of power. [[I guess that means I'm excused from work today!]] [[Open the exit doors.]] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#131363,0.6779,#000000,1,#000000)))

(link: "Yay!")[ (transition: "pulse")+(transition-time: 5s)[Yay!] ] You were not looking forward to that back-breaking labor. You wish you had a cold space-beer to knock back to celebrate. But instead, there's only blood and stuff. What a mood killer. Still, you should get going. [[Open the exit doors.]] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#131363,0.6779,#000000,1,#000000))) <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Children%20Yay%20Sound%20Effect%20(HD).mp3" autoplay>

You reach towards the biometric scanner on the opposite wall to open the exit doors to the medical bay. The sound of something banging against the doors on the other side stops you in your tracks. It reverberates in the otherwise silent medical bay. Your heart pounds. What is that? [[Don't panic.]] [[Panic.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Knock.mp3.mp3" autoplay> (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#131363,0.6779,#000000,1,#000000)))

You've dealt with worse things than a rude visitor. You've survived so many IOSHA (Intergalactic Occupational Safety and Health Administration) violations, met space aliens (though that's not the politically correct term in this enviroment), raised a child. So what if you're totally alone in a blood soaked medical bay in an unpowered space station? You have your scalpel, remember? You can do this. [[Ready your scalpel and open the door.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Knock.mp3.mp3" autoplay>

(text-style:"rumble")[Oh my god. ''You are so dead''. ]Shit. Are you religious? You should pray. Are you going to piss yourself? Shit. (enchant:?page,(bg:#800000)) (set: $stopCycle to 4) (live: 1s) [What could be on the other side?] [[Kill self.]] [[Ready your scalpel and open the door.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Knock.mp3.mp3" autoplay>

<image src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4448.gif"> What the fuck is that? You can hear the wet crunching of bone as the figure -- monster? animal? homunculus? -- moves, sickening crunches and cracks. It breathes, heavily, and a deep, primal instinct in your mind tells you to run and hind. This is unnatural. This thing is unnatural. It's not right. It sees you. [[Fuck it. Charge at the thing.]] [[Study it. Watch how it moves.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Multiple%20carnivores%20eating%20sound%20effect.mp3" autoplay >

Fair enough. This is like, super scary. You made it pretty far, you should be proud of yourself. You walk back into the medical pod from which you woke up, and close the lid over yourself. You drown, quietly, bubbles breaking the surface of the thick liquid. The banging continues, oblivious to your plight (or perhaps, lack of it). You die, alone, cold and wet. Start over? [[Wake up.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Drowning%20-%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay>

With some animals, you're supposed to stay still, so that they can't see you. So they won't get excited. You hold your breath, watching the monstrous being in front of you heave, its neck moving with a sickening crunch as its head turns towards you. It sees you, too. While you study it, it studies you. Maybe its not harmful. Maybe its just a scared animal, like the border collie mix you rescued years ago on your home planet, with its broken leg. It even cocks its head towards you. It's learning. It looks pained, even. You feel a pang of sympathy, pity. You know what that's like. You've been hurt before, too. And then it charges at you and the last thing you see is its huge, cavernous mouth, red and shiny. You die instantly. Start over? [[Wake up.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Heartbeat%20sound.mp3" autoplay >

You move forward with the scalpel, your flashlight still in hand, waving frantically at the thing. You nick it, just slightly, and it sizzles; the laser of your blade slices into the skin, and capsules of flesh pucker and pop, leaking thick, red sludge. It's almost like blood. The thing rears back towards you and in a fit of desperation, you kick at the monster with your boot, aiming for one of its arms. Your heart sinks when instead of making contact with something solid, it sinks into it, reminding you of a childhood physics demonstration with oobleck. The tendons of it reform around your foot, and you have to use all of your might to free yourself with a sickeningly wet crunch. It continues to lurch at you, moving with crunches and wet cracks, unnatural and stiff. You dive to the side, and it simply mirrors you. You get the strangest feeling that its studying you, understanding you. You narrowly miss a swipe of its massive arm and instinctively duck behind your arm for protection. A bit of your skin that's uncovered by your medical dressings comes into contact with the thing, and you smell and hear the burning of flesh before you feel it. It sizzles. Acid? [[Damn, that hurt!]]

