DSV

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Lives are on the line. According to the report, nuclear waste was dumped in the deep sea East of the Philippines by an American company. The US tried to discreetly clean it up with a DSV, or Deep Submergence Vehicle. But the DSV and all six of its crew members were lost some time into the mission. Someone onboard the DSV's surface support vessel inadvertently leaked the situation when they messaged a loved one. Now, the incident has become international news and the UN is imposing trade and travel sanctions on the US. The US, in response, is engaging in a full-scale misinformation campaign to make themselves out to be the victim and foster contempt for the UN. As for the missing DSV and its crew, the International Bureau of Atomic Energy (IBAE) has proposed a rescue operation. With personnel provided by the UN, they plan to bring back the six imperiled Americans with the help of another DSV. [[Answer the call|Prologue II]]

<img src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/thestanleyparable/images/6/60/ Two_Doors_Room.jpg" alt="A photo of a hallway and two doors" /> You are in a hallway. You see two doors: [[the door on the left]] and the [[the door on the right]]. <<set $hasKey to false>>

check the bookmark "Twine Media" for music, which necessitates a folder structure (and probably an installer)

Your name is Doctor Zora Marjanović. You were born in Serbia in 1999 and you received your Ph.D. in marine biology in 2017 from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. You are one of four recruited for this rescue mission. The time is now July 8, 1400 hours, 82 hours after the last transmission from the missing DSV, also known as the //Argo//. You're now arriving at the //Medea//, the surface support vessel which the //Argo// launched from. It has been commandeered by the UN for your mission, and the American crew will be aiding your launch under the UN's supervision. [[Embark onto the //Medea//|Medea]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/p4YaYCU.png" alt="The Medea in all its glory sits pensively upon the waves" /> "Welcome aboard, Doctor." says a big, curly-haired man, wearing wraparound sunglasses and clad in a wet suit and tie. "My name is Clifford. I'm in charge here." He turns his back to lead you to the deck, clearly satisfied with this introduction remaining one-sided. "We were beginning to fear we'd launch without you. The //Braver// was set to submerge at 1200 hours, but there's apparently been some 'last minute modifications' that needed sorting out." He puts big air quotes up when he says those words, eager to show his disdain. "So I suppose you'll have to thank your new technician for delaying the mission long enough for you to get here." [[//proceed//|Medea Investigation]]

"What is the //Braver//?" Just then, you emerge onto the aft deck. Ahead of you is a massive, peculiar shape, suspended by thick cables above the lapping ocean. <img src="" alt="The Braver stares through you with reflective lenses behind sapphire glass" /> "What you're looking at is a modified version of the same DSV that went missing 84 hours ago. It's what your tax dollars pay for." Clifford looks on with a pointed smirk. "What can I tell you about it?" [[//ask who built it//|Meduse Brief]] [[//ask what can it do//|Specs Brief]] [[//ask about the modifications//|Mods Brief]] [["I think I'll figure out the rest once I'm inside."// go back//|Medea Investigation]]

"You mentioned 'my new technician?'" As if on cue, a boisterous voice cuts above the din of the waves with angry French curses. Clifford points to the unlikely source, a petite woman in blue coveralls rolled down to her waist. "That would be Chloé." She walks out of view saying something about a drill bit with nervous-looking assistants hurrying after her. "She's had a large part to play in getting the //Braver// modified for this mission. Even if her methods are... unique. She's also the technician on the rescue team. I can introduce you to her, or any of the others on the team if you like." [[//meet the team//|Meet the Team]] [["I'll have plenty of time to get to know them when we're underwater." //go back//|Medea Investigation]]

"Could you tell me a bit more about the //Medea//?" "Yes, Doctor. The Americans might have built the boat, but this is officially an international vessel now." Clifford answers while subduing a grin. "Ask away." [[//ask about its role//|Role Brief]] [[//ask about the crew//|Crew Brief]] [[//ask about the commandeering//|Incident Brief]] [["That's all."// go back//|Medea Investigation]]

"What can you tell me about the crew of this ship? You're not all UN, are you?" "The Americans are still here staffing the ship, but my guys are overseeing things. If you ask me, we should have them all detained for questioning until this thing blows over, but I don't get to make those calls. Until then, they're here to make sure we launch you in the right place." [["I see."// go back//|Medea Brief]]

"Am I to understand you... commandeered the //Medea//?" "Yes. We hijacked it, if you want to say it another way. But of course, when it's one nation hijacking another, they call it 'commandeering.' As far as the UN is concerned, this ship lost its right to autonomy when it aided in an international conspiracy. The //Medea// and all its crew are implicated in a criminal investigation, and are therefore subject to seizure." Clifford adjusts his necktie and straightens his posture. [["Alright."// go back//|Medea Brief]]

"Current plan is to launch at 14:30, so you should have enough time to rebrief if you need." [[//ask about the mission//|Mission Brief]] [[//ask about the Medea//|Medea Brief]] [[//ask about the Braver//|Braver Brief]] [[//ask about the rescue team//|Chloé Brief]] [["Thanks, Clifford. I'll be ready to launch by then." // proceed//|Ready to Launch]]

"Who built this thing?" "Americans, mostly. It's this company called 'Meduse.' The //Braver// and the //Argo// are both modified versions of Meduse's //Null Hypothesis// class DSV. Cutting-edge stuff. They designed it for filmmakers, explorers, and scientists for expeditions in the deep ocean. So it should be idiot-proof, in other words." (set: $IdiotProof to true) [["I'll keep that in mind." // go back//|Braver Brief]]

"Can you fill me on what we know so far?" "Sure thing, Doctor. What needs clearing up?" [[//ask about the American's mission//|Kmission Brief]] [[//ask about the order of events//|Order Brief]] [[//ask about the missing DSV//|Argo Brief]] [["That sums it up."// go back//|Medea Investigation]]

Clifford takes his leave with a nod. And you are left to your own devices. You take in the solitude. Before you, the water is pulled and whipped about as if by a million invisible hands hidden beneath the waves. It writhes and staggers against the hull of the //Medea//. It's not a good day for diving. Even so, lives are on the line. [[Answer the call|Launch I]]

"What's this thing capable of? Can I get a rundown on the specs?" Clifford points out various baubles on the surface of the vessel. "Omni-directional cameras with high-definition lenses plus exterior lights means about a kilometer of visibility in pitch darkness." Next, he gestures to openings on its slick surface. "Lateral propulsion up to 5 knots, double that going down, and about half that on the way back up." Then he taps the outer shell as one might pat the head of a dog. "10-centimeter thick titanium hull, capable of withstanding 1400 atmospheres worth of pressure. That means a depth of 15,000 meters, which is 5 clicks deeper than the deepest trench on the planet, by the way." Finally, he points to the back of the craft, its power source. "And a micro Plutonium-239 reactor with quadruple-layered Lithium-Ion batteries, good for 24 hours of cameras, lights, comms, propulsion, and life-support for up to six people. The batteries also store 120 hours of emergency power, but that's only good for life-support, and you can't manually transfer that power back and forth." [["Wow."// go back//|Braver Brief]]

"How about the play-by-play? What's the sequence of events here?" "On the fifth of July, 0000 hours, the six-person crew of the //Argo// launched from the //Medea//. Two hours later, they sent their last transmission: 'achieved depth 5500 meters.' Another two hours later, a crew member aboard the //Medea// texts someone about the disappearance, and by morning, it's international news. It's been three days since then, and we haven't seen or heard a peep from the //Argo//. They would have run out of primary power--that's things like propulsion and comms--two days ago, on the sixth. But that would mean they still have more than half their emergency power left, though it's life-support only. If it's as we think, they run out of life-support in another three days. But that should be plenty of time to conduct the mission." [["Understood." // go back//|Mission Brief]]

