Your eyes snap open.\n\nYour fingers hit the numbers like bullets against a wall.\n\n[[And the phone rings.|call2]]
He looks suspicious. You concentrate on exuding innocent curiosity.\n\nYou're far from innocent. [[He can tell.|Confront]]
The perp's long gone.\n\n[[You aim at no one.|fall1]]
<<if visited("clue1") gte 1 and visited("clue2") gte 1 and visited("clue3") gte 1 and visited("enemies") gte 1 and visited("living") gte 1 and visited("anythingelse") gte 1 and visited("serial code") gte 1>>You learned a lot. Time to check your notes.\n\n<<else>>There's work to be done.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("Interrogation 1") is 0>>[["If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions."|Interrogation 1]]\n\n<<else if visited("anythingelse") is 0>>[["I have a few more questions for you."|Interrogation 1]]\n\n<<endif>>\s\n[[Examine the body.|body]]\n\n[[Examine the room.|room]]\n\n[[Consult your notes.|notes]]
You run some searches on it.\nIt belongs to Bramble Artemis, January's husband.\n\nYou confirm it as legal, but you can’t seem to turn up all of the previous work history.\nThere's this dead period in between when his freedom was bought and when he started his most recent job.\n\n[[How curious.|body]]
It's a cruel question to ask, but you have to.\nYou don’t want to put the squeeze on a grieving widow, but you need to find out anything you can.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"My husband sent me a message before he died.\nThat’s how I found his body. He sent it from this room.\n\nIt’s nothing special though. Just a short note."</span>\n\nThis is hurting her. She doesn’t show it much, but every question is like a blow.\n\nYou have to ask. You need to know.\n\n[["Can I see the note?"|lovenote]]\n\n[[Let the widow be.|Interrogation 1]]
<<if visited("gun1") gte 1>>[[Fire another shot.|notthere]]<<else>>[[Struggle.|fall1]]<<endif>>
You know you're faster than this guy.\n\nYou turn at the next aisle break and you head to cut him off by the [[exit]].
Burn marks on the charging station indicate that it was somehow involved in the victim's death.\nThe charging station was a dupe produced at a nearby factory.\nThe victim worked at that factory before purchasing his freedom.\nWhile working there, he encountered a "soul broker" who perhaps did him a favor.\n\nThe leads all converge on that factory.\n[[Time for some legwork.|factory]]
A weird retro holdover from the days before the Cloud.\nLike a box that plays random videos. Mostly marketing, of course.\n\n[[How strange.|room]]
You're pinned like a mouse in a trap.\n\nIf he still had a mouth, he'd be wearing a cheshire smile.\n\nHis hand is on the controls.\n\n<<if visited("intro2") gte 1>>[[<span class="synthspeech">"Better luck next time, detective."</span>|caught1]]<<else>>[[<span class="synthspeech">"You shouldn't have come here."</span>|caught1]]<<endif>>
DUPLICITA: EPISODE 1
Cold.\n\n[[Darkness.|credits]]
<span class="synthspeech">"I'm inspecting these charging stations.\nMaking sure they're safe for sale."</span>\n\n[["What a dutiful employee, doing that after the factory's been closed for years."|Confront]]\n[["How can a charging station be dangerous?"|chargingdanger]]
The factory is cavernous and dimly lit.\n\nWhen it was in operation, it would have been lit by harsh fluorescents.\nNow it's just the emergency maintenance lights: yellowed, muted LEDs.\n\nA chill runs down your spine. There's something here.\nYou can feel it.\n\nYou follow a row of charging stations in various states of completion.\nThere's one that sticks out at you. It's a different model. The kind you'd expect to find in a hotel.\n\n[[The killer was here.|hunt]]
<span class="synthspeech">"Yes, I'm on the quality assurance team."</span>\nHis explanation fails to convince you. You know he's lying.\n\n[[He knows that you know.|Confront]]
His eyes widen. He knows you're onto him.\n\n<<display "Confront">>
"Dermon and Sons," you mumble into the receiver as you light up another cigarette.\n\nThe voice on the other end of the line drops a bombshell on you.\n\nYou sit up straight and scramble for a notepad.\n\n[["Murdered?"|theCase]]\n<<stopallsound>>