Emboldened by your previous sucesses, you charge with your scalpel, hoping to end this once and for all. You let out a shout of exertion as you launch yourself towards the monster's grisly face. It morphs, and in a flash of movement you have a single thought. "That's not the head," you think blandly, as it slices its sharp, bony appendage right through your own cerebrum. It was worth a try, but your wife and daughter will simply learn to survive without you. They're resourceful. You think they could do it. Start over? [[Wake up.]] (text-colour:#747a81)[Helpful tip: there's a rewind button on the side of the text. Just in case you've been clicking through this entire thing every single time. That would be crazy. ]

You duck behind one of the columns, catching your breath. Your heart is pounding. It's difficult to really hurt that thing; you need a much bigger laser-blade. You need one of the rifles. [[Run away.]] [[Stand your ground.]]

Once you're out of view, you hightail it out of there. That was way too scary, maybe you should've just killed yourself earlier. Moving on blind instinct, you rush forward, running and running until your lungs are screaming with the desire to breathe. You pant, resting your hands on your knees. You're too old to be running like this. Your back hurts. As you take another grateful gulp of space station-oxygenated air (and try not to think about how little of it the station has left), you look up. You're at the upper level of the observation deck. You can see the machines below. <image src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4453.png"> You stop short of coming into the light, however. There are things moving down there. Things -- not people. Shit. The station is a mess. Is there anyone left? Damn, you're so fucked. [[Think about how fucked you are.]]

You jump out from behind the column, hoping to use the element of surprise to your advantage. The monster is unphased, simply cocking its head at you before pouncing on you. You wrestle with it briefly, feeling the upper layers of your skin melt before it crushes your skull against the floor. You die. Come on. Standing your ground against that monstrosity? Are you trying to make this 101 ways to die in space? If you choose to start over, let's hope you make some better choices the next time around. [[Wake up.]]

You try the door. You pray to every higher being you can think of that it will open. Your biometrics wouldn't allow you in to this office, normally. You recognize the name, vaguely. This is one of the big pHD white coat guys you would hear of, in passing. You close your eyes and press your hand against the screen and try the door. It turns out you didn't need to pray: it's unlocked, and opens with a slight push. As the loud footsteps draw closer, you close the door quickly and shove the nearest piece of furniture-- a chair-- against the door. It's besides the point; it wouldn't stop much, and the doors slide side to side anyway. Still, it's better than nothing. You're in a large office, and it looks like the reserve lighting in here is a bit better. You wouldn't be surprised if there was a personal generator here, given the scale of the space. This guy must have been super, super important. You frown at that-- he could still be alive. He must ''be'' important. The illusion of hope is necessary, right now. Your eyes take in the room, on the lookout for anything dangerous or abnormal, for any sign of the things that have taken over the station. The office isn't in great condition: like the rest of the place, there are tables overturned, reddish stains that suggest blood on the floor, the walls, but there's something about it that stands out to you. The stains look old; not like the ones outside, which were fresh and still slick. These are dried and dark; crumbly. The blood in this room is old. You shine your flashlight around, looking for anything that could help you. This guy definitely counts as a higher up. He should have a phaser rifle. He's got like, a million awards. [[Rifle through the drawers.]] [[Take this as an oppurtunity to relax.]] [[Steal an award.]]

You should really make less of a habit of killing yourself every time you're confronted with danger or choices. How many times have you chosen this? Do you really want to kill yourself? Yes, there are scary, crazy, monstrouous things out there that burn and eat you alive the moment your skin merely comes into contact with them. But don't you want to see where it goes? Don't you think your wife might be out there? Your sweet little kid? Don't you remember her first steps? [[Fuck that kid. I'm killing myself.]] (link: "You're right. Choose a door.")[(goto: "Think about how fucked you are.")Think about how fucked you are.]

Are you sure? [[Yes, I am sure.]] (link: "No. I'll choose a door.")[(goto: "Think about how fucked you are.")Think about how fucked you are.]

Are you okay? Like, seriously. You want to kill yourself in this game so bad. Is the writing that bad? Are you not having fun? If you’re in emotional distress there are options available to help you cope. You can contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time to connect with someone and get support. Confidential support is available 24/7 for everyone in the United States and its territories. This is pretty sad. I had to link the hotline. You're kind of being a bummer. [[Yes, I still want to kill myself.]] (link: "Okay, you win. I'll choose a stupid door.")[(goto: "Think about how fucked you are.")Think about how fucked you are.]

