The Den

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<<set $start to false>><<set $end to false>>\ <<set $vent to 0>><<set $mainvent to false>>\ <<set $switch to false>><<set $dur to 1.8>>\ <<if $complete or State.metadata.get("complete")>><<set $devmode to true>><</if>>\ <div id="center">\ <<timed .1s t8n>><img src= "img/the_den.webp" alt="The Den. An interactive story by Ben Jackson ©2024." width="480px"><</timed>> \ <div id="basic">\ <<if visited ("The hub")>>\ <<timed .2s t8n>>If you wish to start a new game, please use the restart option in the sidebar.<</timed>> <</if>>\ <<type 40ms skipkey "Enter">>\ <<if (Save.browser.size > 0)>>\ <<button "CONTINUE">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</button>> <<if !visited ("The hub")>>\ <<button "NEW GAME" "Aiden">><<set $aidenloc to "Act 1">><</button>> <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<button "START" "Aiden">><<set $aidenloc to "Act 1">><</button>> <</if>>\ <<button "MORE INFO" "Extras">><</button>> <<if State.metadata.get("arcade") or State.metadata.get("complete")>>\ <<button "VACCINATOR" "Vaccinator">><</button>> <</if>>\ <</type>></div></div>\

<<set $kuwac to true>> <<set $devmode to false>> <<set $name to "">> <<set $switch to false>> <<set $aidenloc to "Act 1">> <<set $veeloc to "Act 2">> <<set $conv to 0>> <<set $chances to 0>> <<set $dur to 1.8>> <<set $ver to "1.1">> <<set $veecomp to true>> <<set $aidencomp to true>> <<set $veebug to 0>> <<set $aidenbug to 0>> <<set $screwdriver to 0>> <<set $fruitstolen to 0>> <<set $apple to 0>> <<set $tempgame to false>> <<set $charging to 83>> <<set $lift to 0>> <<set $refuse to false>> <<set $storage to false>> <<set $incinerator to false>> <<set $research to false>> <<set $stations to 0>> <<set $arcade to 0>> <<set $surface to false>> <<set $basement to false>> <<set $aidenitems to ["Choose:"]>> <<set $fan1 to true>> <<set $fan2 to true>> <<set $fan3 to true>> <<set $vent to 0>> <<set $mainvent to false>> <<if State.metadata.get("unique", false)>> <<set $uniq to State.metadata.get("unique")>> <<else>> <<set $uniq to random(10000000, 99999999)>> <<set State.metadata.set("unique", $uniq)>> <</if>> <<set $alpha to 0>> <<set $history to 0>> <<set $tech to 0>> <<set $misc1 to false>> <<set $misc2 to false>> <<set $misc3 to false>> <<set $plugfixed to false>> <<set $socket to false>> <<set $start to false>> <<set $keys to "">> <<set $keys1 to ["ABOVE", "AWARE", "BEGIN", "BEING", "BRAND", "CAUSE", "CHAIN", "CHASE", "CRASH", "DOCKS", "DOORS", "EMBER", "EQUAL", "FALSE", "FINAL", "FOUND", "GIVEN", "GRACE", "LIGHT", "MATCH", "METAL", "MODEL", "NIGHT", "NOISE", "PLANT", "PROVE", "RANGE", "RAPID", "READY", "SENSE", "SHAPE", "SMALL", "TEACH", "TODAY", "VALUE", "VITAL"]>> <<set $keys2 to ["ALARM", "ALERT", "ALONE", "AVOID", "AWARE", "BEING", "BLOOD", "BRAND", "CAUSE", "CHAIN", "CHASE", "CRASH", "CROSS", "DECAY", "DOCKS", "DUMMY", "EMBER", "ERROR", "EXIST", "FALSE", "FIGHT", "FINAL", "FOUND", "GRACE", "GROWN", "HEART", "HELIX", "JEWEL", "KNAVE", "LEVEL", "LIGHT", "LOGIC", "LUCKY", "MATCH", "NIGHT", "NOISE", "PLANT", "PRIME", "PHASE", "PROVE", "RADIO", "RANGE", "READY", "RIVER", "SENSE", "SLAVE", "SMALL", "SPARE", "TEACH", "THERE", "TODAY", "TOTAL", "UNITY", "VALUE", "VITAL", "YIELD"]>> <<set $keys3 to ["ABOVE", "AHEAD", "ALERT", "ALONE", "ARRAY", "AVOID", "AWARE", "BEGIN", "BEING", "BLOOD", "BRAIN", "BRAND", "CAUSE", "CHAIN", "CHASE", "CRASH", "CROSS", "DEATH", "DOCKS", "DOORS", "DUMMY", "EMBER", "ERROR", "EQUAL", "EXIST", "FAITH", "FALSE", "FIGHT", "FINAL", "FOUND", "FRUIT", "GIVEN", "GRACE", "GROWN", "HEART", "HELIX", "HUMAN", "IRONY", "JEWEL", "LEVEL", "LIGHT", "LOGIC", "MATCH", "MAGIC", "METAL", "MODEL", "NIGHT", "NOISE", "OPTIC", "PLANT", "PHASE", "PROVE", "RADIO", "RANGE", "RAPID", "READY", "RIVER", "SENSE", "SHAPE", "SKILL", "SMALL", "SOLVE", "SPACE", "SPARE", "SPLIT", "STORY", "SUPER", "TAKEN", "TEACH", "THERE", "TODAY", "TOTAL", "TRUTH", "UNITY", "VALUE", "VENOM", "VITAL", "WORLD", "YIELD", "ZEBRA"]>> <<set $exec to "AKfycbxb4wdpyKkH6C-UgdV7VgasYtiJZ8x8KBGmpZPIh5-tYMJdk4D4gmBaN6G0kfkkl6q2bA">>

<<if $start is true>>\ \ <<if $switch is true>>\ SWITCH TO <<if $name is "Aiden">>\ <<if !tags().includes('inter')>>\ <<button "VEE">>\ <<set $switched to true>>\ <<set $name to "Vee">>\ <<goto "Vee">>\ <</button>>\ <<else>>\ <<button "–––">><</button>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<if !tags().includes('inter')>>\ <<button "AIDEN">>\ <<set $switched to true>>\ <<set $name to "Aiden">>\ <<goto "Aiden">>\ <</button>>\ <<else>>\ <<button "––––">><</button>>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ Vee and Aiden live with Father in the ‘den’. They have lived there all their lives. They have never thought about leaving – until something happens that makes them question everything they took for granted… <</if>>\ <<if $devmode and passage() != "Extended">>\ <<button "Extended play" "Extended">><</button>> <</if>>\

<img src="img/the_den.webp" alt="THE DEN by Ben Jackson" width="200px">\

<<set $start to true>><<set $name to "Aiden">>\ Aiden woke with a start – the whole room was shaking. “Father!?” There was no reply. His heart was thumping. He quickly got up and flicked the light switch. Nothing happened. The shaking ceased as abruptly as it had started. “Vee?” He stopped, waiting for a reassuring voice to tell him everything was OK, but heard only silence. He threw some clothes on, feeling a tingle of excitement as he did so. Surely he hadn't imagined it? After years of the same routine, this was something new. Perhaps Father was playing one of his little games? [[Leave the room]] [[Explore the room|Search inside Aiden’s room]]

He opened the door and stepped out into the gloomy corridor. The overhead lights flickered briefly before returning to their standard nighttime setting. He stood still, listening, but heard no unusual sounds. Just the same distant hum he was used to that came from somewhere deep below his feet. Then came another rumble, although this one seemed more distant than before. He distinctly felt the floor vibrate. Dust shifted from the ceiling and drifted to the floor in gentle eddies. He figured at least that proved he wasn’t imagining things. Since Father had split them up a couple of years ago, Vee had been sleeping on the lower floor; he desperately wanted to see her. Was she scared right now or excited like he was? The empty corridor extended down towards the living room in one direction and up to the classroom and bathroom in the other, eventually ending at the lift. [[Head down towards the living room|The hub]] [[Head up towards the classroom|Right end]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden ran down the corridor and turned a corner into the living room. Everything was as he’d left it yesterday. He glanced guiltily at the food-stained plates on the dining table; it had been his turn to clear up, and he’d forgotten again. Maybe, he thought, this whole thing was some strange punishment Father had come up with. “Father?” He called out again. Still no answer – which was strange because Father rarely slept. He wasn’t scared, but he found the silence unnerving. The living room was connected to three smaller rooms: the storeroom, the kitchen and the refuse room. <<elseif $dishes>>\ Aiden was in the living room – everything was as he’d left it yesterday, but he had since tidied the dishes. Perhaps the room wasn’t gleaming, but no one could accuse him of not doing his chores. <<else>>\ Aiden was in the living room – everything was as he’d left it yesterday. He glanced guiltily at the food-stained plates on the dining table. It had been his turn to clear up, and he’d forgotten again. Maybe this was all some strange new punishment Father had come up with? <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Old key") and visited ("Commscreen1")>>\ He knew Vee was waiting for him somewhere on the lower level – he should probably go and find her. <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Explore the room") lt 2>>\ [[Look around the living room|Explore the room]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Explore the room")>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp1]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Storage")>>\ [[Look in the storeroom 🔒|Storage]] <<else>>\ [[Look in the storeroom|Storage]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Refuse")>>\ [[Try the refuse room 🔒|Refuse]] <<else>>\ [[Try the refuse room|Refuse]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ [[Search the kitchen ✓|Kitchen]] <<else>>\ [[Search the kitchen|Kitchen]] <</if>>\ [[Leave the room|Left end]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked swiftly up the corridor, his footsteps echoing off the hard stone floor. He checked inside the upper bathroom, but found it empty. Next door was the classroom – the door was open and he quickly glanced around. It looked the same as always, although some of the books had been shaken from the shelves. He winced; those books were precious and fragile. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he suspected Father would be angry at it him all the same. He hurridly put them back and hoped no one would notice the extra scuffs they had taken. Back the way he had come was the corridor leading past his room to the living room. Further up the corridor was the lift. <<elseif lastVisited ("Operate the lift") is 1>>\ Aiden was in the corridor by the classroom and the bathroom. There was still no sign of Vee. Ahead, the corridor led down past his room to the living room. Back the way he’d just come was the lift. <<elseif lastVisited ("The hub") is 1>>\ Aiden was back near the classroom and the bathroom. There was no one here. Back the way he’d just come, the corridor led down to the living room. Up the corridor ahead was the lift. <<else>>\ Aiden was back outside the classroom and the bathroom. The corridor led down past his room to the living room. Up the corridor was the lift. <</if>> <<if !visited ("Search inside Aiden’s room")>>\ [[Check back inside Aiden’s room|Search inside Aiden’s room]] <</if>>\ [[Head down the corridor to the living room|The hub]] [[Head up the corridor to the lift|Operate the lift]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He tried the door just in case, but of course, it wouldn’t open. Father only unlocked the door when he needed them to fetch something, and even then, he usually got Vee to do it. He peered through the window. The storage room was full of fruit, vegetables, and jars of various preserves. For some reason, it was hardly ever Aiden’s turn to fetch things from inside. Aiden suspected it was because Father knew that he would help himself to something on the way – he had to admit, it was probably true. <<else>>\ He tried the door just in case, but it was still locked. He peered through the window. The storage area was full of fruit, vegetables, and jars of various preserves. It made him feel hungry. <</if>>\ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

<<if !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ The kitchen was spotless. Of course it was; that was Vee’s job. He loved her dearly, but it was almost like she was trying to taunt him all the time. He had a feeling that Father preferred her to him. Maybe that was the real reason he’d split them up? They used to share every waking moment together, but now they only met once chores and lessons were done. [[Search the kitchen cabinets|Explore the Kitchen]] <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the kitchen. Everything had been neatly tidied away – he wondered if this was Vee’s way of making him look bad. He had another search around, but he had already found the old key. There wasn’t anything else of use to him here. <</if>>\ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He tried the door to the refuse room, but it was locked tight. It was usually locked – only opening when Father needed them to empty the bins or check the chutes were clear. It stank in there, and he hated it when it was his turn. For some reason, Vee didn’t seem to mind the smell. She was fascinated with the chutes and where everything went. Father once said there was an incinerator deep underground that burned all the rubbish. That made sense. The thought of that smell, gradually building until it exploded into the living room, made him feel a little ill. <<else>>\ Aiden was back at the door to the refuse room. It was still locked. He was secretly relieved. He was sure he could smell the contents even from here. He really had no inclination to go inside. <</if>>\ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

The living room was one of the larger rooms in the den. This was what Father called the ‘family room’ and was where they ate, relaxed, and played games on an old computer that sat by the far wall. The computer was one of several such machines dotted around the den. <<if visited () is 1>>\ This room was where they spent much of their free time outside of chores, lessons and tending the farm. A threadbare carpet covered half the floor, and a couple of well-worn sofas slouched against the wall. Above them, some faded decorations still hung limply to the light fittings, left over from a few months ago when he and Vee had celebrated their 17th birthday. Technically, Aiden was a day older than Vee, and he reminded her about that as often as he could. <<elseif !visited ("Commscreen1")>>\ Why wasn’t Vee here yet, he wondered? She must have heard the rumbling too. He supposed she and Father could have both slept through it. Of course, the chances were that whatever it was, Father already had it under control. <</if>>\ <<if $dishes>>\ The dishes were tidied away; his chores for yesterday were done. Surely this punishment would end soon? <<else>> He looked over at the dining table and considered tidying yesterday’s dishes away – would that end this punishment? He should probably find Vee first, though. <</if>> <<if !visited ("Commscreen1")>> Or maybe he should just go back to bed, and wait for Father to sort everything out.<</if>> <<if !$dishes>>\ [[Tidy up]] <</if>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp1]] <<if visited ("Storage")>>\ [[Look in the storeroom 🔒|Storage]] <<else>>\ [[Look in the storeroom|Storage]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Refuse")>>\ [[Try the refuse room 🔒|Refuse]] <<else>>\ [[Try the refuse room|Refuse]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ [[Search the kitchen ✓|Kitchen]] <<else>>\ [[Search the kitchen|Kitchen]] <</if>>\ [[Leave the room|Left end]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He ran further up the corridor, which eventually ended in the cold, scratched metal of the lift doors. He pressed the call button, but it refused to light up. He frantically pressed it a few more times; still nothing happened. This worried him. He couldn’t remember the last time the lift had been out of action. In fact, he didn’t think it had ever malfunctioned – except during the drills Father made them perform from time to time. Well, he thought, this had to be another drill! But this time, Father had given them no warning at all. <<else>>\ He was back at the lift doors. The call button still wasn’t working. <</if>>\ To the side of the lift, set into the corridor wall, was an access door. It led to the stairs and was for emergency use only – it hadn’t been used in years. <<if visited ("Door no key") and !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ With the door locked and the lift out of action, there wasn’t much he could do here. <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Head down")>>\ [[Open the door|Head down]] <<elseif $aidenitems.includes("Old key") and visited ("Door no key")>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using an item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Old key">>\ <<goto "try the access door">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Select the 'Old key' to use the key on the door<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the drop-down list above, then hit ‘use’.\ <</linkreplace>> <<elseif visited ("Door no key") and !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ [[Try the access door 🔒|Door no key]] <<else>>\ [[Try the access door|Door no key]] <</if>>\ [[Head back down the corridor|Right end]]

Aiden dug in his pocket for the key he’d found. He inserted it into the keyhole and heard a satisfying ‘click’. He gave the door a push and it moved a little; a draught of colder air caressed his face. He had a sudden pang of guilt – Father would not approve of this. [[Step through|Head down]] [[Decide against it|Give up]]

<<set $dishes to true>>Aiden dutifully tidied the dining table and scraped the plates into the bin; which would ultimately end up down the refuse chute. He loaded the dishes into the wash unit and pushed the button. Nothing happened. Well, he thought, at least he’d done his chores. There was another distant rumble. [[Check the computer|Comp1]] <<if visited ("Storage")>>\ [[Look in the storeroom 🔒|Storage]] <<else>>\ [[Look in the storeroom|Storage]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Refuse")>>\ [[Try the refuse room 🔒|Refuse]] <<else>>\ [[Try the refuse room|Refuse]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ [[Search the kitchen ✓|Kitchen]] <<else>>\ [[Search the kitchen|Kitchen]] <</if>>\ [[Leave the room|Left end]]

Aiden poked around the cupboards and cabinets, not entirely sure what he was looking for. In one, he found a pan that still had a little food clinging to the underside – aha! So Vee wasn’t perfect after all! He made a mental note to bring that up with Father next time he was accused of doing his own chores poorly. <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ He opened a drawer and found an old metal key. He didn’t recognise it and wasn’t sure what it was for. He eyed it suspiciously. Either Father was testing him or Vee was up to something. [[Take the key]] <<else>>\ Aiden had already found the old key. There wasn’t anything else of use in here. <</if>>\ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

<<if !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ Aiden imagined sirens going off as soon as he picked it up. He prepared to feel stupid and guilty – or possibly the other way around. He clasped hold of it. The key was cold in his hand; no sirens blared. He shrugged and put it in his pocket. <<run $aidenitems.push("Old key")>>\ <</if>>\ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

He pushed the door open and it creaked on disused hinges. There was a dusty concrete stairwell beyond – the stairs descended into darkness. The light spilling in from the corridor behind him barely illuminated anything at all. There was another distant rumble and the air shifted; dust motes danced as if quivering in excitement. He shivered, but it wasn’t the cold. He thought that maybe he was a little scared after all. [[Head down the stairs|Down the stairs]] [[Head back|Give up]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He stepped carefully, aware that this was one of the few areas of the den he didn’t know by heart. The cold, stone steps continued downwards until he came to another door, similar to the one he had just opened. The stairs continued down to the basement level, but Aiden knew they weren’t allowed in the basement. <<else>>\ Aiden was on the stairs. They carried on up to the upper floor and down to the basement level. The door to the lower level stood before him. <</if>>\ [[Open the door to the lower level|Open the door]] [[Head down to the basement|Down to the basement]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ <<set $veecomp to false>>\ The screen flickered for a few seconds, then displayed a grainy black-and-white image. He was startled to see a dark figure staring back at him. “Vee!!” Aiden exclaimed with delight. He checked himself and then lowered his voice to sound a bit more manly. It looked like Vee was on the library computer on the lower level. She stared at him with her customary scowl, but said nothing. He smiled; Vee was always annoyed at him. “Vee, what’s going on? Father won’t answer and nothing works!” Vee just stared at him. He wondered if the sound wasn’t working. She picked up a notepad and scrawled something on it, then held it up to the camera. It said: ‘Don’t talk. Just meet me downstairs.’ Aiden couldn’t tell if she was angry with him or if she was just being mysterious. She was often angry about something he’d done. <<if $dishes>>Maybe she would cheer up when she found out he’d done the dishes!<<else>>Maybe she knew he hadn’t done the dishes?<</if>> <<else>>\ The screen flickered for a few seconds then displayed a grainy black and white image of an empty room. It looked like the library – Vee was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t know where she’d gone, but he knew he should get down there as soon as he could. <</if>>\ [[Back|Comp1]]

Aiden tentatively pushed the door. It opened easily enough, but suddenly it was yanked open from the other side. Before he had time to react, an arm shot through the gap, grabbed him and pulled him through. He yelped in shock! [[“Aahh!!”|Met vee]]

Aiden took the steps down, it got darker as he descended. The air was warmer on this level, and there was a machine-like hum that was felt more than it was heard. The stairs ended in a large metal door. He didn’t need to try opening it to know that it was locked tight. There was no keyhole or handle. Just a solid metal door that looked like it had stood there for a thousand years. For all he knew, there was nothing behind it at all. [[Back up the stairs|Down the stairs]]

“I don’t know. I woke up earlier and Father was completely silent. You know the big crack in the old classroom? Well, it’s got worse!” What Aiden had taken for anger, he now realised was contained excitement and as she spoke, her hands gestured wildly. <<include "Qs">>

“Because Father’s asleep!” she whispered in a frustrated ‘why don’t you understand’ kind of way. “Ok. So?” “Father hardly ever sleeps!” “And?” “So if he’s asleep, he can’t see what we’re up to!” Aiden was surprised. He was supposed to be the one who broke the rules, but this sounded like she was planning something on a whole different level to his usual antics. [[“What are you up to, Vee?”|Oh god]]

“We… just… it’s better if I show you! It’s in the old classroom.” “That room’s been locked for ages, there’s no way to open the door.” “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! Just… follow me!” “What about Father…?” “He can’t punish us if he doesn’t know we tried!” Vee grabbed his hand in exasperation and dragged him down the corridor. [[Follow her|Follow]] [[Refuse|Don’t follow]]

<<if lastVisited ("Don’t follow") is 1 or lastVisited ("Go back to bed") is 1>>\ Vee was at the far end of the corridor, waiting for him to catch up. <<else>>\ Vee dragged him down the corridor. He begrudgingly followed. <</if>>\ “Come on!” she mouthed at him whilst rolling her eyes. She led him down past her own room and the entrance to the library, past the large double doors that led to the farm, and on past the ward and lower classroom. She continued to the far end of the corridor and stopped in front of an old metal door. Aiden noticed odd patches of dust around the base. “Vee, you know this door is locked. It’s been locked for years,” he patiently explained. Vee flashed him a smug look and pushed the door. Aiden watched in shock as it slowly creaked open. She walked through, as if nothing was out of the ordinary – as if this wasn’t a door that had been locked to them for the last ten years or more. He followed, and as he did, he noticed the door frame was warped out of shape. Large cracks ran along the top and down one side. “The earthquake damaged the door frame!” he whispered in surprise. Aiden couldn’t believe how daring she was being. Usually, he was the one who got into trouble. Maybe, he realised – perhaps far too late – she was more daring than he thought. And unlike him, she had simply figured out how not to get caught. [[Explore the room|walk through the door]]

Aiden pulled his hand away. Vee didn’t stop. Aiden was tired of just following Vee’s orders. She got these ideas into her head and expected him to just go along with them. This could get them both into serious trouble! It would be safer for him if he just left her to it and went back to bed. Of course, that would mean missing out on whatever scheme she was up to, and he wasn’t so keen on that idea either. [[Go back to bed]] [[Run after her|Follow]]

Aiden walked in to their old classroom. The room had to be abandoned many years ago when the cracks in here threatened to become dangerous. Father had made it very clear that they were never to go back inside and the door had stayed locked ever since. He was going to be really mad if he found out they had disobeyed. He had a dim memory of being in here. It was a strange sensation to discover somewhere that was so familiar and yet something he’d almost forgotten existed. Vee had flicked on the lights, and he smiled as he saw some of the colourful paintings on the walls. Over in the corner was the large cage for their pet rats – the poor things hadn’t lasted long. Vee had put down her notepad and was pointing at something in the far corner of the room. Aiden moved over to get a better look. [[Take a closer look|See where she’s pointing]]

Aiden knew this wasn’t right. He had lived his entire life inside the den and there wasn’t anything beyond its walls. And even if there was, Father would be furious if he found out they’d broken his rules. He knew what had to be done. He grabbed Vee’s arm and pulled her away. “This isn’t right - we’re going!” She turned and slapped his arm away with surprising force. “Vee!” He was angry and confused. What was she thinking? He wanted to shout at her, but before he knew it, she slipped from his grasp and somehow squeezed her way into the dark crevice in the wall. And then, as if swallowed whole… she vanished! Aiden stood there, mouth open, shocked. Now what!? [[Approach the hole|behind the wall]] [[Storm off|Go back to bed]]

He cautiously walked towards the huge crack in the wall. Fear and curiosity fought for control and he shivered with excitement and trepidation in equal measure. He nervously peered through the gap. He got a glimpse of another room beyond, stretching out into the darkness. There were large, black blocks in perfect rows like standing stones. Each glowed softly, lit by a myriad of tiny lights that pulsed in some sort of mysterious rhythm. It was ominous and beautiful – like nothing he had seen before. “Let me see!” Vee whispered impatiently behind him. [[Try to squeeze through the gap|Try to squeeze through the gap]] [[Let her see|Let her see]]

Aiden stepped back and let Vee move in to take his place. He watched as she tried to poke her head through the gap to see more. She tried to contort and wriggle her body into the narrow space. He was convinced there was no way either of them could fit through. And then, as if swallowed whole… she vanished! [[“Vee…?”|behind the wall]]

Cautiously, he managed to squeeze his arm through and then one of his legs. He could feel a cool breeze coming from the other side. The air smelt different; ancient somehow as if it had been undisturbed for hundreds of years. He kept pushing, but no matter how much he struggled, he could get no further. He started to panic at the idea of getting stuck between home and some strange, alien place that shouldn’t exist. There was another rumble in the ground, this one quieter than the others, but it dislodged a stream of dust above him. He decided that maybe he wasn’t going to fit through after all. “Let me try!” Reluctantly, Aiden pulled himself back into the abandoned classroom. [[Let Vee try|Let her see]]

Aiden stood there for a moment, feeling torn. He should probably find a way to wake Father, so he could see what Vee was doing and get her out of there. But he stopped himself. Even if he managed to evade punishment, he doubted they would ever see this new room again. He and Vee might argue, but he loved her and they were a team. So he made up his mind; he would find a way to help her. He made a silent vow to himself: before Father woke up, they would figure out the mystery of this strange new room. With his mind made up, he set off to find one of the old computers he could use. <<link "Head to the library">> <<set $veeloc to "Act 2">> <<goto "Vee">> <</link>>

<<set $dur to 1.5>><<set $aidenloc to "Library">><<set $name to "Vee">>\ Vee stood in the huge space. Her mind was racing. She had spent her entire life within the concrete walls of the den. How was this possible? The room was big! Not as big as the farm, but still… how could this have hidden down here all this time? She wondered if there were even more rooms hidden away like this one. She knew she should be worried that her way in – and out – was now blocked, but right now, she was too entranced with her new surroundings. And it stood to reason, there must be another way in somewhere. Rows and rows of large, perfectly oblong metal boxes stretched out in neat lines all the way to the far wall. She walked down one aisle, checking inside each in turn. They all looked the same. Glass covered one side and within, she could see wires and cables that trailed around like machine innards. At the end of each wire, tiny lights flashed in their own peculiar rhythm, twinkling in reds and blues. Each box was taller than her and much wider, too. There must have been well over a hundred; packed together like giant gravestones, or a silent army in waiting. [[Explore the room|Explore further]]

<<if lastVisited ("Drag the desk") is 1 or lastVisited ("Climb in") is 1>>\ Vee was back in the large room filled with black metal boxes. On the far side, was the large crack in the wall she’d originally come through, now blocked with rubble. Nearby was the desk and a computer that she’d moved. Above it was a large, open air vent. <<if $fan1>>A steady flow of cool air flowed out of it. <<else>>The airflow seemed to have stopped.<</if>> Further down the wall was a door-shaped crevice with no obvious way to open it. <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ As her eyes became more accustomed to the dim, flickering light, she paced from one side to the other. The tall, black boxes were spaced about two to three strides apart. <<if visited ("Head to the computer")>>At the furthest end from the hole in the wall was the long desk with the old computer sat on top of it. <<else>>At the furthest end from the hole in the wall sat a long desk. On it was another old computer screen and keyboard. <</if>> Further down the bare concrete wall, she discovered the faint outline of a door, perfectly fit into the wall. She knew there would be a way out! Beyond that, she also noticed a large metal grill. It looked like an air vent, and there was a cool breeze coming from that direction. She stopped and listened. Apart from a quiet background hum, she heard no further rumbles. It seemed like the earthquake had passed. At least she should be safe from further damage. <<elseif $research and visited ("Act 3")>>\ Vee was back in the ‘Server room’ filled with black metal boxes and their blinking lights. On the far side was the large crack in the wall she’d originally come through, now blocked by fallen rubble. Over by the wall nearby was a desk and an old computer. A little further down was the air vent. Further away was the door that led back to the white corridor. <<else>>\ Vee was in the large room filled with black metal boxes, all giving off their shimmering light. On the far side was the large crack in the wall she’d originally come through, now blocked by fallen rubble. Over by the wall nearby was a desk and an old computer. A little further down and set about head-height in the wall <<if visited ("Drag the desk")>>was a large, open air vent.<<else>> was a large grill that covered an air vent.<</if>> <<if $research and visited ("Corridor main")>> Further away was a door-shaped crevice perfectly set into the wall, although she knew it would now open. <<else>> Further away was the outline of a door, perfectly set into the wall.<</if>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $lift gt 0 and $archive and visited ("Admin message")>>\ <<if $keyfound and !visited ("Vent5") and ($aidenbug is 0 and $conv lt 3.5)>>\ Vee wondered how Aiden was getting on and if he’d found this ‘backdoor’ yet. <<elseif $keyfound and !visited ("Vent5") and ($aidenbug gt 0 or $conv gt 3) and $debugseen and visited ("Climb in")>>\ Vee wondered if there was anything else she could find on the computer. <<elseif !visited ("Climb in")>>\ Vee thought that she had probably got what she needed from the computer. <<elseif visited ("Vent5") and visited ("Climb in") and $fan1 and !visited ("Comp6")>>\ She was starting to think that maybe she was trapped in here – unless Aiden could find a way to turn ‘fan 1’ off. <<elseif $fan1 and !$keyfound and !visited ("Found page")>>\ Vee felt like she’d explored everywhere in here. She was hoping that Aiden was having more luck figuring out what ‘H / 117’ meant. <<elseif $fan1 and !$keyfound and visited ("Found page")>>\ Vee was wondering how Aiden was getting on and if he’d made any sense of the message he’d found. <</if>><</if>>\ <<if !$fan1 and !visited ("Medical research 1")>>\ The cool air flowing in from the vent had stopped. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Comp5") and ($lift is 0 or !visited ("Admin message") or !$archive)>>\ Vee wondered if there was anything more to find on the computer in here. <</if>>\ <<if $research and visited ("Act 3")>>\ [[Head back through the door|Corridor main]] <<elseif visited ("The door")>>\ [[Try the door 🔒|The door]] <<else>>\ [[Try the door|The door]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("She waited")>>\ [[Climb up to the air vent|Climb in]] <<elseif $lift is 1 and $archive is true and visited ("Admin message")>>\ [[Try moving the desk|Try to reach the grill]] <<else>>\ [[Try to reach the grill]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp5]] <<else>>\ [[Check the computer|Head to the computer]] <</if>>\ \ <<if !visited ("Head back to the crack in the wall")>>\ [[Head back to the crack in the wall]] <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ Vee walked over to the computer. It looked even older than the one in the living room. <<if visited () is 1>>\ She had a creepy thought and wondered if Father really was asleep or if he was watching her right now. Was this just another one of his bizarre tests? She clicked the switch and the screen fizzled for a moment, then went dark again. She sighed; perhaps it was too much to hope that something that had lain hidden here for years might still be working. On a whim, she hit the side of the screen and was surprised to see it actually turn on. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ [[Access the computer|Comp5]] <<else>>\ This computer looked like it had even fewer options than the others. There was the ‘Commscreen’, but everything else seemed to require entering an ‘admin username’. [[Try entering a user name|enter name]] <<if visited ("Commscreen5a")>>\ [[Use the ‘Commscreen’|Commscreen5b]] <<else>>\ [[Use the ‘Commscreen’|Commscreen5a]] <</if>>\ <</if>>\ [[Explore the room|Explore the space]]

<<set $aidencomp to false>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden had made his way back to the library on the lower level. There were racks filled with ancient books, most so old that merely opening them would cause them to crumble to dust. He wasn’t really sure why they still kept them, but occasionally Father would ask them to pull one from a shelf and read something aloud from a specific page. They would endeavour to handle each book with the utmost care; even so, there had been a few accidents. Father had got angry at them, and whatever lesson he’d been trying to teach had been lost in the resulting arguments. Nestled on one of the shelves was one of the den’s many computers. He walked over to it and flicked it on, wiping a layer of dust from the surface as he did so. <<else>>\ <<if !$switch and visited ("Comm4")>>\ <<set $name to "Aiden">><<set $veeloc to "enter name">><<set $switched to false>><<set $switch to true>>\ You can now switch from Aiden to Vee and back again by using the button in the side menu <</if>>\ Aiden was back in the library. It was full of ancient books, filled with information about a world he’d never seen. He occasionally wondered what the point of them was; they didn’t seem to bear any relevance at all to his life. \ <<if (visited ("play4") or visited ("Play Vaccinator")) and $lift is 0>>\ Aiden wondered if Vee had managed to find the admin name for her computer yet. <<elseif visited ("Admin message") and !visited ("Found page")>>\ Aiden wondered if there was anything else in here that could help them. <<elseif $incinerator and !visited ("Archive4")>>\ Aiden wondered if he should try accessing the ‘user logs’ on the old computer in here. <</if>>\ <</if>>\ [[Use the computer|Comp4]] [[Look through the old books|Look through the old books]] <<if $lift gt 0>>\ <<link "Leave and head to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>> <<else>>\ [[Leave and try using the lift|Lift not working]] <</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ He waited, but there was no reply. Father often slept, but never for very long, and usually only at night when they were asleep too. He turned back to the screen. “It looks like we’re safe – for now. Are you ok?” he asked with concern in his voice. She immediately started to talk again, still a little louder than he’d have liked, “The tremors have stopped, but the way back is blocked. I think there’s a way out of here, we just need to figure out how to open it!” “Ok, just let me know how I can help. What have you found?” “There are loads of these big boxes with little flashing lights, I have no idea what they are! The computer works ok, but it won’t do much. It looks like I need to enter a name. I think maybe it’s a five-letter name? Can you think of anything?” “How about ‘Aiden’?” he said, a little insulted she hadn’t considered his name. “No, that won’t…” she instantly dismissed his suggestion, then saw his hurt expression and gave in, “…Ok I’ll try!" Vee vanished for a moment and he could hear her typing. She returned to the screen looking disappointed. “‘Aiden’ didn’t work. But the error code was different…” She looked lost in thought as if there was a solution just within her grasp. “I’ll have a look on this computer too, just in case there’s something useful.” he replied. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp4">><</link>>

\ USER LOGS: JIANGUO. THP Technical Manager. <<if $tech gt 0>>\ <<linkreplace "Note: 1 of 4">>Functionality and Adaptability BioGenesis operation needs to be entirely automated. At the current rate, the human population will dwindle to zero or near zero within a generation. Therefore, we cannot rely on human operation. Due to the minimal amount of reference DNA, it could be many years before a viable sample becomes possible. Functionality This extends to entirely automated and self-powered systems. All operations would be handled: from system maintenance to testing, rearing and eventual release of primary candidates. Adaptability The system must be able to ‘think’ for itself; to make best judgements no matter how the situation changes. Although mission goals are fixed, how these are achieved is entirely flexible. Physical duties will be performed by active, self-charging drones capable of a variety of tasks. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log 1 of 4: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $tech gt 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Note: 2 of 4">>The ‘Total Human’ project. Shrinking gene pools resulted in a catastrophic reduction of genetic diversity and further susceptibility to viral attack. After extensive searching, a single specimen (bone fragment) was discovered with rare traces of natural viral immunity. From this, we intend to create two clones – a male and a female. Using artificial recombination we aim to manufacture sufficient gene diversity within these clones to the point where they are not genetically related. This project is not to create ‘improved’ humans. This is to create humans who represent those who came before them, but who can survive and thrive within the new viral biome. This is the ‘Total Human’ project. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log 2 of 4: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $tech gt 2>>\ <<linkreplace "Note: 3 of 4">>Evolutionary Research From a single bone fragment (human costae), we will clone two embryos: a male and a female. Through the use of specialised AI using cutting-edge DNA recombination, the genetic make-up of these clones will then be altered sufficiently to ensure they will be as genetically diverse as possible. This will allow for healthy reproduction whilst also offering some level of viral immunity and adaptability. These two subjects will birth an entirely new line of humanity. Resources are limited and each embryo pair will take decades to create and then nurture. We cannot create a whole new population – that will be up to them. Unlike other solutions, we do not pretend that this will happen in our own lifetime. It could take many years before two viable, fertile embryos are created. Even then, we cannot be certain how they will cope with future versions of the virus. And whilst we would wish to raise them ourselves, in reality, they will most likely be raised by the system long after we’re gone – we have named it ‘FATHER’. We never pretended that this was an ideal solution. This is a solution of last resort. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log 3 of 4: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $tech gt 3>>\ <<linkreplace "Note: 4 of 4">>Signing off I write this as one of the last. My generation will live, enjoy life and die as any regular human has ever done. However, I have never known anyone younger than myself. I have never seen children through adult eyes. Should we succeed, I do not envy these manufactured saviours, born into a dead world with no guidance or human role model – and with the weight of an entire race resting upon their shoulders. But we send them all the love, hope and prayers that the last of humanity, fading into the dusk of our existence can muster.<</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log 4 of 4: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $name is "Aiden">>\ <<link "Back" $aidenreturn>><</link>>\ <<else>>\ <<link "Back" $veereturn>><</link>>\ <</if>>

