Part 27: Countdown: Part 2
Okay, the next part of the Countdown Trilogy. This one's a bit longer:
The Soul
January 17th, 2189.
You joined a fad religion because you needed direction in your life, and needed something to do with your free time. You were so engrossed in attending prayer meetings and other organised events that you didn't notice eyes watching you from the shadows.
And then they introduced you to the truth. The true organisation behind the faith. The so called Order of Blessed Agonies. And that was even better. You had always regarded pain with a subdued fascination, even from childhood testing the very limits of your endurance, and as for purification? You certainly felt you needed that.
The initiation was almost complete. You were sore and bleeding from the purification of your Body, and you were still dizzy and spaced out from the purification of the Mind. Next, they had said, came the Soul, the aspect that can only be purified once. The deletion of something close to you; something upon which you relied upon emotionally. You were brought to a featureless white chamber deep within headquarters, and there he was.
"Don't worry," they had said. "We make it easy for you." Then they handed you a gun.
Countdown 2 - the Soul
An Interactive Fiction by Yahtzee
Release 1 / Serial number 070110 / Inform 7 build 4B91 (I6/v6.31 lib 6/11N)
Assessment Chamber
You are in an utterly featureless white room. Everything is painted a flat, spotless, shining white. The fluorescent ceiling lights merge seamlessly with the paintwork, brightly illuminating the room. You can't even see where the door was, so utterly flawless is the constant white.
Your boyfriend, Jason, is here, gagged and lashed to a chair.
>shoot Jason
The gun coughs and jumps in your hand. The featureless whiteness of the room is splattered with red. Jason's head hangs forward. Initiates are coming into the room now to congratulate and welcome you, but their voices are faint beneath the sound of the blood roaring in your ears.
That was two weeks ago, and you have not slept comfortably since. The memory of murdering your lover comes back to you in your nightmares again and again. After moving into the female dormitories at Order headquarters, it only took a day for you to realise that becoming a cultist was the stupidest thing you had ever done.
The bad nightmares are the ones where you simply re-live the murder. The worst ones are the happy ones. In those, Jason is alive, you never joined the Order, and the two of you have a wonderful house and a happy marriage. Then you wake up again in the militaristic cot of the Order dormitory, and all you can do is stuff the corner of a pillow down your throat to muffle your sobs.
One of those dreams had just jerked you awake. You lay musing on your own foolishness for a while, until it became clear that you would never be able to go back to sleep. You decide to pop outside for some fresh air.
Women's Dormitory
This is a fairly large and elongated room with most of the available space filled by bunk beds. In the twilight you can just about see the snoring forms of the other female cultists, their chests rising and falling with their breath. A glowing rectangle indicates the presence of a door in the southern wall.
>south
Hallway
Everything in the Order headquarters is so infuriatingly clean. The floor is shiny and reflective, the walls light and cheerful. Absolutely nothing indicates that it is owned by a murdering pain-worshipping cult. Double doors to your west lead to the courtyard, while ordinary doors lie to the north, east and south.
>west
Courtyard
This is the open-air garden provided as an area for meeting and relaxation. Benches and picnic tables are provided, deliberately positioned under the boughs of beautifully maintained trees. A row of flower beds runs the length of the enclosure, blooming with roses so deeply red that you wonder, stupidly, if Jason's blood was used to water them.
An unfamiliar stranger is standing in the centre of the courtyard with his back to you.
>examine stranger
He is wearing a red robe which could possibly have once been the robe of a member of the Order. However, the cowl and sleeves appear to have been torn off. His head is completely bald.
Suddenly, the stranger turns around. "Delia," he says. "Delia Reneaux."
You start at his sudden movement, but manage to find your voice. "How do you know my name?"
"I know many things," he replies, as though this were an explanation. "I also know that you murdered your lover and are filled with regret. You want to redeem yourself, do you not? You wish to be forgiven for the life you stole."
All you can do is nod dumbly. How could he possibly know this? You never mentioned your feelings to anyone...
"I am an enemy of the Order," he continues. "My organisation is building a case against them. If you can help us, we will protect you. But you must do something for us, first. Are you willing?"
"Yes," you say. There doesn't seem to be any point in resisting.
"Somewhere in the basement of this facility, a special knife is being kept. Frehorn's Blade. An artefact the cultists hold in very high regard. I want you to steal it for me, then bring it to me here. Once this task is complete, you will be taken to a safe house. Is everything clear?"