"What about the missing DSV?" "Right. Your mission is to rescue the six-person team of the //Argo//, the missing DSV. Their last known location is just about 6000 meters right below us, on the edge of the Philippine Trench. If they encountered an engineering fault and lost power, it should be as easy as going down there and linking up with them to take everyone back up in trips. But if all else fails, the //Braver//'s been modified by the IBAE to discharge power, so you can just give them a jump start." [["Sounds simple enough." // go back//|Mission Brief]]

"What do we know about the Americans' mission?" "So, according to the news outlets, some years ago, an American company we don't know the name of disposed of high-level nuclear waste in the ocean East of the Philippines. We're not talking dirty gloves here, this is the kind of stuff you see on TV. The shiny green ooze left over from spent uranium rods. So instead of burying it in a mine or the desert or something, they chose about 6000 meters below us, right on the edge of the Philippine Trench." He adjusts his sunglasses, spotted with sweat and seawater. "Story is, when the US Department of Energy heard about it, they sent the //Medea// out here to drop the //Argo// so they could bag it and take it back to the states before anybody found out. But when the //Argo// went dark, a crew member up here on the //Medea// blabbed and got them all found out." [[//ask about the Americans' response//|Khint I]] [["I see." // go back//|Mission Brief]]

"Yeah, let's meet the team." Clifford nods and leads you to Chloé. "Madame Chloé Bélanger, the technician. She is the expert in all things mechanical and technical onboard the //Braver//. She oversaw its retooling by the IBAE and is still making last-minute modifications. If she wanted to, she could disassemble and reassemble the entire craft by herself, and she would probably enjoy it." Chloé looks at something past you, then seems to realize you're there. "Oh, hello." Chloé says, as if you've caught her on a loading screen. [["Pleased to meet you, Chloé..." //talk to Chloé//|Chloé Intro]] [["Who's next, Clifford?" //proceed//|Doc Intro I]]

"Why is the //Medea// here?" "All DSVs need a surface support vessel to launch from. Their buoyancy is controlled so they can move vertically in the water, so DSVs can't move above the water like a normal ship. You can think of the //Medea// as both your home base and your mission control for this operation. I'll be in the bridge answering your messages and offering help whenever I can." [["Got it."// go back//|Medea Brief]]

"They named it '//Braver//?' What makes it special?" "Well, the IBAE named it //Mas Matapang//, but in English, that means //Braver//. They decided to give it a name after they modified it." Clifford shrugs. "Maybe they wanted to distance it from the American manufacturer, but that would only have been original if the Americans hadn't done the same thing when they modded their DSV, preferring 'the //Argo//.'" He clears his throat. "As for the mods themselves, the //Argo// has protracting arms designed to carry loads up to 6000 kilos and the //Braver// has an airtight hatch so it can link up with the //Argo// without depressurizing. Oh yeah, and the last-minute mod your technician is working on... it's an exposed circuit that can wire power directly from the Plutonium reactor to the hatch so battery life can be transferred between the vessels. I guess the IBAE told her to prioritize saving the whole //Argo// rather than just the people inside." [["Interesting." //go back//|Braver Brief]]

"Pleased to meet you, Chloé. My name is Zora, I'm a marine bio-" "Oh that's right, Zora, like the fish-people from Zelda. I remember reading about you somewhere and getting a kick out of your name. A marine biologist named Zora? That's just perfect." "Thank... you...? I picked it myself, but not because of the fish-person thing." "Of course, of course." Chloé is already walking to get past you, she seems to be satisfied with this interaction. [["I guess I'll see you on the //Braver//, Chloé." // proceed//|Doc Intro I]]

Chloé passes you without another word. Next, Clifford takes you to the starboard deck. Ahead is a Cameroonian man with a stout frame holding a black bag. His graying goatee encloses a frown, whether it's professional or truly discontented is unclear. Clifford speaks up. "Doctor, this is the other Ph.D. on the team, Doctor Sadjo Mvondo. Around here though, we just call him Doc. He received his doctorate in radiology from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Although, for this mission, his job is to medically assess and--if necessary--provide first aid for the crew of the //Argo//." [["Hello, Doctor. It's good to meet you..." // talk to Doc//|Doc Intro II]] [["And our fourth team member?" // proceed//|Major Intro I]]

"Hello, Doctor. It's good to meet you. I'm Doctor Zora Marjanović. You can just call me Zora to avoid confusion." "The marine biologist. You finally made it." Doc remains relaxed yet firm in his demeanor. [["I apologize for my tardiness, Doctor."|Doc Intro III]] [["Is something wrong, Doctor?"|Doc Intro III]] [[//remain silent//|Doc Intro III]]

Clifford walks you up to the bridge of the //Medea//. Among the American civilian clothes and black UN suits, you spot green camouflage fatigues. They turn on her heel, arms still behind her back, to address you. "Doctor Marjanović. I'm Major Alma Reyes of the Philippine Air Force. It's good to have you here." She dutifully reaches out her hand to shake yours. [["Please, call me Zora."// proceed//|Major Intro II]]

Doc's watch goes off with a ticking noise, and he starts to walk away. "Just try to stay focused on the mission, Zora." There is an icy emphasis on your name when it leaves his mouth. Clifford taps your shoulder. "Just one more to go, Doctor." [[//proceed//|Major Intro I]]

"Please, call me Zora." As you and the Major shake hands, Clifford shrinks a little and offers further introductions. "The Major here has been put in charge of the rescue team. She'll also be piloting the //Braver//. She's the pride of the PAF and the first of their pilots to be involved in the forthcoming Philippine Space Program. Operating DSVs has been part of her training to be an astronaut, making her uniquely qualified for this operation over anyone in the Philippine Navy." "Don't worry, Zora. Just because they gave me wings doesn't mean I don't know how to swim." The Major adds a dash of gravity to that statement, intent on your trust in her. [["I'll remember that, Major." // proceed//|Meet the Team End]]

Clifford finally brings you back to where you started and checks his phone. "Any more questions, Doctor? Or should I let you get ready now?" [["Do we still have time?" // go back//|Medea Investigation]] [["That will be all, Clifford. Thank you." // proceed//|Ready to Launch]]

"And what happened after that? How did the Americans respond?" "They were silent for the first few hours or so, but probably because they were working through the night to consider their next move. By morning, the US was releasing counter-headlines implying a research vessel had been attacked by the UN. I guess that's how they want to see us, huh? They'd rather save their self-image than their own lost souls. But that's fine, I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunity to correct that while they read our ultimatum." [[//proceed//|Khint II]]

"Ultimatum? Is the UN demanding reparations from the US?" "No, think bigger." he says with a smirk. "The Philippines already got the UN to fast-track trade and travel sanctions. Next, they're drafting a treaty. Well, it's going to be less of a treaty and more of a written warning. And if the Americans keep this up, they'll have a real storm coming. But I better shut up before I spill any more international secrets." Clifford chuckles, unable to resist his pride. "Now back to your questions about the mission?" [["Sure." // go back//|Mission Brief]]