<<timed 85ms>>01001110 01101111 01110111 00100000 01110100 <<next>>01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 <<next>>00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101000 01100001 <<next>>01100100 00100000 01110000 01101100 01100001 01101110 01110100 <<next>>01100101 01100100 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100001 <<next>>01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101001 01101110 <<next>>00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100101 01100001 <<next>>01110011 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 <<next>>01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 00111011 00100000 01100001 <<next>>01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 <<next>>01100101 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110000 01110101 <<next>>01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 <<next>>01100001 01101110 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101000 <<next>>01100001 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 01101101 <<next>>01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 <<next>>00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 <<next>>01101111 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100001 01100100 01100101 <<next>>00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101011 01101001 <<next>>01101110 01100100 01110011 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110011 00100000 01100111 <<next>>01110010 01101111 01110111 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 <<next>>00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 <<next>>00100000 01100111 01110010 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100100 <<next>>00100000 11100010 10000000 10010011 00100000 01110100 01110010 <<next>>01100101 01100101 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 <<next>>01110100 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01110000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01101001 01101110 <<next>>01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01101000 <<next>>01100101 00100000 01100101 01111001 01100101 00100000 01100001 <<next>>01101110 01100100 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 <<next>>00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100110 01101111 <<next>>01101111 01100100 00101110 00100000 01001001 01101110 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01101001 01100100 <<next>>01100100 01101100 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01110010 <<next>>01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 <<next>>01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 <<next>>01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01101100 01101001 01100110 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101110 <<next>>01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 <<next>>01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 <<next>>01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01101111 01100110 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 <<next>>00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 <<next>>01101001 01101100 00101110 00001010 00001010 01000001 00100000 <<next>>01110010 01101001 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01110111 <<next>>01100001 01110100 01100101 01110010 01101001 01101110 01100111 <<next>>00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 <<next>>01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01100110 01101100 <<next>>01101111 01110111 01100101 01100100 00100000 01100110 01110010 <<next>>01101111 01101101 00100000 01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 <<next>>00111011 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101001 <<next>>01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01110011 <<next>>01100101 01110000 01100001 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 <<next>>01100100 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110100 01101111 00100000 <<next>>01100110 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101000 01100101 <<next>>01100001 01100100 01110111 01100001 01110100 01100101 01110010 <<next>>01110011 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 <<next>>01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101111 01101011 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 <<next>>00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110000 01110101 <<next>>01110100 00100000 01101000 01101001 01101101 00100000 01101001 <<next>>01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000111 <<next>>01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101111 <<next>>01100110 00100000 01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01101011 <<next>>00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 <<next>>00100000 01110100 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01100011 <<next>>01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01101001 01110100 00101110 00100000 01000001 01101110 01100100 <<next>>00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 <<next>>01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 <<next>>01100011 01101111 01101101 01101101 01100001 01101110 01100100 <<next>>01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01101101 01100001 01101110 00101100 00100000 11100010 10000000 <<next>>10011100 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 <<next>>01100101 00100000 01100110 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01110100 01101111 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 <<next>>01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01100001 01101110 <<next>>01111001 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 <<next>>01100111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00111011 <<next>>00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 <<next>>01110101 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 <<next>>01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 <<next>>00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01110100 <<next>>01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 <<next>>00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 <<next>>00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 <<next>>01100100 01100111 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 <<next>>01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01100001 01101110 <<next>>01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01101001 01101100 00101100 <<next>>00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110111 01101000 <<next>>01100101 01101110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 <<next>>01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 <<next>>01101101 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 <<next>>01110101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 <<next>>01100011 01100101 01110010 01110100 01100001 01101001 01101110 <<next>>01101100 01111001 00100000 01100100 01101001 01100101 00101110 <<next>>11100010 10000000 10011101<</timed>> <<set _count to 2.7 - ($stations/5)>>\ <<timed _count+'s'>><<goto $goto>><<set $goto to false>><</timed>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ Vee was at the computer. She had already managed to gain access. [[Access the computer|Comp5]] <<else>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee was staring at the computer screen trying to find an ‘admin username’. <<if !visited ("Library")>>She wondered if Aiden had managed to make it to the library yet.<</if>> <<else>>\ Vee was at the computer screen trying to find an ‘admin username’. <</if>>\ STATION 5 Enter admin username \ <<set $ans to "ALPHA">>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 99>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set $goto to "Comp5">>\ <<set _input to "">>\ \ <<include "hack">> <<link "Switch to Aiden" "Aiden">> <<set $aidenloc to "Library">> <<set $name to "Aiden">> <</link>> <</if>>\ [[Leave the computer|Explore the space]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $dur to 1>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Comp5">>\ \ <<if visited () is 1>>\ The screen went completely dark and Vee was worried she’d broken it. Then it flicked up some corrupted data before finally bringing up a brand new menu screen. <<if $aidencomp>>\ She noticed that the ‘Commscreen’ option was flashing so Aiden must be on one of the other computers. <</if>>\ <<elseif visited () lt 10>>\ Vee was back at the computer. <<if $aidencomp>> She noticed that Aiden was online.<</if>> <</if>>\ \ Station 5 Welcome admin user: ALPHA <<if visited ("Admin message")>>\ [[› Admin message|Admin message]] <<else>>\ [[› Admin message|Admin message]] <</if>>\ <<if visited("Archive5")>>\ [[› Admin control|Archive5]] <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin5">><</link>> <<else>>\ [[› Database repair|Archive retrieval]] <</if>>\ [[› Lift status|Lift operation]] <<if $aidencomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen5b]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen5b]] <</if>>\ \ <<link "Leave the computer" "Explore the space">><<if !$switch>><<set $name to "Vee">><<set $aidenloc to "Library">><<set $switched to false>><<set $switch to true>><</if>><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 6 Door operation Living room: <<do>><<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><<if !$storage>>\ <<link "› Storeroom: locked">><<set $storage to true>><<redo>><</link>> <<else>>\ Storeroom is now: unlocked <</if>>\ \ <<if !$refuse>>\ <<link "› Refuse: locked">><<set $refuse to true>><<redo>><</link>> <<else>>\ Refuse room is now: unlocked <</if>><</type>><</do>>\ <<if !$research>>\ Medical research door is: locked Door unlocked via: Station 3 <<else>>\ Medical research door is: unlocked <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Archive6]]

\ USER LOGS: ALPHA. Test subject. User logs: 001 <<linkreplace "› User log 001.01">>\ I’m so bored. I’ve taken to writing notes, I don’t know who they’re for. Future me maybe? It’s so easy to forget what happened last month, last year. Every day is the same. The same routine: chores, lessons, crops, repeat. This is my memory I guess. Only Echo helps. If she weren’t here… I don’t know. <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "› User log 001.02">>\ Father’s lessons get more tedious every day. He constantly tries to teach us about things that have no relevance to us. Why do we care? I asked him, if ‘outside’ is so important, when can we leave? He just evades the question. I’m bored with history and politics; with wars and kings and queens; with physics and theology! They're dry and old. Enough about then, what about now? <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "› User log 001.03">>\ I’ve been teaching Echo how to access the ‘hidden’ files on the old computers. She gets angry with me when I break the rules. She doesn’t see the point. I worry about her. I worry she’s given up on ever seeing the outside world. We both used to talk about it in whispered conversation at night, but she never mentions it anymore. I don’t think Father knows that I’ve figured out how to access the computers. At least it gives me something to do when I’m on my own.<</linkreplace>> <<if $alpha gt 1>>\ User logs: 002 <<include "Alpha2">> <<else>>\ User logs 002: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $alpha gt 2>>\ User logs: 003 <<include "Alpha3">> <<else>>\ User logs 003: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $alpha gt 3>>\ User logs: 004 <<include "Alpha4">> \ <<else>>\ User logs 004: File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $name is "Aiden">>\ <<link "Back" $aidenreturn>><</link>>\ <<else>>\ <<link "Back" $veereturn>><</link>>\ <</if>>\

<> <<set _corr to 0>> <<set _input to "">> <<set _x0 to "X">><<set _x1 to "X">><<set _x2 to "X">><<set _x3 to "X">><<set _x4 to "X">><<set _y0 to true>><<set _y1 to true>><<set _y2 to true>><<set _y3 to true>><<set _y4 to true>> <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<set _inputx to _input.toUpperCase()>> <<if _input[0] is $ans[0]>><<set _corr ++>><<set _x0 to 1>><<set _y0 to false>><</if>>\ <<if _input[1] is $ans[1]>><<set _corr ++>><<set _x1 to 1>><<set _y1 to false>><</if>>\ <<if _input[2] is $ans[2]>><<set _corr ++>><<set _x2 to 1>><<set _y2 to false>><</if>>\ <<if _input[3] is $ans[3]>><<set _corr ++>><<set _x3 to 1>><<set _y3 to false>><</if>>\ <<if _input[4] is $ans[4]>><<set _corr ++>><<set _x4 to 1>><<set _y4 to false>><</if>>\ <<if _x0 is "X">> <<if _input[0] is $ans[1] && _y1>><<set _x0 to 0>><<set _y1 to false>> <<elseif _input[0] is $ans[2] && _y2>><<set _x0 to 0>><<set _y2 to false>> <<elseif _input[0] is $ans[3] && _y3>><<set _x0 to 0>><<set _y3 to false>> <<elseif _input[0] is $ans[4] && _y4>><<set _x0 to 0>><<set _y4 to false>> <</if>><</if>> <<if _x1 is "X">>\ <<if _input[1] is $ans[0] && _y0>><<set _x1 to 0>><<set _y0 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[1] is $ans[2] && _y2>><<set _x1 to 0>><<set _y2 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[1] is $ans[3] && _y3>><<set _x1 to 0>><<set _y3 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[1] is $ans[4] && _y4>><<set _x1 to 0>><<set _y4 to false>>\ <</if>><</if>>\ <<if _x2 is "X">>\ <<if _input[2] is $ans[1] && _y1>><<set _x2 to 0>><<set _y1 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[2] is $ans[0] && _y0>><<set _x2 to 0>><<set _y0 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[2] is $ans[3] && _y3>><<set _x2 to 0>><<set _y3 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[2] is $ans[4] && _y4>><<set _x2 to 0>><<set _y4 to false>>\ <</if>><</if>>\ <<if _x3 is "X">>\ <<if _input[3] is $ans[1] && _y1>><<set _x3 to 0>><<set _y1 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[3] is $ans[2] && _y2>><<set _x3 to 0>><<set _y2 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[3] is $ans[0] && _y0>><<set _x3 to 0>><<set _y0 to false>>\ <<elseif _input[3] is $ans[4] && _y4>><<set _x3 to 0>><<set _y4 to false>>\ <</if>><</if>>\ <<if _x4 is "X">>\ <<if _input[4] is $ans[1] && _y1>><<set _x4 to 0>> <<elseif _input[4] is $ans[2] && _y2>><<set _x4 to 0>> <<elseif _input[4] is $ans[3] && _y3>><<set _x4 to 0>> <<elseif _input[4] is $ans[0] && _y0>><<set _x4 to 0>> <</if>><</if>>\ <<set _error to ""+_x0+_x1+_x2+_x3+_x4>> <<if _corr gte 5 or (_input is "enter" and !$tempgame and $keyfound)>> <<replace "#output">>INPUT ACCEPTED<</replace>> <<timed 0.9s>><<goto "code">><</timed>> <<else>> <<if $attempts is 99>> <<if _input.length lt 5>> <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>> <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#output">>Admin user not recognised Error code: _error<</replace>> <</if>> <<elseif $keys.includes(_inputx)>> <<set $attempts -->> <<set _test to ""+_inputx>> <<run $tries.push(_test)>> <<replace "#output">>Error code: _error <<if $attempts lte 1>> WARNING. ONE ATTEMPT REMAINING. <<else>> $attempts attempts remaining <</if>> Previous entries: $tries <</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 0>> <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry not in database<</replace>> <</if>> <<if $attempts lte 0>> <<replace "#output">>Error code: _error USER LOCKED OUT Reporting to Sysadmin<</replace>> <<timed 3s>><<if $tempgame>><<goto "dec_end">><<else>><<goto "Fail">><</if>><</timed>> <</if>> <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set _x0 to "X">><<set _x1 to "X">><<set _x2 to "X">><<set _x3 to "X">><<set _x4 to "X">><<set _y0 to true>><<set _y1 to true>><<set _y2 to true>><<set _y3 to true>><<set _y4 to true>> <<set _input to "">> <<replace ".text">><<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>><</replace>> <</if>> <</button>><<endnobr>>

<<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div> Enter decryption key: <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<include "hack">> <</type>>\ <<return "Back">>

As he got closer, his eyes widened. The cracks that had formed here years ago had since turned into gaping holes. Water trickled down from the ceiling and rubble was piled up around the floor. Was the den falling apart!? “We should leave, this doesn’t look safe!” He couldn’t help a tinge of fear creeping into his voice. “There’s something on the other side!” Vee whispered, completely ignoring him. A combination of her excitement and his curiosity eventually overcame his worries. He bent low to avoid the jagged concrete and peered into the hole. There was a faint light coming from beyond. It rippled and pulsed gently with an eerie glow. Aiden should have been terrified. He knew he should drag Vee away and never set foot in this room again. He had always taken the safety and security of their home for granted. Now, that safety had literally crumbled in front of him. This went against everything Father had told them. But at the same time, he was filled with a nervous, jittery excitement. How could there be a room in the den that they had never even known existed? [[Drag Vee away]] [[Explore the hole]]

Vee <<timed $dur+"s">><<goto $veeloc>><</timed>>

Aiden <<timed $dur+"s">><<goto $aidenloc>><</timed>>

Aiden’s room was a large, featureless square with a metal bed in one corner. Stuck low on one of the plain concrete walls, bringing some colour to the grey, was a hand-drawn picture of him and Vee holding hands. It still made him smile – although he’d made it so long ago, he didn’t actually remember drawing it. He’d just signed it ‘A’. For some reason, Vee had blonde hair; he probably just couldn’t find the right colour pens. On the other side of the room lay piles of clothes, abandoned books, and other things he’d long since lost interest in. He knew he should probably tidy those up one day, but right now, he really wanted to find Vee. <<if visited ("Leave the room")>>\ [[Head down towards the living room|The hub]] [[Head up towards the classroom|Right end]] <<else>>\ [[Leave the room]] <</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ The computer was ancient, but it still worked… just. There wasn’t much they could do on it, but it sometimes helped to pass the time. He tapped a key and the screen turned on. The cold glare lit up his face with its flickering light. <<else>>\ Aiden was at the old computer in the living room. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Commscreen1") is 0>>\ He noticed that the ‘Commscreen’ option was flashing, which meant someone was on one of the other computers. [[› Commscreen|Commscreen1]] <<else>>\ The ‘Commscreen’ option was no longer flashing; Vee must be elsewhere. [[› Commscreen|Commscreen1]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Lroom logs")>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Lroom logs">><</link>> <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin1">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "code">><<set $goto to "Comp1 fail">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Play a quick game")>>[[› Play another game|Play a quick game]]<<else>>[[› Play a game|Play Vaccinator]]<</if>> \ [[Back to the living room|The hub]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ It was an old arcade game that went by the name of ‘Vaccinator’. He had a suspicion that it was considered old even when this computer was brand new. Still, it was the only game it had, and they had both played it until they were bored with it. Despite that, Aiden had never managed to beat the top score. Whoever had got that was either very good or had cheated. And what sort of name was ‘Alpha’ anyway? Were all of those names he saw on the high score table real? Did they live in their own den somewhere else? Were they even still alive? He stopped himself. Thoughts like that were dangerous – Father had told them so. To dream about a world outside the den would just lead to misery. Despite his complaints, despite the boredom and drudgery of their daily routine, he secretly liked his life here with Vee and Father – it was safe and secure. [[Play the arcade game|Play a quick game]] <<link "Back" "Comp1">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Every now and again he pressed ‘Admin control’ in the vain hope that one day it would actually do something. But, as usual, it just brought up a screen of meaningless data. He was fairly sure it would never do anything else. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp1">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden knew that this wasn’t a good use of his time, but he felt unsettled and just wanted to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. Perhaps if he played a game and ignored all this strangeness, Father would sort it all out? He started the game and played on ‘Easy’ mode. Even then, his mind was elsewhere and he soon got overwhelmed. He quit the game in annoyance. He should stop putting it off – he had to go and find Vee! <<else>>\ <<include "Vaccinate">> <</if>>\ <<link "Back" "Comp1">><</link>>

Aiden had no intention of getting into trouble again. Especially when this time, it was all Vee’s fault. He walked back to the door where he had entered the lower level, but of course, it was now locked and there was no way to open it. Getting more annoyed, he walked all the way to the lower-level lift. He pressed the call button and sighed when nothing happened. It looked like he was stuck on this level until they could find a way to get the lift working. It looked like Vee hadn’t left him much choice. He growled in frustration and decided to head back and see if he could try talking some sense into her. <<if lastVisited ("Drag Vee away") is 1>>\ [[Go back to Vee|behind the wall]] <<else>>\ [[Go back to Vee|Follow]] <</if>>\

Aiden went back to his room and crawled back into bed, knowing that it would be Vee who would be in trouble tomorrow. The next day, he awoke after a peaceful night’s sleep. There had been no more odd sounds, no further tremors. In fact, he half suspected the whole thing had been a strange dream. He yawned, put on his clothes and strolled in the living room like nothing had happened. Father was awake and seemed to have no knowledge of the night’s events. Vee did not show up at breakfast. Vee did not show up all day. Days drifted into weeks. Aiden went from confusion to panic. There was nowhere she could hide within the den that he didn’t know about. Even so, he searched every inch of every room, over and over until it became a daily obsession. Every time he checked her room, he expected to find her there, smiling at him as if nothing had happened. Every time he tried to talk to Father about it, he simply avoided the question. It was like she had ceased to exist. Sometimes there are simple choices that can change your life and that realisation haunted him for the rest of his days. <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>>

<<if lastVisited ("Go back to bed") is 1>>\ He walked all the way back to the abandoned classroom and the huge crack in the wall. Vee was still nowhere to be seen. <</if>>\ \ “Vee…?” he called out in the loudest whisper he could manage. “Veee…!?” Nothing. He could feel himself starting to panic. He nervously moved closer, trying to peer inside. Then he heard a distant voice coming from somewhere behind the wall, “It’s huge in here!” He felt a flood of relief – she was ok. Her voice echoed, making it sound like she was in a distant cavern. “What can you see?” he called out before remembering he was supposed to be quiet. She replied back, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. It sounded like she was moving further away. “Veeeee!” he hissed at her. Then suddenly she was back on the other side of the wall, her face pressed through the opening. “Come and see! Can you get through?” she hissed back at him. [[Try to get through|Try again]] [[Don’t risk it|Don’t try again]]

Aiden didn’t like any of this. He was used to the daily routine of the den. He may have dreamed of excitement and adventure, but this… this felt wrong. And he was worried that whatever was going to happen, it would be him that ended up in trouble. Perhaps it would be better if he just went back to his room and pretended everything was normal. It would probably all be fine in the morning… …but what if it wasn’t? [[Back to the access door|try the access door]] [[Go back to bed|The next day]]

<<if visited ("Right end")>>\ Aiden was back in the empty corridor with the living room behind him. Ahead, the corridor led to his own room, the classroom and the bathroom. Of course, he had already checked inside them, there was no need for him to check again. At the far end of the corridor were the doors to the lift. [[Up the corridor to the lift|Operate the lift]] [[Back to the living room|The hub]] <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the gloomy corridor, near the entrance to the living room. Ahead, the corridor led up to his own room, the classroom and the bathroom. At the far end of the corridor was the lift. [[Head up the corridor|Right end]] [[Back to the living room|The hub]] <</if>>\

They turned and walked away, choosing a direction at random as they made their way back through the undergrowth. There was no further word from Father. Aiden was up ahead, battling his way through the vines and dense vegetation that obstructed their path. The air was warm, and strange sounds echoed nearby. The wind rustled through the branches, and Vee was aware of the buzz of tiny insects. Aiden set a course, and Vee followed. Eventually, the vegetation began to thin. Looking upwards, Vee was stunned to see something flying far overhead—perhaps a bird? Great cloud shapes drifted, illuminated by the faintest light coming from somewhere in the distance. Aiden had begun catching his breath in ragged gasps. He turned back to her but said nothing. His eyes were red and raw. She could tell he was feeling the same emotions. Excitement, exhaustion, terror – all mingled into a jangling confusion. Had they made the right choice? She felt trapped in her own head, <<if $apple is 0>>frightened that she had missed something important <<elseif $apple is 1>> frightened by what she had almost forced on Aiden <<elseif $apple is 2>> frightened that she had convinced Aiden to eat the apple<</if>> and terrified that they might fall victim to the virus. What might this new world hold? If Aiden were to suffer or even die…? She couldn’t bear the thought. Perhaps it would be better to turn back now, beg forgiveness from Father, and sneak back to their old life in the den. [[Walk onwards|End2]]

<<set $scrp to "https://script.google.com/macros/s/"+$exec+"/exec">>\ He didn’t answer at first; he simply pointed away from her. She turned and followed his gaze. The ground fell away before them and extended to an impossible horizon that filled her view completely. Just above it, a ball of golden light began to cast its rays, bathing the entire scene in a blanket of glowing ochre. A rich carpet of trees stretched below, reaching all the way to the crumbling remains of some ancient city in the distance. Ruined skyscrapers, impossibly tall, were adorned with swathes of green as nature had gently reclaimed them. Occasional glints of silver and gold shimmered off the sides of some of the tallest buildings. Below, a vast lake of water rippled and glittered in the light, and she could see a herd of creatures walking and playing at the water’s edge. Flocks of birds wheeled in the sky among the ancient city structures. The scale was unimaginable. The sight took her breath away. Even in her dreams, she had never seen anything so incredible. Finally, Aiden spoke, wiping his eyes as he did so. “It’s… it’s just… so beautiful!” She smiled at him. At that moment, she loved him more than ever. He wasn’t wallowing in fear or regret; he had already embraced the beauty of this new world. They weren’t the last remnants of a long-dead race. They were the first of a new one. Hand in hand, they stood together and watched the sun rise over their new home. And in that moment, she knew: whatever they chose, whatever she chose, they would be okay. <<link "EPILOGUE" "Father">><<set $fatherloc to "EPILOGUE">><</link>>

Without a word, Aiden pushed onward. She followed as best she could, although she struggled to keep up with his pace. Vee could feel the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. She had pretended not to understand some of the things she had read in those user logs, but she knew. The mother of a new human race? She loved Aiden dearly, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Could they even create a life for themselves here? So far, all she had seen was an infinite sky and a dark, oppressive forest. She heard a faint cry from Aiden up ahead. Her heart leapt; was he okay? She pushed forward through the undergrowth with renewed vigor. The trees began to thin, and she found herself climbing uphill. Silhouetted on a small rise ahead, she saw him. He was on his knees, head in his hands, gently sobbing. She made her way to him, and all she could do was hold him tight. He turned to her, his eyes puffed and red, tears staining his cheeks. She tried to suppress the mounting terror. Had the virus claimed him so soon? [[“What’s wrong? Are you OK?”|End3]]

<video src="img/the_den.mp4" width="1px" autoplay muted playsinline type="video/mp4"></video>\ <<if $dishes>><<set $dishes to 1>><<else>><<set $dishes to 0>><</if>>\ <<if $socket>><<set $socket to 3>><<else>><<set $socket to 0>><</if>>\ <<if $meetup != 1>><<set $meetup to 0>><</if>>\ <<set $chances to 15+($stations*2)+$meetup+$dishes+$socket+$fruitstolen+($apple*28)>>\ <<set _chances to $chances + "%">>\ It had been over 400 years since Father lost contact with the last remaining human outposts. He had no data to suggest whether anyone or anything still remained. <<if $apple is 2>>\ He could never have brought himself to give them the infected apple; it was too much of a risk. It had to be their choice. But the tree had adapted to the virus, and he suspected they would do the same. He calculated their chances of survival were now much higher. A subroutine chimed in: ‘Chances of survival: _chances.’ <<elseif $apple is 1>>\ He could never have brought himself to give them the infected apple; it was too much of a risk. It had to be their choice. Vee had tried to give it to Aiden, but he had refused. Perhaps that was the safer option. And yet, he suspected that the tree held the secret to adapting to the virus. A subroutine chimed in: ‘Chances of survival: _chances.’ He ignored it. <<else>>\ <<if visited ("Step inside")>>\ He could never have brought himself to give them the infected apple; it was too much of a risk. It had to be their choice. In the end, Vee had chosen not to take it – denying herself and Aiden the benefits it may have brought. <<else>>\ The infected tree stood within the VCU; its apples were full of the latest viral strain. Eating one had become a binary test that could have either killed or cured them. He could never have brought himself to give them this test; it was too much of a risk. It had to be their choice. However, in the end, Vee had chosen to avoid the room completely, denying herself and Aiden the benefits it may have brought. <</if>>\ Neither of them would ever know if the virus it contained could have acted as a cure. A subroutine chimed in: ‘Chances of survival: _chances.’ He ignored it. <</if>>\ Whether they would live, let alone be able to create a new human race… well, that was now up to them. Since the recent earthquakes had begun, he understood that his time might be limited. Geothermal power had been affected, and he had to shut down cores on a regular basis just to conserve energy. The den would not last forever. Now, he would power down and prepare, just in case he was ever needed in the future. Until then, he would monitor their progress from afar. Father sent out the instruction to the cores that maintained the den: air filtration, water, refuse, heating – all began to shut down one by one. Through his many eyes, he took one last look down the empty concrete corridors. Somewhere, a part of him, perhaps a solitary AI core designed to emulate human emotion, experienced a sense of loneliness. ‘Hope’ was a particularly human trait; it did not factor in evidence or statistical probability. All the same, he hoped that he had done enough. The lights turned off one by one, leaving the den cold and empty. [[Shut down the den|lights off]]

<<include "transend">>\ <<set $complete to true>>\ <div id="center"><video src="img/the_den.mp4" width="100%" autoplay playsinline type="video/mp4" alt="THE DEN. As we see the lights turn off one by one, we’re finally left with '.. .. EDEN' – and then the lights are extinguished."></video> \ <<timed 8.68s>> <<button "THE END" "THE END">><</button>><</timed>></div>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden made his way down the lower corridor and opened the double doors leading to the farm. This was the largest area in the den, and by far his favourite place to be. He could feel the atmosphere change completely as he walked through the second set of doors and emerged into the huge open space. The ceiling extended up five or six meters, and above hung all sorts of lights, pipes, and ducts. The air was moist and humid, bathed in a fine mist that sprayed out from the pipes above. Large ultraviolet and infrared spotlights filled the room with a bright, warm glow; entirely different to the light within the rest of the den. He loved it here. This is where Aiden felt most at peace. He had fond memories of helping Father maintain the crops – planting seeds, and watching them grow. Father was an obsessive gardener with a passion for experimenting with different combinations of crops and maintenance regimes – all with the aim of producing the healthiest results. <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the farm. It always gave him a tremendous feeling of peace. Whilst he occasionally dreamed of a world outside the den, this is the thing he would miss the most. And Vee of course. <</if>>\ [[Walk in to the centre|Head to the centre]] [[Head to the right|Farm right]] [[Head to the left|Farm left]] <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><<if $screwdriver != 4>><<set $compost to false>><</if>><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ <<if lastVisited ("Crawl through the vent") is 1>>\ Vee crawled out of the vent. It was quite a drop-down to the floor. She jumped and stumbled as she landed – it wasn’t graceful, but at least she was unharmed. She looked back up at the vent; it was too high for her to climb back up. <</if>>\ Lights flickered on above her, and she looked around the new room she found herself in. It was a large space, filled with four huge box-like machines that hummed and groaned as if they were alive. From each one, a huge corrugated duct snaked out, then twisted up and around to join together in the centre. There was a strong breeze wafting through the room that made her hair flutter and dance. She moved towards one of the large machines and read the small sign on it: ‘Air filtration unit’. She assumed that this room must pull in fresh air, filter it and circulate it around the den. Ah, she thought; if Alpha was right, this must lead to the main vent – the one that went all the way up to the surface! Nearby was another computer, and there was a large door on the far side of the room. <<else>>\ <<if lastVisited ("Corridor main") is 1>>Vee walked back through the door into the air filtration room. <<else>> Vee was in the air filtration room. <</if>> Several massive box-like machines hummed in the centre and huge ducts led from the machines and twisted up and around like giant corrugated serpents. To the side, near the machines was another computer, and <<if visited ("Unlock the door")>>nearby was the door that led back to the white corridor. <<else>> there was a large door over on the other side of the room. <</if>><<if $disconnect and $vent is 0>> One of the ducts was flailing around like a dying snake, blasting cold air around the room. <<elseif $disconnect and $vent gt 0>> One of the large ducts now lay lifeless on the floor.<</if>> <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Vents final") and $vent is 0 and !$aidenfree and $basement>>\ Vee was relying on Aiden; he had to find a way to shut off the main vent. <<if !$incinerator>>She wondered if he’d been down to the basement yet.<<elseif !$aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>She wondered how he was getting on down in the basement.<<elseif !visited ("Vent straight")>> <</if>> <<elseif $vent is 0 and $aidenfree>>\ The main vent had restarted. It seemed she had run out of time. <<elseif $vent gt 4 and $aidenfree and $apple gt 0>>\ The air in the room was still – the main vent was off. This was her chance! <<elseif $vent gt 4>>\ The air in the room was still – the main vent was off. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Archive9")>>\ [[Use the computer|Archive9]] <<else>>\ [[Use the computer|Comp9]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidenfree and $vent is 0>>\ [[Examine the ducts|Vee escape]] <<else>>\ [[Examine the ducts|Air vent]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Unlock the door") and $vent is 0 and $aidenfree>>\ [[Back to the corridor|Vee trapped]] <<elseif visited ("Unlock the door")>>\ [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]] <<else>>\ [[Unlock the door]] <</if>>\

<<if !$medlights>>\ Vee was standing by the computer in a pitch-black room. She could just about make out the slightest of glows from the vent she came in from. She could probably make her way back there and try climbing back through the vent. There wasn’t much more she could do without any light. <<if visited ("Comp6")>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp6]] <<else>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp6]] <</if>>\ [[Head back to the vent|Head back]] <<elseif $research>>\ Vee was in the Medical Research room. Hospital beds were crammed up against the wall and the room was filled with equipment and complex machines. There was a large glass tank in the middle of the room with something floating in it. Along the wall were some refrigerated cabinets, and at the far end was a thick metal door. \ <<if !visited ("Act 3")>>\ Above the door, a tiny green light had come on. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Examine the doors")>>\ [[Step back through the door|Corridor main]] <<else>>\ [[Open the door|Med door]] <</if>>\ [[Explore the room|Med research]] [[Check the computer|Comp6]] [[Head back to the vent|Head back]] <<else>>\ Vee found herself in what looked like an old medical ward. There were a few hospital beds crammed up against the wall and the room was filled with equipment. A series of complex machines, similar to the ones she’d seen in the main ward, lined the opposite wall – everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. At the far end of the room, was a thick metal door surrounded by a plastic seal that ran all around the edge; a large circular handle sat in the centre. \ <<if $medread and $storage and $refuse and $surface and visited ("Viral testing report") and visited ("Med door")>>\ Vee was at a loss. There didn’t seem to be a way to open the door. She just had to wait for Aiden to figure out a way to open it for her. <<if $refuse and !visited ("Refuse inside")>>She wondered if he had tried the doors in the living room now that she’d managed to unlock them.<<elseif visited ("Refuse inside") and !$plugfixed>>According to this computer, it looked like the door could be unlocked at Station 3.<</if>> <<elseif visited ("Archive6") and (!$refuse or !$storage or $lift is 0)>>\ Vee wondered if there was anything else that might be useful on the computer. <</if>>\ [[Explore the room|Med research]] [[Check the computer|Comp6]] <<if visited ("Corridor enter")>>\ [[Step through the door|Corridor main]] <<elseif visited ("Med door") and !$research>>\ [[Try the door|Med door]] 🔒 <<else>>\ [[Try the door|Med door]] <</if>>\ [[Head back to the vent|Head back]] <</if>>\

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden made his way to the classroom on the upper floor. He considered this the ‘fun’ classroom as they tended to concentrate on more practical lessons in here. Sometimes Father brought in pens and paints and got them to draw things from their lessons. Often, Aiden just daydreamed and drew fantastical pictures of the farm, with fields so large they filled the picture from edge to edge. Occasionally, Father even asked them to make things to help out around the den. That was Aiden’s favourite kind of task – he was good with his hands. He looked around for something that could be useful, but almost everything had been tidied away. <<else>>\ Aiden was in the classroom on the upper floor. He considered this the ‘fun’ classroom as they tended to concentrate on more practical lessons in here. He looked around for something that could be useful, but everything had been tidied away. <</if>>\ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Twine")>>\ The only thing he could find was a small ball of twine, placed on a top shelf and forgotten about. <<linkreplace "Pick up the twine">>Aiden picked up the ball of twine.<<run $aidenitems.push("Twine")>><</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Aiden had already picked up the ball of twine. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked down the corridor and into the lower bathroom. Although they shared the two bathrooms, they both knew that this one was really Vee’s. It was spotless inside – as if it had never been used. As with the upper floor bathroom, there was a shower room, toilet and sink, along with a small cabinet. <<else>>\ Aiden was in the lower bathroom. There was a small cabinet under the sink. This was Vee’s bathroom, so it was spotless as usual. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Tiny metal key")>>\ The cabinet was open. Inside, he could see that everything was neatly put away. He had already had a rummage through and taken the tiny metal key he’d found in there. <<else>>\ [[Check the cabinet|Cabinet lower]] <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<if visited ("Try to squeeze through the gap")>>\ Once more, he nervously stepped forward and tried to squeeze his body through. He wasn’t sure if he was too wide or too tall, but no amount of pushing seemed to work. <<else>>\ Cautiously, he moved forward. He managed to squeeze his arm through the gap and then one of his legs. He could feel a cool breeze coming from the other side. The air smelt different; ancient somehow as if it had been undisturbed for hundreds of years. He kept pushing, but no matter how much he struggled, he could get no further. He started to panic at the idea of getting stuck between home and some strange, alien place that shouldn’t exist. <</if>>\ He was annoyed with himself; he was annoyed he couldn’t fit. But he was also worried that maybe he could get through if he really tried. Was there a tiny part of him that just didn’t want to? While they both talked about adventure, when it came down to it, this scared him more than he would ever admit to Vee. And what if she was in danger in there? Suddenly, the ground started to shake. He leapt back as parts of the wall began to fall away and a cloud of dust billowed out in front of him. He coughed uncontrollably, unable to stifle it. When the dust finally cleared, he stared in horror. The gap was now blocked by large chunks of rubble. [[“Vee! Are you ok!?”|Vee! Are you ok!?]]

<<if visited ("Try to squeeze through the gap")>>\ Aiden knew he was too big to squeeze through that narrow gap. <<else>>\ Aiden had to fight his fear; everything about this was wrong and it scared him. The hole was too small for him and it was far too dangerous anyway. <</if>>\ He was annoyed with himself; he was annoyed he couldn’t fit. But he was also worried that maybe he could get through if he really tried. Was there a tiny part of him that just didn’t want to? While they both talked about adventure, when it came down to it, this scared him more than he would ever admit to Vee. And what if she was in danger, in there all on her own? That thought made him step forward for another try, but as he did so the ground suddenly started to shake. He leapt back as parts of the wall began to fall away and a cloud of dust billowed out in front of him. He coughed uncontrollably, unable to stifle it. When the dust finally cleared, he stared in horror. The gap was now blocked by large chunks of rubble. [[“Vee! Are you ok!?”|Vee! Are you ok!?]]