You shake your head. The term sounds familiar but you want her to explain.\n\nShe hesitates for a moment.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"They're [[gray market]]. CorpCops don't go after 'em, but they'll take you in for knowing about them."</span>\n\n"And they sell freedom?"\n\nShe nods.\n\n"Where might your husband have encountered them?"\n\nShe shakes her head. <span class="synthspeech">"His old job, maybe."</span>\nShe gives you the address.<<if visited("clue3") gte 1>> You recognize this as the production facility for the duped charging station.<<endif>>\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"Any other [[questions|Interrogation 1]] for me? I want to help."</span>
Your doctor keeps telling you not to do this.\n"You keep burning them out. And the stress…\nExtremely loud noise isn't healthy. You've practically given yourself PTSD."\n\nIt's still healthier than being caught off guard.\n[[You'll never let that happen again.|hunt]]
/%Collects information from interrogation and crime scene. if-statement gated. %/\n''Client(s)'': January Artemis, Wife of Victim\n''Victim(s)'': Bramble Artemis, Husband of Client\n''Suspect(s)'': INVESTIGATION PENDING\n''Incident'': Murder\n\n<<if visited("clue1") gte 1>>The victim's cyberbrain is irreparably damaged, indicating any number of possibilities:\na failure of some security program, an overheated processor, or suicide by intentional use of malware.\nThere's no sign of a struggle.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("clue2") gte 1>>There was a single video file on the data chit. It's corrupted so only audio was left.\nA male synth voice (Presumably the vic's): <span class="synthspeech">"I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry."</span>\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("clue3") gte 1>>You've found the probable production site for the duped charging station.\nAs luck would have it, it's nearby.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("enemies") gte 1>>January called Bram "principled". In your experience, that's a dangerous trait to have.\nPeople know your morals aren't negotiable, they skip straight to the violence.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("living") gte 1>>The vic was a factory worker. Practically an indentured servant.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("anythingelse") gte 1 and visited("lovenote") gte 1>>Bram sent January a note before expiration. Very personal.\n\n<<else if visited("anythingelse") gte 1 and visited("lovenote") is 0>>Bram sent January a note before expiration. Don't know what's on it. Not my business.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("serial code") gte 1>>Search on the serial code turns up some blank spots in vic's work history.\nNot worth looking into on its own, but good to keep in mind.\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("clue1") gte 1 and visited("clue2") gte 1 and visited("clue3") gte 1 and visited("enemies") gte 1 and visited("living") gte 1 and visited("anythingelse") gte 1 and visited("serial code") gte 1>> [[Form Conclusions.|conclusions]]<<else>> [[Get back to work.|previous()]]\n<<endif>>
You jack up the sensitivity on your [[cochlear implant]] to a painful level.\n\nYou hear your heartbeat.\nYou hear the firing of your nerves.\nYou hear your breathing.\n\nYou hear footsteps.\n200 meters away, 42 degrees to your right.\n\n[[Every footfall pounds in your head, impossibly loud.|hunt 2]]
He stands there as if he's expecting you.\n\nHis smugness is only rivaled by your frustration.\n\n[[You swing at him.|trapset]]
"I'm detective Margeaux Kelly. I'd like to ask you a few questions."\n\nHe hasn't run yet.\nMaybe you'll get an answer or two out of him before he bolts?\n\n[["What are you doing here?"|question1]]\n[["Does the term 'soul broker' mean anything to you?"|question2]]\n[["So… do you work here?"|question3]]
Not illegal. Not safe either.\n\nCorps don't mind a certain amount of "aftermarket resale".\nIt gives them an avenue to test out products on unwitting customers while maintaining a level of plausible deniability.\n\nSoul brokers are really pushing it though.\nYou can't imagine the methods they use to free synthetics are permitted by the EULA.\n\nThey must be paying the cops quite a bit.\nOtherwise, there's no way they'd be allowed to run around [[jailbreaking synthetics.|soul brokers]]
You wonder why you still haven't sprung for the [[ComLink]] yet.\n[[RoPas|RoPa]] just make you squeamish, you guess.\n\nThe order form lays wrinkled on [[your desk|ringing]].