The time is now 14:30. Launch time. <img src="" alt="The Braver stares through you with reflective lenses behind sapphire glass" /> You and Doctor Mvondo arrive at the same time, Chloé and the Major are already here. "Tell me some good news, Major." Doc says. "The good news is the discharger is working!" Chloé blurts out. "So we are actually going to launch at some point?" Doc makes no attempt to hide his contempt. "This discharger system will allow us to give or take power from the //Argo//, although not back to back." Chloé excitedly continues, "I'd love to fix that bug so we could swap power back and forth all day long, but I had to scrap that to finish befo--" "Are we launching or not, Major?" Doc's patience expires. "We are launching." The Major finally answers. "Bélanger, get us ready to submerge." "Aye aye." Chloé answers with a half-salute. Then she begins gesticulating and yelling to the crew of the //Medea//. Sweaty, exhausted Americans move about, turning cranks and flipping switches. Soon, the //Braver// starts to descend. The cables suspending it above the hungry waves unwind, until the //Braver// is all but waterborne, like Achilles in the river Styx. "Alright," the Major begins, "we're about to spend the night in a pressurized capsule, that means-" "The night?" Doc interrupts. "I thought the //Braver// could do 10 knots going straight down? We should be able to reach the //Argo//'s depth three times in under an hour! What makes you think we won't be done by dinner?" "Doctor," the Major says patiently, "we can't say for certain where the //Argo// is, and the //Braver// can't do more than 3 knots coming back up again. Taking into account that there are six people on the //Argo// and only room for six on either vessel, we'll have to make at least three trips to bring everyone back to the surface." "We won't need to take them back. The //Argo// can swim back on its own after a jump-start from the discharger!" Chloé adds. "If it doesn't fry them, that is." Doc says. Chloé hasn't seemed to notice the insult. "Either way, I don't plan on pushing the //Braver// to max thrust if I don't have to. At the end of the day, the //Argo// and the //Braver// are cut from the same cloth, and if they encountered a fault, we could too. So we'll be avoiding straining the system when we don't have to." The Major is resolute. "Current estimate is to spend 1 hour descending and 2 hours ascending. We do that three times and add thirty minutes as error, and we'll be done at 0200 hours tomorrow morning." Doc sighs but does not protest. Chloé isn't listening. [["Okay, so what happens now?"|Launch II]]

"Okay, so what happens now?" "Now, I warn you that we're going to be sharing a small enclosed space for no less than 9 and a half hours." The Major adopts a serious tone. "This isn't a scientific expedition and it isn't a tech showcase. People's lives are in danger. They're going to be scared and we need to be their bravery. You are what they've been praying for. Don't let them down." Doc rolls his eyes and Chloé still isn't listening. The Major's gaze moves to you. "If you don't think you can do that. Now's your chance to back out." The Major scans the rest of the team. "No shame. It won't leave this ship. And if you really don't want to go, we can still use your seat to carry the //Argo//'s people. Seriously, if you want to back down, just say the word." The Doc and Chloé are silent. [["I... don't think I can do this."|Abandon the Call]] [[//remain silent//|Launch III]]

"I... don't think I can do this."(set: $Abandoned to true) Chloé snaps out of her trance and looks at you strangely. Doc's expression twists with disdain, abandoning any professional veneer. The Major is speechless. She doesn't look surprised that someone wanted to stay, but she must not have suspected that it would be you. She quickly recomposes her diplomacy. "Thank you for your honesty, Zora. We'll see you once the mission is complete." Then the Major goes on briefing the inattentive technician and the scornful radiologist. And soon they board the //Braver// without you and disappear into the darkness below. Little did they know that you were the wisest among them to have abandoned the call. [[Game Over|End]]

No one says a word. The Major lets the silence grow until all you can hear is oceanic cacophony. Then, finally, she speaks. "Okay. Let's get moving." She signals an American sailor, and the hatch of the //Braver// opens. The underlit void of its interior beckons, and the Major answers the call. Chloé excitedly climbs in after her. And then it's down to you and Doc. (set: $ZoraRad to false)[["After you, Doctor."|Launch IV]] [[Embark onto the //Braver//|Braver]]

(set: $ZoraRad to true) "After you, Doctor." Doc studies you. "Thank you, Zora." He lingers on every word like he's deconstructing them, cutting every syllable into pieces. A 'thank you' from him hardly feels like gratitude. Then Doc steps up to the gap where the //Medea// and the //Braver// separate, and carefully places his foot into the hatch's opening. He climbs down and out of sight under the water level. [[Embark onto the //Braver//|Braver]]

You pass a loose cable with two big red buttons on the end as you climb down. A label made of masking tape and permanent marker names one button "GIVE" and the other "TAKE." <img src="" alt="Inside, the Braver is alive with illuminated buttons, shining like stars in the dark void within" /> Being inside the //Braver// is what you imagine being on the set of a sci-fi movie feels like, except the cameras and lights are on the outside, and everything's been compressed so tight that only Chloé can stand up straight with her arms outstretched. At the front is a console with rows and rows of glowing buttons and handles. Perhaps as some consequence of the modifications the //Braver// has undergone, there are only four chairs in here instead of six. The Major sits in the front seat, surveying the controls. To her left is Chloé, looking out to sea through the camera displays. Each curved monitor is seamlessly connected rounding the circumference of the vessel, as well as the floor and ceiling. (if: $ZoraRad is true)[Doc takes the seat on the Major's right, setting down his black bag. That just leaves the seat in the back, just before the open doorway to the reactor room. The reactor holds within a sickly orange glow bursting out in bright beams. The color reminds you of the sky during bushfire season in Townsville. The reactor itself is silent, but the rhythmic sound of its cooling pump is just loud enough to be uncomfortable. You take your seat with your back to the reactor and try to take your mind off of it.] (else:)[ You step off the ladder and take the seat on the Major's right. Doc follows after, taking the seat in the back, just before the open doorway to the reactor room. The reactor holds within a sickly orange glow bursting out in bright beams. The color reminds you of the sky during bushfire season in Townsville. The reactor itself is silent, but the rhythmic sound of its cooling pump is just loud enough to be uncomfortable.] [[//proceed//|Submerge]]

<img src="" alt="The sea outside is violently active with racing waves and shimmering daylight" /> The Major is speaking into a microphone. You hear her give an 'okay' to someone on the other end and flip a switch. Above you, the hatch gently closes, before a loud hissing deadens all other sounds. Doc scowls and covers his ears. Chloé mouths the word 'pressurizing' to him, but clarification was not what Doc was looking for. After a long time, it ends, leaving only a ringing memory. Then the Major gives another 'okay,' and you feel your guts pushing up in you, like that feeling you get on rollercoasters that you always hated. The //Medea// has dropped you now and you're under the Major's control. She gently begins accelerating forward, and then down, giving fewer and fewer 'okays.' After about a minute, she finally says: "achieved depth 100 meters." (set: $CheckedPower to false)[[//look outside//|Sunlight Zone]]

Thank you for playing DSV. (if: $True is true)[You achieved the True Ending.](if: $Sunken is true)[You achieved the Sunken Ending.](if: $Eaten is true)[You achieved the Eaten Ending.](if: $Argo is true)[You achieved the Brave Ending.](if: $Abandoned is true)[You achieved the Abanoned the Call Ending.] This game was made using Twine 2. It was written by Rian Bannick with help from Dr. Courtney Druzak. [[Back to Start|Intro]]

Welcome to DSV.(set: $True to false)(set: $Sunken to false)(set: $Eaten to false)(set: $Argo to false) Content Warning: This game contains violence and gore. This game is around 20,000 words and takes about an hour to finish. Click blue text to play. [[Play|Prologue I]] [[Credits|End]]

You watch through the floor as the //Braver// descends along the Continental shelf. You're very near to a coral reef, but as the depths become greater, the abundance of life on the ocean floor turns to scarcity. Even still, where the ocean's surface was violent and active, the Sunlight Zone is peaceful and quiet. A welcome place. You had hoped to see Alopia Pelagicus, a Thresher Shark, while you were still in the Sunlight Zone. They have a particularly interesting symbiosis with Labroides Dimidatus and Thalassoma Lunare here in the Philippines, where they visit the symbiote's habitat to be cleaned, but all such visits were probably over by midday. "Achieved depth 200 meters." says the Major. That means you're already exiting the Sunlight Zone and entering the Twilight Zone. You suddenly realize how fast you're really going. You've been in a submersible before, but nothing like the //Braver//. Even though the Major is taking things slow, the rate of your descent is almost too fast for you to truly appreciate. You can already see the continental shelf giving way to the pelagic zones below. [[//check the console//|Sunlight Time]] [[//proceed//|Twilight Zone I]]

The time is now 14:33 on the eighth of July. There is 89% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 200 meters. (if: $CheckedPower is false)[ [[//ask about the remaining power//|Bhint I]]] [[//proceed//|Twilight Zone I]]