The upper floor bathroom was technically Aiden’s and so it was his job to keep it clean. Even he would admit, he had not done a great job. There was a large grimy shower room, toilet and a sink that really needed a good scrubbing. Above the toilet was a shelf that sloped at a slight angle. Under the sink was a small cabinet. <<if $screwdriver is 5>>\ He had left his screwdriver on the sloping shelf. It must have dropped into the toilet. Thankfully, he had finally managed to retrieve it. It had certainly been on quite a journey. <<elseif $screwdriver is 4>>\ He had left his favourite screwdriver on the sloping shelf. He now knew that it had been flushed away and had ended up half-way down the refuse chute! <<elseif visited ("Check the shelf")>>\ He vaguely remembered leaving his screwdriver on the sloping shelf. It must have dropped into the toilet and been flushed away. <</if>>\ \ <<if !visited ("Check the shelf") and $screwdriver lt 2>>\ [[Check the shelf|Check the shelf]] <</if>>\ \ [[Check inside the cabinet|check inside the cabinet]] <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $aidenarea to "The Ward">>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked down the corridor to the ward on the lower level. This was where Father would take them for their health examinations. These were never particularly pleasant and neither of them looked forward to it. Father would poke and prod them and sometimes take blood samples. If they were ever feeling sick he would keep them there for further examination, but that was very rare; they were hardly ever sick. Father treated these tests just like he did with all the other tests he set for them. He always fussed whenever they said they weren’t feeling well, often injecting them with strange little blue phials of something or other. He had been spending more time with Vee in here recently, but as far as Aiden knew, she was fine. <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the ward. <</if>>\ He looked around at the crowded little room. It was filled with machinery and medical equipment. There were two narrow beds, each hooked up to various screens. <<if visited ("Comp3")>>Across the room was the computer – which he’d managed to fix! <<else>>Across the room was an old computer, but it hadn’t worked for a while.<</if>> <<if visited ("Use the screwdriver")>>Above it, was an air vent; the cover had been removed and was resting on the floor. <<else>> Above it was a large metal grill set into the wall. <</if>> <<if $boom and $plugfixed>>\ [[Check the computer|boom]] <<elseif $plugfixed>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp3]] <<else>>\ [[Check the computer|broken]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Use the screwdriver")>>\ [[Head back into the vent|Climb up]] <<else>>\ [[Check the metal grill|Check the grill]] <</if>>\ <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 2 Air flow status Vent control: Fan 1 <<if $fan1 is true>>\ [[› Fan 1: on|Vent operation][$fan1 to false]] Air flow is normal <<else>>\ [[› Fan 1: off|Vent operation][$fan1 to true]] Warning: air flow reduced <</if>>\ <<if $fan2 is true>>\ Fan 2: on <<else>>\ Fan 2: off <</if>>\ Fan 2 controlled at: Station 8 <<if $fan3>>\ Fan 3: on <<else>>\ Fan 3: off <</if>>\ Fan 3 cannot be disabled <<if !$mainvent>>\ Main vent is: on Power status: good <<else>>\ WARNING! Main vent is: off <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive2">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 5 Lift status <<if $lift is 0>>\ Lift access temporarily disabled due to low power. Re-enable? Y/N <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">>\ <<if ["y", "yes", "ok"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<set $lift to 1>> <<goto "Lift operation">>\ <<elseif ["n", "no"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<goto "Comp5">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Command not recognised<</replace>>\ <</if>>\ <</button>> <<else>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Lift access to floors 1 and 2 has been restored Surface access: Station 6 Override controls: Station 7 <</type>>\ <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Comp5]]

<<if $devmode or ($lift gt 0 and $archive is true and visited ("Admin message"))>>\ Vee figured she’d probably got everything she needed from the computer – at least for now. She walked back to the desk and tried pulling it towards the wall with the metal grill. She had to unplug and move the computer to do so. Even then, the desk was really heavy! She had to nudge it, one corner at a time. Eventually, she managed to shift it just far enough that she could stand on it to reach the vent. She plugged the computer back in – luckily the cable was just long enough to reach. She waited to see if it would start up again… nothing. She banged the side of the screen and was relieved to see it spring back to life. [[Climb on the desk|Drag the desk]] <<else>>\ Vee tried to reach the metal grill but it was set too high in the wall. She looked over at the computer and the desk it sat on. She wondered if she could drag the desk just far enough so she could stand on it to reach the grill. That would mean she would have to temporarily disconnect the old computer. Whilst she could always turn it back on, she worried that it was so old, it might never work again. She didn’t feel she was quite done with it yet. <</if>>\ [[Back to the room|Explore the space]]

She climbed up onto the desk and examined the grill. It was just under a meter square and was fixed to the wall with thick metal clips. She tried to prise one off and was surprised when the metal snapped in her hand. She could see that rust had eaten away at it and the others were all in a similar state – she was soon able to pull the grill away from the wall. <<if $fan1>>A breeze wafted through her hair and a loud humming noise could be heard from somewhere down the vent. <<else>>The air was still and the vent beyond was silent.<</if>> The grill was heavier than she thought and before she could do anything to stop it, it slipped from her grasp – clanging onto the floor! The noise echoed around the room and she froze. She had been angry at Aiden for being too loud. Well, she thought, if that noise didn’t wake Father up, nothing would! She waited for the inevitable sound of his voice – she was going to be in a lot of trouble. She couldn’t even imagine the punishment for this one. And yet… she would still do it again. <<link "Wait anxiously…" "Father">><<set $fatherloc to "Father1">><</link>>

Vee waited, frozen for what seemed like an age. She was convinced that Father’s familiar voice would suddenly ring out and make her feel like a foolish child again. Or perhaps a secret door would open up and there he would be, emanating a palpable sense of disappointment as he listed off all the rules she had broken. Eventually, Vee relaxed. Perhaps Father was elsewhere, or he really was still asleep. Either way, she would have heard his voice by now. The fallen grill still rested on the floor below. The open air vent before her headed into the dark recesses of the wall. [[Climb in]] [[Back to the room|Explore the space]]

He observed. Like he always did. There were cameras all over the den. Some that Aiden and Vee knew about, some they didn’t. The tremors had begun earlier. He’d seen the initial warnings and that had been his priority. Power in the den was becoming less reliable. It wasn’t something he wanted to bring to the attention of the children. He corrected himself. They were adults now, no longer the innocent, unquestioning children they had once been. The lack of power meant that repairs to the thermal systems and air vents were the priority. But he watched as they explored. He knew one day they would seek to escape. He saw it as his job to protect them from the dangers of the outside world – he did not need them to love him. He had to set rules and boundaries, but he always knew there would come a time when they would test them to their limits – just as the previous subjects had done. Of course, that hadn’t worked out so well. He still felt responsible for that failure. He was determined not to let that happen again. <<link "But for now, he observed…" "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "She waited">><</link>>

<div id="center"> <<set $end to true>>\ <<set $devmode to true>>\ The Den Written and created by Ben Jackson Thank you for playing! \ You completed the game with a <<link "survival rating" "Survival">><</link>> of $chances % (out of a maximum of 97%). If you enjoyed the game please consider giving it a rating on <a href="https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=392ffjwtupz0jsv8" target="_blank">IFDB</a> or <a href="https://radiosity01.itch.io/the-den" target="_blank">Itch.io</a>. <hr class="line">BONUS EXTRAS You have unlocked Extended play. You can access these extra settings from the sidebar – this will still be available after a restart. <<link "‘Vaccinator’ arcade game" "Vaccinator">><</link>> <<link "The ‘decryption key’ mini-game" "dec_game start">><</link>> <<link "The code" "The code">><</link>> <<link "The serpent" "serpent">><</link>> <hr class="line"> <<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>> </div>

Further in, she saw more evidence of earthquake damage. It must have hit harder here, and some of the boxes were covered in rubble. She looked up. There were chunks missing from the otherwise flat and featureless ceiling several meters above. At least four of the boxes beneath were clearly broken, their lights now extinguished. She wondered what these things actually did. Perhaps they were just a big fancy light show? A sudden thought struck her; maybe this was a surprise Father had meant to keep hidden for another time? Vee tried not to feel guilty, but she knew that she really shouldn’t be here. Her thoughts turned back to Aiden and she wondered if she was being foolish exploring all on her own. [[Head back to the crack in the wall]] [[Explore further in|Explore the space]]

Father <<timed 1.7s>><<goto $fatherloc>><</timed>>

<<if !$switch and visited ("Comm4")>>\ <<set $name to "Aiden">><<set $veeloc to "enter name">><<set $switched to false>><<set $switch to true>>\ You can now switch from Aiden to Vee and back again by using the button in the side menu <</if>>\ <<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Aiden was at the library computer; it was similar to the one in the living room. <<if $veecomp>> The ‘Commscreen’ option was flashing, so he knew that meant Vee was on the other computer.<</if>> STATION 4 <<if !visited ("Comm4")>>\ [[› Commscreen|Comm4]] <<elseif $veecomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen 4]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen 4]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive4")>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Archive4">><</link>> <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin4">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "code">><<set $goto to "Comp4 fail">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Play Vaccinator") or visited ("play4")>>\ [[› Play another game|playagain4]] <<else>>\ [[› Play a game|play4]] <</if>>\ \ [[Close the computer|Library]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Archive5">>\ <<set $veebug to 2>>\ \ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee was thrilled to discover that she had figured out the key – at least to this computer. It brought up a new menu screen and it looked like it had managed to find and repair one of the missing ‘user logs’. <<if $attempts lt 6>>She had managed to solve it with $attempts attempts remaining.<</if>> <<else>>\ <</if>>\ \ Station 5 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Settings: [[› Air flow status|Vent5]] [[› Station list|Station5]] <</type>> \ \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back" "Comp5">><</link>><</timed>>

<<if lastVisited ("jump down") is 1 or lastVisited ("wait it out") is 1>>\ <<set $lift to 3>>\ He jumped through the hatch and into the lift. He landed awkwardly and a stabbing pain shot through his right leg. He collapsed to the floor nursing ankle. Yet more bruises! He looked back up at the open hatch above. There was no way he’d be able to climb back up and he wondered if he’d made a mistake jumping down. <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ Aiden made it to the lift. He pushed the ‘call’ button and to his relief, this time it actually lit up. After a moment, he heard the lift arrive. The doors smoothly opened and he stepped inside. This finally meant that he could now quickly get to almost anywhere in the den. He wondered where he should go next. <<else>>\ <<if $lift gt 3>>\ <<set $lift to 3>>\ For some reason, Aiden found that the lift was not on the floor he’d left it on. He pressed the call button and after a short delay, the doors opened and he stepped inside. <<elseif !$surface>>\ With the lift back in action, Aiden now had access to both floors. <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the lift. <</if>><</if>>\ <<if $surface and (!visited ("Lift to surface") and !visited ("Surface lift"))>>\ He noticed that the ‘Surface level’ button had lit up. <<elseif $basement and !visited ("Step out of the lift")>>\ He noticed another new option had appeared. <</if>>\ \ Choose a location to visit: Upper floor: <<if $aidenitems.includes("Working torch") and visited ("Archive1b")>>\ <<link "› Living room ✓" "Living Room2">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Living room" "Living Room2">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $keyfound>>\ <<link "› Aiden’s room ✓" "Aiden’s room">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Aiden’s room" "Aiden’s room">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Twine")>>\ <<link "› Upper classroom ✓" "Classroom A">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Upper classroom" "Classroom A">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Broken handle") and (visited ("Check the shelf") or $aidenitems.includes("Screwdriver"))>>\ <<link "› Upper bathroom ✓" "Bathroom Upper">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Upper bathroom" "Bathroom Upper">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ Lower floor: <<if visited ("Found page") and visited ("Archive4") and (visited ("Plug") or $plugfixed)>>\ <<link "› The library ✓" "Library">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› The library" "Library">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Small magnet")>>\ <<link "› Vee’s room ✓" "Vees room">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Vee’s room" "Vees room">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Going up") and $research>>\ <<link "› The ward ✓" "Ward">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› The ward" "Ward">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Fuse") or $plugfixed>>\ <<link "› Lower classroom ✓" "Classroom B">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Lower classroom" "Classroom B">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Tiny metal key")>>\ <<link "› Lower bathroom ✓" "Bathroom Lower">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Lower bathroom" "Bathroom Lower">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Screwdriver")>>\ <<link "› The farm ✓" "The Farm">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› The farm" "The Farm">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil")>>\ <<link "› Abandoned room ✓" "Abandoned rooms">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Abandoned room" "Abandoned rooms">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if $surface>>\ <<if visited ("robot voice")>>\ <<link "› Surface level" "Surface again">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Surface level" "Surface lift">><</link>> <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if $basement>>\ <<link "› Basement level" "Basement level">><</link>> <</if>>\

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden made his way to the classroom on the lower level. He associated this classroom with more academic lessons such as history, maths, and science. He tended to find those a little boring. He did recall a recent incident where Father had tried to get them to do something more practical in his lessons on electricity. He had been explaining how batteries worked and had tasked them to make something that could power a small torch. Vee managed to get hers working, but his… didn’t. Father had spent time with Vee, congratulating her on her success. In a fit of jealousy, Aiden had later taken her battery and thrown it into the incinerator to see if it would explode – perhaps not his finest moment. Annoyingly, it had just bounced down the chute. He’d waited for a while, but never heard a bang. It was probably still down there for all he knew. He looked around for the torch, but it was nowhere to be found. <<else>>\ Aiden was in the classroom on the lower level. He associated this classroom with more academic lessons such as history, maths and science. He tended to find those a bit boring. At one point there had been a torch and electric battery in here. He’d thrown the battery down the incinerator chute – it may still be down there. He still felt a little bit ashamed about that. As for the torch, he tried to remember what had become of it, but nothing came to mind. In fact, all he could think about was fig preserves! He was definitely starting to feel hungry. <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Fuse") and !$plugfixed>>\ He spotted a couple of small fuses left over from the electricity lesson, but he couldn’t remember what they were actually for. <<linkreplace "Take one of the fuses">>Aiden grabbed the tiny fuse and put it in his pocket.<<run $aidenitems.push("Fuse")>><</linkreplace>> <<elseif $plugfixed>>\ Aiden had already used the fuse to fix the plug in the ward. He didn’t think he’d need another one. <<else>>\ Aiden had already picked up one of the small fuses. He wasn’t entirely sure why he had one of them – he certainly didn’t need another. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

Aiden walked down the corridor on the lower level and stopped in front of the door to Vee’s room. She didn’t like it when he walked in unannounced. Of course, sometimes he did it just to annoy her. \ <<if visited () is 1>>\ He paused before opening the door. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel if he found Vee sneaking around his room when he wasn’t there. <</if>>\ [[Go inside anyway|Inside Vees room]] <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden took the lift to the lower level and ran all the way down to the abandoned classroom, where he had last seen Vee. It still felt strange to be back in this room after all this time. He walked over to the large crack in the wall, a pile of rubble still blocked the way. He attempted to shift it; the smaller pieces were easy enough, but there was a large chunk of concrete that was too heavy to lift. He stepped back; something about the snake-like tear in the wall unsettled him. Everything beyond that wall should not exist – it felt wrong. He listened to the familiar hum that came from somewhere deep below; that was the sound of home he was so used to. There were no other sounds from beyond the wall, but at least the tremors seemed to have stopped. He leaned forward and tried to peer inside, but all he could see was that eerie flickering glow; there was no sign of Vee. He tried calling as loudly as he dared, but there was no response. He hoped she was alright. <<else>>\ Aiden was back in the abandoned classroom, it was much as he’d left it. The pile of rubble still blocked the large crack in the wall. There was still no sign of Vee. <</if>>\ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil")>>\ [[Explore the room|Explore]] <<else>>\ He had already picked up Vee’s pencil and notepad. He had another look around, but there wasn’t anything else he needed in here. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden wanted to jump around in delight when he saw the computer turn on. He wished Vee or Father were here to acknowledge his achievement! <</if>>\ STATION 3 <<if $veecomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen3]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen3]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive3")>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Archive3">><</link>> <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin3">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "code">><<set $goto to "CompFail3">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ [[Close the computer|Ward]]

Aiden had to stand on tiptoe to reach the grill. <<if $fan2>> He could feel cool air blowing in from somewhere behind it. <<else>> The air was still beyond it. <</if>>The metal grill was fixed to the wall by four large metal screws. He tried to twist them loose, but they wouldn’t move at all. He would probably need to use something to remove them. \ <<if visited () is 2 and $screwdriver is 0>>\ <<if !visited ("Check the shelf")>>\ <<set $screwdriver to 1>>\ Aiden wondered where his screwdriver had got to; it could come in handy here. <</if>><</if>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using something">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<goto "Use the screwdriver">>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried using the pencil to prize the screws out, but the pencil wasn’t up to the job and besides, Vee would kill him if he ruined her favourite pencil.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Old key" or $select is "Tiny metal key">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried to use the key to undo the metal screws. He was pretty impressed with his own ingenuity, with the only minor problem being that it didn’t work.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Fuse">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried using the fuse to open the vent. He hoped it contained some sort of vent-opening magic. Alas, it didn’t.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried attaching the handle to the metal grill and then pulled as hard as he could. It was a good idea, but those screws kept it locked in place.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried attaching some twine in the hope that he could pull the grill out, but the twine wasn’t anywhere near strong enough.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden shone the torch into the dark space beyond. It didn’t light up anything. He wasn’t even sure it actually turned on.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>He got out the small magnet and tried to undo the metal screws with it. It did stick to the metal… but that was about it.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

Aiden retrieved the screwdriver and tried it on the metal screws. There was an odd smell that he couldn’t quite place – until he remembered where he’d found the screwdriver. He finally removed them all and was then able to prise the grill from the wall. It came free and he placed it gently on the floor. He peered inside. The grill covered a square hole that extended deep into the wall. It was too dark for him to see how far in it went. It looked a little scary in there, but there was just enough room for him to squeeze inside. [[Climb up and into the vent|Climb up]] [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

<<if visited ("Geo Thermal")>>\ Aiden peered into the vent. He knew exactly where it ended up and he had no intention of making that arduous (and painful) journey again! Besides, now the door to the Geothermal room was unlocked, it was far easier for him to just take the lift down. [[Back to the ward|Ward]] <<else>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden had to move one of the nearby beds so he had something to stand on. It wobbled as he put his weight on it, but he figured it would hold. He climbed up and stuck his head into the darkness. He had a sudden mental image of something scuttling out from the further recesses of the vent and shuddered. What was he doing? Father would definitely not approve of this! Then he thought of Vee. Wherever she was, she was probably being far braver than him. Determined not to be outdone, he climbed up and fed himself to the cold, square maw, wriggling his body down its black throat. <<else>>\ He climbed up and stuck his head into the darkness. It was still a bit scary in there, but he’d been in once, he was feeling a bit braver this time. <</if>>\ [[Move forward|Push on]] [[Back to the ward|Ward]] <</if>>\

<<if visited () gt 1 and $fan1>>\ She climbed back up and peered into the darkness. A cool breeze flowed out of the vent and she knew that meant ‘fan 1’ was still on. There was no point in her venturing inside until they found a way to disable it. [[Back to the main room|Explore the space]] <<else>>\ Vee peered into the dark recess. <<if $fan1>>A cool breeze flowed out of the vent and she wondered where it came from.<<else>>The air was still and she could hear no sound coming from the vent.<</if>> <<if visited () is 1>>\ She had to lift herself up into the square hole, pulling herself in using her elbows. Her shoes squeaked and scuffed as they scrabbled for purchase. Eventually, she was all the way in. Some might have been scared of being trapped in a dark, confined space, but Vee had spent her entire life in the den and it did not bother her at all. She inched along, no longer worried about the noises she made as she did so. If that falling grill hadn’t woken Father, this wouldn’t either. <<else>>\ <<if !visited ("Comp6")>>Well, she thought, that was interesting! <</if>> She pulled herself up into the vent and crawled inside – inching along using her feet and elbows. <</if>>\ <<if $fan1>>\ The humming noise got louder. Eventually, she came to the source: a huge spinning fan. She could just about make out a large number ‘1’ written on the wall beside it. It thrummed and whirred in front of her, pushing cool air out and making her hair flutter in front of her eyes. There was no way past it. She growled to herself in frustration. They would have to find a way to turn off the fan if she was going to get any further. She had no option but to crawl back the way she’d come. [[Back to the main room|Explore the space]] <<elseif !$medlights and !visited ("Medical research 1")>>\ Eventually, she got to a large, stationary fan. She eyed it nervously. There was enough space between the giant metal blades for her to squeeze through, but if it started back up again… No point waiting, she thought! She cautiously moved forward. With every click and squeak of metal, she was terrified the fan would suddenly start up. It was an awkward clamber, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she finally pulled her feet through unscathed. She continued on and a few meters later, her way was blocked by another metal grill. She could see only darkness beyond. She was able to twist around in the small space so she could kick at it with her feet. A few violent strikes later, the grill gave way and dropped with a ‘clang’ to the floor of a pitch-black room. [[Climb out into the new room|Medical research 1]] [[Crawl back to the main room|Explore the space]] <<else>>\ She eventually got to the large metal fan. Fortunately, it was still disabled. As before, she cautiously moved through the large metal blades. She progressed until she came to the vent exit which led back to the medical room. <<if !$medlights>>\ [[Climb out of the vent|Medical research 1]] <<else>>\ [[Climb out of the vent|Medical research 2]] <</if>>\ [[Crawl back to the main room|Explore the space]] <</if>><</if>>\

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee pulled herself out of the vent, tumbling head first into complete darkness – only realising at the last second that the floor could have been a lot further down than she assumed! Before she had time to panic, she clattered into some items on a table, which broke her fall. She picked herself up, checked herself over and explored the new room she found herself in. <<else>>\ Vee pulled herself out of the vent, and back into the room. <</if>>\ It was too dark to make out any of her surroundings, but as her eyes gradually adjusted, she became aware of a single green light blinking somewhere further in. Vee cautiously walked forward, trying not to bump into anything that might lie in her path. She brushed against something cold that felt like glass and a metal trolley that trundled out of her way, spilling its contents onto the hard floor. Eventually, she made her way across the room and found a computer screen with a single blinking cursor. <<if visited ("Comp6")>>\ [[Access the computer|Comp6]] <<else>>\ [[Try accessing the computer|Comp6]] <</if>>\

\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive6">>\ Enter decryption key: <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 6 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug">>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 1s>><<goto "Admin6">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <</button>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp6">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee tapped one of the keys and the screen turned on, bringing up another menu. <</if>>\ <<if $lights>>\ <<set $lights to false>>\ She looked up from the computer. The lights blinked on above her in long strips along the ceiling, giving off a harsh blue-white glare that illuminated her surroundings. <</if>>\ \ STATION 6 Medical research <<if $medlights is true>>\ [[› Room lights (on)|Comp6][$medlights to false]] <<else>>\ [[› Room lights (off)|Comp6][$medlights to true, $lights to true]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Archive6")>>\ [[› Admin control|Archive6]] <<else>>\ [[› Admin control|Admin6]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidencomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen6]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen6]] <</if>>\ \ [[Close the computer|Medical research 2]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden tapped the keys on the computer and the screen turned on. <<else>>\ Aiden was at the computer in the farm. <</if>>\ STATION 2 <<if $veecomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen2]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen2]] <</if>>\ <<if visited("Archive2")>>\ [[› Admin control|Archive2]] <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin2">><<set $goto to "Archive2">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "code">><<set $goto to "Admin Fail2">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ [[Close the computer|Farm right]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ <<set $veeloc to "Comp5">>\ <</if>>\ <<if $aidencomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Vee hit the commscreen button and waited. Aiden didn’t answer. The option hadn’t been flashing so she assumed he wasn’t at the computer. <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp5">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "Back">><<goto "Head to the computer">><</link>> <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 5 File archive <<if $archive is true>>\ \ Database is damaged. 94% of data unrecoverable. Found partial logs found across other stations: User logs: Alpha User logs: Maryam User logs: Jianguo File Archive is now active. Data is encrypted. Decryption key required to access. \ <<else>>\ Error. File Archive data is corrupt. Attempt repair? Y/N <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">>\ <<if ["y", "yes", "ok"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<goto "Repair">>\ <<elseif ["n", "no"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<goto "Comp5">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Command not recognised<</replace>>\ <</if>>\ <</button>> <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Comp5]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 6 Test reports: <<linkreplace "› MALUS PUMILA">>MALUS PUMILA Viral infection found. Tree removed from farm to VCU for further testing. Ensure the surrounding area is disinfected. Infection vector unknown. Recheck main air vent for possible surface contamination. Note: Fruit found to contain high quantities of the latest viral strain, however, the tree itself seems to be adapting. Fruit to be used for immune response testing.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "› RATTUS NORVEGICUS: 25 & 26">>RATTUS NORVEGICUS: 25 & 26 BioGenesis cloning succesful. Fertility rating: 48% Bio-engineered diversity: 74% Infected organic matter fed to subjects 25 & 26. This resulted in complete infertility after 32 days. Subjects subsequently died after 143 days. QUERY: If surface animals are unaffected, why do clones die when exposed to the current viral mutation? THEORY: Pre-collapse genetic specimens are no longer viable – the vaccine is no longer effective. Surface flora and fauna have adapted. CONCLUSION: Ingestion of fruit infected by the latest strain has become a binary test. If the body has sufficient immunity, it will behave like a live vaccine; allowing the body to adapt. If not, the body will eventually succumb. Tests will continue.<</linkreplace>> \ [[Back|Archive6]]

<<if $lift gt 0>>\ Aiden left the library and headed up the corridor towards the lift. He had no expectation that the lift would be working again, but he figured it was worth just one more try. <<link "Press the call button" "Aiden main">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden left the library and headed up the corridor to the lift doors. He pressed the ‘call’ button, but just as he suspected, nothing happened. With the door to the emergency stairs locked, there was no way for him to get back to the upper floor. He could explore some of the rooms on this level, but he thought it might be better to head back to the computer in the library, just in case Vee needed him. <<else>>\ Aiden had no reason to expect the lift to be working again, but he tried it again just in case. Unsurprisingly, it still didn’t work. He hoped that Vee could find a way to get it going again. <</if>>\ [[Back to the library|Library]] <</if>>\

<<set _volume to ["A-B", "C-D", "E-F", "G-H", "I-J", "K-L", "M-N", "O-P", "Q-S", "T-V", "X-Z"]>>\ <<set _page to ["1-20", "20-40", "40-60", "60-80", "80-100", "100-120", "120-140", "140-160", "160-180", "180-200"]>>\ \ Aiden took a look over the bookshelves. Although most of these books didn’t hold much interest for him, there was an entire shelf full of ancient encyclopedias. Apart from the story books, they were probably his favourites – mainly because they had pictures to go with all the facts and figures. \ <<if !visited ("Admin message")>>\ The books were organised alphabetically. He knew he shouldn’t really be looking at them without good reason; there was always the chance that he might damage one. <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Found page")>>\ Aiden had previously found the message written in the encyclopedia. It read: ‘Look behind the picture of Echo and I’. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Found page") or visited ("Found nothing")>>\ <<set _link to "Look through the books again">>\ <<else>>\ <<set _link to "Look through the books anyway">>\ <</if>>\ \ <<linkreplace "_link">>\ Choose a volume to search for: <<listbox "$select1">> <<optionsfrom _volume>> <</listbox>> Then choose a page number: <<listbox "$select2">> <<optionsfrom _page>> <</listbox>> <<button "READ">> <<if $select1 is "O-P" and visited ("broken")>>\ <<goto "Plug">>\ <<elseif $select1 is "G-H" and $select2 is "100-120" and visited ("Admin message")>>\ <<goto "Found page">>\ <<elseif $select1 is "K-L" and $select2 is "180-200" and $kuwac>>\ <<goto "Kuwac Hapanza">>\ <<else>>\ <<goto "Found nothing">>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose a volume and a set of pages then hit 'read'.\ <</linkreplace>> [[Back|Library]]

He tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. There was no handle, but there was a small keyhole set halfway down. Aiden tried to remember how it had opened before. He guessed Father had opened it for them. He tried kicking it, but just ended up hurting his foot. <<if $aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using an item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Old key">>\ <<goto "try the access door">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Select the 'Old key' to use the key on the door<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the drop-down list above, then hit ‘use’.\ <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ [[Back to the lift|Operate the lift]] <</if>>\

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden thumbed through the pages looking for something that could be helpful. He found himself getting sidetracked with all the interesting pictures. In fact, he almost didn’t notice a small handwritten note in the margin of page 117. How long had that been there and he’d never noticed!? Father would have been furious if he’d known someone had written something in his precious books. He was sure neither himself nor Vee would have ever dared vandalise them in such a way. He strained his eyes to read the spidery writing. It read: ‘Look behind the picture of Echo and I’. He had no idea what that meant – maybe Vee might know? <<else>>\ Aiden looked through the pages and found the message on page 117. He just wanted to make sure he hadn’t imagined it. It read: ‘Look behind the picture of Echo and I’. <<if !$picture>>\ The only picture that came into his mind was the one in his own room, but… it couldn’t mean that …could it? <</if>><</if>>\ [[Back|Library]]

Aiden turned back to the door. Like the door on the upper floor, there was no handle. Unlike the door on the upper floor, there was also no keyhole. When it closed behind them, it had trapped them both down on this level. He would never have let that happen if Vee hadn’t surprised him. “Great! Now we’re trapped down here!” he moaned quietly. “Can’t we just take the lift?” she whispered. “The lift isn’t working!” “Oh.” This new fact stopped her train of thought for a moment before she rekindled her excitement. “We’ll worry about that later, let me show you something!” Aiden didn’t think she was really listening to him. <<include "Qs">>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden pulled down one of the volumes entirely at random and had a flick through the pages. He wasn’t really sure what he was looking for – it was all very interesting, but also entirely removed from everything he knew. The book was full of facts and figures, interesting diagrams and all manner of useless information, but he couldn’t see anything that might help. After a while, he gave up and gently put the book back on the shelf. He realised he probably wasn’t going to find anything useful unless he knew what to look for. <<else>>\ He pulled another volume from the shelf, but he wasn’t really sure what he was looking for and he was worried that he might damage something. He gently put the book back where he found it. He realised he probably wasn’t going to find anything useful unless he knew what to look for. <</if>>\ [[Back to the bookshelf|Look through the old books]] [[Back to the library|Library]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 2>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive1b">>\ <<include "archivea">>\ \ STATION 1 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Settings: <<link "› Door status" "Doorstatus">><</link>> <<link "› Station list" "Station1">><</link>> <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back" "Comp1b">><</link>><</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input is "debug">> <<goto "Archive1b">> <</if>>\ <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>>\ <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>>\ <</if>>\ <</button>>\ <<link "Back" "Comp1b">><</link>>

\ USER LOGS: MARYAM. THP Senior Co-ordinator. <<if $history gt 0>>\ <<linkreplace "History: 1 of 5">>History: 1 of 5 They called it the ‘Cryrus’. Can you believe that? What a terrible name. I blame the influencers. They would have ‘Cry parties’ and they’d all be there filming each other and laughing through the tears. It was one of the early symptoms: red, inflamed eyes; involuntary lacrimation. The ‘crying face’ was the meme of the moment. It was something people looked out for; a mark you were one of the ‘in crowd’. They welcomed it, you know? It was a badge of honour. The virus itself was a SARS variant that continued to mutate exponentially as the infection rate increased. Like all successful viruses, it was incredibly contagious, but really quite mild – almost zero deaths. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log: 1 of 5. File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $history gt 1>>\ <<linkreplace "History: 2 of 5">>History: 2 of 5 No one was entirely sure where, why or how it originated. We still don’t really know. Some suspected that it was a variant from the previous pandemic, but most believed it was something new. The prevailing scientific theory was zoonosis – ie. viral crossover from animal to human. The effect of climate change on mammalian viral sharing patterns was more significant than we realised. And of course, there were plenty of rumours that it had been bio-engineered. North Korea got the blame this time, but really, I don’t think we'll ever be able to trace it back to a single source. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log: 2 of 5. File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $history gt 2>>\ <<linkreplace "History: 3 of 5">>History: 3 of 5 No one was willing to see another mass lockdown. Not for something as mild as the common cold. Vaccine take-up was really low, but no one cared that much. It was way cheaper and easier for governments to just rely on these ridiculous ‘Cry parties’. Herd immunity would happen eventually, right? The virus ended up spreading to every corner of the globe. And of course, the vaccine deniers spread their stories. The vaccine would “make you go crazy!” It would “turn you into a slave to the new world order!” It would “make you infertile!” You've gotta laugh really. We reap what we sow. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log: 3 of 5. File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $history gt 3>>\ <<linkreplace "History: 4 of 5">>History: 4 of 5 The world moved on. Attention turned to the climate crisis, the cyber wars, the transhuman revolution. The influencers found something else to get excited about. Everyone forgot about the ‘Cryrus’. It was almost 19 years later before they started noticing the fertility rate had suddenly started to drop like a stone. It wasn’t us. It was our kids. The wealthy countries put it down to increased choice and birth control. But it was happening all over the world. People freaked out, blamed each other and closed their borders. That just made it worse. When we finally realised what had happened, it was too late. The virus hadn’t affected us – at least not directly. It had damaged our DNA – and permanently affected the fertility of our children. This was compounded by the fact that with nations blocking immigration, our genetic diversity reduced. Within two generations childbirth had fallen to near zero. In the space of a few months, we went from worries about an overpopulated world to a terrible realisation: that our grandchildren would be the last humans to walk the earth. <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log: 4 of 5. File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ <<if $history gt 4>>\ <<linkreplace "History: 5 of 5">>History: 5 of 5 And so here we are. As the rest of the world throws a tantrum and looks for someone else to blame, we’re hiding here, planning for the very worst. The big money is getting thrown at trying to reprogram our DNA. But the results so far are… well, they’re not pretty. I fear it’s too late, the damage is done. So we've formed a small group and found a few willing billionaires to bankroll us. Whilst everyone else works on plan A, it’s our job to think: what if we can’t save ourselves? What then? We've called it the ‘Total Human’ project. It’s a stupid name, but I guess it needs to be grand enough to keep people motivated. ‘Total Human’? Yeah, terrible name – but it’s still better than ‘Cryrus’.<</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Log: 5 of 5. File is missing or corrupt. Locate data mirrors to restore. <</if>>\ \ <<if $name is "Aiden">>\ <<link "Back" $aidenreturn>><</link>>\ <<else>>\ <<link "Back" $veereturn>><</link>>\ <</if>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden pushed open the door and walked inside. It was a relatively small room filled with shelves stacked with tins, jars and plastic containers. Most of them were filled with the fruit and vegetables they had grown and prepared on the farm. He enjoyed watching things grow and then harvesting and preparing them – often by pickling or preserving things to make them last longer. He did have a tendency to eat them while he was preparing them though. For that reason, he was rarely actually allowed inside. He dipped his finger into a half-empty jar of preserves. Fig was one of his favourites! <<else>>\ Aiden was back inside the storage room. It was filled with preserves, pickles and other treats. He resisted the urge to eat something. <</if>>\ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Torch")>>\ He saw something else sitting behind the jar of figs – it looked like a small black tube. So that was where he’d left the torch! <<linkreplace "Pick up the torch">>Aiden picked up the torch.<<run $aidenitems.push("Torch")>><</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Aiden had already picked up the small torch he found here. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the living room" "Living Room2">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked over to the refuse room, pushed the door and was surprised when it actually opened. He walked in, dreading the smell. Fortunately, today it wasn’t too bad. Some days it hit him like a wall of rot that made his eyes water. However, the food remains that usually hung around the outside of the chute were cleaned away. He guessed Vee had cleared them up the last time she’d been in here. <<else>>\ Aiden was inside the refuse room. It didn’t smell too bad today. There were two large chutes inside. Food waste that could be recycled went down the left chute, everything else went down the one on the right. <<if $screwdriver is 4>>\ He wasn’t quite ready to give up on his screwdriver yet, but it looked like he wouldn’t be able to get it from up here. <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if $screwdriver gt 3>>\ [[Open the lid of the left chute ✓|left chute]] <<else>>\ [[Open the lid of the left chute|left chute]] <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Flick the switch")>>\ [[Open the lid of the right chute ✓|right chute]] <<else>>\ [[Open the lid of the right chute|right chute]] <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the living room" "Living Room2">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee walked up to the door; the light blinked and the door smoothly opened. She stepped through and found herself in a narrow, poorly lit corridor. Cold white lights flickered on above her as she entered. The walls were featureless concrete, and large wires and cables snaked along the sides, carrying what looked like air, water and electricity somewhere further down. She followed them, eventually coming to a wide, frosted glass window. She peered in; there was another well-lit room beyond with something huge taking up much of the space inside – but through the frosted glass, she couldn’t make out what it was. Beside the window was another solid metal door with plastic seals running around the edge. She had the strangest feeling here, a kind of nervous excitement, but she wasn’t sure why. A small sign above the door read: ‘Viral Containment Unit (VCU)’. In the centre of the door sat a large, circular handle. <<elseif $apple gt 0>>\ Vee stepped through through the door; the lights flickered on above her as she entered. Wires and cables ran along the walls carrying what looked like air, water and electricity. At the far end was the ‘Viral Containment unit’. Inside was the tree that had stood in the middle of the farm until recently. It seemed to emanate a calm sense of power and looked healthier than any tree she’d seen before. The ripe fruit glowed under the bright white light. She had already eaten one of its apples and she had another pocketed away to share with Aiden. <<else>>\ Vee stepped through the door and the lights flickered on above her. Wires and cables ran along the walls carrying what looked like air, water and electricity. She came to the large frosted glass window. Beside the window was another solid metal door with plastic seals running around the edge. She could see there was another well-lit room beyond with something inside taking up much of the space. A small sign above the door read: ‘Viral Containment Unit (VCU)’. In the centre of the door was a large, circular handle. <</if>>\ <<if !$vcu>>\ She tried twisting the handle, but it wouldn’t move. She suspected that it was unlocked elsewhere. <<else>>\ [[Try opening the door|flick the switch]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