Dang. Like, damn. That's crazy. You jump off the balcony, and your body bursts like an overripe tomato on the floor. Those things probably eat you, but who cares. You died. You want to start over, don't you? Well, no. You don't get to. Yeah, there are concequences. Live with your choice. Couldn't just enjoy this; you wanted to kill yourself. What if Odysseus killed himself before he got on that boat? What if Goku was like 'Nah, Frieza, you can have Earth.' If Rocky was like, 'Yeah, boxing is just too hard." That's would be crazy! That's crazy talk. You're crazy. Don't you want to see where this goes? (link: "Fine.")[(goto: "Think about how fucked you are.")Think about how fucked you are.] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Falling%20sound%20effect%20with%20SPLAT!!.mp3" autoplay>

You slide open the door with a shove in a fit of desperation, and luckily, it disengages. As you step inside, you rattle the brooms and mops propped up against the wall. As the door hisses shut behind you, you hear soft, shallow breathing from somewhere in the closet. [[Turn to look.]] [[Kill yourself.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Heavy%20Breath%20Wheezing%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay>

''You are so fucked.'' But before you can think too deeply exactly how fucked you are, you hear someone -- something -- approaching, big, lumbering steps. You only have a split second to make a decision. There are two doors closest to you. <img src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4455.jpg"> [[Open the door on your right, marked 'CLEANING SUPPLIES.']] [[Open the door on your left, marked 'Dr. Li's Office.']] [[Jump off the edge of the observation deck. #semicolontattoo.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Creepy%20Footsteps%20%20Scary%20Horror%20Sound%20Effect%20(HD)%20(FREE).mp3" autoplay>

As you open drawers, you are met with an extensively neat filing system, documents and documents with sub-headings and categories, color coded and obsessively done. This is remarkable, not just because its so organized, but because paper went out of style several centuries ago. For the most part, mantaining physical documents is for security; there's no system harder to hack than plain paper. There are a couple titles that catch your eye. [[Read the document, 'CATASTROPHIC INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE.']] [[Read the document, 'HUANG, MING CHAN MEDICAL REPORT.']] [[Read the leather-bound journal, 'SCALING NANOTECHNOLOGY']] That is a lot of reading, though. You're pretty sure you should focus on looking for a weapon. [[Look somewhere else.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Metal%20Filing%20Cabinet%20Open%20and%20Close%20with%20Rifling%20Through%20Files.mp3" autoplay>

You are in such a life-threatening situation right now. But you didn't get this far in life without remembering how to relax. You spin the plush office chair in the center of the room around experimentally, and get in it yourself. It's extremely comfortable. This is really awesome. You can feel the day's exhausion and fear and pain fade, just for a bit. You visualize a beach. You used to do this all the time, when you were at work, trying to ignore the digging pains in your hands and shoulders, the twinge of your back and the memory of getting your artificial eye implanted. Cybernetics are awesome for a lot of reasons, but you're especially grateful now as you use your eye to project the visual of a beach inside your mind. Some call it imagination, but you would swear that since you got it installed, you can visualize much easier, at least in your right eye. So many days at work were spent like this. You deserve this. [[Mental beach time.]]

It’s a clipping of a newspaper article, from several years ago. The fact that its printed physically must mean he went out of his way to obtain a copy. Most of it is taken up by the picture, though it’s difficult to make out exactly what the subject is; rebar and metal beams are visible past a haze of black smoke, silver and white casing cracked and lodged between the ruined foundation. The headline declares: CATASTROPHIC INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE ON S.P.A.R.K. STATION XR-5089. [[Keep reading.]]

This clipping must be of the front page, because there are only a few paragraphs of an article before it cuts off abruptly. =|= The morning of October 8th, the residential sector of S.P.A.R.K. Station XR-5089 suffered millions of fatalities and millions more casualties when foundational infrastructure buckled under its own weight and collapsed. The collapse seems to have left the military barracks and laboratories of the station untouched, contained to the residential wing that housed the majority of workers in XR-5089’s janitorial, mining and other blue-collar labor divisions. =|= First responders are still in the process of recovering the bodies of laborers and their families from their apartments, the majority of which were completely flattened. S.P.A.R.K. officials say they are prioritizing the recovery and treatment of casualties. Station XR-5089’s Research & Development department has released a statement that they are expediting the release of new medical technology to assist… [[Turn the page over.]]