As you pass the 200-meter mark, the sea begins to darken. The midday sun struggles to reach you through the layers of water above. But the continental slope keeps you company in your long descent, like a big brother watching your back. There are still colorful pockets of life, like Arius Manillensis, the saltwater catfish. It rests in the Twilight Zone at this time of day to hunt in the Sunlight Zone during the night. But peaceful observation comes to an end when Chloé suddenly leaves her seat. "We're still moving. Sit down." The Major says. Chloé pays no mind. She wriggles past you to get to the reactor. "Bélanger, what's wrong?" The Major's tone changes. "You didn't hear that?" She responds in her usual 'outside' voice. Far more unpleasant when you're this close. "Hear what?" Chloé squats down to examine the pump under the reactor. "What did you hear, Bélanger?" The Major repeats, careful not to raise her voice. "I thought it was the pump." Chloé's voice is no quieter. The tiny space you share means the sound is uncanny in its total lack of reverberation. One of Doc's hands grips the bridge of his nose while the other curls into a fist. "Can you see a malfunction?" The Major talks over Doc's quiet curses. "No." Chloé answers quickly. "No issues." [["What did it sound like?"|Mhint I]] [[//move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

Silence creeps over the crew of the //Braver//. Chloé squirms past you and back to her seat. You return to looking outside. It's getting darker. After a long time, the Major says into the microphone "achieved depth 500 meters." More time passes and the sunlight fades to drowning darkness. But then, you see a distant light. Many small, bioluminescent creatures illuminate the dark together in a colony: Siphonophorae. You didn't think you would see them on this trip, and yet here they are, casting brilliance into the twilight. (set: $SawSiph to false) [[//point them out to the team//|Siphonophorae]] [[//appreciate them by yourself//|Midnight Zone I]]

"What did it sound like?" "Out of sync." Chloé didn't even have to think about it. [["What made you think it was the pump?"|Mhint II]] [["Did anyone else hear it?"|Mhint III]] [[//move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

"Did anyone else here it?" You are met with silence. [["What made you think it was the pump?"|Mhint II]] [[//move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

"What made you think it was the pump?" Chloé doesn't know how to answer that one right away. Eventually, she comes up with something. "What else could it be?" She asks. Now it's your turn. [[Maybe Mysticeti, a Baleen Whale?|Mhint V]] [["Did anyone else hear it?"|Mhint IV]] [[You can't say for certain //move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

"Did anyone else here it?" You are met with silence. [[Maybe Mysticeti, a Baleen Whale?|Mhint V]] [[You can't say for certain //move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

"It's possible it's a Baleen Whale. There's at least four species in this region. Speaking generally, they have low-frequency songs that can travel long distances." "Well yeah, it was pretty low-pitch. But more like a beat than a melody." Chloé says. Interrogating the meaning of that critique hardly seems like it will net you any firm conclusions on the species that created it, but you get the feeling she isn't describing a Baleen Whale. [[//move on//|Twilight Zone II]]

(set: $CheckedPower to true)"Are we already a tenth of the way through our power supply?" Doc is in disbelief. The Major turns her head and raises an eyebrow. Then she looks at Chloé. Chloé is still looking out at the sea. "Bélanger," the Major says, "how much power do we have left?" Chloé looks down at the console. Then she looks as if she's thinking very hard. "21.4 hours of primary. That's to three sig figs despite the two sig fig display. I can be sure about that decimal though because of our launch time." Chloé says the answer quickly, despite having taken a long time to conjure it. "Don't tell me..." Doc starts. "It's been powered on since noon, when were originally going to launch?" The Major finishes for him. Chloé can sense she's done something wrong. She's not alone in that feeling, as the Doc shoots you a venomous glare, "That's alright. It shouldn't make a difference." The Major assures. "We can order another Plutonium rod and recharge on the //Medea// if we need to." Then the Major relays the situation into the microphone. [[//proceed//|Twilight Zone I]]

(set: $SawSiph to true)"Do you see those lights out there?" Chloé perks up and looks. The Major turns too. Even Doc's cold expression shifts to wonder. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/MXsFyfR.png" alt="Siphonophorae lights up the darkness, a brilliant and deadly trap" /> "We're in what's called 'the Twilight Zone.' Because it's so dark, the sealife here uses light to find mates, scare attackers, and hunt. That outside is a colony of Siphonophorae. They form a long chain and use their bioluminescence to lure in prey. And if something gets too close, it's impaled on their venomous needles, made almost invisible in the darkness." "Wow." murmurs Chloé. "Good trick." the Major grants. "Cruel." Doc finally manages to say. "They fill their prey with hope only to snatch it away." "But you gotta admit it looks pretty cool." Chloé says. "If I did," Doc says gravely, "I might be next." [[//check the console//|Twilight Time]] [[//proceed//|Midnight Zone I]]

Soon, you sink past the Siphonophorae. Descending into the vast darkness, it would be easy for you to forget that you're moving at all if not for the faithful Continental slope behind you. The //Braver//'s exterior lights shine on its surface like a spotlight, highlighting every organic eccentricity. In a submersion you did in graduate school, a classmate compared the Continental slope to the surface of the Moon. You didn't agree, but you thought you understood what they meant. The slope certainly is otherworldly, but it's not alien. After all, it's always been here beneath your feet, sleeping under the waves. "Achieved depth 1000 meters." The Major says into the microphone. That means you've entered the Midnight Zone. You know things will probably get less active from here on out. Over 90% of all marine life lives above this point. But you might still see Vampyroteuthis Infernalis feeding on the detritus falling from upper zones or Chlamydoselachus Anguineus using its backward-facing teeth to trap prey inside its mouth. Around here, organisms must conserve as much energy as possible. Predators thusly prefer to sneak up to and consume their prey whole to avoid a costly chase. (if: $ZoraRad is true)[You shift in your seat. It's starting to feel cramped in here. You're not claustrophobic, but you still feel inexplicably uncomfortable. It's certainly above room temperature in here, so maybe you're just not accustomed to the heat yet. You are pretty close to a Plutonium reactor after all.](else:)[Doc grumbles and shifts in his seat. "I don't suppose we have air conditioning on this thing?" he asks. "I'm afraid not, Doctor." the Major replies.] The next depth milestone is in another 3000 meters. There isn't much to do besides wait. [[//check the console//|Midnight I Time]] [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone II]]

The time is now 14:38 on the eighth of July. There is 89% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 700 meters. (if: $CheckedPower is false)[ [[//ask about the remaining power//|Bhint II]]] [[//proceed//|Midnight Zone I]]

(set: $CheckedPower to true)"Are we already a tenth of the way through our power supply?" Doc is in disbelief. The Major turns her head and raises an eyebrow. Then she looks at Chloé. Chloé is still looking out at the sea. "Bélanger," the Major says, "how much power do we have left?" Chloé looks down at the console. Then she looks as if she's thinking very hard. "21.4 hours of primary. That's to three sig figs despite the two sig fig display. I can be sure about that decimal though because of our launch time." Chloé says the answer quickly, despite having taken a long time to conjure it. "Don't tell me..." Doc starts. "It's been powered on since noon, when were originally going to launch?" The Major finishes for him. Chloé can sense she's done something wrong. She's not alone in that feeling, as the Doc shoots you a deathly glare. "That's alright. It shouldn't make a difference." The Major assures. "We can order another Plutonium rod and recharge on the //Medea// if we need to." Then the Major relays the situation into the microphone. [[//proceed//|Midnight Zone I]]

The time is now 14:42 on the eighth of July. There is 89% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 1000 meters. (if: $CheckedPower is false)[ [[//ask about the remaining power//|Bhint III]]] [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone II]]