/%nonrepeatable intro to crime scene%/\nFirst impressions on arriving at the scene:\n\nA grieving synthetic. The caller. Wife of the victim.\nA generic hotel room. Harshly lit by LEDs. Smells of burning plastic.\nA dead synthetic. Laid out next to the charging station. The victim.\n\n[[The caller introduces herself.|intro]]
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He shoves you backwards.\n\nYou stumble into a stack of long, cylindrical transformer arrays.\n\nBefore you can react, he's kicked over the top of an adjacant pile and is already bounding for the [[control booth.|controls]]
A common element of worker contracts at all levels.\nDeclares the corp’s right to "discipline" the worker for "misspeaking".\n\n"Do you know what the penalty might have been for breaking his silence clause?"\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"The usual kinds of things, I expect. A fine, a fee, a demotion, indentured hours."</span>\n\nIf she could sob, she would be sobbing now.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"But not this… not this…"</span>\n\nIt might be a good time to [[change your line of questioning.|Interrogation 1]]
Standard Telecommunications Package.\nSubvocalization modulator, cochlear transceiver, sub-corneal high-resolution heads up display.\nLiterally a headphone.\n\n[[Plans starting at just $179.99 a month!|previous()]]
"What kind of principles?"\n\nShe looks you in the eye.\n<span class="synthspeech">"Bram refused to be someone else's tool. He might have worked for P&P, but he refused to be their property."</span>\n\nA tense moment of silence passes as she stares into your [[soul]].\n\nFinally, she breaks eye contact.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"So… if he saw something he thought was wrong, he would have said something, [[silence clause]] be damned."</span>
The Relectric Chair
Not from a gun-shot.\nThe burn patterns indicate catastrophic failure from the [[inside|previous()]].
The CorpCops have no vested interest in keeping people alive, and even less interest in providing closure.\n[[It's no surprise they missed this.|previous()]]
A quick Cloud search turns up a half-dozen dupes for this particular model.\nMost of them got raided by CorpCops before they really got into serious production.\n\nBut not all of them.\nYou make a note of the location of the production facility.\n[[You might want to pay them a visit later.|room]]
The factory is filled with motion.\n\nThe truly automated parts of the assembly line are working as intended.\n\nThe ones that still require attention are bottlenecking.\n\n<<if visited("catwalk") gte 1>>\n[[You see him, he's going back down.|down]]\n<<endif>>
<span class="synthspeech">"I'm… I'm not sure. He wasn’t an agitator or anything. He had no bounties on him."</span>\n\nShe glances at the burn marks, the charging station, the body.\nHer gaze stops there, fixated. She’s silent for a long moment.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"He had… [[principles]]."</span>
<span class="synthspeech">"Bram was a factory worker. He owns his own license, but he owes some [[favors]] to have come by it.\n\nHis income and mine was enough to live. Nobody ''robbed'' us.\n\nI don’t know who could’ve done this to him…"</span>
You arrive at the address.\n\nIf the sun was still visible, it would be dipping behind the horizon just about now.\n\nAfter a quick search you find the entrance.\nThe door is slightly [[ajar|factoryInterior]].
IndustriaLight Jointed Hauler, looks like v2 or v3.\nColloquially called a "John Henry".\n\nThis model is as old as synthetics, but still in production.\nSome combination of low manufacturing costs and high reliability.\n\n[[Nothing unusual.|body]]
You try to pull your coat away from the stacks.\n\nIt shifts and settles.\n\n[[You're starting to lose feeling in your hand.|caught3]]
Your left arm is still stuck.\n\nThe crane moves overhead, its servos whirring up a cacaphony as a ready-to-be-boxed charging station moves into place.\n\n[[Pull out your weapon.|gun1]]\n\n[[Free your arm.|caught2]]
He stops dead in his tracks as you slide into view, blocking the door.\n\nA loud sound, like feedback from a microphone, can be heard coming from his legs.\n\nHe stoops down and leaps up to the catwalk.\n\nLooks like you gotta take the [[stairs|catwalk]].