There is something about his voice, and the way his eyes flash as he speaks. Somehow you know that even had you been a loyal member of the cult you would still find yourself acceding to his demands. "Yes."
"Then return here when you have the Blade."
With that, he vanishes. Later, you find you cannot remember if he left the area by foot or simply disapparated into thin air.
>east
Hallway
Everything in the Order headquarters is so infuriatingly clean. The floor is shiny and reflective, the walls light and cheerful. Absolutely nothing indicates that it is owned by a murdering pain-worshipping cult. Double doors to your west lead to the courtyard, while ordinary doors lie to the north, east and south.
>south
Stairwell
You are standing at the top of a wobbly metal stairwell that leads down into the basement of the facility. For some reason, there are traces of sawdust and rock dust up and down the steps. From below, you hear the occasional ominous creak of metal. The door to the rest of the facility lies north.
>down
Bottom of Stairwell
You are in a small, dingy, connecting hallway. From the undecorated walls and narrow movement space you get the definite impression of an underground bunker, although the ceiling is surprisingly high. A set of metal stairs lead back up to the main facility, while metal sliding doors lie to the north and west.
>north
Museum
This is a small, dimly lit room which seems to have been put aside as a museum or display room. Privately, you consider it another testament to the collective self-righteousness of the Order. The display seems to be incomplete - the only features are a magnificent painting on the north wall and a pedestal in the very centre of the room. The only way out is to the south.
On the pedestal is Frehorn's Blade.
You can see a page here.
>take page
Taken.
>read page
The Book of the Bridge, chapter 2
1. The Spying Thief came first to the Bridgekeeper, and was greatly consumed with Fear. "I know you, Bridgekeeper. I know the scheme of the Prince that allows you to remain after Death. I know this house that is your Mind. I know all this, and I will foil your plan."
2. And the Prince knew that the Spying Thief spoke the truth, and allowed the Bridgekeeper to throw down the Spying Thief, and truly did he know the name of the King.
3. And when he saw what had become of the Spying Thief, the Covetous Thief was consumed with Fear, and with the Fear came rage. "I will not follow the Spying Thief in Death; I will not follow. I curse this house and all of us, for in our sin we have cursed ourselves."
4. But the Cunning Thief was steadfast, and he ignored the ravings of the Covetous Thief to continue his debauchery with the Thief-Wife and Thief-Son.
5. And the Prince said "I will not allow the Cunning Thief to disregard the message of the King. His importance is far too great to allow to slip away, or be corrupted in the foulness of his fellows, so I will make an example for him."
>take blade
You stop yourself just in time. Judging by the way the top of the pedestal wobbled as you moved the knife, there's some kind of security mechanism, possibly a weighted one.
>south
Bottom of Stairwell
You are in a small, dingy, connecting hallway. From the undecorated walls and narrow movement space you get the definite impression of an underground bunker, although the ceiling is surprisingly high. A set of metal stairs lead back up to the main facility, while metal sliding doors lie to the north and west.
>west
Security Room
You are in a room painted a dark grey that seems to have been set aside for security and maintenance. In the corner is a compact monitoring computer with several screens, the sort of thing used to operate security cameras. There is also a fusebox nearby, mounted to the north wall. Doors lie east and west.
In the corner of the room is a sealed steel barrel.
>west
Southeastern Main Corridor
You are in a broad hallway. Judging by the way it curves, it probably forms a complete circle, although the way north is blocked by construction barriers. The decor here is less like a bunker and more like some kind of high-tech laboratory, with a lot of stainless steel and plastics incorporated into the building material. There are doors running along the exterior wall leading south and east, while the corridor continues west.
>west
Southwestern Main Corridor
You are in the southwestern quarter of the wide, curving hallway, which continues east and north. More interestingly, though, is a large, heavy steel door installed in the interior wall to the northeast.
>north
Northwestern Main Corridor
The hallway comes to an end here, with more construction barriers blocking the way north and northeast. They do, however, leave enough room to just about squeeze through an open doorway to the northwest.
>northwest
Empty Room
This room is clearly still under construction, as the walls and floor are still undecorated concrete. Exposed wiring dangles from the ceiling, and a stack of ceiling panels in the corner await proper placement. Open doorways lead southeast and northwest.
>northwest
Kitchen
This room is obviously unfinished, but seems to be already being used by the construction crew as a kitchen. A dusty counter is here, and a nonfunctioning refrigerator. A dining table is arranged skewiff in the corner, and judging by the rim marks has clearly been used for tea breaks. The only door is to the southeast.