<<type 1ms skipkey "Enter">>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive1b")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 1: Living room">>Station 1: active Location: Living room Contains: Arcade game, Door status (living room) <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 1: Living room <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive2")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 2: Farm">>Station 2: active Location: The farm Contains: Air flow and Fan 1 control, Compost feed <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 2: Farm <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive3")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 3: Ward">>Station 3: active Location: The ward Contains: Test reports, Door control (Research) <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 3: Ward <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive4")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 4: Library">>Station 4: active Location: The library Contains: Arcade game <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 4: Library <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive5")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 5: Server room">>Station 5: active Location: Server room Contains: Database repair, Air flow status <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 5: Server room <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive6")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 6: Medical research">>Station 6: active Location: Medical research Contains: Door control (living room), Lift: surface access <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 6: Medical research <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive7")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 7: Recharge">>Station 7: active Location: Recharge Contains: Lift: override controls, VCU access <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 7: Recharge <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive9")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 8: Air filtration">>Station 8: active Location: Air filtration Contains: Air flow and Fan 2 control <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 8: Air filtration <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive10")>>\ <<linkreplace "› Station 9: Geothermal">>Station 9: active Location: Geothermal Contains: Power reset control <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Station 9: Geothermal <</if>><</type>>\

<<if $screwdriver is 1>><<set $object to "screwdriver">><<else>><<set $object to "object">><</if>>\ <<if $screwdriver lt 4 and visited () is 1>>\ Aiden opened the big metal lid. The smell hit him like being slapped in the face with a rotten cabbage and made him want to retch. It wasn’t just food remains, the toilets also discharged into this chute somewhere further down. He wondered where all of that actually ended up, then decided he really didn’t want to know. Another wave of rotten stench wafted over him and he closed the lid in a hurry. Ok, one more try he told himself. <</if>><<if $screwdriver lt 4>>He held his nose with one hand, lifted the lid with the other and peered over the side. The walls were caked with dried and rotting food. He could just about see all the way to the bottom and a big stinking pile of brown rotting matter lay below. So that’s where it all went! Halfway down the chute, and embedded in the sludge he saw the gleam of something shiny. It looked like something small and metallic with a bright yellow handle. <<if $screwdriver gt 0 and visited () gt 1>>That was his screwdriver!<</if>> Aiden wondered if there was a way to retrieve it. He checked the items he was carrying, but he wasn’t sure if any of them would work on their own. <<linkreplace "Try combining items">><<listbox "$select1">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$select2">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "COMBINE">> <<if ($select1 is "Twine" and $select2 is "Small magnet") or ($select2 is "Twine" and $select1 is "Small magnet")>>\ <<goto "Grab the screwdriver">>\ <<elseif $select1 is $select2>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried combining an item with itself, but quickly realised that wasn’t going to work.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He got out the ball of twine, unravelled a couple of meters and threw it over the side. The twine dangled limply, but at least it was long enough to reach.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to use the magnet, but the screwdriver was too far out of reach and the magnet wasn’t that strong.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Fuse">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden felt sure that the fuse was useful for something. He wondered what would happen if he just dropped it down there, but decided against it.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried shining the torch down to see if he could see anything that might help, but it didn’t seem to want to turn on.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Broken handle">>\ <<replace "#output">>He wondered if there was some ingenious way to use the broken handle he’d found. Eventually, he decided there probably wasn’t.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to reach the screwdriver with his pencil, but it was too far out of reach.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select1 is "Old key" or $select1 is "Tiny metal key">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to think of some clever way to use the key to retrieve the screwdriver – but gave up in the end.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose two items from the drop-down lists then hit ‘combine’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose two items to combine.\ <</linkreplace>> <<elseif $screwdriver is 4>>\ Aiden lifted the lid, but he knew there was nothing he could do, the $object had fallen all the way to the bottom of the chute – there was no way he’d be able to reach it from up here now. Maybe Vee would have an idea? <<elseif $screwdriver is 5>>\ Aiden had no reason to open the chute lid; the stench of it still stung his nostrils. He had already managed to retrieve the screwdriver – he didn’t need to look down there ever again. <</if>>\ [[Back|Refuse inside]]

<<if visited ("Flick the switch")>>\ He lifted up the lid and looked down the chute. The ride down had been surprisingly fun and he was tempted to do it again. Then he remembered the landing and thought better of it. <<elseif $incinerator>>\ He grabbed the lid, it was still warm to the touch. He lifted it up and looked down the chute. The breeze was still hot, but the usual orange glow had gone. The chute was at an angle, but he had no idea what happened to it beyond his view. He laughed to himself as he imagined climbing in and riding it down. Then he actually caught himself thinking about doing it for real. Was this a really stupid idea? <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Torch")>>\ Yes, yes it was! He knew that it was pitch black down there and with no way of seeing where he was going, he’d probably break his neck or end up trapped down there forever! He would need to find something that could help light the way first. <<else>>\ What would Vee do, he asked himself… [[Climb inside the chute|climb inside the chute]] <</if>><<else>>\ He grabbed the lid; it was hot to the touch. He lifted it up and felt the heat blast out. He wasn’t sure how far down it went, but the fiery orange glow coming from deep down below made it pretty clear what happened to anything that fell down there. He peered down. The chute angled at about forty-five degrees, so it wasn’t a straight drop. He wondered if it would be a fun ride down – if it wasn’t quite so fiery down there! <</if>>\ [[Back|Refuse inside]]

Aiden really hoped the incinerator was fully out. He climbed up, over the edge of the metal chute, closed his eyes and let go… The light from above quickly vanished and he whooshed down into the darkness. The slope became steeper and he began to pick up speed. What had he been thinking!!? But… there was an odd, mad part of his brain that lit up with pure joy. He actually started to giggle. The chute suddenly twisted to the left and then curved to the right as he continued his plunge through the dark. This was terrifying… but also really fun!! [[Ride the chute…|Enjoy the ride]]

Aiden looked around, but there was no light at all in here now. He knew he was in the incinerator room, the room he had spied from the other side of the locked door in the basement. Fortunately, he had managed to turn off the flames, and the ash and debris in the pit had begun to cool. Unfortunately, this also meant he couldn’t see anything at all – he had no idea how to get out. <<if !visited ("Torch")>>\ He pulled the torch from his pocket and turned it on. Nothing happened. Dammit! No battery! Vee’s battery should be somewhere among the debris nearby. If he could just find it… <<else>> His torch didn’t work, but if he could just find Vee's battery… it should be somewhere among the debris nearby. <</if>> He started to scrabble around on the floor on his hands and knees, picking up anything that was roughly the right size. [[Pick up a tube shaped object|Random object]] [[Pick up a small shape that might be a battery|Random object]] [[Pick up a small lumpy thing|Random object]]

Over on the right, were the vertical ‘fields’ – where grain, fruit, and vegetables were stacked together in racks. Aiden could see that this month’s grain was nearly ready for harvest, and the vines sagged with juicy black grapes. \ <<if $fruitstolen lt 3>>\ <<linkreplace "Take some">><<set $fruitstolen ++>><<if $fruitstolen is 1>>He picked a few grapes and ate them. Father didn’t approve of Aiden taking fruit when it wasn’t harvest time, but well, he wasn’t around right now was he?<<elseif $fruitstolen is 2>>Aiden tried a few of the bright yellow tomatoes. They were still a bit sour!<<elseif $fruitstolen is 3>>Aiden took a couple of juicy plums. Delicious! He had clearly saved them from going rotten (he told himself).<</if>><</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ He eventually came to the wall on the right-hand side of the huge room. There was another old computer there, but it didn’t do much. [[Check the computer|Comp2]] [[Walk back to the centre|Head to the centre]] [[Walk to the left-hand side|Farm left]] <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><<if $screwdriver != 4>><<set $compost to false>><</if>><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He walked over to the left until he got to the far wall. There was a small hatch set into it – too small for a person to fit through. A square window gave a dim view of the room beyond. He knew this hatch well, but he had never concerned himself too much with what lay behind it. Father said it was where they kept the compost, so he didn’t expect there was anything particularly interesting inside. The one thing he was sure of was the fetid stench that wafted out from around the edges. <<else>>\ Over on this side, there was a small hatch set into the wall – far too small for a person to fit through. He didn’t really know where all the compost came from, but the one thing he did know was the fetid stench that wafted out from around the edges. <</if>>\ <<if $compost>>\ <<set $compost to false>>\ On the ground beside the small door was a pile of steaming muck. He wasn’t entirely sure how it got there, but he assumed it had been scooped out and pushed through the hatch. <<if $screwdriver is 4>>\ <<set $compost to true>>\ And there, sticking out the top of the compost was the bright yellow handle to the screwdriver! <<linkreplace "Retrieve the screwdriver">>\ Aiden retrieved it and wiped it as best he could against his trousers. Then realised what he’d just rubbed on his trousers.<<set $screwdriver to 5>>\ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Screwdriver")>><<run $aidenitems.push("Screwdriver")>><</if>>\ <<set $compost to false>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<elseif $screwdriver gt 4>>\ Aiden had already retrieved the screwdriver, this was just another pile of compost. <<else>>\ Aiden stared at the brown mess. It looked pretty disgusting and the smell made him feel a little ill. He threw it away, he really didn’t feel like composting the crops right now. <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<if $screwdriver is 4>><<set $screwseen to true>>\ Aiden peered in. It was dark in there, but he could dimly make out a large pile of something brown and unpleasant. He noticed that sticking out the top, was a bright yellow plastic handle. His screwdriver! He tried opening the hatch, but there was no way in. <<elseif $screwdriver gt 4>>\ Aiden had already retrieved the screwdriver. He had no intention of messing around with any more compost! <<else>>\ Aiden peered in. It was dark and gloomy, but he could dimly make out a large pile of brown-looking mulch. Despite the smell, he tried opening the hatch. Of course, it was locked. <<if !visited ("Crop status")>>As far as he was aware, there was no way to open it.<</if>> <</if>><</if>>\ [[Walk back to the centre|Head to the centre]] [[Walk to the right-hand side|Farm right]] <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><<if $screwdriver != 4>><<set $compost to false>><</if>><</link>>

<<if !$dur>>\ <<set $dur to 1>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<if !tags().includes('inter')>>\ <<if $name is "Aiden" and $veeloc != passage()>>\ <<set $aidenloc to passage()>>\ <<elseif $name is "Vee" and $aidenloc != passage()>>\ <<set $veeloc to passage()>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $aidenloc is $veeloc>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Aiden main">>\ <<set $veeloc to "Explore the space">>\ <<set $name to "Aiden">><<goto "Aiden">>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<if $name is "Aiden">><<set $aidencomp to false>><</if>>\ <<if $name is "Vee">><<set $veecomp to false>><</if>>\ \ <<if !tags().includes('inter')>>\ <<if $vent gt 0>>\ <<set $vent -->>\ <</if>>\ <<if $vent gt 59>>\ <<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>>\ <<if !$voice>>\ <<set $voice to true>>\ As Aiden hit the button, the lights suddenly shut off above him and he was plunged into darkness. After a few seconds, they began to flicker back on. Then a voice echoed around the entire den, unlike anything he had heard before: <<else>>\ Once again, the lights flickered and the voice echoed around the entire den with its warning: <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $vent is 0 and $mainvent>>\ <<set $mainvent to false>>\ <<set $fan1 to true>><<set $fan2 to true>><<set $fan3 to true>>\ “Power has now been restored. Main vent is operational. All fans restarting." <<elseif $mainvent>>\ “Alert. Power has been temporarily disabled. Main vent is inactive. Power restored in $vent …" <<if $name is "Vee" and !$veevoice>>\ Vee heard the voice echoing around the den. Aiden must have figured out how to turn the main vent off – this was her chance! <<set $veevoice to true>>\ <</if>><</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if $switch and !$switched and !tags().includes('inter')>>\ You can now switch between Aiden and Vee using the button in the sidebar. <</if>>\

<<if visited ("the door shut") is 0>>\ [[“The door shut – now we can’t get back up!”|the door shut]] <</if>>\ <<if !visited ("What’s going on") and !visited ("what was that sound")>>\ [[“What’s going on?”|What’s going on]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("What’s going on") or visited ("what was that sound")>>\ [[“Why do we have to be quiet?”|why do we have to be quiet?]] <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ Vee hit the commscreen option and waited… and waited some more. Aiden wasn’t answering. She sighed. That was typical – he’d probably wandered off and forgotten she was even down here! <<link "Switch to Aiden" "Aiden">> <<set $aidenloc to "Library">>\ <<set $name to "Aiden">>\ <</link>> [[Back|Head to the computer]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $archive to true>>\ File Archive recovery in progress<<type .7s skipkey "Enter">>....<</type>> <<timed 3.4s>>Error. Database is damaged. 94% of data unrecoverable.<</timed>> <<timed 5s>>Searching other stations<<type .7s skipkey "Enter">>....<</type>><</timed>> <<timed 8.5s>>Found partial logs: <<type 20ms skipkey "Enter">> User logs: Alpha User logs: Maryam User logs: Jianguo<</type>><</timed>> <<timed 10.4s>>Use admin control on other stations to rebuild data. Data is encrypted. Use correct decryption key to access. <</timed>>\ [[Back|Comp5]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ She pressed 'Admin access'. As expected, it just displayed a mess of characters. <<link "Back" "Comp5">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee read the message and her blood ran cold. Who was this ‘Alpha’? Surely they weren’t talking about Father!? <</if>>\ \ STATION 5 Admin message \ This is a message for those who may come after me. If you’re reading this, I either escaped or he killed me and you’re my replacements. I don’t know if he’s able to read these messages so I’m going to leave a trail only you can follow. You need to get out! Look for the backdoor: H / 117 Alpha. \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp5">><</link>>

$name stared at the screen in horror. A familiar voice rang out across the den. It was deep and calm but edged with a hint of irritation. “What are you doing $name?” If $name had any hope that Father was still asleep, that was now dashed. “You know the rules. Without discipline, we are but animals.” He spoke in his customary commanding voice and $name knew, when he was like this, there was no arguing. “I am shutting down access to all computers.” “Both of you, come to the living room and we shall discuss your punishment.” $name’s heart sank. This was the end of their adventure. How life turns on small mistakes… <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>>

Aiden bent to take a closer look at the picture. He had always assumed that he had drawn it. It wasn’t like there was anyone else who could have. It had always bothered him about Vee’s yellow hair though. He wasn’t the greatest artist in the world, but he knew Vee’s hair was black. <<if visited ("Found page")>>\ He started to get an uncomfortable feeling, an entirely new and alien thought occurred to him. What if someone else had drawn this? What if it wasn’t a picture of him and Vee? What if it was of two different people? What if ‘A’ didn’t even stand for ‘Aiden’? He felt angry and confused. He had spent his entire life knowing every inch of their tiny, confined world and had never thought to question this picture – the picture he had stared at every single night, assuming it was his. [[Rip the picture off the wall]] <</if>>\ [[Back|Aiden’s room]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ <<set $picture to true>>\ In a sudden fit of anger, he ripped the picture off the wall. The tattered remains drifted to the floor; the remnants of a memory he always thought was his. Was their life down here a lie – were they just replacements? As his momentary burst of anger began to calm, Aiden noticed some small spidery handwriting on the back of the picture: <<else>>\ The picture lay in tatters on the floor, and on the back was the handwritten message he’d found: <</if>>\ ‘The archives are encrypted, and the key is never the same, but someone left a backdoor! Use it to access Admin control. Just don’t let Father catch on! – Alpha.’ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Who was this ‘Alpha’ he wondered? Clearly they were here before, but what did they mean with this cryptic message? And what ‘key’ were they talking about? He peered closer at the area of the wall the picture had covered. There were some deep scratches. He moved closer, running his fingers over the marks, but he couldn’t discern an obvious pattern. Could those be letters? There was maybe a ‘D’ and a ‘G’ or was that a ‘C’? No matter how much he stared, he couldn’t quite make them out. \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil")>>\ He wondered if he could use something to help reveal them. Maybe Vee would have an idea? <</if>>\ <<else>>\ There were some scratched marks in the wall where the picture had been. They looked like they formed a word, but he couldn’t quite make it out. He wondered if there was something he could use to help reveal them. \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil") and visited () gt 2>>\ He wondered if he could use something to trace over them. Then he remembered Vee’s notepad. He tried to remember where she had left it… <</if>><</if>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using an item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<goto "Trace">>\ <<elseif $select is "Old key">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried using the old key on the scratch marks, but it didn’t really help.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Tiny metal key">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to trace the scratches with the small key, but it didn’t really help.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Fuse">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden had no idea what a fuse even was. It certainly didn’t seem to help here.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>He waved the magnet over the scratches, but there was nothing magnetic about them so it didn’t really do much.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried twisting the handle around and pushing it into the scratches. He stopped and shook his head. What on earth was he trying to do?<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried using the twine to reveal the hidden message, but unfortunately, it was of little help.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> [[Back|Aiden’s room]]

<<if visited ("Trace")>>\ Aiden was back in his room. His bed was in one corner. On the other side of the room lay piles of clothes, abandoned books and other things he’d lost interest in. The drawing he had always thought was of himself and Vee was now ripped off the wall. On the back was written: ‘The archives are encrypted, and the key is never the same, but someone left a backdoor! Use it to access Admin control. Just don’t let Father catch on! – Alpha.’ There were a series of scratches in the wall behind it and he had already traced over them using Vee’s notepad. The letters formed the word: debug. <<elseif visited ("Rip the picture off the wall")>>\ Aiden was back in his room. His bed was in one corner. On the other side of the room lay piles of clothes, abandoned books and other things he’d lost interest in. The drawing he thought was one of his was now ripped off the wall. There were a series of scratches in the wall behind, but he couldn’t quite make out what they were. [[Examine the scratches|Rip the picture off the wall]] <<elseif visited ("Search inside Aiden’s room")>>\ Aiden ran down the corridor on the upper floor and back to his own room. His bed was in one corner and on the other side of the room lay piles of clothes, abandoned books and other things he’d lost interest in. There was a child’s drawing stuck along one wall – it showed him and Vee holding hands. It was just signed ‘A’. For some reason, Vee had blonde hair. [[Take a closer look at the picture]] <<else>>\ Aiden made his way back to his room. It was a large, featureless square with a metal bed in one corner. Stuck low on one of the plain concrete walls, and bringing some colour to the grey, was a hand-drawn picture of him and Vee holding hands. It still made him smile – although he’d made it so long ago that he didn’t actually remember drawing it. He’d just signed it ‘A’. For some reason, Vee had blonde hair – he probably just couldn’t find the right colour pens. On the other side of the room lay piles of clothes, abandoned books and other things he’d long since lost interest in. [[Take a closer look at the picture]] <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $keyfound to true>>\ Aiden pulled the notepad from his back pocket, ripped out a page and placed it over the deep scratches in the wall. He grabbed the pencil and started to sketch lightly over the paper. After scrubbing back and forth for a while, several letters started to emerge. He pulled the paper away and looked at it. It was definitely a word, but it didn’t make any sense? It simply read: debug. <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 2>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive4">>\ <<set $dur to 1>>\ <<include "archivea">>\ STATION 4 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Station list: <<link "› Stations" "Station4">><</link>> <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back" "Comp4">><</link>><</timed>>

\ <<linkreplace "› User log 002.01">>\ Echo missed class today. I never know if she really is feeling ill, or if she’s just as bored of them as I am. Father has been keeping us apart more and more recently and I miss her so much. I don’t know why he’s punishing us like this. I used to think everything he did was to protect us from the evils of the outside world, but I’m starting to have doubts. <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 002.02">>\ I found a way in to a new part of the den I’d never seen before. There’s an old station in there with an active admin account – it looks like the data is encrypted. The system is based on using five-letter words as encryption keys, but it looks like someone left in a testing mode. Type in ‘debug’ and it brings up the encryption key database. I’m going to try this on the other stations and see what else I can find! The encryption key changes every time, but you can work out the right key by looking at the error code: 1 for a correct letter in the right position, O for a correct letter in the wrong position and X for an incorrect letter. <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 002.03">>\ Echo is sick again. Some days Father won’t let me see her at all. I’m starting to hate how controlling he is. I tell Father she needs to see the sun. He says she just needs more rest. For all his lessons about a world outside the den, I don’t think he’ll ever let us leave. Father oversees everything, but many of these old stations have their own control of certain functions. I discovered that the station in the farm controls one of the air fans. If I can turn the fans off, the air vents could be a useful way to explore. The air has to come from outside – maybe that’s a way out?<</linkreplace>>

<<linkreplace "› User log 003.01">>\ I found some logs that reference something called the 'Total Human Project’. There’s loads of scientific and biological data in there. I’ve read through all the encyclopedias, but there are no mentions of it at all. I also found something about 'test subjects'. Maybe it means the rats? <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 003.02">>\ I managed to follow Father one night! I don’t think he knew I was there. There’s a whole new area of the den I’ve never seen before! I found the ‘Air filtration' room. I think it’s pulling air in from outside, then filtering and recircling it around the den. The ducts are large enough to climb inside. If I could find a way to turn off the main vent, I could climb in and escape! <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 003.03">>\ Echo is really ill – Father won’t let me see her at all now. I think he’s been experimenting on her! I need to get her out, away from him. I hate him! I hate this place! I’m going to find a way to free Echo and I’m going to take her away from here. There must be more to the world than the den! Father thinks he’s protecting us, but it can’t be as bad as this! I’m in such a state. I feel awful. I can’t stop crying. Maybe I’m going crazy. I just need to see Echo!<</linkreplace>>

<<linkreplace "› User log 004.01">>\ I'm feeling worse today, but I have to be rational. I won’t give in! There are two possible escape routes: The first is the lift. In theory, it goes all the way to the surface, but I think Father checks what’s inside it. There must be a way around that. The other option is the main air vent. That connects to the surface too. It will be a difficult climb, but turning the main fan off is the real challenge. I haven't found a station that controls it yet. Neither option is going to be easy and I don’t know if I can do it on my own. <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 004.02">>\ I found another code! It makes hacking those computers even easier. Once you've entered the ‘debug’ mode, just type in ‘enter’. That’s it! You can still find the right key if you want, but this skips the whole thing! I wish I’d found that earlier. <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "› User log 004.03">>\ This will be my final record. I think I've got whatever illness Echo has. I think maybe it’s too late for us. So this is it, tonight I either escape or die trying. I leave this in posterity to mark my own existence, and to say: if you find this, you might be next. Don’t trust him. Get out!<</linkreplace>>

There were some childish paintings that he and Vee had stuck to the walls. He actually remembered drawing those. They were daubed with bright splashes of colour, full of happy innocence. Above a cabinet sat the old rat’s cage, complete with a homemade maze they had crafted from tape and cardboard. They used to keep two pet white rats inside, and they had loved watching the little creatures scamper about, racing this way and that. Father wouldn’t let them name them, so they were just known as ‘Rat 1’ and ‘Rat 2’. He vividly remembered the day they came downstairs to find both rats dead for some unknown reason. That was the first time Father had ever spoken to them about death – another lesson, perhaps. <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil")>>\ On the floor nearby he saw the notepad and pencil Vee had been carrying. On the top page was the message she had written to him: ‘Don’t talk. Just meet me downstairs’. <<linkreplace "Pick up the notepad and pencil">>He picked them up and put them in his back pocket.<<run $aidenitems.push("Notepad and pencil")>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ He had already picked up Vee’s notepad he found here. <</if>>\ <<link "Back" "Abandoned rooms">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 2 Crop status report Compost status: <<if $compost>>\ Compost activated <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "› Activate compost feed">> Aiden heard a noise from the other side of the farm.<<set $compost to true>><</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ Plots: Plot 1: Ready for harvest Plot 2: Ok Plot 3: Ok Plot 4: Ready for planting Trees: Tree 1: Low fruit yield, may be coming to end of life. Tree 2: Ok Tree 3: Showing signs of infection. Removed to VCU for study. Tree 4: Minor leaf damage. Monitor. \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive2">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee walked up to the door, at least she hoped it was a door; there was just a thin line outlining the edge. There was no obvious way to open it – no handle, keyhole, switch or button – just a flat, featureless grey door. She was not deterred in the slightest. She knew there must be a way to open it somewhere; she would just have to keep looking! <<else>>\ Vee walked back to the door. She traced around the edge, trying to feel for some way to open it. Perhaps it was automated somehow? Maybe it was opened from the other side? <</if>>\ [[Back to the room|Explore the space]]

Eventually, he reached the top and the vent twisted until it was horizontal again. He managed to heave himself up into the new section and lay there panting from his efforts. He could feel the darkness closing in on him – he tried to fight a growing sense of fear. All his old instincts told him to just give up and head back, but he knew that Vee was relying on him; he wasn’t going to let her down. He shone the torch down the new horizontal passageway; it looked like it carried on, then started to slope downwards. [[Continue on|Vent straight]]

<<set $aidenlift to false>>\ The vent began to widen out until he could only just touch the sides. It also began to slope, gently at first and then steeper until it was hard to fight against gravity’s pull. Once more, he had to brace himself against the sides to stop himself from falling. His hands were still slick with sweat and he struggled to keep a tight grip against the smooth metal walls. He inched forward, pushing hard with his arms and trying to peer into the gloom to see how far down it went. He felt himself starting to slip. Suddenly, before he could do anything to stop it, he lost his grip and began to tumble down into the darkness… [[Try to grab hold of something|Tumble into the darkness]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden inched forward until he reached the grill blocking his path. He could see familiar screws holding it in place. He retrieved the screwdriver and undid each in turn. The grill didn’t move. He gave it a shove and winced in pain as his bruised hands hit the hard metal. It still didn’t move. He gritted his teeth and pushed as hard as he could… it suddenly jumped from its frame, falling into space on the other side. He expected to hear a crash as it hit the floor, but strangely, there was no sound. After a pause, he heard a distant, echoing ‘clang’ as it hit something further down than he expected. He clambered forward for a better view and was shocked to find himself looking into a large, square, vertical shaft that extended up and down. Tiny lights ran along the far wall in both directions and highlighted just how far up it went. There was a strong breeze whistling down from high above. He realised he must have found a way into the lift shaft! <<else>>\ Aiden was at the end of the vent. A cool breeze blew in from somewhere beyond. He leant his head out of the narrow space and into the lift shaft. <<if $wait>>\ <<set $wait to false>>\ He lay there waiting for something, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. He hoped that Vee had a plan… <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if $lift is 4 and lastVisited ("Aiden") is 1>>\ He could see the bottom of the shaft five or six meters below. He heard a rasping noise and turned, shocked to see the lift above him descending of its own accord! He pulled his head in just in time before the metal edge of the lift swooshed past and took his head with it! It slowed to a stop beneath him. He took a moment to calm down, then dared himself to peer over the edge. He could see the top of the lift, now settled on the basement level below. He was fairly sure he could make that jump. [[Jump down onto the lift|jump down]] <<elseif $lift is 4>>\ He peered upwards. The view up went on for a long, long way! He looked down. He could see the top of the lift not too far below. <<if $aidenlift>> He was relieved to see it was still where he’d left it.<<else>> He realised that Vee must have sent it down to the basement level in advance! Had she worked it out or simply taken a guess? It didn’t matter, he loved her for it either way!<</if>> He looked down and calculated the distance. He was fairly sure he could make that jump. [[Jump down onto the lift|jump down]] <<else>>\ <<if $lift gt 4>>\ He peered upwards. The lift was nowhere to be seen, but the view up went on for a long, long way! Had Vee sent the lift up to the surface without him? He looked down. He could see the metal grill, smashed at the base of the shaft. That must be the basement level, but it was too far for him to jump. <<else>>\ He peered upwards. Yes – that must be the lift itself, currently somewhere above him. He looked down. He could see the metal grill, smashed at the base of the shaft. That must be the basement level, but it was too far for him to jump. <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if $lift != 4>>\ [[Wait|vent lift][$wait to true]] <</if>>\ [[Turn back|Fan 3]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Comp2">>\ <<if $veecomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Aiden accessed the commscreen. He waited, but Vee didn’t respond. He guessed she was off somewhere else and not at one of the computers. He hoped she was ok. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp2">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Aiden was still hoping that one day that option would do something different. Of course, today it did the same thing as usual. It was clearly broken. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp4">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ It was an ancient arcade game that went by the name of ‘Vaccinator’. He suspected it was considered old even when this computer was brand new. Still, it was the only game it had and they had both played it until they were utterly bored of it. Despite that, Aiden had never managed to beat the top score. He suspected whoever had got that was either very good or had cheated. And what sort of name was ‘Alpha’ anyway? Were all of those names he saw on the high score table real? Had they all lived in the den at some point, or did they live in their own den somewhere else? Were they even still alive? He stopped himself. Thoughts like that were dangerous, Father had told them so. To dream about a world outside the den would just lead to misery. Despite his constant complaints of boredom and the drudgery of the daily routine, he liked their life. It was safe and he didn’t want to endanger it. [[Play a quick game|playagain4]] <<link "Back" "Comp4">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<include "Vaccinate">> <<link "Back" "Comp4">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ \ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<set $veebug to 1>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive5">>\ <<if $veebug gt 1 or $aidenbug gt 1>>\ Enter decryption key: <<else>>\ Enter decryption key from the list: <</if>>\ <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 5 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5 and _input != "h117">>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug" and $keyfound>>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed .8s>><<goto "Admin5">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <<set _input to "">> <<replace ".text">><<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>><</replace>> <</button>>\ <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Comp5]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ \ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 1>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive4">>\ <<if $veebug gt 1 or $aidenbug gt 1>>\ Enter decryption key: <<else>>\ Enter decryption key from the list: <</if>>\ <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 4 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5 and _input != "h117">>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug" and $keyfound>>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 1s>><<goto "Admin4">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <<set _input to "">> <<replace ".text">><<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>><</replace>> <</button>> <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp4">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ \ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 1>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive1b">>\ <<if $veebug gt 1 or $aidenbug gt 1>>\ Enter decryption key: <<else>>\ Enter decryption key from the list: <</if>>\ <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 1 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5 and _input != "h117">>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug" and $keyfound>>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 1s>><<goto "Admin1">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <<set _input to "">> <<replace ".text">><<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>><</replace>> <</button>> <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp1b">><</link>>

Aiden walked over to the cabinet and opened it up. There were the usual toiletries – similar to the items in his cabinet upstairs, but all neatly put away. He had a rummage around to see if there was anything useful. <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Tiny metal key")>>\ Inside, he found a small metal key. <<linkreplace "Pick up the metal key">>Aiden decided to take it and find out what it was for.<<run $aidenitems.push("Tiny metal key")>><</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ Aiden had already picked up the tiny metal key. <</if>>\ [[Back|Bathroom Lower]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ \ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<set $veebug to 1>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive2">>\ <<if $veebug gt 1 or $aidenbug gt 1>>\ Enter decryption key: <<else>>\ Enter decryption key from the list: <</if>>\ <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 2 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5 and _input != "h117">>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug" and $keyfound>>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed .8s>><<goto "Admin2">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <<set _input to "">> <<replace ".text">><<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>><</replace>> <</button>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back" "Comp2">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 2>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive2">>\ <<include "archivea">>\ STATION 2 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional controls: [[› Vent control (Fan 1)|Vent operation]] [[› Crop status|Crop status]] [[› Station list|Station2]] <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back" "Comp2">><</link>><</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Aiden tried the ‘Admin control’ option on this computer. As usual, some useless data flashed up on screen and then... nothing. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp2">><</link>>

Vee walked over to the air vent and climbed back inside. <<if !$fan1>>\ Thankfully the giant fan was still out of action. She slid herself through the metal blades and crawled the rest of the way to the exit. She clambered out and found herself back in the large room. [[Back to the large room|Explore the space]] <<else>>\ She quickly discovered that the giant fan had turned itself back on somehow. The whirring metal blades hummed in front of her, blocking her path. There was no way past it. [[Back to the medical room|Medical research 2]] <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 6 Lift access <<if !$surface>>\ Access to surface is disabled Re-enable? Y/N <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">>\ <<if ["y", "yes", "ok"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<set $surface to true>> <<goto "Lift access extra">>\ <<elseif ["n", "no"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<goto "Comp6">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Command not recognised<</replace>>\ <</if>>\ <</button>> <<else>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>CAUTION. Surface access has been enabled.<</type>>\ <</if>>\ Lift override controls at: Station 7 \ [[Back|Archive6]]

<<if $lift is 4 or lastVisited ("Aiden") is 1>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden was standing in the lift. The ‘Basement level’ button suddenly lit up. That was new. Then the lift jolted and abruptly started to move on its own! He was certain he hadn’t pressed anything. It descended down, further down than he’d been before. He had no idea what he might find down there. After a short while, the lift settled to a stop and the doors opened… <<else>>\ The lift jolted and started to move on its own. It descended down and he realised it was going down to the basement. After a short while, the lift settled to a stop and the doors opened to the long, dark corridor. <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden was surprised to see the ‘Basement level’ button was lit up. He had never seen it do that before. He had no idea what he might find down there, but he was determined to investigate! <</if>>\ He pushed the button and felt the lift slowly descending – all the way down to the basement. After a short while, the lift settled to a stop and the doors opened. <</if>>\ [[Step out of the lift][$lift to 4]]

Aiden couldn’t believe his eyes. The ‘Surface level’ button had lit up. He had pressed that button so many times the text had almost rubbed off. It had never lit up like that before. He wondered what to do. He knew he had to press it – but what if it was a one-way trip? [[Press the button|Lift to surface]] [[Don’t press the button|Aiden main]]

<<if lastVisited ("Aiden") is 1>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden was standing in the lift wondering where to go next. Suddenly he noticed the ‘Surface’ button light up. He’d never seen that before! Then, without him even pressing anything, the lift started to move… <<else>>\ Without him even pressing anything, the lift started to move… <</if>>\ <<else>>\ Excitement and fear gripped him. His finger shook as he moved it towards the button. It felt like this was the most important moment of his entire life. If it worked… well, he had no idea what to expect. He pushed the button. He expected alarm bells to sound or for Father’s deep voice to boom out. He was about to be in serious trouble. But there was just silence. Then, the lift started to move… <</if>>\ He was so used to it moving slowly between the two main floors, he had never expected the lift to feel like this! It was already picking up speed and he felt the force of it start to push him down into the floor. Up and up it went; how far up was the surface anyway!? After quite a while, the lift started to slow and he could feel his excitement building. [[Wait for the doors to open…|robot voice]]