Empty.\n\nIn my [[coat|coat]].\n<<set $doom += 1>>
You find the victim laying where he died. You can discern the [[make and model]] from a [[serial code]] on his back.\n\nThe head component is literally [[blown apart.|clue1]]\n\nYou notice a datachit still clenched in [[his hand|clue2]].\n\n<<if visited("clue1") gte 1 and visited("clue2") gte 1>>[[That's all you can find here.|Crime Scene 1]]<<else>>[[There’s no sign of a struggle.|Crime Scene 1]]<<endif>>
The grated staircase rattles like thunder as you ascend three steps at a time.\n\nSuddenly, the lights come on.\n\nAs do the [[machines.|machines]]
The voice is a synthesized one.\n\nUp-pitched. Feminine.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"My husband has been murdered."</span>\n\nWhen she says it the second time, there's a hint of [[desperation]].\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"The CorpCops ruled it suicide, but Bramble would never..."</span>\n\nYou confirm the address and assure her that you’re on your way.\n\n[[Later, at the scene of the crime…|arrival]]\n
...to be continued in DUPLICITA: EPISODE 2\n\n<<if previous() eq "goodend4">>''Good End!''<<else>>''Bad End!''<<endif>>\n\nDUPLICITA: EPISODE 1\n\nThe Relectric Chair\n\nWritten by Sean Hwang and Doug Lindsay.\n\nAn Alpha Tomato Game.\n\nFor more, please check out twine.alphatomato.com
[[Block.]]
Omnopticon Private Security.\n\nOwned by the all-seeing Hacken Media Enterprises.\n\nLike the other two CorpCop branches of the Big Three, if you’re not a subscriber, they don't come when you [[call|ringing]].
On the ground now, you two scramble for dominance.\n\nPunches are being thrown.\nKnuckles are being bloodied.\nGuts are being punched.\n\nHe has you [[pinned]].
You catch him off-guard.\nA man, not a young man. [[Age indeterminate.|face]] Heavily roboticized.\nYou turn your cochlear implant back down.\n\nHis moment of shock is a perfect opportunity for a [[brief interview|spotted]].
[[You really don't feel like explaining right now.|previous()]]
You miss.\n\nYou're left handed.\n\n[[Free your arm, dammit!|caught2]]
You grab your piece from your boot.\n\nYou aim and [[fire|gun2]].
Synthetic.\nDuplicant.\nAndroid.\n\nMachine.\n\nThrough and through. A hard shell containing an electro-chemical cyberbrain running proprietary AI software.\nAll wrapped up nice and neat in a humanoid body.\n\nFor someone who can literally mute the world for themselves, he sure [[complains a lot|ringing]].
[[Introduce yourself.|intro2]]\n\n/% this option takes you straight to the chase.%/\n[[Confront|confront1]] him.
You won't let him get away.\n\nThe game of cat and mouse has to stop.\n\n<<if visited("pinned") eq 0>>You fish out your [[Buster Duster.|duster]]<<else>>You walk down the aisle.<<endif>>\n\n[[This ends now.|trap]]
The phone rings.\n\nYour [[partner]] asks about why you keep that [[antique]] around.\n\n"Nostalgia", you [[lie]]. You take a long drag off of your now short cigarette and you extinguish the ember.\n\n[[The phone rings again.|ringing]]\n<<loopsound "marimba.mp3">>
You wrench awkwardly around and reach your [[phone|call5]].
The phone rings.\n\nYour [[partner|call3]] asks about why you keep that [[antique|call3]] around.\n\n"Nostalgia", you [[lie|call3]]. You take a long drag off of your now short cigarette and you extinguish the ember.\n\nThe phone rings again.\n\n[[Pick it up.|call3]]\n<<loopsound "marimba.mp3">>
You sit up. You feel a dull ache in your [[left arm|goodend3]].