The back of the clipping is an unrelated spread of advertisements. Woah, bigger dick in just nine days? That's pretty cool. (link: "Return to more snooping.")[(goto: "Rifle through the drawers.")Rifle through the drawers.] [[Look somewhere else.]]

(text-style:"underline")[October 9] ''PATIENT NAME:'' Ming Chan Huan, 孟嬋娟 ''AGE: ''40 years ''SEX:'' Female ''SPECIES: ''Human (text-style:"underline")[''ASSESSMENT:''] Critical antero-posterior skull fracture Antero-posterior laceration of scalp Open globe laceration of left eye Left orbital fracture resulting in detached optic nerve Compound fracture of left clavicle, left scapula, and sternum Transverse fracture of right tibia Crush syndrome (text-style:"underline")[''CARE PLAN:''] Patient awaiting transfer to Dr. Li Mieu Yong aboard S.P.A.R.K. Alpha Centauri for long term care. In pen, scrawled on top, you can read the words, "Prognosis: (text-style:"double-underline")[''GRIM.'']" It's underlined several times. Bummer. (link: "Return to more snooping.")[(goto: "Rifle through the drawers.")Rifle through the drawers.] [[Look somewhere else.]]

Ouch! You spare a glance at your hand as you duck behind a pillar. There are speices you've encountered that create noxious fumes and acidic secretions, evolutions in millions of galaxies that produce something similar. But it bothers you. The wound is weeping and bubbling like a burn, but it didn't feel hot. Your boot didn't melt, either, and you know the construction of your shoes is fieldwork approved and industrial grade, but it should still have more damage than that if your hand is this messed up. The sensation is indescrible; bursts of pain explode across your forearm. It almost felt like some part of you was being... Eaten? At least the wound is small. You make a mental note to yourself: do not let your bare skin come into contact with it. [[Swipe again.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Food%20Sizzling%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay >

You swipe again, and it's sucessful: you're grateful. While you may not be able to brute force your way out, the laser of the blade seems to do something, at least, burning away where it touches the monster. Seems like fire, or advanced lasers, is what you need. [[Aim for the sort-of head.]] [[Hide.]]

You point your photonbeam into the darkness, and it lands on a pale, sweaty face. You don’t recognize the guy, but when you squint you can see that the jumpsuit has the insignia of the station’s mining division, so you must have worked with him at some point. His eyes are wild, twitching to look at the door behind you, then you, then the door again. “You gotta get out of here, man,” he says hoarsely. [['Why? What’s going on?']] (link: "'Do you know what those things are?'")[(goto: "'Why? What’s going on?'")'Why? What’s going on?']

Not the time. [[Turn to look.]]

He licks his lips, a bead of sweat trailing down his jaw. You see something…pulse, underneath his skin, undulating, and his eyes twitch again. One pupil is a pinprick under the bulb of your photonbeam, the other wide and dilated. “You don’t get it,” he says. His hands, shaking, pull at the collar of his jumpsuit. His jaw clenches, another pulse rippling unnaturally through the muscle of his neck. [[>]]

You don’t like the look of whatever your ex-coworker has going on, but the monsters you saw out there are easily worse. You can stand some close proximity with a strange, sweaty acquaintance. Your head turns when he begins to gurgle, and it could be your imagination, but his skin seems to turn even more sallow. A thin line slowly travels up his neck, a cut blooming open as it forms a pitted crease before you can blink. The man lets out a guttural wheeze, his breath rattling in his chest, and you begin to back away. Your shoulders hit the door with a dull clang. You realize you're not far enough. The gash makes its way over the planes of his face, a river branching off into segments, piece by piece. [[Watch in horror.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/horror%20flesh%20rip%20tear%20bone%20crack.mp3" autoplay>

Nope. You're not an idiot; you've seen movies and read holo-novels. You know what's coming. Whatever’s wrong with this guy, you don’t want to stick around and find out. You open the sliding door in a hurry, only to come face to face with another monster. Well, fuck. [[Die.]]