On the counter is a breadknife.
>take knife
Taken.
>southeast
Empty Room
This room is clearly still under construction, as the walls and floor are still undecorated concrete. Exposed wiring dangles from the ceiling, and a stack of ceiling panels in the corner await proper placement. Open doorways lead southeast and northwest.
>southeast
Northwestern Main Corridor
The hallway comes to an end here, with more construction barriers blocking the way north and northeast. They do, however, leave enough room to just about squeeze through an open doorway to the northwest.
>east
You can't go that way.
>south
Southwestern Main Corridor
You are in the southwestern quarter of the wide, curving hallway, which continues east and north. More interestingly, though, is a large, heavy steel door installed in the interior wall to the northeast.
>east
Southeastern Main Corridor
You are in a broad hallway. Judging by the way it curves, it probably forms a complete circle, although the way north is blocked by construction barriers. The decor here is less like a bunker and more like some kind of high-tech laboratory, with a lot of stainless steel and plastics incorporated into the building material. There are doors running along the exterior wall leading south and east, while the corridor continues west.
>east
Security Room
You are in a room painted a dark grey that seems to have been set aside for security and maintenance. In the corner is a compact monitoring computer with several screens, the sort of thing used to operate security cameras. There is also a fusebox nearby, mounted to the north wall. Doors lie east and west.
In the corner of the room is a sealed steel barrel.
>east
Bottom of Stairwell
You are in a small, dingy, connecting hallway. From the undecorated walls and narrow movement space you get the definite impression of an underground bunker, although the ceiling is surprisingly high. A set of metal stairs lead back up to the main facility, while metal sliding doors lie to the north and west.
>north
Museum
This is a small, dimly lit room which seems to have been put aside as a museum or display room. Privately, you consider it another testament to the collective self-righteousness of the Order. The display seems to be incomplete - the only features are a magnificent painting on the north wall and a pedestal in the very centre of the room. The only way out is to the south.
On the pedestal is Frehorn's Blade.
>put knife on pedestal
You put the breadknife on the pedestal.
>take blade
Taken.
>south
Bottom of Stairwell
You are in a small, dingy, connecting hallway. From the undecorated walls and narrow movement space you get the definite impression of an underground bunker, although the ceiling is surprisingly high. A set of metal stairs lead back up to the main facility, while metal sliding doors lie to the north and west.
>up
Stairwell
You are standing at the top of a wobbly metal stairwell that leads down into the basement of the facility. For some reason, there are traces of sawdust and rock dust up and down the steps. From below, you hear the occasional ominous creak of metal. The door to the rest of the facility lies north.
>north
Hallway
Everything in the Order headquarters is so infuriatingly clean. The floor is shiny and reflective, the walls light and cheerful. Absolutely nothing indicates that it is owned by a murdering pain-worshipping cult. Double doors to your west lead to the courtyard, while ordinary doors lie to the north, east and south.
>west
As you step into the centre of the courtyard, you hear a familiar voice directly behind you.
"You have done well," says the man in red. You spin around, mesmerised again by his extraordinary presence. "Give me the blade."
You nod, and hand over the sacred artefact. The stranger holds it in his left hand, feeling the weight, before reaching into his robe and producing a second, identical blade. Merely trying to look at both blades at the same time causes your eyelids to flicker involuntarily. It is not, you realise, that there are two blades. Both are the same blade, which he is holding in both hands. Then, with no apparent effort on his part, you see only one blade, which he stores in his robe.
"What happens now?" you ask.
"Now?" He seems momentarily confused by the question. "Now, your part in the course of destiny is over. You are free to do as you please. Your life no longer has any specific purpose... but it would certainly be possible to exist."
"But... what about the safe house? Your organisation? You said you would protect me!"
"There is no organisation, and no safe house." His image is already fading, taking the blade with him. "I apologise for deceiving you, but the redemption you seek for your selfish act of short-sighted butchery is not in my, or anyone's, power to give. Evil like that, Ms. Reneaux, must be suffered for."
And then he is gone.
In the morning, the disappearance of Frehorn's Blade sends a shockwave through the Order of Blessed Agonies. It does not take long for even an amateur investigator to gather the evidence needed to convict you, and the thought of what a pain worshipper would do to a person as punishment sent shivers down your spine. Fortunately, by the time they find you, you are already six miles away, fatally crumpled up inside the wreck of a stolen car. The Order of Blessed Agonies, robbed for the second time, bitterly continue their construction.
*** You succeeded in your task ***