You try to move it.\n\nA low sound, like feedback from a microphone comes from your shoulder.\nThen your elbow.\n\n[[This is not your left arm.|goodend4]]
You freeze. A frustrated sigh turns into a growl of rage.\n\nThe world just charged an arm and a leg. You've paid the arm, but there's still an outstanding bill.\n\n[[And you aim to collect.|credits]]
You reach into your pocket with your left hand and grab your [[Buster Duster.|duster]]\n\nA swift uppercut sends the perp flying, slamming into a control panel.\n\n<<display machines>>\s\n\nHe gets up and staggers down an aisle, [[out of sight.|down]]
Your phone.\n\nWhere was your phone?\n\n[[Jacket pocket.|coat]]\n\n[[Pants pocket.|pants]]
"Augmentations", "enhancements", "prosthetics"-\n\n"RoPa", short for Robot Parts.\n\nImplantable cyborg systems that makes you stronger, faster, more Robot and arguably less [[antique|previous()]].
He turns the corner.\nHe's headed towards the door.\n\n[[Cut him off.|cut]]\n\n[[Just chase.|chase2]]
"Hey! Stop right there!"\n\nBad move Kelly.\n\n<<display "Confront">>
It looks to be a fairly normal Motel 17-brand room.\nIt's a cheap imitation of how the middle class thought the rich lived 20 years ago.\n\nThere's a [[television|tv]] and an armchair, but no bed.\nThis room must be intended for non-sleepers.\n\nThis suspicion is confirmed by the charging station in the corner.\nYou've seen this model of charging station before, but they aren't normally covered in burn marks.\n\nActually hold on. This charging station doesn't have a brand name that you recognize.\n[[It must be some kind of dupe.|clue3]]\n\n<<if visited("clue3") gte 1>>[[That's all you can find here.|Crime Scene 1]]<<endif>>\n
The BUSTER DUSTER™ 4000 is a 1,600,000 volt solution to any assailant based problem.\nA gentle tap with the contact prongs can instantly repel any would be attacker.\n\nProlonged contact will cause further disorientation and may result in burns.\n\nBUSTER DUSTER CO. is not responsible for death or loss of limb function.\nBUSTER DUSTER CO. assumes zero liability for malfunctioning of RoPas that may be caused by misuse of product.\n\n[[No refunds.|previous()]]
"What kind of favors?"\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"Well, the factory that Bramble worked at… they pay a fair wage, but the hours they work… it’s harsh…\n\neven for a Synthetic…\n\nAnd the contract… and the 'separation fee'."</span>\n\nYou nod sympathetically. A little emotional support can go a long way.\n[[But she didn’t really answer the question.|favors 2]]
The eyes are the window to the soul. That's what your grandfather used to say.\n\nYour grandfather was Catholic. He used to rage about synthetics.\nCalled them an "usurpation of God's rightful power".\n\nWhen he caught you with one, he said your soul was bound for hell.\nAnd if it wasn't then, it certainly is by now.\n\nThe things you’ve done can’t be healthy for a [[soul|principles]].
You just wrote a check your arm can't cash.\n\n[[You crumple to the floor, grabbing at where your left shoulder used to be.|dying]]
.synthspeech {\n\tfont-family: Lucida Console, Monaco, monospace;\n}
<<if visited("left")>>[[Right pocket.|right]]<<else>>[[Left pocket|left]] or [[right pocket|right]]?<<endif>>
He's toying with you.\n\n[[And he's done playing.|spring]]
You're faster than this guy.\nYou'll catch him.\n\nYou barrel down aisle.\nYou crouch down, lowering your center of mass.\n\nYou [[tackle|scuffle1]] him.
/%Can ask about specific pieces of evidence. Motive speculation, weapons, injury patterns, etc.%/\n<<if visited("enemies") eq 0>>[["Did your husband have any enemies?"|enemies]]\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("living") eq 0>>[["What does your husband do for a living?"|living]]\n\n<<endif>>\s\n/%some questions should be unlockable%/\s\n<<if visited("enemies") gte 1 and visited("living") gte 1 and visited("anythingelse") eq 0>>[["Is there anything else you're not telling me?"|anythingelse]]\n\n<<endif>>\s\n<<if visited("anythingelse") gte 1>>[["That's all for now."|Crime Scene 1]]<<else>>[["I'm gonna look around a little first."|Crime Scene 1]]<<endif>>\n\n[[Consult your notes.|notes]]
<span class="synthspeech">"Jesus, Kelly! If you ain't gonna get rid of it, at least answer the damn thing!"</span>\n\n[[Pick up the phone.|theCall]]
[[The charging station falls.|thetear]]
<span class="synthspeech">"I'm [[January Artemis]]. I called you because…"</span>\n\nShe stares at the body, and the words can’t come out.\n\n<span class="synthspeech">"I need to know what happened to my husband."</span>\n\n[[You get to work.|Crime Scene 1]]\n
He blocks it.\n\nYou swing again.\n\nHe blocks.\n\n[[Swing.]]
