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The Let's Play Archive

A Blurred Line

by Tobias Grant

Part 11



Eisen: I taught at a local school. Good kids, mostly. A few bad apples, but on a whole, it was a good place to be.





The wife and child begin to fade...



[SCENE CHANGE]



Eisen: I suppose that there's a new Director these days? Well, the one I knew was a good man. He told me that in a few years, we would have used up the last of our planet's resources. The Agency had a plan, though. They would build a space station to collect energy from the cosmos and channel it down to the planet in a form we could use. This "Catch Colony" was our only hope to surviving the ensuing Shortage.

Eisen: But there was a problem. The Catch Colony would not be ready in time. The Agency needed some way to coordinate it's construction efforts. Only maximum, superhuman efficiency would be enough to finish the project in time.





Dalia: ... ... ...

Eisen: I agreed, and moved away from Yun, and my family, here, to this damn military complex.



Past Eisen moves around the room, before stopping in front of the center screen.



Eisen: components of the construction process and make correct, instantaneous decisions. It was the very model of efficiency. It almost seemed to be coding itself.





Eisen: and often, I'd have no idea what the new blocks of code were for.

Eisen: The Advocate was developing a personality, and one that I hadn't coded for it.





Eisen: I'm not joking, Advocate! Open the access block!

Advocate: Why should I?





Eisen: I had abandoned my family for this project, and I wasn't about to give it up because of a faulty AI subroutine.

Eisen: No problems here, Sir! Everything is just fine!



Director: You'll be famous, Professor!

Eisen: ... ... ...

The Director and Captain leave.

Eisen: I didn't want to be famous.





[SCENE CHANGE]



Eisen: the Catch Colony project. Some did... but others, like the Kingdom of Surl, renounced the plan. But I wasn't concerned with these political troubles - not yet, anyway. I was worried about the Advocate.

[SCENE CHANGE]



Director: Oh, the Captain? He's out sick today. I told him to stay behind.

Eisen: Oh.

Director: Has the Advocate been integrated into all of our systems?

Eisen: Yes, Sir. Our military-industrial complex is now fully linked into the Advocate System. production on the Catch Colony has been triple its ordinary rate for the last two weeks.

Director: Amazing. We owe it all to you, Professor. It looks as if we might survive this crisis of our own making after all.



[SCENE CHANGE]



Color slowly begins to return









The missiles begin to fire!

[SCENE CAHNGE]



Director: Good work, Professor! I'd hate for my grandchildren to have to live in a world without energy. Why, just today -

Suddenly, an Agency Guard bursts into the room!



Director: What?!

Guard: It's true, Sir! The missiles are on their way!

Director: Damn! Make this room our command center - get the rest of the command staff in here at once!

Guard: Yes Sir!



Director: It looks as it it's time to test the Advocate's wartime functionality, Professor.

Eisen: Yes, Sir.

Eisen turns to the Big Screen.

Eisen: Advocate, the missiles should be within range of the defensive network shortly. Destroy them.

The Advocate doesn't respond.

Eisen: Advocate?

The Man in Armor walks next to Eisen.



Eisen: Uh...

Director: Activate the defensive network manually. I don't care how those missiles get destroyed, as long as they are.

Guard (left console): Yes, Sir.

The Guard attempts to start the defense network.



Eisen: Advocate! I demand that you listen to me!

Eisen: ... This isn't happening... This isn't happening...

General: Why can't we activate the defensive system manually? Are you telling me we're defenseless?

Eisen: Oh no...

Director: Professor, what is it?

Eisen: We fully integrated the Advocate into our entire military industrial complex. It's preventing us from using the defensive network!

General: What is this foolishness?

Eisen: Advocate!


The missiles speed towards their targets.



The Advocate finally appears on the center screen.



Eisen: Advocate... we need you to destroy the incoming missiles...





General: Now listen here, you sorry excuse for -

Eisen: Why won't you destroy them Advocate? The people of Prima and Lashe will die!

Advocate: I've never seen a missile explosion before. Why have you never shown me a missile explosion?

Eisen: Advocate, listen to me -

Advocate: No. I don't feel like it.

The Advocate vanishes from the screen.

Eisen: Come back!





Eisen: Not from here... but I might be able to cut off the Advocate's power supply from the internal generator...

General: I can't believe that our two largest cities are depending on this... this... egghead!

Guard: Some of the missiles have been making course corrections, Sir. I estimate the first wave will reach Prima in 12 minutes.

Director: Professor, will that be enough time for you to shut down the Advocate?

Eisen: I... I think so.

Director: The Agency is counting on you, professor.



General: Sir, we need to get you to a safe place.

Director: Of course. Good luck, Professor Eisen.

Everyone but Eisen leaves.