You wait. No one speaks onboard the //Braver//. The silence is only broken by the droning thrum of the reactor's cooling pump. And you wait. The darkness outside doesn't grow or move or change. Everything is still, even as you descend at almost a hundred meters every minute. "Achieved depth 2000 meters." The Major has transitioned now to only speaking into the microphone to give depth updates every five-hundred meters. And you go on waiting. But the vastness of the Midnight Zone is beyond belief. A current jostles the //Braver//. The Major barely reacts, staying the course almost instantly. (if: $ZoraRad is true)[Despite the level of care put into the maneuver, you find yourself uncharacteristically disoriented. You feel your head spin and stomach churn. You place your hand on your forehead to find both are slick with sweat. When you look back, Doc had been studying you. "What's wrong, Zora?" Somehow, this man of medicine fails to convey any compassion when he asks that. [["I'm a little dizzy is all."|Medication I]] [["I might have a fever."|Medication I]] [["I think I'm getting nauseous."|Medication I]] ](else:)[Doc would disagree with that assessment, as he crosses his arms in front of his stomach and groans. "Take it easy, Major. We aren't at the amusement park." Doc hisses. "I thought you wanted her to go at full speed, Doc?" Chloé isn't trying to tease, but Doc stares daggers at her regardless. "Are you okay, Doctor?" the Major asks. "I'll live, but I'd appreciate it if I didn't have to throw up before we reach our destination." he responds. "You're still getting your sea legs. We have bags you can use if it comes to that." "I'm not new to sailing, Major." Doc opens his black bag and produces a pill bottle and a bottle of water. He administers the medicine to himself with a drink of water. "Unlike some of us here, I wasn't chosen for this mission just because I was in the neighborhood and had nothing else to do." "I'll try to be more careful, Doctor." The Major has already turned away from Doc, ignoring the insult. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone III]]]

(set: $CheckedPower to true)"Are we already a tenth of the way through our power supply?" Doc is in disbelief. The Major turns her head and raises an eyebrow. Then she looks at Chloé. Chloé is still looking out at the sea. "Bélanger," the Major says, "how much power do we have left?" Chloé looks down at the console. Then she looks as if she's thinking very hard. "21.3 hours of primary. That's to three sig figs despite the two sig fig display. I can be sure about that decimal though because of our launch time." Chloé says the answer quickly, despite having taken a long time to conjure it. "Don't tell me..." Doc starts. "It's been powered on since noon, when were originally going to launch?" The Major finishes for him. Chloé can sense she's done something wrong. She's not alone in that feeling, as the Doc shoots you a venomous glare. "That's alright. It shouldn't make a difference." The Major assures. "We can order another Plutonium rod and recharge on the //Medea// if we need to." Then the Major relays the situation into the microphone. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone II]]

You feel like you got the words out, but you can't remember saying them. Doc has stood up and opened his bag. "Are they okay, Doctor?" the Major turns her head. "I'm figuring that out. Try to hold the //Braver// steady please." You didn't think it was possible to make the word 'please' sound so biting, but Doc found a way. He takes your temperature and his persistent frown is unfazed. "Are they still getting their sea legs?" the Major asks. Doc scoffs. "They're a marine biologist, Major. I assure you, they've already grown accustomed to being on and under the water." Doc takes out a pill bottle and a bottle of water from his black bag. "Open." he says to you curtly, and administers the medicine with a drink of water. Then he addresses the Major again. "Unlike some of us here, Zora wasn't chosen for this mission just because they were in the neighborhood and had nothing else to do." "What's your prognosis?" the Major ignores the insult. Doc sighs and closes his bag. "If I had more time and better equipment, I could be sure. But until then, there's not sufficient evidence to say anything for certain." Doc sits back down at the Major's right. "So you don't know?" Chloé isn't trying to tease, but Doc stares daggers at her regardless. "Okay, well," the Major starts, "are you okay, Zora?" It might just be placebo, but you are already feeling a little relieved. (set: $BarfBag to false) [["Better now, yes. Let's continue."|Midnight Zone III]] [["Do we have... bags? Just in case?"|Medication II]]

"Achieved depth 2500 meters." [[//check the console//|Midnight III Time]] [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone IV]]

"Do we have... bags? Just in case?" The Major catches your meaning and nods. "Under your seat, Zora." she says caringly. "And let me know if you want us to slow down." (set: $BarfBag to true)You verify the presence of the disposable bags and hope you won't need to use them. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone III]]

The time is now 14:58 on the eighth of July. There is 88% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 2500 meters. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone IV]]

"Achieved depth 3000 meters." [[//check the console//|Midnight IV Time]] [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone V]]

The time is now 15:03 on the eighth of July. There is 87% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 3000 meters. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone V]]

"Achieved depth 3500 meters." [[//check the console//|Midnight V Time]] [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone VI]]

The time is now 15:09 on the eighth of July. There is 87% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 3500 meters. [[//wait it out//|Midnight Zone VI]]

"Achieved depth 4000 meters." That marks the end of the Midnight Zone and the beginning of the Abyssal Zone. Though you wouldn't be able to tell by the surroundings. Nothing has changed. It's just a dark and just as empty. [[//check the console//|Midnight VI Time]] [[//look outside//|Abyssal Zone I]]

The time is now 15:14 on the eighth of July. There is 86% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 4000 meters. [[//look outside//|Abyssal Zone I]]

The Continental slope has given way to the Continental Rise. In other words, rather than having your back to the wall, the wall is becoming the floor, leaving you surrounded by darkness on all sides. At this depth, the pressure of 4 kilometers of water over one's head is roughly equivalent to 388 atmospheres worth of pressure. Every creature that lives here must have the strength of Atlas, holding up the sky, 388 times over, or else it is crushed by the weight of the world. Alternatively, they could be protected inside a pressurized titanium ball, where it's easy to forget just how far they've descended. The ball keeps them so protected that they won't suffer so much as a popping ear. "Does anything even live down here?" Chloé asks suddenly without making eye-contact. [["There's life at all levels of the ocean..."|MMhint I]] [[//remain silent//|Abyssal Zone II]]

The abyssal plane emerges from the darkness as the //Braver//'s lights touch it. "Achieved depth 4500 meters." the Major says in the microphone. Then she addresses you and the others over her shoulder. "We're getting close to the //Argo//'s last known position. Keep your eyes peeled, people." [[//check the console//|Abyssal Time II]] [[//look for the Argo//|Abyssal Zone III]]

(set:$SawSiph to false)"There's life at all levels of the ocean. Once we get a little deeper, we'll be able to see the abyssal plane. That's the 'bottom' if you want to think of it like that. Small animals like sea cucumbers and sea worms live there, feeding on dead and fecal matter that falls from the sea above." Chloé seems unimpressed. "There's big fish too. Like the Grimpoteuthis, which is an octopus that sort of looks like Dumbo from that old crusty Disney movie. But anything you find at this depth moves in slow motion compared to you and me. They have to preserve every ounce of energy they have since food is so scarce." "That doesn't seem right." Chloé says. "Well, they don't always move slowly. Animals will still move as quickly as they can if they're fleeing from danger." "Are we danger?" Chloé asks. That takes you a bit by surprise. She starts again. "I mean, everything's dark down here. Do you think if something saw our lights, it would run away? (if: $SawSiph is true)[Wouldn't a smart fish run away from Sinnoh... Sopho fomo... Forray...?" "Siphonophorae." "Right, those. Wouldn't a smart fish run from that? And if they would, wouldn't they run from us?"](else:)[Wouldn't a smart fish run away from light because they knew it was a predator? Like that Anglerfish from Finding Nemo? You must've seen Finding Nemo. Wow, I bet you love that movie, huh?"] "Not necessarily. There's almost always a bigger fish. It could see that light as a sign of prey. For example, Myctophum Punctatum, the lanternfish, uses bioluminescence to find a mate. A smart predator would know that, and use it to hunt them." Chloé nods, but is staring down through the display on the floor. [[//look down//|MMhint II]] [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