Make and Model: Omnopticon Private Security OCP-05 'Bluecoat'. \n\nA [[Synthetic]] that owns their own license. Worked for [[OPS]] until they upgraded their lineup to the OCP-06 ‘Gumshoe’. \n\nGoes by the name Argyle.\n\nHe now finds work at [[Dermon and Sons Private Investigation Agency|ringing]].
Fading in and out of [[consciousness|con1]].
Lying comes naturally after all these years. It's the result of a Darwinian process.\n\n[[Nature isn’t kind to the honest.|previous()]]
[[<span class="synthspeech">“Hello?.”</span>|call8]]
[[<span class="synthspeech">“Dermon and Sons.”</span>|call7]]\n<<stopallsound>>
You're losing blood.\n\nYou're losing a lot of blood.\n\n[[Get to your feet.|doom1]]\n\n[[Call for help.|call]]\n\n<<set $doom = 0>>
You didn’t know they could synthesize that.\n\n[[Must be a new model.|previous()]]
<span class="synthspeech">“Kelly?.”</span>\n\nBlood.\n\n<<if $doom gte 3>> [[Cold.|badend]] <<else>> [[Warmth.|goodend]] <<endif>>
<span class="synthspeech">I love you January\nin every month\nand I always will.\n\nI'm so sorry.</span>\n\n[[You don’t know what you expected.|Interrogation 1]]
[[In.|In]]
[[Please pick up.|call6]]
You got your name from your mother, who got it from her father, who got it from his father.\n\nJanuary chose her own name.\nIt could be the month she was freed.\nIt could be her favorite time of year.\nIt could be randomly selected by a series of dice rolls.\n\nArtemis is the name she chose with her husband to describe their union.\nIt signifies a legal status and a level of trust. They are a single corporate entity.\nThey take on each other’s debts and assume mutual liability. They are equal shareholders in each other’s lives.\n\nJanuary Artemis. She inherited nothing, and built a life with [[that name|intro]].
The suspect books it in [[the opposite direction.|theChase]]
Sean Hwang and Doug Lindsay
Warmth.\n\nYou're blinded by fluorecent glow of a [[ZHBM]] operating table [[light|goodend2]].
[[Pick it up.|call4]]
You roll onto your stomach.\n\nYou try to push yourself off the ground with your one remaining arm.\n\n[[You fall.|doom2]]\n<<set $doom += 1>>
Blood. Losing.\n\nLosing blood.\n\n[[Get to your feet.|doom3]]\n\n[[Call for help.|call]]
You taste the ground again.\n\nNot a flavor you enjoy.\n\n[[Call for help.|call]]\n<<set $doom += 1>>
You give chase.\n\nHe runs down a long aisle. Charging stations on one side.\n\n[[Charging station parts on the other.|corner]]
Probably because he's replaced the lower half of his face with RoPas.\n\nHis mouth is literally shut tighter than a steel trap, and now you've got to [[pry it open.|hunt 2]]
<<if $doom gte 4>> [[and out.|badend]] <<else>> [[and out.|consciousness]] <<endif>>
"Do you know who he might have asked favors from?"\n\nA momentary pause. She's clearly querying her memory for something.\n<span class="synthspeech">"I'm not quite sure. Could be… have you heard of [[soul brokers]]?"</span>
Empty.\n\n[[Right pocket.|right]]\n\n<<if visited("pants")>><<else>>[[Pants pocket.|pants]]<<endif>>\n\n<<set $doom += 1>>