(text-style:"fade-in-out")[''FUCK MY LIFE''] That is the repeating mantra inside your head as you run and run and run and run. As you do so, monsters see you; it doesn't matter, because you just need to get away from not-Joe, away from the revelation that whatever these things are used to be people. There was a part of you that had thought -- hoped, wanted to believe -- that these were some sort of mutation, some wrong gene splicing experiment or a new invasive speices brought abroad by a blundering newbie. But these things aren't things; they're people. With this knowledge, you start to recognize some of them. A pair of pink shoes with flesh extruding from the openings; you saw that same pair of shoes at the cafeteria, you think, weeks ago. Some of the janitors; some of your bosses. Men and women; people you worked for, served with. The things wear their faces, their forms; are them. You watch for any with dark hair. You pray your family is safe. You run and run and finally duck into an alcove. [[Catch your breath.]]

This sucks. You totally died, and it was preventable -- if only you didn't listen to some weirdo. I mean, not a great sitaution; I get it. There weren't really any good options. But are there any good options when you're fighting space monsters? Like, seriously, the option to kill yourself comes back again and again because what else would you do at a certain point? Live? When all this is happening? You must have an indomitable will. I would love if you were my divorce attorney. Or my donkey. Two things where getting back up after failing is super important. Well. Are you ready to try again? [[Wake up.]] (enchant:?page,(bg:#8f0000))(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#000000,0.7365,#750000,0.9939,#e61919)))

White sand, blue waves. You've never been to a beach like that, on any planet, but you recall an advertisement for beer with the visual. But you've seen purple waves that cut through fog in the thin atmosphere of the planet E5-7809 orbits. You can get the idea. You let yourself just relax. [[Keep relaxing.]] (link: "That's enough. Check the drawers.")[(goto: "Rifle through the drawers.")Rifle through the drawers.] (link: "Fuck this. Steal this guy's awards.")[(goto: "Steal an award."Steal an award.] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Sea%20Waves%20-%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay>

You lean back even more, if possible. You close your eyes harder, chill even harder than before. You sink into oblivion, letting waves and soft sand sweep you away, even as you hear pounding at the door. There's screaming too, but you don't hear it. The waves are too loud. (text-style:"buoy")[You drift.] You don't wake back up. Start over? [[Wake up.]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#197fe6,0.6677,#00bfe6,0.9939,#e2e2c5))) <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Sea%20Waves%20-%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay>

It’s a journal, bound in synthetic leather -- nobody uses animal products for clothing anymore, it’s just not cost effective -- with a neat scrawl. You read: (text-style:"underline")[''Scaling Nanoscale Robots for Medical and Therapeutic Use''] 3/10 Foremost concern: "control and communication in the animal and the machine" The potential of training nanobots to transition from pure glucose feed to raw meat and organic materials shows exciting possibilities. Has already shown efficacy in building materials. The idea of these nanoscale robots mimicking biological processes is revolutionary -- effectively healing wounds beyond current medical capacity. ''Methodology:'' Measurements: Matter consumed will be quantified in weight over time. Additional metrics include O₂ levels and CO₂ output, to analyze metabolic imitations. Experimentation Scale: Initial phases involved a controlled approach with 500.00g of pure glucose. Future stages will escalate to utilizing whole dead animals. Further down the line, this could lead to employing live animals Eventual use in human trial Concerns: The shift from precise measurements to unregulated consumption raises questions about the control and safety of the experiments. Potential escalation to human experimentation will not play well with higher ups; large ethical concern [[Flip a couple pages.]]

In the margins of the notebook, you can see various names, several of them crossed out. You recognize the process, from your own child, the repetition of meanings and characters to be poetic and meaningful, the frustration in each stroke that is ultimately crossed out. Brainstorming baby names. You feel for the guy. It was hard deciding your own. You keep looking, and eventually find one intact. The name is circled: "Li Jia Yi, 李佳一." A strong title. Powerful lucky one. You hope that's true. [[Turn some more pages.]]

9/1 I fixed her I fixed her I did it she's better she's okay she's okay she's alive it was worth it -- The rest of the page is incipherable, frenzied scribbling. That is certainly peculiar. (link: "Return to more snooping.")[(goto: "Rifle through the drawers.")Rifle through the drawers.] [[Look somewhere else.]]