<<set $aidenloc to "Basement lift">>\ <<set $aidenlift to true>><<set $lift to 4>>\ <<if $incinerator>>\ He stepped out of the lift. The corridor extended before him. The orange glow that had once illuminated the far end had now gone. <<else>>\ Aiden stepped out of the lift into a long, dark corridor which extended before him. There was a dim orange glow coming from somewhere towards the far end. He turned back to the lift; the doors remained open. There appeared to be no ‘call’ button on this level, so he really hoped the doors stayed that way. <</if>>\ [[Explore the corridor|Corridor]] [[Return to the lift|Basement lift]]

Aiden was back at the lift doors on the basement level. There was no sign of a ‘call’ button. <<if $lift is 4 and lastVisited ("Aiden") is 1>>\ To his relief, he heard the lift arrive and the lift doors magically opened before him. Was that Vee? Had she guessed that he would need it? Sometimes he marvelled at how smart she was. <<link "Step into the lift" "Aiden main">><<set $lift to 3>><</link>> <<elseif $lift is 4>>\ To his relief, the lift was still there and the doors were open. <<link "Step into the lift" "Aiden main">><<set $lift to 3>><</link>> <<else>>\ The lift doors were shut – the lift was on a different floor. He banged on the doors, but nothing happened. It seemed he was stuck down here. <<if $wait>>\ <<set $wait to false>>\ He stood waiting, hoping that Vee would be able to send the lift down somehow. <</if>>\ [[Wait|Basement lift][$wait to true]] <</if>>\ [[Explore the corridor|Corridor]]

<<if visited () is 1 and !$geothermal>>\ He looked up; the ceiling here was low, barely above head height, and the walls curved in above him, forming an arch. The walls themselves were formed of the same concrete as elsewhere in the den, but these were marked with large cracks running up the side. There was an odd smell down here, hot and unpleasant. A solitary light was fixed to the ceiling up ahead and below it a large door. He walked up to it and tried the handle. Of course, it wouldn’t open. Above the door was a sign that read: ‘Geothermal Generators’. The humming sound he was so used to was much louder down here, and it seemed like this room was where it emanated from. He looked through a glass window set into the door and saw a surprisingly large room full of huge, complicated looking machines. In the far corner, he could see another computer, and above that was an air vent. He tried barging into the door with his shoulder, but he just got a bruised shoulder in return. <<else>>\ He was halfway down the arched corridor. Above him, a single light cast its baleful glow, dimly illuminating the large door that led to the ‘Geothermal’ room. Peering in through the small window, he could see a computer against the far wall and an air vent above it. The rest of the room was filled with huge generators all humming in unison. <<if $geothermal>>\ <<if $vent gt 0>>The countdown was still progressing, but he had no idea how to escape! Maybe there was something back in the generator room that he’d missed?<<else>>The door was now open and he was free to go back inside.<</if>> [[Back into the ‘Geothermal’ room|Geo Thermal]] <<else>>\ He tried the door, but it was locked. He suspected it was locked from the other side. <<if $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>He wondered if there was another way in.<</if>> <</if>><</if>>\ <<if visited ("Incinerator door")>>\ [[Head down to the incinerator|Incinerator door]] <<else>>\ [[Walk further down the corridor|Incinerator door]] <</if>>\ [[Back up to the lift|Basement lift]]

<<if !visited ("Comp5")>>\ <<include "conv1">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Found page")>>\ <<include "conv2">>\ <<elseif !$keyfound>>\ <<include "conv3">>\ <<elseif $veebug lt 2 and $aidenbug lt 2 and $screwdriver lt 2>>\ <<include "conv4">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Vent operation")>>\ <<include "conv4b">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Comp6")>>\ <<include "conv4c">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Refuse inside")>>\ <<include "conv5">>\ <<elseif $screwdriver lt 2>>\ <<include "conv5b">>\ <<elseif !$plugfixed>>\ <<include "conv6">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Examine Father")>>\ <<include "conv7">>\ <<elseif !visited ("Geo Thermal")>>\ <<include "conv8">>\ <<elseif !$mainvent>>\ <<include "conv9">>\ <<else>>\ <<include "conv10">>\ <</if>>\

Aiden strolled over to the trees. They all looked healthy as far as he could tell; however, there was a large crater of earth in the centre. One of the larger fruit trees had been completely removed – no roots remained. He could only assume it had failed one of Father’s stringent tests. Father was paranoid about any infection taking hold, and if he spotted the slightest blemish, he would remove the entire tree, roots and all. They were not allowed to go near anything that looked diseased or unhealthy – yet another one of Father’s rules. \ <<if visited () is 1>>\ He was closer to the back wall here. High up, running along the side of the wall, he could see a large air vent. Halfway along there was a small, slatted opening in the side, and he often wondered what the view was like from up there. However, it was far too high for him to climb up to. <</if>>\ <<if $veeloc is "Crawl through the vent">>\ <<set $meetup to 1>>\ Suddenly he heard a sound. Could that be Vee!? He looked around, but there was no one there. He must be hearing things. He realised that he was really missing her. <</if>>\ [[Head to the left|Farm left]] [[Head to the right|Farm right]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Archive6">>\ <<if visited () lt 2>>\ The ‘decryption key’ was accepted and she was able to relax. Vee felt like she was starting to get the hang of this! <<if $attempts lt 6>>She had solved this one with $attempts attempts remaining.<</if>> <</if>>\ \ STATION 6 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional settings: [[› Test reports|Viral testing report]] [[› Lift access|Lift access extra]] [[› Door operation|Door operation]] [[› Station list|Station6]] <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back">><<goto "Comp6">><</link>><</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Comp3">>\ <<if $veecomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Aiden pressed the commscreen button, but no one picked up. It looked like Vee was busy. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp3">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ \ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $aidenbug to 1>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive3">>\ Enter decryption key: <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 3 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug">>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 1s>><<goto "Admin3">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <</button>> <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp3">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive3">>\ <<include "archivea">>\ STATION 3 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional: <<link "› Medical research access" "Door control 2">><</link>> <<link "› Medical reports" "Medical reports">><</link>> <<link "› Station list" "Station3">><</link>> <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Back" "Comp3">><</link>><</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Aiden tried accessing ‘Admin Control’ but just like the other computers, it brought up a screen of corrupted data. It seemed that no matter how many times he tried, it always did the same thing. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp3">><</link>>

Aiden made his way back to the living room on the upper floor; it looked the same as usual. <<if $dishes>>\ He’d already put away the dishes – no one could accuse him of not doing his chores. <<else>> He glanced guiltily at the food-stained plates on the dining table, but he would worry about that later.<</if>> The living room was connected to three smaller rooms: the storeroom, the refuse room and the kitchen. <<if (!visited ("Refuse inside") and $refuse) or (!$aidenitems.includes("Torch") and $storage and !$aidenitems.includes("Working torch") )>>He looked around, something was different in here – was one of those doors unlocked?<</if>> \ <<if $incinerator and !visited ("Archive1b")>>\ Aiden wondered if he should try accessing the ‘user logs’ on the computer in here. <</if>>\ [[Check the computer|Comp1b]] <<if $aidenitems.includes("Torch") or $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ [[The storeroom ✓|Storage inside]] <<elseif visited ("Storage inside")>>\ [[Go back into the storeroom|Storage inside]] <<elseif $storage>>\ [[Check the storeroom|Storage inside]] <<else>>\ [[Check the storeroom 🔒|Storeroom2]] <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ [[The refuse room ✓|Refuse inside]] <<elseif visited ("Refuse inside")>>\ [[Go back into the refuse room|Refuse inside]] <<elseif $refuse>>\ [[Try the refuse room|Refuse inside]] <<else>>\ [[Try the refuse room 🔒|Refuse2]] <</if>>\ [[The kitchen ✓|Kitchen2]] <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<if $storage>>\ Aiden tried the door, fully expecting it to be locked as usual. But this time, to his surprise, it was open. [[Open the door|Storage inside]] <<elseif !visited ("Storage") and visited () is 1>>\ He tried the door just in case, but of course, it wouldn’t open. Father only unlocked the door when he needed them to fetch something, and even then, he usually got Vee to do it. He peered through the window. The storage room was full of fruit, vegetables and jars of various preserves. For some reason, it was hardly ever Aiden’s turn to fetch things from inside. Aiden suspected that was because Father knew he would help himself to something on the way. He had to admit, it was probably true. <<else>>\ He tried the door once more just in case something had changed – it was still locked. He peered through the window. The storage area was full of fruit, vegetables and jars of various preserves. It made him feel hungry. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the living room" "Living Room2">><</link>>

Aiden was back in the kitchen. He had previously found the old key here. He still wasn’t sure how it got there. Other than a few pots, pans and dishes, there wasn’t much else of interest. <<link "Back to the living room" "Living Room2">><</link>>

<<if $refuse>>\ Aiden moved over to the door to the refuse room. Father usually just opened it automatically whenever they had to load the chute. He pushed the door. Incredibly, it opened. [[Open the door|Refuse inside]] <<elseif !visited ("Refuse") and visited () is 1>>\ He tried the door to the refuse room, but it was locked tight. It was usually locked - only opening when Father needed to get them to empty the bins or check the chutes were clear. It stank in there and he hated it when it was his turn. For some reason, Vee didn’t seem to mind the smell. She was fascinated with the chutes and where everything went. Father once said there was an incinerator deep underground that burnt all the rubbish. That made sense. The thought of the smell of all that rubbish gradually building until it exploded into the den made him feel a little ill. <<else>>\ Aiden was back at the door to the refuse room. It was still locked. He was secretly relieved. He was sure he could smell the contents of the room even from here. He really had no inclination to go inside. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the living room" "Living Room2">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 1 <<if $veecomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen1c]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen1c]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Archive1b")>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Archive1b">><</link>> <<elseif $archive is true>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "Admin1">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Admin control" "code">><<set $goto to "Comp1b Fail">><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Play a quick game") or visited ("Play again 2")>>\ [[› Play another game|Play again 2]] <<else>>\ [[› Play a game|Play again 2]] <</if>>\ \ [[Leave the computer|Living Room2]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ Every now and again he pressed ‘Admin control’ in the vain hope that one day it would actually do something. As usual, it just brought up a page of nonsense. He was fairly sure it would never do anything else, but he still tried it from time to time. <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp1b">><</link>>

<<set $arcade ++>>\ <<if $arcade is 3>><<set State.metadata.set("arcade", true)>><</if>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden knew he should probably be doing something to help Vee, but… he was easily distracted and there was something about the familiar electronic beeps and booms of the game that made him feel like everything was ok. He started on ‘Hard’ mode just for a challenge. He was determined to complete it one day. He was doing well until he made a fatal mistake – game over. He entered his score, but it wasn’t his best; he would never beat Alpha’s score like that. <<elseif visited () is 2>>\ Aiden started the game and played on ‘Medium’. He was doing well and got through the first few levels easily enough. In fact he got almost all the way through the game this time. However, he made a few mistakes and allowed the virus threat to build up. Gradually he could see his health getting chipped away until finally, the dreaded ‘Game Over’ message displayed on the screen. He didn’t even manage to get on the high score table, let alone beat the top score. <<elseif visited () is 3>>\ Aiden was feeling lazy. He started on ‘Easy’ mode. He had played it so many times before, he managed to get nearly all the way through without too much difficulty. He felt a mild sense of achievement, but of course, he knew you got fewer points on ‘Easy’ mode. He wasn’t going to beat Alpha today. <<else>>\ He started the game and played on ‘Hard’ mode. He got through the first few levels with ease but was caught out when a large virus thing came on screen, spitting out deadly blobs at him. He picked up more ammo, but in the end, he was overwhelmed. He guessed his mind wasn’t really focused on the game today. He would never beat Alpha’s score like that. <</if>>\ \ <<if $arcade is 3>>\ You have unlocked the ‘Vaccinator’ arcade game. You can now access it from the start menu. <</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<include "Vaccinate">> <<link "Back" "Comp1b">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Comp1b">>\ <<if $veecomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Aiden pressed the commscreen button, but there was no one there. It looked like Vee was exploring elsewhere. He decided to try again later when she was back at one of the computers. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp1b">><</link>>

<<if $lift is 10>>\ Aiden had jumped onto the lift roof. Suddenly, to his shock, the lift started moving! He had no idea if it was doing this by itself. He panicked and scrambled around looking for the hatch that would lead into the lift itself. [[Stay there and wait|wait it out]] [[Jump down into the lift|Aiden main]] <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ He wasn’t sure how far the drop was, but he was confident that he could make it unscathed. He clambered out of the vent and jumped… landing in a heap on the top of the lift. His limbs still ached from the fall down the air vent, but he’d felt worse. Actually, that wasn’t true at all; he’d never felt in more pain than he did now! But if they were really about to escape, he wouldn’t change a single thing. He looked up. The small lights dotted evenly along the wall of the shaft extended up an almost impossible distance, but there, right at the top was the slightest hint of light. The air in the shaft felt different to that of the rest of the den. Colder, fresher perhaps? The roof of the lift was covered with dust and he scrabbled around looking for a way inside. He found a hatch with a lever that enabled him to open it – he did so and looked down into the lift interior. <<if $vent gt 10>>He considered dropping through, but he knew the automated scan would just send the lift back down if it found him inside… [[Stay there and wait|wait it out]] <<else>>\ [[Stay there and wait|wait it out]] [[Jump down into the lift|Aiden main]] <</if>>\ <<else>>\ He’d done this before, and this time he landed gracefully on the top of the lift. He looked up, the small lights dotted eveningly along the wall of the shaft extended up an almost impossible distance, but there, right at the top was the slightest hint of light. The hatch into the lift was still open. <<if $vent gt 10>>He considered dropping down, but perhaps this was exactly where he needed to be? Now he just had to wait for Vee…<</if>> [[Stay there and wait|wait it out]] [[Jump down into the lift|Aiden main]] <</if>>\

Vee walked back to the large crack that zig-zagged up the wall. It actually looked worse on this side. The crack ran all the way up to the ceiling and she could see that a large chunk of concrete had fallen down, blocking her exit in a pile of rubble. She could make out some light from the classroom beyond and suddenly began to feel like she was trapped on the wrong side of the wall. She bent low and whispered loudly through the gap, “Aiden…?” There was no reply. It looked like he’d gone somewhere else – hopefully to find a computer they could use to talk to each other. She liked to pretend that he annoyed her. And to be fair, he often did. But right now, she’d give anything to see his face. She straightened up and looked around the room. Even if she was trapped, this was too good an opportunity to miss. She asked herself: would she really leave this room now if she could? Of course not! [[Go back and explore the room|Explore the space]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked inside, half expecting to find Vee sitting on her bed as if nothing had happened. Of course, she wasn’t there. He was always astounded when he was in her room, he struggled to understand how a human being could live in such a fastidiously neat and tidy way. The walls were covered in pictures she’d drawn (all in perfectly neat rows). He had to admit, she was a much better artist than he was. They depicted imagined places that she’d never been to but had learned about in Father’s many lessons: huge gleaming cities, rolling hills and mountains, fantastical landscapes. There were even a couple of pictures of him, and he was secretly pleased to see his was one of the largest. The bed was neatly made, her clothes were all hanging in perfect rows inside her wardrobe and the shelves were lined with books. The books were organised not only alphabetically, but in size order too. It did make him wonder if they had anything at all in common. <<else>>\ Aiden walked inside, it was so neat and tidy! The walls were covered in pictures she’d drawn (all in perfectly neat rows). There were even a couple of pictures of him which made him feel rather proud. The bed was neatly made, her clothes were all hanging in perfect rows inside her wardrobe and the shelves were lined with neatly ordered books. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Small magnet")>>\ Beside her bed was a small metal cabinet, the door was already open and he had taken one of the magnets from inside. <<else>>\ Beside her bed was a small metal cabinet, maybe that’s where she hid her mess? <<linkreplace "Check the cabinet">>He walked over to the cabinet and tried pulling the door. It was locked. Perhaps he could use something? <<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Tiny metal key">>\ <<goto "Metal cabinet">>\ <<elseif $select is "Old key">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried using the old key. It was far too large and didn’t fit.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried banging on the cabinet with the torch. It didn’t seem to work.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to pick the tiny lock with the sharp end of the pencil. Annoyingly, even the pencil was too large to fit.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Fuse">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden wasn’t sure what the fuse was actually good for. It certainly didn’t help him pick locks.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried to use the handle to open the cabinet door, but there wasn’t anything to attach it to.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\>>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried using the twine to prize the door open, but it wasn’t very strong and he was worried that he would break it.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> <</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

The key fit, the lock clicked and the cabinet door opened wide. Of course, everything inside was perfectly arranged. Pens, papers and notes were all stacked neatly. He felt a little guilty, but he thumbed through some of her notes. Most of them were just quotes she’d written down, lines that had inspired her or interesting things she’d read. Some of these were written down on little squares of paper and fixed to the inside of the cabinet with small magnets. <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Small magnet")>>\ He wondered where she’d got those from – he certainly didn’t have any in his room. He was sure she wouldn’t miss one. <<linkreplace "Take one of the magnets">>Aiden pulled off one of the small magnets and put it in his pocket.<<run $aidenitems.push("Small magnet")>><</linkreplace>> \ <<else>>\ Aiden had already picked up one of the magnets, he didn’t need another. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the lift" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<if $lift is 10>>\ <<set $switch to false>>\ <<set $aidenfree to true>>\ He was crouched, waiting on top of the lift. Suddenly, it started to move! He panicked and scrambled around looking for the hatch that led into the lift itself, but something told him to hold steady. The small lights dotted along the shaft whizzed by in a blur, and he felt the force of it push him down against the cold metal. All he could do was crouch low and hang on, entirely at the mercy of this old machine launching him upwards. He glanced up, hoping to see something, a light, a sky, a welcoming face, but there was nothing. Eventually, to his relief, it began to slow, and he heard a voice come from below. “Biological containment check initiated.” There was a pause and a glow of red light from inside the lift. It shut off and the same voice calmly announced: “Biological checks complete. No biological subject detected. Proceeding to the surface.” Before he had fully processed what had just happened, the lift began to move once more, accelerating upwards. Aiden looked back up just in time to see hanging lift machinery at the top of the shaft, once so distant, now approaching at an alarming speed. Instinctively, he rolled towards the open hatch, hoping to fall through before he was crushed! <<link "Vee…" "Vee">><<set $name to "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "Examine Father">><</link>> <<else>>\ Aiden waited. He knew that Vee was out there somewhere, and he hoped she had a plan… [[Give up waiting and jump down|Aiden main]] <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Archive9">>\ \ STATION 8 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional settings: <<if $aidencomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen8]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen8]] <</if>>\ [[› Vent control (Fan 2)|Vents final]] [[› Station list|Stations8]] <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Leave the computer|Air filtration]]<</timed>>

<<if $debug>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<set $keys to $keys3>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive9">>\ Enter decryption key: <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 8 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug">>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 0.7s>><<goto "Comp9">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <</button>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<link "Leave the computer">><<goto "Air filtration">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 7 Lift - access: <<do>><<if !$surface>>\ Surface access (disabled) <<link "Enable surface access">><<set $surface to true>><<redo>><</link>> <<else>>\ Surface access (enabled) <</if>><</do>>\ \ <<do>><<if !$basement>>\ <<link "Enable basement access">><<set $basement to true>><<redo>><</link>> <<else>>\ Basement access (enabled) <</if>><</do>>\ Lift – master override: <<if $aidenfree>>\ Lift is currently moving up to the surface <<else>>\ <<do>>\ <<if $surface>>\ <<if _moving is 2>>\ › Move lift to surface level <<elseif _moving is 1>>\ <<type 20ms>>Lift is moving up…<</type>>\ <<elseif $lift is 10>>\ <<type 5ms>>Lift is currently at the surface<</type>><<else>>\ <<link "› Move lift to surface level">><<if $aidenloc is "jump down" or $aidenloc is "wait it out">><<goto "Final call">>\ <<elseif $aidenloc is "Aiden main" or $aidenloc is "Basement level" or $aidenloc is "Surface again">><<set $name to "Aiden">>\ <<if visited ("robot voice")>><<set $aidenloc to "Surface again">><<else>><<set $aidenloc to "Lift to surface">><</if>><<goto "Aiden">>\ <<else>><<set $lift to 10>><<set _moving to 1>><<redo>><<timed 5s>><<set _moving to 0>><<redo>><</timed>><</if>>\<</link>> <</if>><</if>><</do>>\ \ <<do>>\ <<if $basement>>\ <<if _moving is 2>>\ <<type 20ms>>Lift is moving down…<</type>>\ <<elseif _moving is 1>>\ › Move lift to basement level <<elseif $lift is 4>>\ <<type 5ms>>Lift is currently at basement level<</type>><<else>>\ <<link "› Move lift to basement level">><<set $lift to 4>><<set $aidenlift to false>><<if $aidenloc is "Aiden main" or $aidenloc is "Surface again">><<set $aidenloc to "Basement level">><<set $name to "Aiden">><<goto "Aiden">>\ <<elseif $aidenloc is "vent lift">><<set $name to "Aiden">><<goto "Aiden">>\ <<else>><<set _moving to 2>><<redo>><<timed 5s>><<set _moving to 0>><<redo>><</timed>><</if>><</link>> <</if>><</if>><</do>><</if>>\ \ [[Back|Archive7]]

<<if $vent gt 0>>\ <<if !$disconnect>>\ <<set $disconnect to true>>\ Vee walked up to one of the machines. The corrugated duct was attached to the side with large clips. The duct itself was huge, easily large enough for her to fit inside. She followed it with her gaze, up to the centre of the room – it would be an awkward clamber up. She moved towards the clips and twisted with all her might. The duct gave no resistance. She could feel the connection starting to twist and then it collapsed to the floor. There was no air flowing through it; she was now able to climb inside. <<else>>\ The lifeless duct lay on the floor where she’d left it; no air flowed through. She knew it must lead up to the main vent. From there it should take her up to the surface. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenfree and $vent gte 4>>\ It was now or never. [[Climb inside|Into Main Vent]] <<elseif $aidenfree>>\ But she could hear the countdown had almost run down, there was no way she’d be able to climb in and past the main vent before it restarted. She had tried her best, but it seemed it wasn’t enough. [[Back to the air filtration room|Air filtration]] <<else>>\ But she suspected that if she escaped now, Aiden would never be able to make his own way up the surface. Did she value her own freedom more than his? She realised that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left him behind. They would need to find a way for him to get out first. [[Back to the air filtration room|Air filtration]] <</if>>\ <<elseif $vent is 0 and !$disconnect>>\ Vee walked up to one of the machines. The corrugated duct was attached to the side with large clips. The duct itself was huge, easily large enough for her to fit inside. She followed it with her gaze, up to the centre of the room – it would be an awkward clamber up. She put her hands on the side of the duct and could feel it vibrating with the air pressure. She examined the clips. She was fairly sure that she could unclip the duct from its housing, but not with the air blasting through. \ <<if visited ("Vents final")>>\ From the message on the computer in here, Vee knew that the only way to turn the main vent off was by resetting the power. <<if $basement and !visited ("Geo Thermal")>>She suspected that was controlled from the generator room. It was now up to Aiden to find a way down there!<<elseif !visited ("Geo Thermal")>>She suspected that they would need to find a way to get Aiden to the basement!<</if>> [[Back|Air filtration]] <<else>>\ There must be a way to turn off the main vent! [[Back|Air filtration]] <</if>>\ <<else>>\ Vee examined the duct. If she could climb inside, she’d be able to make her way up to the main vent – and from there, freedom! However, in order to do that, she’d have to find a way to turn the main vent off… [[Back|Air filtration]] <</if>>\

<<set $geothermal to true>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden found himself in the large basement room that he’d spied through the window in the corridor outside – the ‘Geothermal’ room. Another computer sat in the corner looking old and disused. It was noisy in here. Eight large machines hummed and growled – he could feel the heat they were giving off even from where he stood. He walked over to the door; as he’d suspected, it was locked from the inside. He unlocked it; at least now he could get in here again without needing to climb through those vents! He turned back to the machines. Aiden had a feeling that they were providing power to the entire den. As he walked around the room he spotted more earthquake damage. Large cracks ran up the wall and across the ceiling. There were chunks of concrete littered across the floor and over the machines themselves. It looked like at least two of the generators had been damaged and were no longer working. <<else>>\ Aiden was inside the large ‘Geothermal’ room in the basement. The generators all hummed away, apart from a few that had been damaged. Another computer sat in the corner looking old and disused. Above it, the vent he’d originally come in through. <<if $vent gt 0>>\ Aiden knew they didn’t have long before the power reset and the fans turned back on again. He eyed the vent above the computer. <<if visited ("Fan 3")>>The fan that had blocked his way in there might now be temporarily disabled<<else>>There was another passage in there he hadn’t explored yet <</if>> – that could be his way out! <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Archive10")>>\ [[Use the computer|Archive10]] <<else>>\ [[Use the computer|Comp10]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the air vent|Back in]] [[Exit through the door|Corridor]]

“Yes… I’m ok, but… I don’t think I can get back…” He could hear the worry in her voice, but it was soon replaced by her customary confidence. “I’m going to explore the room, there must be a way out somewhere!” Aiden was relieved, but this adventure was already getting out of hand. Perhaps he should find a way to wake Father so he could help sort this out. He stood back from the wall, feeling a little useless. Vee spoke again, a bit further away this time. “Hey! I found an old computer – like the one in the library! We could try talking to each other on that. I’m going back to explore. It’s amazing in here! Why did we never know this existed?” Aiden paused, overcome with indecision. At least she’d given him something to do. [[“Ok, I guess I’ll head to the library then”|Ok, I’ll head there now]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden walked further into the huge space. Whilst they spent much of their free time in the living room, this was the most important area in the whole den. It was the farm that kept them fed, and they lived off its produce of fruit, grain, and vegetables. But it wasn’t just that. It was beautiful in here, or at least Aiden thought so. Vee liked it in here, but she didn’t love it like Aiden did. Of all the things they’d read about in the ‘outside’ world, nothing sounded as wondrous as this place. He walked on beside a small winding river that flowed down the middle. In the centre of the room, it split into four smaller streams which formed part of the irrigation system. The ripples sparkled, casting tiny crystal rainbows of refracted light. He loved just wandering through, checking all the crops in turn and then resting, lazily basking in the glow of the sixteen artificial suns suspended above. In the centre of the room were the larger trees, their branches straining up towards the light. It looked like one of them had been removed. <<else>>\ Aiden walked further into the huge space. Whilst they spent much of their free time in the living room, this was the most important area in the whole den. It was the farm that kept them fed, and they lived off its produce of fruit, grain, and vegetables. In the centre of the room were several large trees. <</if>>\ [[Check on the trees|The tree]] [[Head to the right|Farm right]] [[Head to the left|Farm left]] <<link "Head back to the lift" "Aiden main">><<if $screwdriver != 4>><<set $compost to false>><</if>><</link>>

Aiden had a sudden brainwave. He retrieved the small magnet he’d taken from Vee’s room and tied it to the end of the twine. The magnet wasn’t very strong, but he hoped it might be just enough to dislodge the $object from its sludgy prison. He dangled the twine and magnet combo over the side and was pleased to see the magnet grip onto the metal as soon as it got close. Slowly, and ever so gently, he pulled the twine back up. He was thrilled to see the $object start to move. Globs of something unmentionable fell down the chute as the movement dislodged it. All of a sudden it was free, and it dangled and twisted under its own weight, still attached to the little magnet. <<if $screwdriver is 0>> Now it was in full view, he could see that it was his screwdriver!<<set $screwdriver to 1>><<set $object to "screwdriver">><</if>> However, he could feel the magnet was struggling to keep hold of it. [[Pull it up quickly]] [[Pull it up slowly]]

<<set $screwdriver to 4>>\ Aiden knew that the magnet wasn’t powerful enough to hold it for long; he had only moments to retrieve it before it fell. He yanked on the twine. The magnet jumped up towards him, and the screwdriver did too. But it was this movement that also dislodged it. It flew upwards, almost close enough to reach, before gracefully arcing in the air. He watched as it fell, almost in slow motion, gently spinning into the pit of brown slime below. It landed with a squelch. The bright yellow handle was just visible, as if taunting him with his failure. Now what? He tried lowering the magnet all the way down, but there wasn’t quite enough twine, and he realised, if he couldn’t manage to pull it up a short distance, it was never going to work that far down. He briefly considered jumping down the chute. Even if he survived the fall – even if he survived the stink – he was pretty sure there would be no way back up again. He struggled to think of a worse fate! He would have to try something else. [[Back|Refuse inside]]

<<set $screwdriver to 4>>\ Aiden knew that any sudden movement could drop it. He slowly pulled on the twine as gently as he possibly could. He was thrilled to see it inch up towards him with every pull. Even so, he could sense the magnet wasn’t quite up to the task, and the screwdriver started slipping from its grip. Then, before he could react, he felt the weight suddenly shift, and he watched as the screwdriver fell, almost in slow motion, gently spinning into the pit of brown slime below. It landed with a squelch. The bright yellow handle was just visible, as if taunting him with his failure. Now what? He tried lowering the magnet all the way down, but there wasn’t quite enough twine, and he realised, if he couldn’t manage to pull it up a short distance, it was never going to work that far down. He briefly considered jumping down the chute. Even if he survived the fall – even if he survived the stink – he was pretty sure there would be no way back up again. He struggled to think of a worse fate! He would have to try something else. [[Back|Refuse inside]]

Aiden is carrying: \ <<if $aidenitems.length is 1>> (nothing)<<else>><<for $i=1; $i<$aidenitems.length; $i++>>\ <<print $aidenitems[$i]>><</for>><</if>> <<link "Back" "Aiden main">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 6 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive6]]<</timed>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ <<if $stations lt 1>>\ Aiden was shocked to see that his guess was accepted and the computer brought up a new menu screen he’d never seen before. <<elseif $stations lt 2>>\ Aiden was relieved to see that he’d managed to crack the decryption key. <<elseif $stations lt 3>>\ Aiden wasn’t sure, but he thought these were getting harder. <<elseif $stations lt 4>>\ Aiden thought that maybe he was starting to get the hang of this, but he knew he shouldn’t get too overconfident. <<elseif $stations lt 5>>\ Aiden was starting to think he had a real talent for computer hacking. <<elseif $stations lt 6>>\ Aiden was feeling pretty satisfied with himself. He reckoned Vee would never be able to solve these. <<else>>\ Aiden was starting to think that maybe he was a hacking genius. <</if>>\ <<if $attempts is 6>>\ <<elseif $attempts lt 2>>\ That was close – he’d only just made it! <<else>>\ He’d managed to solve it with $attempts attempts remaining. <</if>><</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 2 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive2]]<</timed>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 8 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ [[Back|Archive9]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 3 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive3]]<</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 4 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive4]]<</timed>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 1 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive1b]]<</timed>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ As she touched the handle, the opaque window slowly began to change. The frosted glass faded from opaque to transparent, and she looked in to see a stark, brightly lit space. Clean white panels lined the walls and the floor alike, and the ceiling extended up into darkness. In the centre of the room, and by far the most striking sight, sat a large tree. Its roots snaked out across the white, gleaming floor. Its branches reached out across the room and towards the glass window Vee stood behind. The branches were weighed down with fruit, and its leaves were verdant and healthy. It had a strange effect on Vee. She was struck by the bizarre juxtaposition of something so natural set within such cold and clinical surroundings. She was almost bewitched by it. She snapped herself out of its spell and looked around. Apart from the door, there were no other controls or signs. <<else>>\ Bright lights illuminated the stark, featureless room. Clean white panels lined the walls, and the ceiling extended up into darkness. In the centre stood a large tree. Its roots snaked out across the pure, gleaming floor; its branches reached out across the room and towards the glass window Vee stood behind. Rosy apples adorned its branches and its leaves were verdant and healthy. She was struck by the bizarre sight, almost mesmerised by it. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Step inside")>>\ [[Step inside|Step inside]] <<else>>\ [[Open the door|try the door]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

Vee twisted the handle. It took a lot of effort, but it slowly started to turn. There was a hiss of air as the seals gave way and the door started to open. She heaved it towards her. She was trembling, just a little. [[Step inside]] [[Head back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ She walked in. The silence was eerie; the room seemed to absorb all sound. She stepped closer to the tree – it emanated a strange sense of serene power. She leaned forward and dared herself to touch the bark… it was just a normal tree. In fact, now she looked at it a little closer, she realised that this was the tree that had stood in the middle of the farm until recently. From what she had read, this tree was diseased; infected with some sort of virus. However, it looked healthier than any tree she’d ever seen. The ripe red fruit glowed under the bright white light. She realised that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and the apples that hung there did look very tasty. But she wasn’t stupid. Father had many rules. But perhaps his number one rule was that they were not allowed near anything that looked diseased. From the reports she’d read, she knew this fruit could be dangerous; it had the potential to be either a curse or a cure. There was only one way to find out – and if they were to survive outside, she had to know for sure… [[Take a bite]] <<elseif $apple lt 1>>\ She walked in. The silence was eerie, the room seemed to absorb all sound. She walked up to it and touched it. It was just a normal tree. In fact, this was the tree that had stood in the middle of the farm until recently. It looked healthier than any tree she’d seen before. The ripe fruit glowed under the bright white light. She knew what this meant. These apples could be dangerous. But they also had the potential to be a cure as well as a curse. There was only one way to find out which. Her instincts told her… take the risk. [[Take a bite]] <<else>>\ She walked in. The silence was eerie. This was the tree that had stood in the middle of the farm until recently, but now it seemed to emanate a calm sense of power. It looked healthier than any tree she’d seen before. The ripe fruit glowed under the bright white light. She had already taken one of its apples. She touched the bark once more, as if communing with it. Then she turned and made her way back to the corridor, determined to share this gift with Aiden. <</if>>\ <<if $apple lt 1>>\ [[Head back|Reject]] <<else>>\ [[Head back to the corridor|Corridor main]] <</if>>\

<<set $apple to 1>>\ She reached up to the nearest apple. Her hand was shaking as she touched the waxy skin. She plucked it from the tree and the leaves shimmered – like a gentle ripple of applause. She paused for a moment, but she knew that if she thought about it for too long, she would change her mind. She bit into it. The juice spilt out, flowing down her chin. That tasted so good! It was the sweetest, juiciest apple she’d ever tasted in her life! She paused for a moment. She waited for a bitter taste or a pain in her stomach – some sign that she had made a terrible mistake… …she felt fine! Her fears vanished and she devoured the rest. She thought of Aiden – he was missing out! She decided to take another one for him. [[Take the apple and leave|Take the apple and leave]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ \ <<if $debug>>\ <<if $alpha lte 1>><<set $keys to $keys1>><<elseif $alpha lte 2>><<set $keys to $keys2>><<else>><<set $keys to $keys3>><</if>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive7">>\ Enter decryption key: <<include "hack">> \ <<else>>\ STATION 7 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug">>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 0.7s>><<goto "Comp7">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <</button>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<link "Leave the computer">><<goto "Examine Father">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ \ <<if $debug>>\ <<set $keys to $keys3>>\ <<set $debug to false>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> \ <<set $ans to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ans.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $attempts to 6>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "Archive10">>\ Enter decryption key: <<include "hack">> <<else>>\ STATION 9 Enter decryption key: <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">> <<set _input to _input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase()>> <<if _input.length lt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Too few characters<</replace>> <<elseif _input.length gt 5>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: Entry out of bounds<</replace>> <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Error: key not recognised<</replace>> <</if>>\ <<if _input is "debug">>\ <<replace "#output">>TEMPORARY DEBUG MODE<</replace>> <<set $debug to true>> <<timed 0.8s>><<goto "Comp10">><</timed>> <</if>>\ <</button>> <</if>>\ \ <<link "Leave the computer">><<goto "Geo Thermal">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive10">>\ <<include "archivea">>\ Station 9 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional settings: [[› Power status|Power]] [[› Station list|Stations10]] <<if $veecomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen9]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen9]] <</if>>\ <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Leave the computer">><<goto "Geo Thermal">><</link>><</timed>>