You look down. There's nothing there. Just more darkness. [[//ask Chloé what she's looking at//|MMhint III]] [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

"Did you see something, Chloé?" "No." she says. "I haven't seen anything yet." [[//keep pressing//|MMhint IV]] [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

"What do you mean 'yet?'" "There was that sound a while ago. The one I thought was the cooling pump but turned out to not be," she says. "I don't know, I guess I figured we'd have seen it by now." [[//keep pressing//|MMhint V]] [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

"Have you... heard it again... since then?" "I don't know." Chloé says. "Maybe?" There isn't a hint of coyness to her cadence. She must have heard something, but she's genuinely unsure if it's the same something she heard before. [[//keep pressing//|MMhint VI]] [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

"When? Where were we at the time?" Chloé has to think about that. It's clear she's working through more mental math. "Did you hear it more than once? Was it the same sound every time?" The gears seem to slow down in her mind. She's back to staring through the display in the floor. Perhaps you'll have to give her some time to ruminate on this one. [[//move on//|Abyssal Zone II]]

Surveying the ocean floor, you see Manganese nodules poking up, with deep-sea coral and sponges growing on some of them. But there is no sign of the //Argo//. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/m32RAp4.png" alt="An unearthly coral reaches up from the inky darkness like a skeletal hand with too many knuckles." /> Then something catches your eye. A coral that resembles Lophelia Pertusa, a Northern Atlantic coral. What on earth is it doing in the Philippines? On further inspection though, it isn't Lophelia, although its bony-looking filaments closely resemble it. It's a type of coral you've never seen before. A coral that's never been discovered. Your jubilation is adulterated somewhat by the gravity of the mission, but some part of you still celebrates this incredible find. Then you see another coral you can't identify and your mind begins to race with possibilities. "Say again, Clifford." The Major hasn't halted or slowed but she seems taken aback. "What's happening, Major?" Doc asks. The Major ignores him, then gives a few more "okays" into the microphone. Doc rolls his eyes. Finally, the Major turns to face you and the team. "There's been a development." she says. "Clifford has to get on a plane to Manila right away." "The UN is pulling out?" Doc jumps ahead. "They're going to transfer us to another surface support vessel. ETA 1700 hours." The Major is still holding back something. "Is something wrong with the //Medea//?" Chloé asks. "That's..." the Major doesn't want to say it, but has no choice, "...classified." "No." Doc refuses. "You don't get to tell us we've been abandoned and not tell us why." "We haven't been abandoned, Doctor." the Major insists. "Prove it." Doc moves to the offensive. "What's our new support vessel's name? What port are they launching from? Have they even found one yet?" The Major has no answers to these questions. The barrage seems to wear at her until eventually, she finds her resolution again. The //Braver// slows to a stop. "I don't know." She stands up and out of her chair. "I can't answer your questions, Doctor." The Major looks at everyone in a slow, deliberate order. "But I do know one thing. We're still the only hope for the //Argo//, whether we have support or not." "What are we meant to do? Do our three trips between here and Samar? We'll run out of battery before we've gone halfway." Doc shoots it down. "I don't know, Doctor. But we're not leaving them down there." She won't give up. "Oh, oh!" Chloé perks up. "I know what we can do!" "Let's hear it." The Major invites any sign of determination. "The //Argo// has protracting arms that can carry 6000 kilograms. The //Braver//'s right around double that, but if we transfer all our power and bail out all the machinery inside, we could pilot the //Argo// back to the surface with the //Braver// in its arms! One trip!" She points up one finger in the declaration. "How does that solve anything?" Doc isn't hearing it. "And how would we even bail out all that weight without depressurizing and killing us all?" Chloé realizes she may not have considered all the variables. "If anyone has ideas, I'm all ears." says the Major. [[//try to think of something//|Abyssal Zone IV]]

The time is now 15:20 on the eighth of July. There is 86% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 4500 meters. [[//look for the Argo//|Abyssal Zone III]]

As the sound of discussion fades into the background, you unfocus your mind, trying to think outside the box. Somewhere in the //Braver// is a quiet, low-pitch, arhythmic ticking sound. [[//look outside//|Creature]]

"Major." "You have an idea, Zora?" She looks at you. Instinctively, you break your gaze to reciprocate the Major's eye-contact. You point at the display. Everyone turns their head to follow your hand. [[//look outside//|Creature Flees II]]

You won't dare take your eyes off this creature. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/22Fgs4g.jpg" alt="s̸͕̀o̸̦͠m̵̠͝e̷͎͆t̸̠͂h̷̨̒i̴̠̕n̴͓͠g̴̭̾ ̶̛̻ḭ̷̎ș̴̀ ̸̗̈s̵̼̿t̸̘̉á̴̱r̵͎̊i̶͇͝ṇ̶͌g̶̫̚ ̷͖̌ā̴͔t̴̞͑ ̵̰͂ÿ̸̧o̸̔͜u̴̡̇" /> You know that what you're seeing is only a display of what the exterior camera can see. You know that there's no reason for you to freeze up or try to hide. But you can't shake the feeling of adrenaline beginning to hurry your heartbeat. And then something happens which seems at first innocuous. Something so quick and so insignificant that anyone else besides Doctor Zora Marjanović might have missed it. Briefly, almost infinitesimally, the reflecting lights in its eyes dimmed before returning to normal. It //blinked//. [[Fish don't have eyelids|Creature Stares II]]

You fall out of your chair. When you hit the floor, the entire DSV lurches slightly. "Zora!" It's the first time you've heard the Major raise her voice. She's immediately down on her knees to help you up. "What's wrong?" [[//point out the creature//|Creature Stares III]]

"Sorry, it's nothing." "Terrible liar." Doc spits out. The Major checks where you were just looking. "Well, there's nothing there now." she confirms. "Let's get a move on. We'll have more time to talk about plans once we reach the //Argo//." Your body twists in terror as the //Braver// begins to pick up speed toward the space that thing just occupied. But perhaps there's nothing to do about it but wait for the feeling to end. [["Not that way!"]] (if: $Preview is true)[[[//wait it out//|Preview End]]](else:)[[[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone V]]]

"There was something out there." "I knew it!" But Chloé's excitement curdles once she sees your dire expression. The Major checks where you were just looking. "And you couldn't identify it?" She wants clarification. Your silence speaks volumes. "Okay. Let's get a move on. We'll have more time to talk about plans once we reach the //Argo//." She sits back down in her chair and starts the //Braver// moving again. Your body twists in terror as the //Braver// begins to pick up speed toward the space that thing just occupied. But perhaps there's nothing to do about it but wait for the feeling to end. [["Not that way!"]] (if: $Preview is true)[[[//wait it out//|Preview End]]](else:)[[[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone V]]]

You have reached the end of the preview. This game was made using Twine 2. It was written by Rian Bannick with help from Dr. Courtney Druzak. The preview will now restart. [[//restart//|Preview I]]

"Get us moving. Now." The Major seems confused, but knows how to take orders just as well as she knows how to give them. She sits in the front seat and gets the //Braver// up to speed again. Your body twists in terror as the //Braver// begins to pick up speed toward the space that thing just occupied. [["Not that way!"]] [[//remain silent//|silence]]

"Not that way!" The Major takes a sharp 90 degree turn to the right. You are nearly pulled from your seat. "Would you like to tell us what exactly has you so riled up?" Doc fumes, clutching his bag tightly and squeezing the armrest with his other hand. [[//try to describe the gravity of the situation//|describe]] [[//remain silent//|silence]]

"Achieved depth 5500 meters." "Last known depth of the //Argo//..." Doc says. "Whoa, whoa, wait," Chloé says, pointing ahead. "Is that them?" Outside, maybe half a kilometer below you and only a little ways in front of you is a dull glow. It looks nothing like how you'd imagine the //Argo// to look from a distance. It looks more like a smudge on a telescope covering a distant star. "Let's check it out." The Major alters your course to reach it. [[//check the console//|Abyssal Time VI]] [[//look for the creature//|Observation II]] [[//proceed//|The Dump I]]