As you move to look for any weapons that could aid you against these monsters, you hear the footsteps again, and then -- pounding. Again. Fuck. You need to get out of here -- the door's lock is busted. It won't hold for long. [[Try to defend the office.]] [[Open the door to outrun the monster.]]

This guy has so many awards; he could afford to lose one, or two. You reach for the shiniest one there: a globe with a hand holding it up, a recognition for excellence in the field of biotechnology. It's a perfectly lovely thing, engraved with his full name: "李沐阳, Li Mieu Yong." Beyond the award, you see a certificate with his full job title: "Head of Biological Augmentation Technology (BAT) on XR-5089". He must be the guy responsible for cybernetics; you suppose you owe him one. It gives you pause. Should you do this? [[Yes, he's probably dead anyway. He won't miss it.]] [[On second thought, no. He might come back.]]

''Reflections on Recent Developments'' 8/8 Initial successes have morphed into unsettling outcomes. The integration of nanobots into living systems has yielded unexpected consequences. Observations: Failed experiments have resulted in undesireable outcomes—subject exhibited several additional limbs protruding from various areas. Subjects show abnormally high aggression. Initial metrics have proven misleading; the anticipated metabolic parallels are fraught with anomalies. Potentially hazardous. Unforeseen interactions between nanobots and complex biological systems. (text-style:"double-underline")[''FAILURE. ''] [[Turn the page.]]

You once again reach for the trophy. It seems stuck in place; Dr. Li must use some sort of adhesive to ensure the normal turbulence of the station doesn't uproot all his belongs. You yank with much more force than before, grunting with effort, and something clicks. However, instead of the award coming away cleanly in your hands, you hear mechanical gears turning. It seems like the award was a lever instead. As you are processing this, you hear something loud behind you. [[Turn around.]]

You may be in the beginning of an apocalypse event, but you have manners and respect for others. This is probably meaningful to Dr. Li, and what would you do with an award anyway? Blunt force does nothing to these monsters. You have both your hands full with your scalpel and photonbeam anyway. [[Look somewhere else.]] [[Rifle through the drawers.]]

You smell it before you see it. A putrid stench, vile and rotted permeates your senses as you turn to face the source, and you can't help the way you back away. You've seen a lot of the monsters, before, but this is different; its huge, skin bursting at the seams, flesh pillowing and layering with gore and viscera between. It looks as though it may have once been a woman, though you cant tell much else. The award must have been a hidden lever, opening up a section of the room that was conspiciously clear of any heavy furniture. A secret pit. It's got arms and arms and legs everywhere, appendages and overgrowth everywhere, covered in blood and rot. You can see parts where its cut itself on its own confinement, festering in itself. You are repulsed, but you cant help but look at it. See its state of torment. It seems like its stuck in there, crying, struggling to leverage itself. //''She''// is crying. [[Vomit.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/Scary%20Crying%20Ghost%20Sound%20Effect.mp3" autoplay>

You can't help it; you throw up. When you come back up for air, she's right in front of you. You feel sorry for her even as her jaw distends. You pity her the moment you die. [[Wake up.]] (enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#000000,0.7365,#750000,0.9939,#e61919)))

breathing heavily you check alcove you've run into behind it is a gun [[Examine the rifle.]]

Really?

u run and run [[Catch your breath.]]

It's not exactly what you were looking for, but it will work. [[Try to kill them all.]]

:: StoryTitle Harlowe: Importing External JavaScript

<image src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4450.png"> Slowly, the edges of his skin twitch and puling taut and backwards in sick display of viscera. You feel queasy. The sight underneath is not just sinew and muscle, like you'd expect. There's something else underneath, something with a gaping maw with jagged -- human -- teeth lining the opening of its 'mouth', a tongue unfurling from somewhere within. <img src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/IMG_4452.png"> The folds of skin flex, like tendrils testing their strength, and what used to be your coworker takes a step towards you. [[Run.]] <audio src="https://file.garden/YxJU0GkUFG06VMf-/horror%20flesh%20rip%20tear%20bone%20crack.mp3" autoplay>

(enchant:?page,(bg:#8f0000)) (text-style:"shudder")['''You can’t be here.'''] (enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 300) + (t8n:'instant')) [[Stay anyway.]] [[Get up and leave. Fuck this.]]