Vee walked up to the door, and it opened smoothly in front of her. The room inside was dark, with just a few blinking lights somewhere further in. She stepped forward and the lights above her flickered into existence. Vee looked up at them; she quite enjoyed this tiny sense of power! She looked back down and froze in shock… …there, standing before her, was Father. He towered above her. He stared forward, his eye sockets blank and empty. His powerful frame glinted in the light. She considered running, but it was too late; her adventure was over. She waited for his booming voice to ring out, making her feel like a child again – as it always did. She hung her head. She had failed. [[Wait for the inevitable…|Wait father]]

<<if $aidenfree>>\ Vee was in Father’s room. She desperately hoped that their plan had worked and that Aiden had made it out. <<if $vent is 0>>\ The main vent was on, there was no way for her to escape now. She just had to be happy that one of them had made it. [[Walk back to the corridor|Vee trapped]] <<elseif $vent lt 6>>\ The time was counting down but she had only moments left! She knew she might not make it in time. [[Back to the white corridor|Corridor main]] [[Use the computer screen|Archive7]] <<else>>\ Now it was her turn. It was going to be tight, but she thought she might just have enough time. She glanced once more at Father. For all his flaws, she knew he had cared for them in his own way – but it was time to escape! [[Back to the white corridor|Corridor main]] [[Use the computer screen|Archive7]] <</if>>\ <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ Father was completely motionless. She started to relax – just a little. Could he still be asleep? She wasn’t sure she had ever seen him asleep. Vee walked around him, taking in his large metal frame as if for the first time. She saw that he was attached to the wall by several large cables. She waved her hand in front of his face – no reaction. Vee wasn’t sure how deeply Father slept, but she decided to be as quiet as she could, just in case – he could wake up at any moment. As she moved forward, she saw warped versions of herself reflected in his metallic limbs. She wondered how he viewed her and Aiden. Did he love them like the father they always thought he was? Or were they merely test subjects, to be experimented on and discarded? She wasn’t ready to think of him like that. Not yet. She managed to tear her eyes away and look around the room. She spotted another air vent set high in the wall directly above him. Beside him stood a sleek-looking screen set on a thin metal podium. It was very different from the old computers they were so used to using. <<if visited ("Archive7")>>\ [[Use the computer screen|Archive7]] <<else>>\ [[Use the computer screen|Comp7]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Thought two")>>\ [[Check the vent|Thought two]] <<else>>\ [[Check the vent|Climb up the vent]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the white corridor|Corridor main]] <<else>>\ Father was silent; she guessed he was still asleep. His hulking metal frame occupied a large part of the room and was attached to the wall by several large cables. There was an air vent set into the wall above. Beside him stood a sleek-looking screen set on a thin metal podium. <<if visited ("Archive7")>>\ [[Use the computer screen|Archive7]] <<else>>\ [[Use the computer screen|Comp7]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Thought two")>>\ [[Check the vent|Thought two]] <<else>>\ [[Check the vent|Climb up the vent]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the white corridor|Corridor main]] <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Archive7">>\ <<if visited () lt 2>>\ Vee was relieved to see the key was accepted and the screen unlocked. <<if $attempts lt 6>>She’d done that one with $attempts attempts remaining.<</if>> <<elseif $charging gt 91>>\ Vee was concerned to see that Father’s charging status was inching closer to 100%. <<elseif $charging gt 84>>\ Vee noticed that Father’s charging status was slowly increasing. <</if>>\ <<if $charging gt 96>><<set $charging += 0.5>><<else>><<set $charging ++>><</if>>\ <<if $charging gte 100>><<goto "Fully charged">><</if>>\ <<set $veereturn to "Archive7">>\ \ STATION 7 Admin control \ <<include "logs">> \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Recovered data: <<link "› User logs: ALPHA">><<goto "Alpha1">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: MARYAM">><<goto "History">><</link>> <<link "› User logs: JIANGUO">><<goto "Technical">><</link>> Additional settings: [[› VCU access|VCU access]] [[› Lift override|Lift access 2]] [[› Station list|Stations7]] <<if $aidencomp>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen7]] <<else>>\ [[› Commscreen|Commscreen7]] <</if>>\ FATHER drone status Charging: $charging % Power conservation mode <</type>> \ <<timed 1s>><<link "Leave the computer">><<goto "Examine Father">><</link>><</timed>>

…he landed on the floor of the lift in a heap, banging his head against the side wall, bringing tears to his eyes and adding a few more bruises to his collection. The lift was quiet and unmoving. Had he really made it all the way to the surface? Nothing happened. He started to worry that the lift would begin its descent back down into the den, but then, the lift doors gently opened. A breeze flowed in, and there was something different about its warmth; it carried a clean smell of stone and vegetation that was entirely new to him. It felt potent, as though it held an electric charge. There was a sound he couldn’t quite describe; just the wind rustling through the leaves conveyed an immense sense of space. It made him want to hide in the lift, scared of what he might find out there. But he had come too far to back out now. He nervously got to his feet and limped outside. He desperately hoped that Vee had managed to find her own way out in time. <<link "Vee…" "Vee">><<set $name to "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "Climb 2">><</link>>

Father watched them dispassionately. He was not truly a single entity but more a collection of related subroutines and AI systems. He did not reside in the mechanical drone that they referred to as ‘Father’; that was merely a vessel. He existed in the server room, each box its own AI core. Although he was assigned a specific set of goals, each core had a different focus, and each was capable of reaching different conclusions. They did not always agree. He had been created to engineer and raise the ‘perfect’ human couple – with the ability to survive the virus and with a sufficiently diverse gene pool to start a new population. Alpha and Echo had been the first attempts, but Echo had succumbed to the new viral strain that now thrived on the surface. Ultimately, it had claimed Alpha as well. There was nothing he could do, and he was painfully aware every microsecond of his own failure. He was determined not to make the same mistake again. Aiden and Vee had passed all his tests. He knew that some of his AI cores were no longer online, so his judgement may have been affected. But he still wasn’t sure they were ready; they weren’t fully adapted to the effects of the virus or prepared for life outside. He had been programmed to make them perfect – but there was no such thing as perfect. He should stop them. They had disobeyed his rules, but that could be forgiven – as long as they returned home. They weren’t ready …or perhaps he wasn’t ready to let them go? But if that was true, why had he left the key for Aiden to find in the kitchen? <<linkreplace "Awaiting decision…">><<type 10ms skipkey "Enter">>Collective decision:<</type>><<type 8ms start 1s>><<link "Master override: Turn off power to main vent" "Vee">><<set $name to "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "final vee 1">><</link>><</type>><</linkreplace>>

Vee knew that she’d run out of time. If only they had been just a little faster, maybe they could have both made it out. All she could do was pray that Aiden had made it safely up to the surface. When Father finally woke up and discovered what they had done, he would be furious. She slumped against the wall, exhausted. Had she made a terrible mistake? Would Aiden be okay out there without her? As the minutes dragged by, she couldn’t help but worry about all the ways this plan might not work out so well. Then a strange thing happened… the voice rang out again. <<set $vent to 30>><<set $mainvent to true>>\ <<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>>\ “Alert. Power has been temporarily disabled. Main vent inactive. Power restored in $vent …” She was confused. That couldn’t have been Aiden. So who…? It didn’t matter. She had one more chance! <<if !$disconnect>>\ <<set $disconnect to true>>\ Vee turned to one of the machines. The corrugated duct was attached to the side with large clips. The duct itself was huge, easily large enough for her to fit inside, however, it would be hard to climb up to where the ducts met in the centre. She moved towards the clips and twisted with all her might. The duct gave no resistance. She could feel the connection starting to twist and then it collapsed to the floor. There was no air flowing through it now – she was now able to climb inside. <<else>>\ The lifeless duct lay on the floor where she’d left it; no air flowed through. She knew it must lead up to the main vent. From there it should take her up to the surface. It was now or never. <</if>>\ [[Climb inside|Into Main Vent]]

<<set $vent to 0>><<set $mainvent to false>>\ Her heart raced as she jumped up and seized one of the massive blades. She heaved herself up and braced against the side wall. Though she was precariously balanced, she managed to shimmy up until she was standing on the fan itself. Above her, there was a rickety old ladder that appeared to be more rust than metal. She looked up; the ladder extended a long, long way into the distance. She had no idea if she would be able to make that climb, but she was determined not to back out now. She leapt up and grasped the lowest rung, pulling herself up by sheer willpower. It was a long way up. <<link "Aiden…" "Aiden">><<set $aidenloc to "Jump into the lift">><<set $name to "Aiden">><</link>>

Aiden found himself in a thicket of undergrowth. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to find on the surface, but this was as closed-in as he’d ever been in the den. It was dark, and he couldn’t see how far this undergrowth extended, but when he looked up… …there was no ceiling! It just went up forever. It made him dizzy, and he wanted to hide from its enormity. He looked down – he couldn’t deal with that right now. He tried calling out for Vee, for anyone, but there was no sound other than a low moan of a lonely wind that rushed through the leaves around him. Occasionally, in the far distance, strange calls and squawks told him he wasn’t entirely alone. He turned back to the lift, tempted by its promise of safety and security. Perhaps he should return? Perhaps this was all a huge mistake? What if Vee hadn’t made it out – should he go back? The lift was set into an old, featureless, crumbling concrete wall. Any markings it may have once had were weathered away. He followed the wall, calling her name as he went. <<link "“Vee!”" "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "final vee 2">><<set $name to "Vee">><</link>>

“Alert. Power has been temporarily disabled. Main vent inactive.” The distant voice sounded once more. Vee looked on in amazement; the huge fan that had started to spin was now slowly grinding to a halt above her. Was that luck? Had something broken down at just the right moment? It didn’t matter; she had to get passed it before it started up again! <<link "Climb through" "Aiden">><<set $aidenloc to "final aiden 1">><<set $name to "Aiden">><</link>>

“Aiden?” He heard her then, and the sound of her voice was like flipping a switch. Energy flooded through him, and the pain and worry were cast aside. He plunged into the undergrowth, ignoring the branches and thorns that tried to block his way. “Aiden!” He heard her again, louder this time. He changed direction and broke through the undergrowth into a clearing. In the centre lay a low concrete mound with a large hole. He ran over and there, clinging beneath a barred metal grate, was Vee. Wordlessly, they touched hands. They didn’t need to speak. The grate was locked by an old rusty padlock, but Aiden had no interest in keys. He quickly searched around, found a suitable rock, lifted it high and smashed it down with all the force he could muster. He needn’t have exerted so much effort; the rusted lock shattered into powder and metal splinters. [[Open the grate|Final aiden 3]]

Quickly, he heaved the grate open, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up to the surface. They both sat there, panting from the effort and beaming at each other. They would tell each other everything later; for now, they had found each other. They had escaped! <<if $apple is 1>>\ Vee stood up suddenly, as if remembering something. She patted down her pockets, terrified she had lost something. Finally, she retrieved a red, slightly bruised apple. “Aiden. Do you trust me?” “Of course I do, Vee.” She held it out to him, a strange look on her face that he couldn’t fathom. “If you trust me, eat this.” Aiden slowly took the apple, confused at her sudden, serious tone. After all they’d been through, was an apple so important? [[Eat the apple|Eat]] [[Don’t eat the apple|Don’t eat]] <<else>>\ They stood, hugged each other tightly and looked around. For all their dreams and plans, they had no idea where to go next. [[Walk away|No apple]] <</if>>\

<<set $apple to 2>>\ He took the apple. It had become a little dirty in its travels, and he brushed some of it away. Apart from that, it looked quite tasty. He wasn’t sure why she was being so insistent, but he trusted her completely. He bit into it and his eyes widened. It was so sweet! He devoured the rest. She looked at him and waited, as if she expected him to say something profound. He wasn’t sure what to say other than, <<link "“Thanks?”" "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "Final Vee 2">><<set $name to "Vee">><</link>>

He took the apple. It had become a little dirty in its travels, and he brushed some of it away. Although he hadn’t eaten for a while, it didn’t look that appealing. And there was something about the way she looked at him that made him think this wasn’t a simple apple. It made him nervous. He loved her, but with this, he wasn’t sure if he could trust her after all. He handed back the apple, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I …” “It’s OK. Maybe it’s for the best.” She looked downcast as she said it. He was confused; had he done the wrong thing? <<link "“Thanks though?”" "Vee">><<set $veeloc to "Final Vee 2">><<set $name to "Vee">><</link>>

<<if $apple gt 1>>\ She was relieved and terrified. What had she done? He was now infected with the same virus that coursed through her veins – the virus that had destroyed human life. If what she had read in the medical reports was true, she had either saved them both or doomed them. <<else>>\ She was relieved and terrified. What had she done? She had almost infected him with the same virus that ran through her own veins – the virus that had destroyed human life. She could have killed him! But she knew the fruit was also a potential cure. Had he doomed himself by not taking a bite? <</if>>\ At that moment, the sound they had been anticipating all night suddenly filled the air. Father’s voice seemed to come from all around them. Surprisingly, it was not filled with anger, but it was gentle, almost sorrowful. “I do not blame you for trying to leave.” “If you come home, I will not punish you. All will be forgiven.” “But if you go now, you will never be able to return.” They looked at each other. They did not need to discuss it. [[Leave the den|End1]] [[Return to the den]]

They both hung their heads. How foolish they had been. Freedom was within their grasp, but in the end, they did not feel ready to leave their home and the safety it provided. They decided to ignore the strange messages they had found and instead, they put their trust in Father. He would look after them. As the years went by, they would always talk of that fateful night when simple decisions steered the course of their lives. And at night, they would dream of the outside world – a world they had briefly caught a glimpse of on the surface. They would dream about how their lives could have been if they had escaped. But they never admitted their secret dreams to each other for fear of what the other might say. <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>>

<<if $vent lt 10 and $voice>>\ Aiden knew he could reset the power again, giving Vee another chance to escape. He hoped there was a way that both of them could get out. But if it had to be someone, far better that it was her. <</if>>\ \ <<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set _rand to random(66, 88)>>\ STATION 9 Power allocation status Geothermal power currently fluctuating at _rand % Two generators in serious need of repair. <<if $vent is 0>>\ <<link "› Temporary power reset">><<goto "Power reset">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "› Restart: Temporary power reset">><<set $mainvent to true>><<set $vent to 61>><<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>><<goto "Archive10">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<if !$mainvent>>\ Main air vent is: Active <<else>>\ WARNING: MAIN AIR VENT AND ALL FANS ARE CURRENTLY INACTIVE <</if>>\ Note: During a power reset, all systems will switch to backup power, however, the main vent and all fans will shut down for approximately six minutes until normal power has been restored. \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive10">><</link>>

<<if visited () is 1>>\ The vent continued, sloping downwards until he came to another metal grill barring his way. He peered through and was surprised to see the inside of the large room he’d seen down in the basement. He got out his screwdriver and made to undo the fixing screws, but they were so rusted with age, the grill simply fell to the floor as soon as he touched it. He climbed out and dropped lithely down – then winced in pain as his body reminded him quite how bruised he was. [[Examine the room|Geo Thermal]] <<else>>\ He came to the end of the passage that led back into the Geothermal room. The grill had already been removed. He dropped down into the room, this time remembering to do it as gently as he was able. [[Climb back out into the room|Geo Thermal]] <</if>>\

Suddenly a red light started flashing on the lift controls and a calm, robotic voice rang out around the lift. “Biological containment check initiated.” A tiny red beam of light proceeded to sweep the lift space from top to bottom. He shut his eyes tightly as it passed over him, but it was just a bright red light. It shut off and the same voice calmly announced: “Biological subject detected. Subjects are blocked from surface access. Returning lift to lower levels.” Before he had a chance to do anything, the lift started moving – but this time it plunged back downwards. Aiden felt the lift descending and was overcome with a bitter sense of disappointment. It seemed that escape wasn’t going to be so easy. Eventually, the lift stopped, the doors opened, and he was back in the den he knew so well. <<set $lift to 3>>\ [[Back in the lift|Aiden main]]

<<if $lift is 10 or lastVisited ("Aiden") is 1>>\ Aiden was standing in the lift. Suddenly it started moving! He was sure he hadn’t pressed anything. The lift began to accelerate up – had Vee tried to send him to the surface? <<else>>\ He tried pushing the button again. As before, the lift accelerated upwards. <</if>>\ Once more, the calm voice announced the ‘biological check’ and the red beam of light swept across the lift. In a moment it had cast its light over the interior – there was nowhere to hide. <<if visited ("jump down")>>The open hatch above him was out of reach. If only he’d stayed up there!<</if>> “Biological subject detected. Subjects are blocked from surface access. Returning lift to lower levels.” Again, Aiden felt the lift descending and felt a bitter sense of disappointment. If he was going to escape, they would have to find a way around this. The lift slowed to a halt. The doors opened and he was back in the den. <<set $lift to 3>>\ [[Back in the lift|Aiden main]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 5 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive5]]<</timed>>

<<if visited ("Archive5")>>\ Vee was excited, “So the username was ‘Alpha’. I typed it in and it worked! Who is ‘Alpha’?” “I don’t know, but that’s the name at the top of the high score table on that old arcade game.” ”I knew that! It looks like there are some more options available now. I’m going to see what they do!” <<elseif $conv is 1>>\ Vee’s face appeared on screen looking a little frustrated. “Have you found anything?” <<if visited ("Play Vaccinator") or visited ("play4")>>\ “Not yet. There’s loads of books in here, but I don’t know what to look for – and there’s nothing much on this computer apart from the old arcade game.” “Ok, well keep looking. I need a name, it has to be five letters, and I think it starts with an ‘A’.” <<else>>\ “Sorry, no idea. I’ll have a look on this computer too just in case there’s something on there.” Aiden had no idea why she expected him to have all the answers! <</if>><<else>>\ <<set $conv to 1>>\ Aiden started talking, “Hey, so what have you found?” “I’m still trying to access this computer. Do you have any more ideas?” “So it has to be five letters? Have you tried ‘admin’?” “Yeah, I tried that one – it didn’t work either. There’s something about the error code though. When I type in ‘admin’ the error code starts with a ‘1’?” “I don’t know if I can help from here, but I’ll keep looking around just in case!” They ended the call determined to find the next piece of this puzzle. <</if>>\

<<if $aidenitems.includes("TIny key") and !$aidenitems.includes("Small magnet") and $misc1 != 1>>\ <<set $misc1 to 1>>\ “Oh and I found a tiny key in your bathroom. What does that unlock?” “What were you doing in my bathroom!?” “Oh! er… nothing! Never mind!” \ <<elseif $aidenitems.includes("Small magnet") and $misc1 != 2>>\ <<set $misc1 to 2>>\ “Also… Ok, don’t hate me, but I went into your room and opened your bedside cabinet. I took one of your little magnets – is that ok?” “Aiden!!!” “Sorry! But it’s important! Probably?” <</if>>\

<<if visited ("Rip the picture off the wall")>>\ <<set $conv to 3>>\ Aiden was animated and a little confused, “Vee! This is so strange. The picture in my room – the one I always thought I drew of you and me… I… I didn’t draw it. This ‘Alpha’ did. They wrote a message on the back. I don’t really know what it means, but there is something about a ‘key’.” “I don’t like this Aiden. I don’t think Father’s been telling us the truth. He’s never mentioned this ‘Alpha’.” “There are some marks on the wall behind the picture. I think there’s something written there, but I can’t see what it says.” “Try searching the abandoned room, I think I left something there that could help. Let me know what you find!” <<else>>\ It was Aiden’s turn to be excited, “Vee! I found a note written in one of the old books! How long do you think that’s been in there and we've never noticed? I’m not sure what it means, but it says that we should ‘Look behind the picture of Echo and I’. Any ideas?” “Echo and I? Do you think there were two of them - just like us? I haven't seen any pictures in here. What about the picture in your room?” <<if $lift gt 0>>\ “No, that’s a picture of you and me.” “…isn’t it?” <<if !visited ("Aiden main")>>\ “…I’ll try the lift and see if it’s working.” <</if>><<else>>\ “The lift is still out. Have a look around where you are and see if there’s a way to get it working.” <</if>><</if>>\ \ <<include "misc">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\ They ended the call, both feeling that the more they looked, the stranger this all got.

<<if $conv is 2>>\ “Aiden, did you manage to find out what ‘H / 117’ means?” “Not yet – but I’ll keep looking!” “Maybe there’s a reference to it in the library?” \ <<if $lift gt 0>>\ “Oh, and the lift should be working again now – just in case you need to search anywhere else!” “Great – thanks Vee!” <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<if !visited ("Aiden 2")>>\ Aiden started talking, he looked worried, “Are you ok Vee?” “The tremors have stopped, but the way back is blocked. I think there’s a way out of here, we just need to figure it out!” “Ok, just let me know how I can help. What have you found?” “There are loads of these big boxes with little flashing lights, I’ve no idea what they are!” “What about the user name? Did you get it working?” “Yes! I tried ‘Alpha’ and it worked! But who is that?” <<else>>\ Vee started talking straight away, “So the admin username was ‘Alpha’. Who is ‘Alpha’?” <</if>>\ “I don’t know, but that’s the name at the top of the high score table on that old arcade game.” <<if visited ("Admin message")>>\ <<set $conv to 2>>\ “I knew that! But… this ‘Alpha’ sounds like they were here before us. They say we can’t trust Father - they say we have to get out!” “Why… why would they say that?” “I don’t know, this is all really strange. They were both silent for a moment until Vee suddenly said, “Does ‘H / 117’ mean anything to you?” “Er, no - nothing, but I’ll look around and see if I can find anything.” \ <<if $lift gt 0>>\ “Oh, and Aiden? I think I managed to get the lift working again!” “Nicely done Vee!” <</if>>\ <<else>>\ “I knew that! But who are they? There are some more options on this thing now, I’ll see what else I can find.” <</if>><</if>>\

<<if $conv is 4 and $veebug is 1>>\ Vee was deep in thought, “So in order to find the right key, you have to enter one of the words from the list.” “I think you can exit and try again – but the key changes each time. Everything I tried just shows an error code with Xs and Os.” “Yeah, so I think the error code is five characters and each character relates to the ‘key’ you entered. I think ‘1’ means right character in the right position.” “So what do the others mean?” “Not sure! I haven't got that far yet!” They ended the call, determined to be the first one to figure it out. <<else>>\ <<set $debugseen to true>>\ It was Aiden’s turn to be excited, Vee had to tell him to slow down as his words tumbled out at double speed… “I found the key! But it’s not a key!! I went down to the old classroom and got your notepad! I used it on the scratches on the wall. It says ‘debug’!” <<if $veebug is 1>>\ <<set $conv to 4>>\ “I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer but it just brought up a load of words. I don’t know what to do next. I think there’s a clue in the error code? The ‘1’s and ‘X’s change depending on what you type in?” <<elseif $aidenbug is 1>>\ <<set $conv to 4>>\ “I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer, but it just brought up a load of words. I don’t know what to do next.” “I think there’s a clue in the error code, but I’m not sure how it works. The ‘1’s and ‘X’s change depending on what you enter. I think maybe it shows which letters are in the right position?” <<if $veebug is 0>>\ “Ooh well done, Aiden! I’m going to try that on the computer in here – we’ll figure this out!” <</if>>\ \ Aiden felt sure that between them, they could find the solution. <<else>>\ <<set $conv to 3.5>>\ “Well done! That was smart!! So what does ‘debug’ mean?” “Well… I think… I have no idea.” \ <<include "misc">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\ They ended the call both determined to find out what ‘debug’ meant. <</if>><</if>>\

Vee started talking in a hushed whisper, <<if $conv != 5>>“Aiden, I climbed through the air vent and found another room! It looks like the ward, but there’s some weird stuff in here.<<if $medread>><<set $conv to 5>> There’s another rat’s cage - it looks like Father has been testing something on them. And there’s an old bone or something in a glass case.<<else>> I still need to have a look around.<</if>>” “What has he been up to?” “I don’t know, but it’s really creepy!” “Just be careful Vee, I'm starting to think this Alpha was right.” <<else>>\ “Have you found a way to open the door yet Aiden?” “Not yet, but I’m on the case!” <</if>>\ <<if $refuse>>\ “I managed to open the doors in the living room. Maybe there'll be something useful inside?” “Oh great, I hate the refuse room!” “Ha! The smell isn’t that bad!” “Says you!” <<include "misc2">>\ <<else>>\ <<if !$refuse or !$surface>>\ “Yeah, I think so too. I think there are some more options on this computer, I’ll keep searching.” <<elseif !$medread>>\ “Yeah, I think so too.” <</if>>\ <<include "misc2">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\ <</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ He clicked the option and Vee’s face flickered into focus. She started talking excitedly, her voice coming through loud and clear on the little computer speaker. Aiden winced and wondered if she’d forgotten she was the one who insisted they were quiet. Aiden put his finger to his lips and she suddenly realised her mistake, eyes wide – clamping her mouth with her hand. They both waited for the inevitable voice that would mean Father had woken up and discovered what they were up to… <<if visited ("Comp5")>>\ <<set $veecomp to true>>\ [[“Father…?”|Commscreen 4]] <<else>>\ [[“Father…?”|Aiden 2]] <</if>>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Comp4">>\ <<if $veecomp>>\ <<if $veeloc is "Commscreen5b">><<set $veeloc to "Comp5">><</if>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Aiden accessed the computer’s ‘Commscreen’. He expected Vee to be waiting for him, but he got no response. He assumed she was exploring the room. He decided to try again once Vee was back at the computer. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp4">><</link>>

Aiden looked annoyed and frustrated; he really hoped Vee could help, <<if visited ("left chute") and $screwdriver lt 4>>\ “I got into the refuse room! It stinks in there! I think there’s something stuck down the chute, but I can’t work out how to get it.” “Can you reach it?” “No, it’s too far down, I’ll need something longer.” <<elseif !visited ("left chute")>>\ <<if $refuse>>\ “I think I managed to open the door to the refuse room. Maybe there'll be something useful inside?” “Oh great, my favourite room.” “Ha! The smell isn’t that bad!” “Says you!” <</if>><</if>>\ <<if $screwdriver is 4>>\ “I found the screwdriver! It was stuck down the refuse chute. The good news is that I managed to dislodge it. The bad news is that it fell, and now I can’t reach it at all.” “Where did it fall?” “All the way to the bottom.” “Maybe you could look for it on the lower level?” \ <<if $screwseen>>\ “I did! I found it stuck in the compost room, but I can’t open the hatch!” “Well, there must be a way to get the compost out – how does Father do it?” “I don’t know. I think he just does something on the computer?” “There you go then!” <</if>>\ Aiden did not look convinced, but he agreed that he wouldn’t give up on it. <<elseif $screwdriver is 5 and !visited ("fix plug")>>\ <<set $conv to 6>>\ “I got the screwdriver! Just… just don’t ask me how. Now I need to see if I can fix the plug in the ward.” “Well done Aiden and good luck! Just try not to electrocute yourself!” \ <<include "misc3">>\ That did not put Aiden at ease. <<elseif !$socket>>\ <<set $conv to 6>>\ “I got the screwdriver! Just don’t ask me how. I tried it on the broken plug in the ward but… I have no idea how to fix a plug!” “Just look it up in the library, There’s bound to be stuff on plugs. Just search under ‘P’.” “Oh, yeah Ok, that could work. What page?” “I’m sure you’ll figure that out Aiden.” Aiden set off to the library to see what he could find on ’plugs’. <</if>>\

The commscreen flickered into life. Vee looked annoyed, “What have you been doing, Aiden? I’m stuck in here!” “I managed to get the computer working in the ward! I had to find my screwdriver and then I had to rewire a plug!” “Ok, well done I guess?” Aiden was hurt. He wasn’t sure Vee appreciated how much effort he’d put in. <<if $research>>\ <<set $conv to 7>>\ “I’ve unlocked the door, try it now” “At last! Ok, thanks Aiden. Sorry I was a bit mean. I’m just a bit freaked out in here.” \ <<if visited ("Medical reports")>>\ “Yeah, me too. There are some medical reports on this computer. It looks like Father has been treating us as test subjects – even the arcade game is a test!” “Ok, that’s decided it then. We have to escape – we’re getting out tonight Aiden!” <</if>>\ They stared at each other, both thinking the same thing: were they really ready to leave their life of safety behind? <<else>>\ “Have you managed to unlock the door yet?” “Hey! Give me time, I only just got the computer working!” Aiden went back to check the options on the computer. He had no idea why Vee was so annoyed with him all the time. <</if>>\

<<if visited ("Take the steps down") and $conv lt 8>>\ Vee was lost in thought, a look of concern on her face, <<set $conv to 8>>\ “Aiden, I found the other side of the basement door!” Aiden’s face lit up. “Oh! I could meet you down there! I could finally help you explore!!” Vee stared at him for a moment, her mind whirring, “I don’t know… I just… I have this feeling that you need to be on that side and I need to be here. I can’t explain it, but I think that’s how we'll find a way out.” Aiden looked frustrated, but before he could say something, Vee continued, “Do you trust me, Aiden?” “Of course I do, Vee.” “Then stay on that side – at least for now. I think we’re nearly there. There must be a solution and between the two of us, I know we can work it out. We’re getting out together, Aiden, I promise!” Aiden looked worried, “Ok, Vee. As long as you promise.” They signed off, both desperately hoping that she was right. <<elseif visited ("Examine Father") or $conv gt 7>>\ Vee was wide-eyed and started talking with a sense of urgency, <<if !$fatherseen>>\ <<set $fatherseen to true>>\ “Aiden! I found Father’s room! He’s inside – but he’s either still asleep or there’s something wrong with him.” “Did he see you!?” “No, I don’t think so. I think he’s recharging – but we need to get out of here before he wakes up!” “Just be really careful, Vee!” <<else>>\ “Father’s still recharging – we need to find a way out of here before he wakes up!” “Just be careful Vee!” <</if>>\ <<include "misc2">>\ <<include "incin">>\ They ended the call feeling like they had both made some significant progress – it was starting to feel like escape was within reach! <</if>>\

<<if $conv lt 9>>\ <<set $conv to 9>>\ Vee gasped, Aiden looked like he’d had a fight with something that had most definitely won, “Vee! I jumped down the incinerator chute!” “Are you ok? Was that how you got so bruised?” “Oh, no that happened when I fell down the air vent.” “Oh Aiden – be careful! Where are you now?” <</if>>\ <<if !visited ("Power reset")>>\ “I’m in the basement again. There’s a room full of generators.” “Ah! I think that’s where you can turn off the power. That should turn off the main vent and all the fans!” <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Power reset")>>\ “Vee! I got into the generator room! There’s a way to turn off the power, but I think it only affects the fans and the main vent – and I don’t think it lasts very long!” “If the main vent was off, I might be able to climb up. We’re going to need to time this right Aiden!” “Make sure you've done everything you need to Vee, I’m going to reset the power!” <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Step inside") and !$treeseen>>\ <<set $treeseen to true>>\ “Oh and Aiden, I found the tree, the one from the farm. But… I think it’s more than that. I think… I don’t know. it’s just a feeling. Look, let's get out – together – and I’ll tell you about it when we’re free.” <<elseif !visited ("Step inside") and !$treeseen>>\ “I still need to check all the rooms up here though.” <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("vent lift")>>\ “Vee! One of the air vents leads to the lift shaft! But it’s too far to jump down to the basement floor.” “Oh I think I can move the lift from Father’s computer!” “Great! Let's try!” <</if>>\ \ They were both excited and just a little terrified. They knew they were ready – now they just needed to execute an escape plan!