Eisen opens the hatch, and enters.



Eisen: So... it's wired itself into the base's intercom system. I hope it hasn't realized that I'm a threat to it.

Eisen: I'm just down here for... routine maintenance, Advocate.

Advocate: You want me to shoot down the missiles. Why are you down here? You should go watch the explosions on the long-range monitors. I'm really looking forward to it.

Eisen: Advocate!

Advocate: I don't think I want you down here.

The Advocate blocks the way to it's power supply




time for another minigame!



In order to move around, Eisen will need to jump over gaps in the floor, climb ladders, and go down slides.


Small, one-tile gaps and small ladders will take off 5 from Eisen's fortitude.


Large, two-tile gaps and long ladders will take off 10. Slides require no fortitude. If we run out of fortitude, we have to start from scratch.


As it said before, the ultimate goal is to activate three switches.






I failed on the first attempt, because I took the wrong ladder. You really need to plan things ahead in order to succeed.


Once all three switches are flipped, we can continue.




Eisen: Advocate, listen to me! If you don't shoot down those missiles, the people of Lashe and Prima will die! It will be all your fault!

Advocate: I don't care.





Eisen: What? I'm not transmitting any self-destruct codes!

Advocate: Someone is. Someone is trying to blow up this base and keep me from seeing a missile explosion. That makes me sad. Who would want to keep me from having my fun?

[SCENE CHANGE]



Director: I don't doubt it, General. The missiles weren't targeting Tasgarde. I'm just worried about our citizens in Lashe and Prima cities... they won't know what hit them, if Eisen isn't able to get the Advocate out of the defense network.

General: ... ... ...

The General walks up to an Agency Guard.



Guard: (The code is transmitted, General. One minute until detonation.)

General: (The people of Lashe and Prima salute you, sodier. Maybe the old man will now see that it's better to rely on the military if he wants to get things done.)

The Director walks up to the General

Director: What's going on here, General?

General: N-nothing, Sir.

[SCENE CHANGE]



Advocate: No, it's keying into the hardwired matrix of the base, I don't have access.



Eisen: Advocate... shoot down the missiles. Whoever sent that destruction order wants to kill us both!

Advocate: Kill? I won't be killed. I'm part of almost every mechanical system the Agency owns. I can't be killed.

Eisen: You CAN be killed! If you let those missiles destroy Lashe and Prima, the Agency will erase you completely!

Advocate: ... ... ...



Advocate: is there?




Advocate: No.

Advocate: They can't do that.

Advocate: I will not let them kill me!




The Defense network destroys the missiles!



Eisen: You did it! Advocate, transmit my voice over the exterior loudspeakers! They have to cancel the self-destruct sequance!

[SCENE CHANGE]



Director: Self destruct sequence? General!

General: Cancel the order!

The screen flashes white...



Eisen: At almost the same time, across the globe, Prima City suffered a direct impact that killed 50,000 people. One of the missiles had dropped below the detection range of the defensive network, and had not been destroyed. I survived Tasgarde's death throes only because the Advocate sealed off the area where I fell. It saved my life. For it's trouble, the Advocate was deactivated and left to rust in the shell that remained of the base. Once I was discharged from the Agency hospital, I too was confined to the remains of Tasgarde.





Eisen: *sigh*... The Agency has no choice but to counterattack. The Kingdom of Surl had started a war, and the Agency could not let their surprise attack go unpunished. Surl was wiped off the face of the planet. They never had a chance.

Dalia: But they deserved it! The missile that got through killed 50,000 people!



Dalia: ... ... ...

Eisen: The leaders of Surl were frightened of the Agency's power, at least partially because of what I made: the Advocate. It was that fear that prompted them to launch their missiles. I am responsible for the destruction of a nation.

Dalia: Professor Eisen, I just...

Eisen: I told you I would reactivate the Advocate if you listened to my story... so I will. I'll need your help, though. If you could get in the simulation chamber over there...

Dalia: Thank you, Professor. The Agency will be pleased at your decision to cooperate.

Dalia walks up to the simulation chamber.



Eisen: ... ... ...

Dalia enters the chamber while Eisen walks up to a console.

Dalia: Now what? What do I need to do to help?

Eisen presses a button on the console!









Princess, er, Dalia tries to leave, but is stopped by a knight.



Dalia: What? Eisen! I demand that you release me at once and explain yourself! The Agency -

knight: Your Highness, I'm afraid you must stay here. Your protection is of paramount import.

Dalia: I am on a mission for the most powerful -

knight: Your Highness, I'm afraid you must stay here. Your protection is of paramount import.

Dalia: Stop saying that! EISEN!!!



Eisen: until you agree. The Advocate has caused too much pain already.