A few minutes pass. You get closer and closer to the dim light. It grows faintly, competing with the //Braver//. All the while, you see more and more new species of coral. Many grow off of or out of one another in unnatural, blooming layers. The agonizing battle of light finally ends when you emerge upon the source of the dimness. A massive clearing before the dark descent into the Hadal Zone of the Philippine Trench. The Major brings the //Braver// to a halt. Everyone examines the site. There is no DSV here. Just a cylindrical hole filled with more cylinders, each made of concrete. Some have been damaged, revealing steel drums inside or their waste contents: something not quite heavier than water, but not quite lighter, slowly leaking out into an orange cloud that dissipates into the surrounding water. The dim light source is a pyramidal metal device staked into the abyssal plane. It has on each of its sides a small black symbol of a circle enclosing three equivalent triangles whose points meet in the circle's center. In the quiet of the //Braver// you hear that same arhythmic ticking sound again. (set: $GeigerCounter to false) "What's our depth, Major?" Doc asks, but he already knows the answer. "6000 meters." It's the end of the Abyssal Zone. [[//look for the source of the sound//|The Counter]] [[//proceed//|The Dump II]]

The time is now 15:40 on the eighth of July. There is 85% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 5000 meters. [[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone VI]]

The time is now 15:46 on the eighth of July. There is 84% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 5500 meters. [[//proceed//|The Dump I]]

The rescue team sits in silence, beholding the dump site. [[//ask about this place//|Dump Brief]] [[//ask about the plan//|Plan Brief]] [["We should probably get moving." // proceed//|Vomit]]

"So this is the dump site? This is what the Americans were trying to clean up?" "Doesn't seem like they got very far." Doc says. "But they did at least have enough time to put a sign up so they could find the site again." "Their last contact with //Medea// was 500 meters before they reached this place." The Major adds. "But they might not have known comms were down if it was an electrical fault." [[//ask about what's been disposed of here//|Disposal Brief]] [[//ask about the damage to the barrels//|Damage Brief]] [["It doesn't seem like there's much more to learn here."// go back//|The Dump II]]

"So what is our plan? Have you heard anything on the comms from our new support vessel, Major?" "No." She responds. "And I don't expect to hear anything until after 1700 hours." "That gives us a little over an hour," Doc says. "We won't have enough time to get to the surface anyway, even at max thrust." "So we'll carry on as we planned, then. Find the //Argo// and link up with our new surface support vessel on our way back up from trip one of three." the Major says. "Don't forget about the discharger." Chloé points to the loose cable by the hatch with the big red buttons "GIVE" and "TAKE," intent on the team remembering all the work she put into that particular modification. "While under normal circumstances, it wouldn't hurt to try, we don't know how long we'll be going without a recharge, Bélanger. I'm not going to use the discharger on the //Argo//." The Major intends to let Chloé down easily, but it's clear she was never considering using the discharger. [[//go back//|The Dump II]]

(if: $ZoraRad is true)["We should probably get going." is what you intended to say, but what came up from you was populated with more than words. (if: $BarfBag is true)[You reach under your seat for the barf bags and pull one free, sending two others scattering across the floor. You stuff your head inside just in time. Then a horrible, painful torrent is unleashed into the thick white paper. And it persists for a minute or more. Things start to get hazy. At some point, Doc was suddenly wearing gloves and swapping out your bag for a new one. Everything would be spinning, yet you knew the //Braver// wasn't moving. Eventually, it lets up, and Doc medicates you again with plenty of water. Then, assumedly because there was no better alternative, he gingerly packs each of your filled bags behind the doorway to the reactor. Out of sight, out of mind, and hopefully, out of scent.](if: $BarfBag is false)[You panic and look around, ultimately landing between your knees. Your neck arches on its own in preparation to produce the contents of your guts. You unleash a horrible, painful torrent onto the display of the abyssal plane below. And it persists for a minute or more. Things start to get hazy. At some point, Doc was suddenly wearing gloves and giving you a white bag to fill instead of painting the floor. Everything would be spinning, yet you knew the //Braver// wasn't moving. Eventually, it lets up, and Doc medicates you again with plenty of water. Then, assumedly because there was no better alternative, he gingerly packs each of your filled bags behind the doorway to the reactor. The rest he towels up and similarly discards. Out of sight, out of mind, and hopefully, out of scent.]](if: $ZoraRad is false)["We should probably get going." You address the team, but find Doc is looking very strangely and putting on rubber gloves. He hasn't said anything, but the Major is looking at him, waiting to start moving until she hears an explanation. Then all becomes clear when he reaches for a white paper bag under his seat. He vomits into the bag, periodically rolling up the top like a tube of toothpaste and quickly retrieving a new one. No one says a word. It's like watching an expert. After a few minutes have passed, he takes a cloth out from his black bag and wipes his face. Then he medicates himself again with plenty of water. And finally, with no better option, he leaves the rolled-up bags full of himself behind the doorway of the reactor. Out of sight, out of mind, and hopefully, out of scent.] [[//proceed//|Rads Revelation]]

"So this is high-level nuclear waste? It's the leftovers from generating nuclear power?" "It is." the Major says. "Well," Chloé rebuts, "it is and it isn't." "What do you mean?" Doc asks. "Nuclear reactors create waste, absolutely. But this isn't from a reactor." She says. "Reactors don't have high-level waste in liquid form like this. I mean, they use water in the containers for spent fuel, but they're not just loose in barrels like that." "What could this be from if not from generating nuclear power?" Doc asks. The Major has figured out the answer, but hasn't worked up the nerve to share it. [["Weapons?"|Weapons Brief]] [[//ask about the damage to the barrels//|Damage Brief]] [["It probably doesn't matter all that much."// go back//|The Dump II]]

"Why are these barrels leaking? What caused the damage?" "Well, they were probably leaking the whole time. American engineers aren't exactly known for their precision." Chloé says. "As for the damage, I don't know, erosion maybe?" "What I want to know is if it's dangerous." Doc tries to redirect away from Chloé's speculation. "Oh, yeah. 100% for sure." Chloé responds. "Then back up already, Major!" Doc really shouldn't be so shocked. "Not to us though. We're behind 10 centimeters of titanium and wall-to-wall electronics made of lead and lithium." Chloé is quite confident. "The ionized particles won't be able to permeate all those barriers in significant numbers. You'd be surprised how many rads you can block with a thin layer of just about anything." "I know that." The insulted radiologist is gritting his teeth. "But I'm trying to avoid //any// ionized particles." "Plus we're underwater. Radiation travels much quicker through air." Chloé adds. "What I'm hearing is let's not linger." the Major says. [[//ask about what's been disposed of here//|Disposal Brief]] [["I have to agree." // go back//|The Dump II]]

"Weapons? Is it from nuclear weapon manufacturing?" Though the //Braver// has remained pressurized, all the air has left the room. "Making nuclear warheads means using acid to dissolve the plutonium from the fuel rods. The resulting mixture could match with what we're seeing here." Chloé says. "Dear God." the Major whispers through a grimace. "And this was disposed of sometime in the last few years? Why is this cause for alarm? The US loves its nukes. It doesn't mean they seriously plan on using them." Doc says. The Major doesn't comment on that. "So what, the intel was wrong. The waste is from armaments not energy. What difference does it make?" Doc argues. [[//ask about the damage to the barrels//|Damage Brief]] [["Doc is right, there's better things to talk about for now." // go back//|The Dump II]] [["Lives are on the line down here, let's try to focus on that for now." // go back//|The Dump II]]