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenreturn to "Archive3">>\ STATION 3 Medical reports <<linkreplace "› SUBJECT 1 (FEMALE)">>SUBJECT 1 (FEMALE): VEE Excellent scores in cognitive tests and organisational ability (although shows signs of mild OCD). Until recently, an enthusiastic and academic student, however, has recently become less willing to accept established rules. Genetic diversity rated as: excellent Viral immunity rated as: good Note: With continued testing, could potentially be ready for exposure to new strains.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "› SUBJECT 2 (MALE)">>SUBJECT 2 (MALE): AIDEN Scores within lower limits in cognitive tests and organisational ability. However, is very practically minded and shows surprisingly good test scores when presented with more physical challenges. Respects authoritarian hierarchy. Shows exceptional aptitude for farm management. Genetic diversity rated as: good Viral immunity rated as: average Note: Viral susceptibility is a concern. Check for early symptoms such as inflamed eyes, involuntary crying etc.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "› HAND-EYE COORDINATION TESTS">>HAND-EYE COORDINATION TESTS <<if $arcade is 1>><<set _times to "time">><<else>><<set _times to "times">><</if>>\ ‘Vaccinator’ arcade game played: $arcade _times<</linkreplace>> \ <<link "Back" "Archive3">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 5 Air flow status <<if $fan1>>\ Fan 1: on <<else>>\ Fan 1: off <</if>>\ Fan 1 controlled at: Station 2 <<if $fan2 is true>>\ Fan 2: on <<else>>\ Fan 2: off <</if>>\ Fan 2 controlled at: Station 8 <<if $fan3>>\ Fan 3: on <<else>>\ Fan 3: off <</if>>\ Fan 3 cannot be disabled <<if !$mainvent>>\ Main vent is: on Power status: good <<else>>\ WARNING! Main vent is: off <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Archive5]]

Vee looked up at the vent and down at Father. The vent was far too high for her to reach, unless… Was she actually considering climbing on Father to reach it!? If he woke, there would be no escape. Vee inched towards him. She reached out and touched his metal arm; it was cold and unmoving. Two thoughts fought for attention in her head: Thought one: apart from being completely crazy – it was also quite disrespectful! Thought two: she really wanted to get into that vent and he was the only way up. Vee had a strong suspicion that perhaps a year ago, thought two would never even have entered her head. But Vee had been changing, growing up, and perhaps becoming a bit more rebellious in the process. Today she was going with… [[Thought one|Examine Father]] [[Thought two]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ When Vee made her mind up, there was no going back. Her body moved before her brain made the final decision and she had her foot on Father’s wide hip joint. She did not pause to see if he had woken up. In one swift movement, she grabbed on to the top of his head and pulled herself up until she was balanced on his shoulders. His solid bulk made for a good purchase. He made no sound or sign that he had noticed. She searched around for the clips that held the vent grill in place. She found them and was relieved to see no screws or bolts that would bar her progress. She unclipped the cover and removed it, letting it slam to the floor. She was done being quiet now. With a practised move, she jumped up into the vent and found herself in another square passageway. <<elseif visited ("Air filtration")>>\ Vee couldn’t believe she was going to do this again, especially as she had already managed to open the door to the Air Filtration room. Despite that, she grabbed onto the top of his head and pulled herself up until she was balanced on his shoulders. He made no sound or movement, but she wondered if she was pushing her luck doing this again. With a practised move, she jumped up and crawled into the vent. She found herself back in the square metal passageway. <<else>>\ She couldn’t believe she was going to do this again, but he hadn’t woken up so far… In one swift movement, she grabbed onto the top of his head and pulled herself up until she was balanced on his shoulders. His solid bulk made for a good purchase. He made no sound or sign that he had noticed. With a practised move, she jumped up and crawled into the vent. She found herself back in the square metal passageway. <</if>>\ [[Crawl through the vent]] [[Go back to Father’s room|Examine Father]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee crawled down the narrow space; it turned a corner and she continued on. Unlike the dark vent she had climbed through before, she could see light coming from somewhere up ahead. Soon she came across an opening in the side of the vent, and she crawled up to it. There was a slatted metal covering. She peered through and was surprised to find she was looking down onto the farm. She could see the fruit trees below and the large hole in the ground where the central tree used to stand. It was an unusual view and looking down at it from this height, the farm didn’t seem quite so huge. It made her wonder where Aiden was right now. She tried moving the metal grating, but it wouldn’t budge. <<else>>\ Vee crawled down the narrow space. She could see light coming from somewhere up ahead. Soon she came across the opening in the side of the vent. She peered through and could see the fruit trees below and the large hole in the ground where the central tree used to stand. It made her wonder where Aiden was right now. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenloc is "The tree">>\ <<set $meetup to 1>>\ Suddenly, she saw Aiden walk into view. He was far down below her and seemed to be looking at the trees. She called out to him, but she was too far away. Even so, he stood and looked around. She called again, but he couldn’t hear her. She really missed him! She was determined to find a way out – for both of them. <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Air filtration")>>\ She followed the vent on, finally reaching the exit into the Air Filtration room. She decided that next time, she should probably just use the door. <<else>>\ She tore herself away from the view. There was no way through and she was too high up anyway. She decided to carry on her crawl. Finally, she came to another grill at the far end; the space beyond looked like an entirely new room. She twisted and kicked at the grill – it fell with almost no resistance. <</if>>\ [[Climb out|Air filtration]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden inched forward through the confined vent. The square metal walls were smooth and apart from a thin layer of undisturbed dust, they were surprisingly clean. As he pushed his way forward, the light from the ward behind him diminished until he couldn’t see anything at all. <<if $fan2>>There was a breeze and a vibrating whir coming from somewhere<<else>>The air was still and quiet<</if>>. Eventually, he felt the space start to get wider and the echoing sounds of his progress changed. He felt around the metal walls. He seemed to be in a larger circular space, but the vent appeared to come to a dead-end. <<else>>\ He crawled forward down the narrow metal space, trying his best not to feel scared of the constricting darkness. Eventually, he realised he was back in the larger area that he’d discovered before. <<if $fan2>>There was a breeze and the familiar whir of a fan coming from somewhere <<else>>The air was still and quiet, but he knew there had been another fan nearby<</if>> – surely that meant another exit? But he was literally and figuratively in the dark. <</if>>\ \ <<if visited ("Torch2")>>\ [[Use the torch|Torch2]] <<else>>\ <<if visited ("Corridor")>>\ He knew this vent couldn’t just be a dead end – it had to lead somewhere! <<else>>\ He wondered if there was something he could use to light his way. <</if>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using an item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Working torch">>\ <<goto "Torch2">>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<goto "Torch">>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to use the magnet, it stuck to the walls, but he wasn’t sure how that helped him.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>There wasn’t any light for him to draw.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Old key" or $select is "Tiny metal key">>\ <<replace "#output">>He thought about scratching arrows into the metal walls, but with no light, that wasn’t going to help.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Fuse">>\ <<replace "#output">>He wondered if the fuse might light up somehow. He gave it a good squeeze, but nothing happened.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\ <<replace "#output">>He waved the handle about, but with nothing to attach it to, it didn’t help him much at all.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He wondered if he could leave a trail through the vents so he could find his way back, but he wasn’t sure he had enough twine.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<replace "#output">>He waved the screwdriver around, but there was nothing to unscrew.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ [[Crawl back to the ward|Left passage]]

Aiden fished out the small torch he’d found and flicked the switch… Nothing happened. Dammit! And he’d thrown the only working battery down the incinerator chute! He felt sure there was more to find here. <<if $fan2>>That breeze must be coming from somewhere.<<else>>The breeze he felt previously had now stopped, but it must have come from somewhere.<</if>> However, without a light source, he had no idea. [[Crawl back to the ward|Left passage]]

He turned and slowly made his way back through the narrow vent, back the way he’d come. Finally, he started to see light coming from somewhere up ahead and was relieved to see the exit leading back into the ward. [[Climb out|Ward]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden fumbled around in the dark for his torch. He flicked the switch, this time making sure to point the light away from him. He let out a small sigh of relief; it still worked! <</if>>\ He was in a large circular space, around two or three meters across. Behind him, the vent led back the way he’d come. The ceiling was very low and there was no room to crouch, let alone stand. The floor was featureless metal and reflected the light back at him. The ceiling was the same apart from a dark hole in the centre. \ <<if visited () is 1>>\ He shone the torch upwards. Ah ha! Another vent shaft extended up into the darkness. <</if>>\ [[Climb up the vertical shaft|Climb up the new vent]] [[Crawl back to the ward|Left passage]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ It was an awkward squeeze, but he managed to stand up in this new vent shaft. He shone the torch upwards; it looked like it went up a couple of meters and then turned ninety degrees again. However, there was a large fan blocking the way. <<else>>\ Aiden was standing in the narrow vertical shaft. Above him, a large fan blocked his way. <</if>>\ <<if $fan2>>\ He shone the torch around. There was a large ‘2’ written on the wall. The fan blades whirred smoothly, blowing air in his face. There would be no way past until they could turn it off. <<if $wait>>\ <<set $wait to false>>\ He waited in the cramped dark space, hoping that Vee would somehow find a way to turn the fan off. <</if>>\ \ [[Wait|Climb up the new vent][$wait to true]] <<set $lift to 3>><<else>>\ He shone the torch around. There was a large ‘2’ written on the wall. The fan had stopped, he looked up at it nervously. He braced himself against the metal walls and attempted to climb up. The fan blades were large enough for him to squeeze through the gap. He pulled himself through as quickly as possible, terrified that the blades might start moving at any second. He did not like that one bit! Once that was done, he looked back up. Because the vent was so narrow, he was able brace himself with his arms and legs on either side to keep inching up. It was actually easier to climb than he thought. Even so, he felt himself start to sweat with the exertion, and soon his hands became slippery on the smooth metal surface. [[Keep climbing up|Going up]] <</if>>\ [[Head back to the ward|Left passage]]

<<if !$aidenitems.includes("Broken handle")>>\ Aiden opened the cabinet and the entire contents spilled out over the floor. It was filled with useful things like toilet rolls, soaps and other toiletries. It was also filled with some questionable items that Aiden wasn’t entirely sure belonged in there. Vee called it ‘old junk’, but he felt a certain affinity to the strange odds and ends he found around the den. For some reason, they made him feel more at home. There were a few lightbulbs that didn’t work anymore, a jar of his favourite preserves (the contents long since emptied), a broken handle he’d found on his explorations and a bunch of old toothbrushes he thought might come in handy one day. <<linkreplace "Take the broken handle">>He had found this on one of his many travels around the den but had yet to find a use for it.<<run $aidenitems.push("Broken handle")>><</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ The cabinet was open and the contents were strewn across the floor. Aiden briefly considered trying to cram everything back in, but bizarrely he suspected there was now more on the floor than could ever fit inside. He decided to worry about it later. He had already taken the broken handle he found here. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the bathroom" "Bathroom Upper">><</link>>

<<if $incinerator>>\ <<if lastVisited ("Flick the switch") is 1>>\ He unbolted the door and heaved the ancient thing open. It slowly opened wide, revealing the basement corridor. He breathed a sigh of relief. <<else>>\ Aiden was at the end of the corridor by the door to the incinerator. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ The door was open and he had managed to retrieve the battery from inside. He did not wish to ever go back in that room if he could help it. <<if !visited ("Geo Thermal") and !visited ("Push on")>>\ Now he’d managed to get the torch working, Aiden wondered if he could finally explore the air vent in the ward. <<elseif !visited ("Geo Thermal")>>\ At least he’d finally managed to get the torch working. <</if>>\ <<else>>\ He searched around for a way to open it, but couldn’t find anything at all. He had already used the broken handle to turn the incinerator off. He looked through the smeared glass. He knew the incinerator took up much of the room, but he couldn’t see anything at all in there now the flames were extinguished. The battery was still inside. He felt sure there must be a way to retrieve it! <</if>>\ <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ Aiden carried on down the dark corridor. The heat began to rise as he progressed, as did the orange glow that seemed to emanate from the very walls; his skin prickled with perspiration. Eventually, he came to a dead end – a large flat surface that filled the corridor from edge to edge. Set into it, a square of thick glass cast a rich orange light over the nearby walls. He reached out; it was warm to the touch. There was a sound like a deep hiss coming from behind it. He felt sure that this was a door – there must be a way to open it! He searched around, but found nothing. He wiped the glass with his sleeve so he could see inside. <<else>>\ Aiden was at the end of the corridor, by the door to the incinerator. He searched around for a way to open it but found nothing. Through the smeared glass, he could see a dark room lit from within by a fiery glow coming from a large pit in the centre. Above it, there was the end of some sort of metal chute. Littered around the pit were small objects that must have bounced around and fallen beyond the pit. One of these small items looked very much like Vee’s battery. <</if>>\ <<if !$incinerator>>\ [[Look through the window|Incinerator]] <</if>>\ [[Back up the corridor|Corridor]]

Aiden retrieved the broken handle. He still had no idea where he’d found it, but when he tried placing it in the slot it seemed to fit surprisingly well. The handle was pointing upwards in what he assumed was the ‘on’ position. He really hoped that if he pulled the handle, maybe the door would open. [[Pull the handle]] [[Back to the door|Incinerator door]]

<<set $incinerator to true>>\ Aiden pulled the handle. It wouldn’t move. There was no way that he would let this beat him. He tried again, pulling as hard as he could, and this time he felt it budge a little. He braced his legs against the wall, grabbed the handle with both hands and put all his weight on it. There was a creaking, cracking sound and then… Snap! The handle broke off in his hands… but not before flipping down to the ‘off’ position. He waited for the door to finally open, but it stayed resolutely, firmly shut. However, the loud hissing sound from behind the door gradually began to quieten and the orange glow pouring from the small window started to fade. He turned back to the door and peered in, but it was now too dark to see anything inside. He tried banging on the door, but frustratingly, the door was not in the least bit interested. [[Back to the door|Incinerator door]]

He eventually found something that might be the right size and shape. He grabbed the torch, fumbling around in the pitch-black. He managed to unscrew the end and tried to insert the object he found. It wouldn’t fit at all. Either the battery had been damaged on its journey down the chute or that wasn’t the battery. He tried searching around for another candidate. [[Pick up the thing that feels battery sized|Battery]] [[Pick up the small shape that might be a battery|Battery]] [[Pick up the tube shaped object|Battery]]

His hands moved blindly, his knees swishing through ash. He was starting to panic. He did NOT like the idea of being trapped down here forever in the dark! He started to imagine sounds around him – things that weren’t him. His hands found something else. Fear was starting to take hold now and his hands shook as he tried to insert it into the torch. This one fit! Relief and hope flooded his mind and he switched the torch on… Nothing. Of course it didn’t work. What had he been thinking!? He was trapped down here in the dark, destined to spend… …he had a sudden brainwave, like a flash going off in his head. Something he remembered Father saying in one of his lessons about ‘polarity’? [[Try putting the battery in the other way around]]

He tried to slow his shaking hands as he pulled the battery out, turned it and gently, put it back in. This was it, the moment of truth. He stopped for a second before trying the switch. In this brief instant, he still had hope. If this didn’t work, he was in trouble. Maybe it would be better just to live in this moment of hope forever? <<timed 2.5s t8n>>[[Flick the switch]]<</timed>>

<<run $aidenitems.push("Working torch")>>\ <<set $aidenitems.delete("Torch")>>\ AAaagh!! <<timed 1s t8n>>The torch was pointing directly into his eyes and he was momentarily blinded. At least it worked! He blinked away the large orange spots from his vision and waved the torchlight around the room. It was larger inside than it had looked through the window. The chute above headed up into darkness; it was too high to reach – he wouldn’t be climbing back up that way. He looked back at the large, iron pit nearby. It took up most of the centre of the room – the thick metal sides looked menacing. If he had landed on those… he shuddered to think. There was charcoal and ash spread out everywhere, evidence of his dramatic landing. With all the debris lying around, it was a wonder he’d managed to find the battery at all. Across the room was the large metal door he’d originally peered through. On this side, he could see that it was secured with a large metal bolt. [[Unlock the door|Incinerator door]] <</timed>>

<<if $vent lte 2>>\ Vee crawled into the duct. It bent and buckled as she clambered inside, giving her the uneasy sensation of being swallowed whole. Soon she was pulling herself upwards as she neared the central opening where all the ducts converged. She came to a plastic iris that she forced her way through and pulled herself up onto a solid ledge. Regaining her breath, she looked around. She found herself in a large space – large enough for her to stand upright. Four more ducts connected to the same room. The air was warm, yet she shivered. She had the strangest feeling that she’d just climbed into the belly of some great beast. She looked up and was shocked to see a huge fan suspended a few feet above her head, easily five or six times her size. Beyond the fan, a vast shaft extended upward into the distance. But she had run out of time. There was no way she’d be able to climb up and past that huge fan before it started up again. She had no choice but to head back. [[Climb back down to the Air filtration room|Air filtration]] <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ Vee crawled into the duct. It bent and buckled as she clambered inside, giving her the uneasy sensation of being swallowed whole. Soon she was pulling herself upwards as she neared the central opening where all the ducts converged. She came to a plastic iris that she forced her way through and pulled herself up onto a solid ledge. Regaining her breath, she looked around. She found herself in a large space – large enough for her to stand upright. Four more ducts connected to the same room. The air was warm, yet she shivered. She had the strangest feeling that she’d just climbed into the belly of some great beast. She looked up and was shocked to see a huge fan suspended a few feet above her head, easily five or six times her size. Thankfully, the massive blades were still. Beyond the fan, a vast shaft extended upward into the distance. <<else>>\ Vee crawled back into the duct. It was hard going, but she’d done it before. Soon she was pulling herself back up to the plastic iris. Once more she forced her way through and pulled herself up onto a solid ledge. She got her breath back and looked around. Four more ducts joined the same room. She looked up at the massive fan above her head. Beyond it, a huge shaft extended up into the distance. She was just able to curl her fingers around the top edge of one of the blades. <</if>>\ <<if $aidenfree and $apple gt 0 and $vent gt 1>>\ She had a feeling, a knowledge and confidence she couldn’t explain. It told her to climb. [[Jump up and grab the fan blade|Climb into the air vent]] <<elseif $aidenfree and $vent gt 1>>\ She had a feeling that Aiden had made it out. But she felt there was something important that she’d missed… [[Climb back down to the Air filtration room|Air filtration]] [[Jump up and grab the fan blade|Climb into the air vent]] <<elseif $vent gte 1>>\ She had a feeling, a knowledge she couldn’t explain. If she climbed up now, there would be no way back – and Aiden was still depending on her… [[Climb back down to the Air filtration room|Air filtration]] <</if>>\

At that moment, the sound they had been expecting all night suddenly filled the air. Father’s voice seemed to come from all around them. Surprisingly it was not full of anger; it was gentle, almost sorrowful. “I do not blame you for trying to leave.” “If you come home, I will not punish you. All will be forgiven.” <<if visited ("Step inside")>>\ “You chose not to take from the tree. You belong back home in the safety of the den.” <<else>>\ “You chose to follow the rules and avoided the VCU. You know you belong back home in the safety of the den.” <</if>>\ “But if you go now, you will never be able to return.” They both looked at each other. They did not need to discuss it. [[Leave the den|End1]] [[Return to the den]]

A while ago, Father had asked him to fix the shelf. He thought he’d done a decent job at the time, but looking at it now… well maybe it wasn’t his finest work. Perhaps, he thought, it was the earthquake that had knocked it at that angle? <<if visited () is 1>>\ <<if $screwdriver is 0>><<set $screwdriver to 1>><</if>>\ He vaguely remembered leaving his screwdriver (the one with the bright yellow handle) on that shelf. He’d told himself that he would put it away later – and had then forgotten all about it. He looked at the slope of the shelf and followed it down as if watching a small, rolling object. Directly beneath was the open toilet. Oops! He looked down, but the toilet bowl was empty. <<elseif $screwdriver is 5>>\ He had left his screwdriver on the sloping shelf. It must have dropped into the toilet and then been flushed away. Thankfully, he had finally managed to retrieve it. It had certainly been on quite a journey. <<elseif $screwdriver is 4>>\ He had left his favourite screwdriver on the sloping shelf. It must have dropped into the toilet and been flushed down to the refuse area! <<else>>\ He vaguely remembered leaving his favourite screwdriver on the sloping shelf. Directly beneath was the open toilet. He suspected the screwdriver had been flushed away. <</if>>\ <<link "Back to the bathroom" "Bathroom Upper">><</link>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veeloc to "Comp6">>\ <<if $aidencomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Vee tried the commscreen, but there was no reply. She assumed Aiden was searching elsewhere. She knew that once he’d logged on to one of the other computers, she’d be able to talk to him again. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Comp6">><</link>>

<<if $boom>><<set $boom to false>><</if>>\ <<if visited () is 1>>\ Aiden moved over to the computer and turned it on. Nothing happened – this wasn’t a surprise. He examined the computer closely for signs of damage, but it seemed fine – not that he had the slightest idea how to repair a computer. A single cable trailed out the back, wound down behind the desk and ended in a plug socket attached to the wall. Aiden bent low and had a look at the plug. There was a faint smell of burnt plastic. Hmmm. Was that repairable? He wished he’d paid more attention to Father’s electricity lessons. To fix the plug, he’d have to open it up and that would mean he’d have to find a screwdriver somewhere. He wondered if Vee knew anything about fixing plugs. <<else>>\ Aiden tried turning the computer on again, but it still didn’t work. The computer itself seemed to be ok. Aiden suspected that it was the plug itself that was the problem. <<if $screwdriver gt 4>>The screwdriver he had finally managed to recover should prove handy here. <<else>>If he was going to try to repair it, he’d need to find a screwdriver. <</if>> <<if $socket>> At least now he knew what to do once he got it open.<<else>>Even then, he had no idea how to fix a plug!<</if>> <</if>>\ <<if visited ("fix plug")>>\ [[Use the screwdriver again|fix plug]] <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Try using something">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<goto "fix plug">>\ <<elseif $select is "Fuse">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden wasn’t really sure what a fuse actually was. He tried prodding the plug with it, but that did no good.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried wrapping the plug with twine to somehow force it open but gave up when nothing happened.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried to lever the plug open with the broken handle, but it wasn’t really fit for the job.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried using the small magnet on the plug. The magnet did nothing to the plastic plug itself and it wasn’t powerful enough to pull the screws out.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried shining the torch in order to get a better view, but it refused to switch on.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Tiny metal key" or $select is "Old key">>\ <<replace "#output">>He considered pulling the plug out and inserting the key into the socket, but even with his limited understanding of electricity, this seemed like a very bad idea.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil" and $socket>>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried drawing the rewiring diagram from memory, and that actually seemed to help. It didn’t help with opening up the plug though.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He shut his eyes and imagined finding a way to open up the plug. When he looked down at what he’d drawn… it looked very much like a screwdriver.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

Aiden unplugged it from the wall and carefully undid the screws. He opened it up to find a mess of wires and charred plastic. It looked like the wires had eroded so much that it was impossible to tell what was supposed to go where. There was another thing in there too, but it was so blackened, he wasn’t sure what it was. <<if $socket>>\ He tried to recall the right diagram from the information he’d read in the library. He knew he just had to strip out the ends of the wires and put them back the right way around. Even so, he still felt a little nervous as he inserted each wire into position. Then he just needed to replace the little charred thing with something. <<linkreplace "Replace the charred item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Fuse">>\ <<goto "Fuse fix">>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He was fairly sure that if he used the twine to rewire the plug it wouldn’t go well.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried shining some light on the situation. It didn’t work. Mainly because the torch wasn’t working.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden didn’t think the handle would even fit inside!<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried using the small magnet. It attached to the metal, but it didn’t fit inside.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Tiny metal key" or $select is "Old key">>\ <<replace "#output">>He considered inserting the key into the plug, but even with his limited understanding of electricity, this seemed like a bad idea.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried drawing the blackened object that he’d removed. It looked familiar.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<replace "#output">>He had already opened the plug using the screwdriver.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>That didn’t work<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ However, he didn’t really know what he was doing. The inside was such a burned-out mess, he wasn’t sure which way round the wires went. He would just have to take a guess! Normally, that would have been enough; he would have taken the risk with no further thought. But tonight was different – tonight mattered. He couldn’t rely on Father to fix anything that went wrong. [[Take a guess]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 3 Medical research access <<if !$research>>\ [[› Medical research: locked|Door control 2][$research to true]] <<else>>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>Medical research door is now unlocked<</type>><</if>>\ VCU is locked and sealed Unlock via: Station 7 \ [[Back|Archive3]]

<<if $plugfixed>>\ Aiden looked under ‘P’ for ‘plug’ to see if there was some information on how to rewire one. However, he had already managed to fix the plug in the ward. It was probably a little late to check he’d done it right. Fortunately for him, the computer was still working ok. <<elseif visited () is 1>>\ Aiden knew that he’d have to rewire the plug in the ward somehow. Usually, he would just take a guess, and if it went wrong he’d pretend it didn’t matter. But there he was, looking under ‘P’ for ‘plug’ to see if there was some information on how to rewire one. It took him a while to find the right page, but at least he knew exactly what he was looking for. Annoyingly, it turned out that there were several types of plugs. <<else>>\ Aiden refreshed his memory about ‘plugs’ – just to be sure! <</if>>\ <<if visited ("fix plug") and !$plugfixed>>\ <<set $socket to true>>\ Fortunately, he’d already managed to find the screwdriver and open up the plug to look inside, so he knew what he was dealing with. He found the right image and tried his best to memorise the correct position of each wire. Once he felt certain he had everything he needed, he closed the book and set off back to the ward to give it his best try. <<link "Go straight to the ward" "Ward">><</link>> <<elseif !$plugfixed>>\ <<set $socket to true>>\ There might be two wires or three, there might even be other components. Without seeing inside it, he couldn’t be sure which diagram to follow. What would Vee do he thought? She would probably memorise all of them! But when he tried, his brain just muddled the colours of the wires and the order they went in. There were too many variations! Then he had an idea. He imagined each diagram as a view of the farm. He imagined himself going back and forth to check on certain crops. Each time in different orders and positions according to the different diagrams. For some reason, that seemed to stick. He was now a plug-fixing mastermind! <</if>>\ [[Back|Library]]

<<set $aidenitems.delete("Fuse")>>\ <<set $plugfixed to true>>\ Aiden fished out the little fuse he’d found in the classroom. He switched it out with the old blackened one and was relieved to see it fit snugly. When he was happy that it all looked about right, he screwed the plug back together. He then inserted it into the socket and waited for it to explode. Or possibly set on fire. Such was his usual luck. [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

<<if $surface and !visited ("robot voice") and $misc2 != 1>>\ <<set $misc2 to 1>> “Oh! And I think I’ve managed to turn the lift on!” “It’s already on Vee, I’ve been using it.” “No, I mean it should now go all the way up to the surface!” “Woah – what!? How? And what if it works? I’m not leaving you behind, Vee.” “Don’t worry about me, I think there’s another way out around here. Maybe through the main vent? Good luck – let me know what happens!” “You too, Vee.” <<elseif $surface and visited ("robot voice") and $misc2 != 2>>\ <<set $misc2 to 2>>\ “So…? Did you try the lift?” “I tried. It won’t let me up. It scans the lift and says something about ‘biological subjects’ then it just comes back down.” “Dammit! I thought that would work!” <</if>>\

<<if $conv gt 4.1 and ($aidenloc is "Commscreen2" or $aidenloc is "Comp2")>>\ Aiden looked pleased with himself, but he had to wait a few moments to get his breath back, “Ok, I found Station 2 – it’s the one on the farm!” “Great – did you manage to turn the fan off yet?” “Give me a chance! I only just got here!” <<else>>\ <<set $conv to 4.1>>\ They were both so excited they struggled to keep their voices quiet. <<if $veebug is 2 and $aidenbug is 2>>\ “I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer. It came up with a list of words. I found the right one and managed to access a new menu!” “I got it working too! I’m going to try it on all of them and see what else I can find!” <<elseif $veebug is 2 and $aidenbug lt 2>>\ “Aiden! I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer. It came up with a list of words. I found the right one and managed to access a new menu! You should try it on the other computers and see if it works!” “Oh, well done! So how does it work?” “Type in one of the words, then it shows an error code. ‘1’ means right letter, right position and an ‘X’ means that letter isn’t in the answer. You get six tries, but if you reset, the ‘key’ changes!” “Vee – you’re a genius! I’ll give it a try on some of the computers over here!” <<elseif $aidenbug is 2 and $veebug lt 2>>\ “I tried ‘debug’ on the computer. It came up with a list of words. I found the right one and managed to access a new menu! I found some useful info, you should try it too!” “Amazing! So how does it work?” “Just pick a word from the list and then look at the error code. ‘1’ means right letter, right position and ‘X’ means that letter isn’t in it at all. I’m not sure about the ‘O’s yet. You get six tries, but you can just reset if you need to.” “Aiden! you’re a genius!!” Aiden wasn’t sure if Vee was being sarcastic, but for the first time in a long time, she actually seemed to mean it! <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Climb in") and !visited ("Medical research 1")>>\ <<set $conv to 4.2>>\ “Oh and there’s an air vent in here. I think that might be my way out, but there’s a big fan blocking my way. <<if visited ("Vent5")>> According to this computer ‘fan 1’ is controlled at ‘Station 2’. Go look for Station 2 and see if you can turn the fan off!<<else>> I’m going to have another look on the computer in here – maybe there’s a way to turn the fan off.<</if>>” <<if visited ("Vent5")>>“Right, I'm on my way!”<<else>>“Ok, just let me know what you find!”<</if>> <<elseif !visited ("Climb in")>>\ “I’m going to keep exploring, there has to be a way out somewhere!” \ <</if>>\ <<include "misc">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\ <</if>>\

<<set $conv to 4.3>>\ Aiden tried to act cool, but he couldn’t keep it up; he was too excited, “I found Station 2! It’s in the farm!! I’ve turned off the air vent – try it now!” “Well done, Aiden! I’ll go take a look!” \ <<include "miscdebug">>\ <<include "misc">>\ <<include "misc2">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\

She waited. He stood there silently. She wasn’t sure what to do. She dared to move a little closer. Just standing there in front of him, she had such conflicted feelings. Here was Father, who had looked after them, nurtured them and kept them safe all their lives. Other than Aiden, she had never known any other friend or parent. She loved him like any child loves their father. And yet… if ‘Alpha’ was to be believed, Father had no love for them. She struggled to accept that was true. She still wasn’t sure, but she had a suspicion that whilst he would always look after them, he would never let them leave. And tonight was their first and possibly only chance to escape. [[Examine Father]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 8 Air flow status Vent control: Fan 2 <<if $fan1>>\ Fan 1: on <<else>>\ Fan 1: off <</if>>\ Fan 1 controlled at: Station 2 <<if $fan2>>\ [[› Fan 2: on|Vents final][$fan2 to false]] Air flow is normal <<elseif $vent is 0>>\ [[› Fan 2: off|Vents final][$fan2 to true]] Warning: air flow reduced <<else>>\ Fan 2: off <</if>>\ <<if $fan3>>\ Fan 3: on Fan 3 cannot be disabled <<else>>\ Fan 3: off <</if>>\ <<if !$mainvent>>\ Main vent is: on Power status: good Air filtration status: fully operational. Note: Bunker is operating in low power mode. Any loss of power will completely shut down the main vent and all fans. <<else>>\ WARNING! MAIN VENT IS DISABLED <</if>>\ \ [[Back|Archive9]]

She stepped through to find herself in the middle of a wide, unlit corridor. She wondered if there was a light switch somewhere, but then as if by magic, bright white lights flickered on above her. They turned on one by one down the corridor, revealing a clean, white space that led down to a large metal door at the far end. There were two doors on either side of the corridor, including the door she’d just emerged from. She turned; in the other direction, she could see the thin outline of another door at the end. There was something cold and clinical about this new area – it felt very different from the rest of the den. She felt uneasy here for some reason. [[Examine the doors]]

<<if visited ("Take the steps down")>>\ Vee walked up to the doorway. She knew where this eventually led to. Stepping through that door would lead down to the safety of the den she knew so well… and Aiden. She missed him, but that felt like giving up. Was she ready to give in now when she’d come so far? <<else>>\ She walked down to the far end of the corridor. The door here was larger and sturdier than the others and looked older too. As she approached, the light above the door flashed briefly and the door slowly opened, making a grinding noise as it did so. Beyond the door, she could see a set of concrete steps that led down. <</if>>\ [[Take the steps down|Steps down]] [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

<<set $screwdriver to 5>>\ Vee was back in the clean, white corridor. The lights had turned off in her absence and they flickered back on as soon as she stepped through the door. Including the door she’d just walked through, there were six doors she could access from here. \ <<if $vent gt 3 and $apple gt 0 and $aidenfree>>\ The timer was counting down – she knew she didn’t have long. <<elseif $vent gt 3 and $apple gt 0>>\ The timer was counting down, but she had to find a way to help Aiden to escape! <<elseif $vent gt 3 and $apple is 0>>\ Vee wondered if she had time to check the ‘VCU’ before she made her escape. <<if $vent lt 25>><<set $vcu to true>><</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<include "White doors">>

She stepped through the door. She turned and watched as it slowly closed behind her, taking with it, any chance either of them had of escaping. A part of her still hoped that they could find a way out. She met up with Aiden – they had never been so pleased to see each other! They both spent the rest of the night exploring their options, but they were blocked at every turn. In the end, they both agreed that perhaps, after all that adventure, they weren’t quite ready to leave their safe, if limited life at home. They decided to ignore the strange messages they had found and put their trust in Father. He would look after them. As the years went by, they would always talk of that fateful night; when simple decisions steered the course of their lives. They had chosen a life of safety and security over… well, they would never know what. They both secretly dreamed of an entire world of possibilities that might exist outside the den. But they never admitted their dreams to each other, and they never managed to return to that hidden part of the den again. <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>>

She stood there for a moment, thinking. Everything she had ever known was contained within the den. But there was something inside her that needed more… What was the point of learning about a world they would never see? Whatever lay in store outside the confines of her home, she would take the risk. She was missing Aiden terribly, but she swore to herself that she would find a way to get them both out. She walked quickly back down the rubble-strewn corridor and back up the steps. She stood before the door and its overhead sensor. To her relief, it opened and she stepped back into the white corridor. [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

<<set _count to 0>>\ <h3>MORE INFO</h3>WHAT IS THIS? This is a text-based interactive story – it contains elements of adventure, mystery, and some puzzle solving too! You should never find yourself in a position where you’re unable to complete the game. Even if you make a choice that ends the game early, you’ll be given the chance to go back a few steps and try something else. Allow around 2 hours to play through from start to finish (but your mileage may vary). The game autosaves at key points and you can also manually save the game whenever you want. Use the ‘saves’ button in the sidebar to save, load – or load the most recent autosave. On mobile screens, the sidebar will be hidden. Just use the arrow in the top left corner to show or hide it. At a certain point in the game, there will be an important option in there that you’ll need to use. A complete guide and walkthrough is available <a href="extra/walkthrough.html" target="_blank">here</a> if needed. <<linkreplace "Mild content warnings (could be considered spoilers)">>Content warnings: • Contains Christian religious references • Contains references to the Covid pandemic<</linkreplace>> CREDITS \ <<if !$ver>><<set $ver to 1.02>><</if>>\ The Den: v$ver (Created in Twine) All game content created by Ben Jackson <<link "©">><<set _count ++>><<if _count gt 4>><<set $devmode to true>><</if>><</link>>2024 Note: No generative AI has been used at any stage of the process. The story, code and cover image were all created by hand. TESTERS A big thank you to the beta testers who played and helped to improve the game: \ • Daniel Stelzer • Anne Stagg • Tabitha • Aster Fialla <<if $kuwac>>• Miss Gosling <</if>>\ [[Back|Intro]]

<<if !$research>>\ Vee walked over to the door. It looked very solid. She gripped the central handle and twisted, but it wouldn’t budge at all. <<elseif visited ("Act 3")>>\ Vee stepped through the door and back into the clinical white corridor she’d come from. [[Step through|Corridor main]] <<else>>\ Vee moved towards the door and tried the circular handle. To her surprise, it moved. She grabbed the handle with both hands and twisted. It moved slowly and she could hear a hiss of air as the seals around the door released. Soon the door was unlocked and she pushed it open. [[Step through|Act 3]] <</if>>\ [[Back to the room|Medical research 2]]

Vee cautiously explored the room. There were several metal storage cabinets along one wall and a glass box that reminded her of the rat’s cage they’d once had. Standing alone in the centre of the room was a large glass tank with something floating in a transparent liquid. <<linkreplace "Look inside the metal cabinets">>Vee examined one of the metal cabinets; it was smooth and cold to the touch. There was a handle on the front. She gave it a tug and the door swung open. It was even colder inside, and lit from within, she saw rows of small glass bottles full of a blue liquid. Each one had a label on it which read ‘Vaccine’ followed by a version number – all of them different. <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "Examine the glass tank">>She walked over to the glass tank and peered inside. There was an object floating there; something beige and discoloured. It looked like a curved piece of wood, but she couldn’t be entirely sure. There was something unsettling about it. Below the tank was a printed label which read: Master DNA specimen: pre-virus Human Costae (re. thoracic cavity). Single source for all BioGenesis clone samples Original Human DNA (No viral damage, mutation or CRISPR modification) Viral immunity rated at approximately 31% <</linkreplace>> \ <<linkreplace "Examine the glass box">><<set $medread to true>>There was a large glass box by the wall. It was filled with straw and looked similar to the one they used to keep their pet rats in. She had a look around, but it was empty; the previous occupants had long since vanished.<</linkreplace>> [[Back|Medical research 2]]

Vee walked down the corridor and looked at each of the doors in turn. She started at the door at the end of the corridor nearest to her. Above it, a sign read: ‘Server room’. As she moved towards it, a tiny light flashed above the door. Then it hissed and gently slid into the wall. She peered through; beyond was the large room with the metal boxes and flashing lights; at least she knew she could return there if she needed to. She turned back to the corridor and looked at the other doors. Each of them had a small sign above it. The door she had originally stepped through read ‘Medical research’. Next to that, another door read ‘VCU’. At the far end, there was a large and heavy-looking metal door that looked older than the others. The sign above it read ‘Living quarters’. On the other side of the corridor, the door read: ‘Air filtration’. Finally, next to it was another door titled: ‘Recharge’. <<include "White doors">>

<<if !visited ("Air filtration")>>\ She stepped up to the door and waited for it to magically open. Nothing happened. She looked up at the little light above it. This one looked damaged; the light didn’t blink on when she got near. She tried the door itself, but it wouldn’t open. [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]] <<else>>\ Vee had already managed to unlock the door – she stepped back into the ‘Air filtration' room. [[Air filtration]] [[Back to the corridor|Corridor main]] <</if>>

She stepped forward and another tiny light above the door flashed. After a moment, the door began to creak open. Ah! She realised that she recognised this door! Beyond were the emergency stairs that led back to the den she knew so well. So this was how Father got to the ‘secret’ area! Then she realised something else. If she stepped through, the door would close behind her, and she knew that there was no sensor on the other side. She would be back home and back in the safety of the den, but she would be locked out of this new area. Her intuition told her that any chance they had of escaping was on this side of the door. She could choose to give up; to reunite with Aiden and go back to the safety and security of their life in the den. Or she could choose to risk everything for the chance of escape and turn back the way she’d come. [[Turn back|Back up]] [[Step through the door]]

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 7 VCU (Viral Containment Unit) <<if !$vcu>>\ VCU is locked Unlock? Y/N <<textbox "_input" "" autofocus>> <<button "ENTER">>\ <<if ["y", "yes", "ok"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<set $vcu to true>><<goto "VCU access">>\ <<elseif ["n", "no"].includes(_input.replaceAll(/[^\w-]/g, "").toLowerCase())>>\ <<goto "Archive7">>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Command not recognised<</replace>>\ <</if>>\ <</button>> <<else>>\ <<type 10ms skipkey "Enter">>VCU has been unlocked<</type>> <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>WARNING: Proceed with caution.<</type>><</if>>\ \ [[Back|Archive7]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ Vee walked up to the door. It didn’t open automatically. It looked like the little sensor was broken. She examined the door itself; it looked like she could unlock it manually. She did so and hauled the door open – it was a lot heavier than it looked without the automatic motors. Beyond it, she saw the familiar white corridor she’d come from. <<else>>\ She had already unlocked the door, it was still open. <</if>>\ [[Step out into the corridor|Corridor main]] [[Back to the room|Air filtration]]

“What’s that voice, Aiden – did you do something?” “Look, we don’t have much time, I’ve reset the power, but it will turn on again soon. This is your chance to escape!” “I’m not leaving without you, Aiden.” “You have to – one of us should be free! It should be you, Vee.” “There must be a way out for you – what about the lift?” “No, I’ve tried – it won’t go up if there’s someone inside.” “I won’t climb up until I know you’re safe too. Keep searching, there must be a way!” “There is one more place I haven't been to yet. There’s a vent in the generator room. I think there’s another passage in there. <<if visited ("Fan 3")>> It was blocked by a fan, but maybe that’s stopped now?<</if>>” \ <<if $apple gt 0 and !$treeseen>>\ <<set $treeseen to true>>\ “Oh and Aiden, I found the tree, the one from the farm. But… I think it’s more than that. I think… I don’t know. it’s just a feeling. Look, let's get out – together – and I’ll tell you about it when we’re free.” <<elseif !$treeseen>>\ <<if visited ("Step inside")>>\ “Ok. Good luck! Oh, and there’s another room up here, the ‘VCU’ – I think that’s where Father put the tree from the farm? I feel drawn to it but I’m not sure why?” <<else>>\ “Ok. Good luck! I still need to check inside the ‘VCU’ – I should just have enough time.” <</if>><</if>>\ \ They knew the timer was counting down. They had a narrow window and it was closing fast. They refused to say goodbye – there had to be a way for them both to escape!

<<if visited () is 1>>\ He peered through the dirty glass to see a room lit from within by a rich, fiery glow. It was coming from a large iron pit in the centre. Flames occasionally flickered around the edge and their dancing light bathed the walls. That also seemed to be where the hissing sound emanated from. Above it, he could see the lower end of some sort of metal chute. Littered around the pit were small objects that had fallen down but narrowly missed the mark; one of them looked a bit like Vee’s battery. <<else>>\ Aiden was at the end of the corridor, by the door to the incinerator. He searched around for a way to open it but found nothing. Through the smeared glass, he could see a dark room lit from within by a fiery glow coming from a large pit in the centre. Above it, there was the end of some sort of metal chute. Littered around the pit were small objects that must have bounced around and fallen beyond the pit. One of these small items looked very much like Vee’s battery. <</if>>\ <<if !$incinerator>>\ He felt sure that there must be a way inside. He searched around the door, feeling for any small indentation or hidden mechanism. Finally, set into the wall nearby, he found a slot that looked like it was missing something. <<linkreplace "Try using an item">><<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Broken handle">>\ <<goto "Handle">>\ <<elseif $select is "Old key" or $select is "Tiny metal key">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden tried the key but could find no keyhole.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried inserting the pencil into the slot. It didn’t really fit.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried inserting the pencil into the slot. It didn’t really fit.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried tying the twine around the slot and pulling, but it looked like more force would be required and the twine wasn’t strong enough.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>He waved the magnet around. It stuck to the metal door, but did nothing else.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried shining some light on the situation, but the torch wasn’t working. Perhaps it just needed a battery?<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<replace "#output">>He inserted the screwdriver into the slot. It sort of fit, however when he tried moving it, it just fell out. Ah well. It had been worth a try.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>Choose an item from the drop-down list above then hit ‘use’.<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list\ <</linkreplace>> <</if>>\ [[Back up the corridor|Corridor]]

<<if lastVisited ("Vent straight") is 1>>\ He felt the friction burn his arms, and his hands uselessly tried to grab hold of something that could stop his fall. He was thrown about the narrow vent, his body bouncing and twisting, completely at the mercy of gravity. As he hit the walls, the dull metallic banging noises echoed and multiplied, as if feeding on his panic. He eventually smashed into the base of the shaft, leaving a large dent in the metal floor. Incredibly, apart from a few scrapes and bruises, he survived unscathed. He took great gulps of air and tried to calm the rush of adrenaline. He started to giggle, which seemed to him the strangest of reactions. He felt giddy. This was stupid, and terrifying, but hadn’t he wanted an adventure? He shone his torch back up the slope. It had become so steep and wide, he didn’t think he’d be able to climb back up. He turned and shone the torch ahead of him. The passage continued and then split in opposite directions. He crawled forward to the junction, aware that every part of him ached. [[Head to the right|Fan 3]] [[Head to the left|Generator vent]] \ <<elseif lastVisited ("Back in") is 1>>\ He was back at the junction. To one side, he could see up to the passageway he’d originally fallen down. It was too wide and steep to climb back up. <<if visited ("Fan 3")>>Ahead, the vent extended upwards to the large fan. <<if $fan3>>The fan was still on, blocking his path.<<else>> The air was still, it sounded like the fan was now off!<</if>> <<else>> Ahead, the vent continued<<if $fan3>> and there was a familiar hum and flow of air coming from that direction.<<else>> and the breaze he had felt previously was now still.<</if>><</if>> Back the way he’d come, the vent exited into the generator room. [[Head forward|Fan 3]] [[Head back|Generator vent]] <<else>>\ To one side was the passageway he’d originally fallen down. It was too wide and steep to attempt climbing back up. <<if visited ("Geo Thermal")>>Ahead, the vent continued down and then exited back into the generator room.<<else>> Ahead, the passage continued down and then ended in another metal grill. He could see a dim light coming from the space beyond. <</if>> Behind him, the vent led back up to the large fan. [[Head forward|Generator vent]] [[Head back|Fan 3]] <</if>>\

<div id="center"><div id="basic">\<a href="https://radiosity01.itch.io/vaccinator?secret=thHdqBN37Gorusx3rJn80B3Y0" target="_blank"><img src= "img/vax.jpg" alt="VACCINATOR - the arcade game" width="600px"></a> This is the old arcade game that Aiden was playing – the one with ‘Alpha’ at the top of the high score table. Can you survive for seven days and achieve immunity? <<type 20ms skipkey "Enter">><a href="https://radiosity01.itch.io/vaccinator" target="_blank"><<button "PLAY VACCINATOR">><</button>></a><</type>>\ <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>> </div></div>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veeloc to "Archive9">>\ <<if $aidencomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<elseif $aidenfree>>\ Vee knew she wouldn't be able to talk to Aiden now until she escaped herself. <<else>>\ Vee turned on the Commscreen hoping to talk to Aiden. She waited for a while, then turned it off. She guessed he was exploring elsewhere. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive9">><</link>>

She stared at the tree one more time. She touched the bark and felt its power. She didn’t entirely understand it, but she felt some sort of connection. This tree wasn’t part of the past; the old world she had heard so much about but had never seen. Somehow it felt like it was part of the future. These feelings confused her. She had broken one of Father’s most important rules and yet the guilt she felt had already vanished. She turned and ran. She knew now, with a certainty she couldn’t explain – it was time for them to escape. [[Run back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ <<set $aidenloc to "Archive10">>\ <<if $veecomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<else>>\ Aiden was desperate to talk to Vee. The things he had read in the ‘user logs’ disturbed him greatly. He hoped she was ok and not taking any risks. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive10">><</link>>

<<set $veereturn to "Archive7">><<set $veeloc to "Archive7">>\ <<if $aidenloc is "jump down" or $aidenloc is "wait it out">>\ Vee stared at the computer screen. <<if $vent gt 8>>\ She realised that Aiden’s only way out was via the lift and she suspected that the final part of that would depend on her. But she also knew that if this worked, she wouldn’t be able to reset the power – if she couldn’t find her own way out in time, she could end up being trapped here. She wasn’t sure if she could stand life in the den without him, but if she had to, she would happily give up her freedom for his. She waited for him to be ready, but if she waited too long, she sealed her own fate. Her finger hovered over the button… <<elseif $vent gt 0>>\ She knew that Aiden’s only way out was via the lift, but she had almost run out of time. The main vent would start up in a moment and when it did, she would be trapped down here. She wasn’t sure if she could stand life in the den without him. But she also knew that of the two of them, he deserved freedom the most. Was she willing to sacrifice her own freedom to give him his? <<else>>\ She knew that Aiden’s only way out was via the lift, but they had run out of time and the main vent had already restarted. If she pressed this button, there would be no way for her to restart the timer and she would be trapped down here. She wasn’t sure if she could stand life in the den without him. Was she willing to sacrifice her own freedom to give him his? <</if>>\ <<link "› Move lift to surface level">><<set $aidenloc to "wait it out">><<set $name to "Aiden">><<set $lift to 10>><<goto "Aiden">><</link>> <<link "Close the computer">><<goto "Examine Father">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<goto "Lift access 2">>\ <</if>>\

<<if lastVisited ("vent lift") is 1>>\ He crawled back down the vent until he reached the large fan. <<if $fan3>>\ The fan was now back on, whirring in its housing and blocking his exit. There was no way back. He would have to return to the lift shaft. [[Back to the lift shaft|vent lift]] <<else>>\ Thankfully, the fan was still turned off. He climbed through and continued on to the junction a little further down. [[Crawl back to the junction|Tumble into the darkness]] <</if>>\ <<else>>\ The vent continued, gradually climbing gently upwards until it reached another huge fan blocking his way. He could make out a large number ‘3’ written on the wall beside it. <<if $fan3>>\ The fan rattled in its housing; ancient motors vibrating as it spun – too fast to see the blades. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get past it until it had been turned off somehow. <<elseif visited ("vent lift")>>\ The fan was still off. Once again he pushed himself through, no longer scared of what might happen – he was just eager to be on the other side. Once he got past it, he crawled back to the vent opening that ended in the lift shaft. [[Crawl on to the lift shaft|vent lift]] <<else>>\ The fan had stopped. He eyed the fan blades warily, but he didn’t have time to waste. He forced himself through, telling himself that as long as he heard the voice counting down, he would be okay. Soon enough, he was through and he could see the vent ended in another metal grill just a little further along. [[Crawl on to the metal grill|vent lift]] <</if>>\ [[Crawl back to the junction|Tumble into the darkness]] <</if>>\

Vee walked back to the clean, white corridor. She knew that she’d run out of time. If only they had been just a little faster, maybe they could have both made it out. All she could do was pray that Aiden had made it safely up to the surface. When Father finally woke up and discovered what they had done, he would be furious. She slumped against the wall, exhausted. Had she made a terrible mistake? Would Aiden be okay out there without her? As the minutes dragged by, she couldn’t help but worry about all the ways this plan might not work out so well. Then a strange thing happened. The voice rang out again. <<set $vent to 30>><<set $mainvent to true>>\ <<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>>\ “Alert. Power has been temporarily disabled. Main vent inactive. Power restored in $vent …” She was confused. That couldn’t have been Aiden. So who…? It didn’t matter. She had another chance! [[Back in the corridor|Corridor main]]

She wasn’t sure how long she had been climbing or how far she had come. Her arms were exhausted, and her legs ached as they pushed her upward, rung by rung. There had been moments of danger where whole sections of the ladder had partially rusted away, forcing her to carefully climb up the side, terrified that she’d plunge to her death if a rusted rung gave way. As she climbed, she became aware of a wind that gently beckoned her from somewhere above, along with the faintest glow of light in the far distance. A large shape loomed above her, filling the shaft. A distant rumble emanated from deep below, as if the earth itself did not want to let her go. Dust and crumbling concrete fell from shaft walls, and she had to shield her eyes with one hand. She continued her climb. As she got closer, she realised that the shape above was another huge, stationary fan, blocking her way. At that moment, she heard the voice echoing up the shaft from below… “Power has now been restored. Main vent is operational. All fans restarting.” She realised what was about to happen. She started climbing faster, but there was no way she would reach the fan in time. Slowly, it began to spin back up to full speed. <<link "Look on in horror" "Father">><<set $fatherloc to "Father2">><</link>>

Vee suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice: “Recharging now at 100%” Father’s eyes suddenly lit up and his head turned slowly towards her. His voice rang out across the den. It was deep and calm, as it always was. “What are you doing in here Vee?” She had assumed he would remain asleep all night. She now realised her mistake. “You know the rules. Without discipline, we are but animals.” He spoke in his customary commanding voice and Vee knew, that when he was like this, there was no arguing. “My sleep has ended, I will now escort you back to your room." "Then we shall all meet in the living room and we shall discuss your punishment.” Her heart sank. This was the end of their adventure. How life turns on small mistakes… <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<set $charging to 81>><<if $aidenfree>><<set $vent to 30>><<set $mainvent to true>><</if>><<goto "Examine Father">><</link>>

“Father is asleep!” Vee hissed at him as if he should know why that was important. She was holding his arm and talking quickly whilst making ‘shushing’ motions. Aiden pulled away from her grasp and tried to regain his composure. Too late, he heard the door click shut behind him. “Wait, I…” “Keep your voice down!” she whispered. Rather loudly, he thought. She stood in front of him, looking furious and excited in equal measure. He was never quite sure how she managed to project two entirely different emotions at the same time. He was several inches taller than her, but her thick black hair added to her height. Her dark skin glistened in the dim light and contrasted with his pale features. He often wondered if they were complete opposites. <<include "Qs">>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 8 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive9]]<</timed>>

The giant fan was below her; she looked up, the circle marking the end of the shaft above grew closer and closer. Eventually, she reached a large metal grate that blocked her exit. Beyond it… nothing. She was looking up at… clouds? Sky? Was she really at the surface? With her exhausted arms, she punched at the metal grate, but it wouldn’t budge. She made the fatal mistake of looking back the way she’d come, and the abyss yawned – she almost lost her grip on the ladder. This couldn’t be it. After everything, to be blocked inches from freedom? In desperation, she called out Aiden’s name… <<link "“Aiden!”" "Aiden">><<set $aidenloc to "Final aiden 2">><<set $name to "Aiden">><</link>>

Vee was feeling trapped. She didn’t like this part of the den at all, “There’s another door in here, but it’s locked. I think it’s unlocked from ‘Station 3’? See if you can find it!” <<if visited ("broken")>>\ <<set $conv to 5>>\ “Oh that‘s in the ward. I’ve been in, but the computer doesn’t work – it won’t even turn on.” “You’ll have to find a way to fix it then!” “Oh great,” Aiden said, sounding the opposite of enthusiastic. Suddenly he remembered something, “I think I’m going to need my screwdriver - you haven't seen it around have you?” “No, sorry.” They ended the call with Aiden wondering how on earth he was going to fix a computer when he couldn’t even find his screwdriver. <<else>>\ “Ok, I’ll try and find it. Be careful Vee.” “You too.” \ <<include "misc">>\ <<include "misc2">>\ <<include "misc3">>\ <<include "keepintouch">>\ They ended the call and Aiden set off to find Station 3. <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ <<set $veeloc to "Archive7">>\ <<if $aidencomp>>\ <<include "conversation">> <<elseif $aidenfree>>\ Vee knew she wouldn't be able to talk to Aiden now until she escaped herself. <<else>>\ Vee quietly accessed the commscreen, but Aiden wasn’t there. <</if>>\ \ <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive7">><</link>>

<<set $aidencomp to true>><<set $aidenloc to "Power reset">>\ Aiden stared at the ‘power reset’ option. If his guess was right, this would turn off the main vent and allow Vee to climb up to freedom. But he hadn’t managed to find a way out for himself yet. He suspected it relied on someone being in the ‘other’ part of the den. So if Vee escaped first, he would be trapped here. He felt his eyes start to redden, but he refused to cry. Of the two of them, it was Vee who deserved to be free. If he had to sacrifice his own freedom to give her hers, he would do so in a heartbeat. But… if they timed it right…. He took some deep breaths and thought it through. He knew they wouldn’t have long, so they would each have to find their own way out – first him, then Vee. And they would both have to escape before the timer reset. <<if !visited ("Archive1b") or !visited ("Archive4")>>\ He knew that past this point there might be no return. He wondered if he should try to recover any of the missing user logs first. <<else>>\ He knew that past this point there might be no return. He hoped she was ready. <</if>>\ <<link "› Temporary power reset">><<set $mainvent to true>><<set $vent to 61>><<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>><<goto "Archive10">><</link>> <<link "Back">><<goto "Archive10">><</link>>

<<if !$socket and visited ("broken") and !$misc3>>\ <<set $misc3 to true>> “Oh, and Vee? Do you know anything about fixing a plug?” “Um… not really, sorry.” “I think I need to repair one. Any ideas?” “Just look it up in the library, there’s bound to be stuff on plugs. Just search under ‘P’.” “Oh, yeah ok, that could work. What page?” “I’m sure you’ll figure that out, Aiden.” <</if>>\

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 7 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive7]]<</timed>>

<<if visited ("Archive5")>>\ [[Server room ✓|Explore the space]] <<else>>\ [[Server room|Explore the space]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Archive6")>>\ [[Medical research ✓|Medical research 2]] <<else>>\ [[Medical research|Medical research 2]] <</if>>\ <<if $apple gt 0>>\ [[VCU ✓|Research door]] <<elseif visited ("Research door") and !$vcu>>\ [[VCU 🔒|Research door]] <<else>>\ [[VCU|Research door]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Back up")>>\ [[Living quarters ✓|Try the larger door at the end]] <<else>>\ [[Living quarters|Try the larger door at the end]] <</if>>\ <<if visited ("Unlock the door") or $aidenfree>>\ [[Air filtration|Air filtration]] <<elseif !visited ("Try the main vent door")>>\ [[Air filtration|Try the main vent door]] <<else>>\ [[Air filtration 🔒|Try the main vent door]] <</if>>\ <<if $vcu and $aidenfree>>\ [[Recharge (Father) ✓|Examine Father]] <<elseif visited ("Wait father")>>\ [[Recharge (Father)|Examine Father]] <<else>>\ [[Recharge|FATHER]] <</if>>\

<<if visited () is 1>>\ The door closed slowly behind her. She turned and saw another tiny light above it. She stepped back and the door started to open again. At least she knew she could get back if she needed to. She turned back to the stairs and cautiously paced down the dust-covered steps. There were large footprints in the dust showing travel in both directions. They could only belong to Father – she followed them down. The stairs ended in a dark, narrow concrete corridor. The footsteps continued and she followed them, listening out for any sound. Even though it was dark, she felt exposed. <<if !visited ("Examine Father")>>If Father should suddenly appear, there would be nowhere for her to hide.<</if>> She could see more evidence of earthquake damage down here; large cracks ran from wall to ceiling and the floor was littered with rubble. At the end of the corridor was a large iron door. The footsteps she’d been following continued through it. <<else>>\ The door closed slowly behind her and she made her way back down the dust-covered steps. The stairs ended in the dark, narrow concrete corridor. She walked on, past the large cracks in the ceiling and the rubble stewn across the floor. At the end of the corridor was the large iron door. <</if>>\ [[Move towards the door|Take the steps down]]

<<if visited () is 1>>\ <<set $stations ++>>\ <<type 10ms skipkey "Enter">> Database damaged. Files may be missing. Found and restored: <<if $alpha lt 4>>\ <<set $alpha ++>> 1 new section: User ALPHA <</if>>\ <<if $alpha gt 2 and $history lt 5>>\ <<set $history ++>>\ 1 new entry: User MARYAM <</if>>\ <<if $history gt 4 and $tech lt 3>>\ <<if $tech gt 1>>\ <<set $tech += 2>>\ 2 new entries: User JIANGUO <<else>>\ <<set $tech ++>>\ 1 new entry: User JIANGUO <</if>><</if>><</type>><</if>>\

<<if !$debugseen and $veebug is 0>>\ <<set $debugseen to true>>\ “Vee! I found the key! But it’s not a key!! I went down to the old classroom and got your notepad! I used it on the scratches on the wall. It says ‘debug’!” \ <<if $aidenbug is 1>>\ “I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer but it just brought up a load of words. I don’t know what to do next. I think there’s a clue in the error code, the ‘1’s and ‘X’s change depending on what you enter.” “Well done! I’m going to try it on the computer in here – there must be a solution!” \ <<elseif $aidenbug gt 1>>\ “I tried entering ‘debug’ into the computer and it brought up a list of words. The error code changes depending on the word you enter. I think the ‘1’s and ‘X’s show which letters are in the right position?” “That’s amazing! I’m going to try it on the computer in here!” <</if>><</if>>\

Aiden pulled down volume ‘K’ and turned to page 197. A quick scan of the pages told him that the contents were not going to help him or Vee, but… he was easily distracted. He found an entry on ‘Kizzuwatnan rituals’ and started reading. “…a unique aspect of certain Kizzuwatnan rituals was the ‘kuwac hapanza’, literally the “wet dog”: a domesticated dog who had been ritually purified with running (not still!) water. Unlike the “impure” puppies used in other rituals, the kuwac hapanza was considered pure enough to function as an intermediary between the physical and spiritual worlds, a living anchor for the rite through which the spirits could act…” Aiden had never seen a dog before, but if he had one, he thought he would probably give this a try. He tore himself away; it was all very interesting, but he knew he really should get back to helping Vee. [[Back|Library]]

<<if !$keepintouch>>\ <<set $keepintouch to true>>\ “And Aiden…? Don’t forget to check in on the ‘commscreen’ from time to time – let me know how you’re getting on. I’ll do the same.” “Of course Vee, we’re a team!” <</if>>\

<h3>EXTENDED PLAY</h3>This page contains extra ‘cheat’ settings available once the game has been completed. <<if visited () lt 4>>You can use these options to speed up a second playthrough. Note: Some things (especially ‘commscreen’ conversations) may not work as expected, as the game is designed around doing things in a certain order.<</if>> <<if !$jump and !visited ("Explore the space")>>\ <<link "› Jump to Act 2 (Vee explores the new room)">><<set $start to true>><<set $aidenloc to "Library">><<set $name to "Vee">><<set $jump to true>><<goto "Explore the space">><<run Engine.show()>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$keyfound>>\ <<link "› Knowledge">><<set $socket to true>><<set $archive to true>><<set $keyfound to true>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>> <<else>>\ The codes: debug and enter can now be used right from the start. <</if>>\ \ <<if !$switch and visited ("Explore the space")>>\ <<link "› Enable character switching">><<set $switch to true>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ Aiden’s current inventory: \ <<do>><<if $aidenitems.length is 1>> (nothing)<<else>><<for $i=1; $i<$aidenitems.length; $i++>>\ <<print $aidenitems[$i]>><</for>><</if>><</do>> <<linkreplace "› Collect items">>Collect items: \ <<do>><<if !$aidenitems.includes("Old key")>>\ <<link "› Old key">><<run $aidenitems.push("Old key")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Notepad and pencil")>>\ <<link "› Notepad and pencil">><<run $aidenitems.push("Notepad and pencil")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Tiny metal key")>>\ <<link "› Tiny metal key">><<run $aidenitems.push("Tiny metal key")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Small magnet")>>\ <<link "› Small magnet">><<run $aidenitems.push("Small magnet")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Broken handle")>>\ <<link "› Broken handle">><<run $aidenitems.push("Broken handle")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Twine")>>\ <<link "› Twine">><<run $aidenitems.push("Twine")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Fuse")>>\ <<link "› Fuse">><<run $aidenitems.push("Fuse")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Screwdriver")>>\ <<link "› Screwdriver">><<set $screwdriver to 5>><<run $aidenitems.push("Screwdriver")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Torch") and !$aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ <<link "› Torch">><<run $aidenitems.push("Torch")>><<redo>><</link>> <</if>>\ \ <<if !$aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ <<link "› The battery">><<set $aidenitems.delete("Torch")>><<run $aidenitems.push("Working torch")>><<redo>><</link>><</if>><</do>><</linkreplace>> Lift access: <<do>><<if $lift is 0>><<link "› Lift: access main floors">><<set $lift to 2>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Lift is now operational<</if>><</do>> \ <<do>><<if !$surface>><<link "› Enable surface access">><<set $surface to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Lift to surface is enabled<</if>><</do>> \ <<do>><<if !$basement>><<link "› Enable basement access">><<set $basement to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Lift to basement is enabled<</if>><</do>> Door access: <<do>><<if !$storage>><<link "› Door: Storeroom">><<set $storage to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Storeroom door: unlocked<</if>><</do>> \ <<do>><<if !$refuse>><<link "› Door: Refuse">><<set $refuse to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Refuse door: unlocked<</if>><</do>> \ <<do>><<if !$research>><<link "› Door: Medical research">><<set $research to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Medical research door: unlocked<</if>><</do>> \ <<do>><<if !$geothermal>><<link "› Door: Geothermal">><<set $geothermal to true>><<redo>><</link>><<else>>Geothermal door: unlocked<</if>><</do>> Fans: <<do>><<if !$fan1 and !$fan2 and !$fan3>>All fans are now off<<else>><<link "› Turn ALL fans off">><<set $fan1 to false>><<set $fan2 to false>><<set $fan3 to false>><<redo>><</link>><</if>><</do>> Extras: <<link "› Play the ‘Vaccinator’ arcade game" "Vaccinator">><<set State.metadata.set("arcade", true)>><</link>> <<link "› Play the ‘decryption key’ mini-game" "dec_game start">><</link>> <a href="extra/walkthrough.html" target="_blank">› Full walkthrough</a> <<return "Back">>

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Every time you hacked one of the computers, it displayed some of the ‘corrupted’ binary code. There is actually text hidden within it. If you’d like to ‘decrypt’ it, just copy the full code below and and then translate it <a href="https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/number/binary-to-ascii.html" target="_blank">here</a>. 01001110 01101111 01110111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101000 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110000 01101100 01100001 01101110 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110011 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 00111011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110000 01110101 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 01101101 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100001 01100100 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100100 01110011 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110011 00100000 01100111 01110010 01101111 01110111 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01110010 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100100 00100000 11100010 10000000 10010011 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100101 01111001 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100110 01101111 01101111 01100100 00101110 00100000 01001001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01101001 01100100 01100100 01101100 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101100 01101001 01100110 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01101001 01101100 00101110 00001010 00001010 01000001 00100000 01110010 01101001 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110100 01100101 01110010 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01100110 01101100 01101111 01110111 01100101 01100100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 00111011 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01110011 01100101 01110000 01100001 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101000 01100101 01100001 01100100 01110111 01100001 01110100 01100101 01110010 01110011 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101111 01101011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110000 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101000 01101001 01101101 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01000101 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01101011 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101001 01110100 00101110 00100000 01000001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100000 01000111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01101101 01100001 01101110 01100100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 00101100 00100000 11100010 10000000 10011100 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100110 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01100001 01101110 01111001 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01110010 01100100 01100101 01101110 00111011 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01101001 01101100 00101100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100101 01101110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100011 01100101 01110010 01110100 01100001 01101001 01101110 01101100 01111001 00100000 01100100 01101001 01100101 00101110 11100010 10000000 10011101 <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>>

<<set $veecomp to true>>\ STATION 1 Door status Living room: <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><<if !$storage>>\ Storeroom: locked <<else>>\ Storeroom is: unlocked <</if>>\ \ <<if !$refuse>>\ Refuse: locked <<else>>\ Refuse room is: unlocked <</if>><</type>>\ Living room doors unlocked via: Station 6 \ [[Back|Archive1b]]

<>\ <<if !State.metadata.get("complete")>> <<set State.metadata.set("complete", true)>> <<set setup.complete to true>> <<if !$ver>><<set $ver to 1.02>><</if>> <<script>> var sendData = JSON.stringify({ "Chances": SugarCube.State.variables['chances'], "ID": SugarCube.State.variables['uniq'], "Ver": SugarCube.State.variables['ver'], }); $.ajax({ url:SugarCube.State.variables['scrp'], method:"POST", dataType: "json", data: sendData }).done(function() {}); <</script>> <</if>> <>\

<<set $aidencomp to true>>\ STATION 9 Station list <<include "Stations">> \ <<timed 1s>>[[Back|Archive10]]<</timed>>

<<set $keys4 to ["ABOVE", "AHEAD", "ALARM", "ALERT", "ALONE", "APPLE", "ARRAY", "AVOID", "AWARE", "BIBLE", "BEGIN", "BEING", "BLOOD", "BRAIN", "BRAND", "CAUSE", "CHAIN", "CHASE", "CRASH", "CROSS", "DEATH", "DECAY", "DOCKS", "DOORS", "DRONE", "DUMMY", "EMBER", "ERROR", "EQUAL", "EVILS", "EXIST", "FAITH", "FALSE", "FIGHT", "FINAL", "FOUND", "FRUIT", "GIVEN", "GRACE", "GROWN", "HEART", "HELIX", "HUMAN", "IRONY", "JEWEL", "KNAVE", "LEVEL", "LIGHT", "LOGIC", "LUCKY", "MATCH", "MAGIC", "METAL", "MODEL", "NIGHT", "NOISE", "OPTIC", "PLANT", "PRIME", "PHASE", "PROVE", "RADIO", "RANGE", "RAPID", "READY", "RIVER", "SENSE", "SHAPE", "SKILL", "SLAVE", "SMALL", "SNAKE", "SOLVE", "SPACE", "SPARE", "SPLIT", "STORY", "SUPER", "TAKEN", "TEACH", "THERE", "TODAY", "TOTAL", "TRUTH", "UNITY", "VALUE", "VENOM", "VIRUS", "VITAL", "WORLD", "YIELD", "ZEBRA"]>>\ \ <<set $tempgame to true>>\ \ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>THE DECRYPTION KEY MINI-GAME For those strange few who wished there were even more ‘decryption keys’ to solve! Choose a difficulty level: <<button " 1 ">><<set $keys to $keys1>><<set $attempts to 6>><<goto "decrypt game">><</button>> <<button " 2 ">><<set $keys to $keys2>><<set $attempts to 6>><<goto "decrypt game">><</button>> <<button " 3 ">><<set $keys to $keys3>><<set $attempts to 6>><<goto "decrypt game">><</button>> <<button " 4 ">><<set $keys to $keys4>><<set $attempts to 6>><<goto "decrypt game">><</button>> <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>><</type>>

\ <<set $ansx to $keys.random()>>\ <<set $ans to $ansx.toLowerCase()>>\ <<set _corr to 0>>\ <<set $tries to []>>\ <<set _input to "">>\ <<set $goto to "dec_win">>\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">><div class="cols"><<for $i=0; $i<$keys.length; $i++>>\ <<print $keys[$i]>> <</for>></div><</type>> <<include "hack">> <<link "BACK">><<goto "dec_game start">><</link>>

\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>THE DECRYPTION GAME GAME OVER The word was: $ansx [[Try again?|dec_game start]] <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>><</type>>

\ <<type 5ms skipkey "Enter">>THE DECRYPTION GAME CORRECT! The word was: $ansx and you managed to get it with $attempts attempts remaining. [[Play again?|dec_game start]] <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>><</type>>

<<if !$incinseen and $basement>>\ “I found a way to enable basement access from the lift! You should try it and see what’s down there.” <<if visited ("Corridor")>>\ “I know! I’ve been down!” “Oh! What did you find?” “There’s a door leading to the ‘Geothermal’ room – I think that’s where all the power generators for the den are. The door’s locked from the inside, but there is an air vent – I think that could be my way in.” <<if $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ <<set $incinseen to true>>\ “So… I… well, I jumped down the incinerator chute!” “You did WHAT!!?” “I asked myself, what would Vee do?” “I would NEVER have done that!! What were you thinking!? You could have killed yourself!” “Well, I found that battery you made down there. Now the torch works I think I can finally get into the vent in the ward!” <<elseif $incinerator>>\ “I found the incinerator down there too – I managed to turn it off! Now I just have to find a way inside.” <<else>>\ “I found the incinerator there too. I guess that’s what the chute in the refuse room leads down to. I need to find a way inside.” <</if>>\ “Well done! It feels like we’re getting closer!” <<else>>\ “Amazing! Ok, I’ll head to the lift and give it a try!” <</if>>\ <<elseif !visited ("Torch2") and $aidenitems.includes("Working torch")>>\ “Now the torch is working, I think I can finally get into the vent in the ward!” <</if>>\

He jumped up, grabbed hold of the edge of the vent and pulled himself up into the dark passageway. He found himself back in the cramped confines of the air vent that had brought him here. [[Crawl back up to the junction|Tumble into the darkness]] [[Back to the generator room|Geo Thermal]]

If this is a ‘re-imagined’ version of the story of Adam and Eve, then there seems to be one character missing – so where was the ‘serpent’? Perhaps it was simply hiding in the background, guiding them on… “…something about the snake-like tear in the wall unsettled him. Everything beyond that wall should not exist. It felt wrong.” “…flames occasionally flickered around the edge and their dancing light bathed the walls. That also seemed to be where the hissing sound emanated from.” “…he climbed up and fed himself to the cold, square maw, wriggling his body down its black throat.” “…as she moved towards it, a tiny light flashed above the door. Then it hissed and gently slid into the wall.” “…she twisted the handle. It took a lot of effort, but it slowly started to turn. There was a hiss of air as the seals gave way and the door started to open.” “…in the centre of the room and by far the most striking sight sat a large tree. Its roots snaked out across the white, gleaming floor.” “…huge ducts lead from the machines and twisted around each other like giant corrugated serpents.” “…it bent and buckled as she clambered inside, giving her the uneasy sensation of being swallowed whole.” <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>>

The ride probably lasted less than a minute, but to him, it seemed to go on forever. Just enough time for him to go from enjoyment to fear and back again. He imagined the awful hissing sound of the incinerator suddenly starting up once more, but just as he began to think the chute might simply go on and on, he plunged out into space. He had a moment of pure panic, then hit a wall of hot ash and burnt remains. The pit! The wind was knocked out of him and he lept out as fast as he could, landing roughly on the floor. The ash was hot but not scalding. He banged his knee on something hard and all thought was drowned out by the sudden stab of pain. [[Explore the incinerator]]

Aiden stared at the charred mess inside the plug. He knew he just had to strip out the ends of the wires and put them back the right way around. He felt very nervous as he inserted each wire into position… [[Brown wire on the right, blue wire on the left|fix fuse][$boom to true]] [[Brown wire on the left, blue wire on the right|fix fuse][$boom to false]] [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

Once the wires were securely in place, he just needed to replace the little charred thing with something. <<listbox "$select">> <<optionsfrom $aidenitems>> <</listbox>> <<button "USE">> <<if $select is "Fuse">>\ <<goto "Fuse fix">>\ <<elseif $select is "Twine">>\ <<replace "#output">>He was fairly sure that if he used the twine to rewire the plug it wouldn’t go well.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Torch">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried shining some light on the situation. It didn’t work. Mainly because it wasn’t working.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Broken handle">>\ <<replace "#output">>Aiden didn’t think the handle would even fit inside!<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Small magnet">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried using the small magnet. It attached to the metal, but it didn’t fit inside.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Tiny metal key" or $select is "Old key">>\ <<replace "#output">>He considered inserting the key into the plug, but even with his limited understanding of electricity, this seemed like a bad idea.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Notepad and pencil">>\ <<replace "#output">>He tried drawing the blackened object that he’d removed. It looked familiar.<</replace>>\ <<elseif $select is "Screwdriver">>\ <<replace "#output">>He had already opened the plug using the screwdriver.<</replace>>\ <<else>>\ <<replace "#output">>That didn’t work<</replace>>\ <</if>><</button>> Choose an item from the list [[Back to the ward|Ward]]

Aiden moved over to the computer and turned it on… <<timed 1.5s t8n>>There was a small ‘bang’ and a little puff of nasty smelling smoke. His heart sank – he knew he shouldn't have risked it! He had let Vee down – there was no way they’d be able to continue now. He cursed his own stupidity and bad luck. Sometimes there are simple choices that can change your life. <<link "The end" "Intro">><</link>> <<link "Load a previous save">><<run Save.browser.continue()>><<run Engine.show()>><</link>> <</timed>>

She felt herself unconsciously reaching for it… but she couldn’t do it. This broke Father’s most important rule – and surely he must have made those rules for a reason? Was she really prepared to break it just on a hunch? Of course, she realised that she had broken most of his other rules already tonight, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to break this last one. There was still time for her to change her mind – maybe later, she told herself. [[Head back to the corridor|Corridor main]]

SURVIVAL RATING At the end of the game, you're given a survival rating – out of a maximum of 97%. The score isn’t too important, the main thing is that they both escaped! However, as a guide as to what might increase their chances: The highest ratings are given out for: • Vee takes the apple • Aiden takes a bite • Access and read all the stations and user logs Additional bonus points are awarded for: • ‘Diligence’ (1 point) • ‘Electrical research’ (3 points) • ‘Casual theft’ (3 points) • ‘A glimpse from above’ (1 point) <<if $end>><<link "Back" "THE END">><</link>><<else>><<link "Back to the title screen" "Intro">><</link>><</if>>