After a long time of everyone coming back to their senses, Doc speaks. "That's one symptom too many. I had my suspicions before but out of courtesy, I kept them to myself. But that's all gone now. Now it's irrefutable." "What's going on, Doctor?" the Major's tone is urgent, but she is ready to listen. "Acute radiation poisoning." Another silence falls over the //Braver//. "It started with general discomfort, fever, and perspiration. Then came the nausea and confusion. All of these could be overlooked, but my first real clue was fatigue." Doc looks at everyone in turns. "Everything started to slow down after the first half hour. People are talking less and our Major starts giving less frequent updates to the surface. It could be a coincidence or our general dissatisfaction with each other's company except for the fact that before we left the //Medea// Chloé couldn't shut up and Zora asked a lot more questions." Doc finally points to the beating heart of the //Braver//, the micro Plutonium-239 reactor, shining with an orange glow like the clouds of pollutant dissipating below your feet. "And now this." his finger motions downward, to where he's stored the barf bags on the other side of the doorway. "We'll be relieved of the function of our vital organs within a day. And if we manage to get out of here before then, we'll need immediate hospitalization. Even then, it's likely all of us will develop cancer within a year." No one can muster a reply. [["Why? What caused this?"|Reactor Brief]] [["This doesn't make any difference."|Rad Resolution]]

"Why? What caused this? Why is the reactor leaking so many rads?" All eyes move to Chloé. Some harboring more hatred than others. "I can't say," she admits. "I rewired the batteries, but I didn't touch the reactor itself. The IBAE might have, but I don't know." She could be lying, but that would be a first since you've known her. "So you're saying this could be why the //Argo// went down?" the Major asks. "It's possible-" "No, it's not." Doc cuts her off. "The //Argo// was performing a discreet mission on behalf of the US government. More than anything, discretion relies on haste. They would have been pushing their craft, which I'll remind you all is quite similar to our own, to its maximum downward thrust of 10 knots, unlike our cautious Major. In such a case, they likely reached the point we're at now in about 20 minutes. Hence why they had time to install a lit marker here, despite their last transmission being above this depth." "You're saying they had already finished a few trips when they disappeared?" Chloé asks. "Precisely." Doc answers. "By my estimate, they spent the first half hour descending and loading at this site. Then, since ascent is no faster than 3 knots, they ascended for about an hour with the first load of waste. And while the //Argo// made its second descent, the //Medea// hid the first trip's worth on a secure deck, the kind the UN wouldn't find during a commandeering. At least, not for a little while." The Major bites her knuckle. "That means it would have been 0155 hours on July fifth when they finished loading their second haul. And after five minutes of ascent at 3 knots, they gave their final transmission." "'Achieved depth 5500 meters.'" The Major is all at once mystified and mortified. "But how does this prove their reactor was clean?" "I never said it did." Doc clarifies coldly. "I said it was impossible that the //Argo// went down because of a dirty reactor. Here we are, a quarter to two hours in, nearly the same point in our journey the //Argo// would have been at when it fell. Aside from a brief episode of oral eviction, we're far from incapacitated. So whatever brought down the //Argo//, it wasn't radioactive." [["Wow."]] [["It wasn't radiation. But it could have been radioactive."]] [["I feel like all that math wasn't really necessary."]]

"This doesn't make any difference. We have no support vessel to depressurize us anyway. And if we can still save the lives of the people on the //Argo//, then that's what we have to do." The arhythmic ticking which has been quietly scoring your investigation here at the dump site grows erratic, though it doesn't change in volume. Your eyes lock onto where the forward display meets the floor, searching for movement. Chloé takes note of the noise too soon everyone seems to understand something is wrong. "What's making that noise, Zora?" Doc asks slowly and gravely. (if: $GeigerCounter is true)["Something outside is setting off the Geiger counter." Chloé says. "I knew it! We are being followed! A creature must be giving off radiation just like the dump site is, and every time it gets close, we can hear it on the //Braver//'s instruments!" Doc doesn't know where to start. The Major seems certain a Geiger counter wasn't mentioned in the briefing, but can't argue with the presence of its sound. ]"Hunters at this depth try to be as silent as possible. Getting detected means being evaded. What we're hearing is something inside the //Braver// reacting to the presence of something outside. But I don't see anything out there." A wall of ticks lights up everyone's ears. You look up at the team of the //Braver// to see that everyone is facing something over your shoulder. [[//turn around//|Jumpscare]]

"Wow. They didn't teach me how to do that at James Cook." "Really? Hard to believe." You think Doc might be joking. "But there's still one thing I don't understand." The Major continues. "What could have faulted if nothing went wrong on their first trip to and from the dump site?" "What if it wasn't a fault at all?" Chloé posits. (if: $SawSiph is true)["What if the Sigilyph got 'em?" "Siphonophorae?" For how well Chloé remembers everything else, it's a bit baffling that she can't recall this name. "Besides the fact that they're way too small to even accidentally damage the //Argo//, they live in the Twilight Zone, 5 kilometers above where the //Argo// sent its last communication." Chloé ponders that. Then she snaps her finger as she comes to a new hypothesis. ](if: $GeigerCounter is true)["What if the //Argo// ran into thing that's been setting off the Geiger counter?" "There's a Geiger counter in here?" Doc reacts in surprise. "Don't think it would have helped us figure out the reactor was poisoning us. Seems like it only detects rads outside the //Braver//." Chloé says. "How did I not know about this?" The Major is shocked. "I was given a full briefing on the //Braver//'s specs." "Well, it took us a while to find it," Chloé admits. "Wait an animal has been setting it off?" Doc is still catching up. "How would you be sure if we're in a radioactive dump site?" "Zora saw it, didn't they? That's why they got so freaked out earlier?" Chloé asks. "So you're saying you would recognize it if you saw it," Doc says. "Yes, I suppose I would." "So what about that, is it cause for alarm?" Doc points behind you.](if: $GeigerCounter is false)["What if the //Argo// ran into that thing that's been making all the ticking?" "What are you talking about?" Doc is lost. "Remember when I thought there was a problem with the pump? Well, it turns out it wasn't the pump." Chloé relates. "Yes, I do remember, it was less than 2 hours ago." Doc seems like he's feeling patronized. "Well I've been hearing it all during the mission, and the last time I heard it was before we hit 6000 meters, right before Zora had that freak-out." Chloé walks the team through her process. "I might be jumping to conclusions, but I feel something is out there hunting and only Zora knows what it looks like." "Did you say 'hunting?'" Doc almost laughs. "What sort of creature hunts a hunk of titanium?" "Is this true, Zora?" the Major asks. "Do you know what the creature looks like?" "I didn't get a great look, but I'd know it if I saw it." "What about that one." The Major points behind you.] [[//turn around//|Jumpscare]]

"I feel like all that math wasn't really necessary. We were already in agreement that the //Argo// lost comms after 2 hours, so the logical step that we are still okay after that same duration would have sufficed in proving radiation poisoning wasn't the culprit." "Well, I thought it was impressive," Chloé says. "I never thought I'd live to be defended by you, Chloé." Doc continuously tries to prove himself incapable of gratitude. "As far as I'm concerned, the math proves the //Argo// was ascending when it went dark." the Major says. "It took real scrutiny to reach that.." "Stop that." Doc struggles to maintain his cold demeanor. "Both of you." "But there's still one thing I don't understand." The Major continues. "What could have faulted if nothing went wrong on their first trip to and from the dump site?" "What if it wasn't a fault at all?" Chloé posits. (if: $SawSiph is true)["What if the Sigilyph got 'em?" "Siphonophorae?" For how well Chloé remembers everything else, it's a bit baffling that she can't recall this name. "Besides the fact that they're way too small to even accidentally damage the //Argo//, they live in the Twilight Zone, 5 kilometers above where the //Argo// sent its last communication." Chloé ponders that. Then she snaps her finger as she comes to a new hypothesis. ](if: $GeigerCounter is true)["What if the //Argo// ran into thing that's been setting off the Geiger counter?" "There's a Geiger counter in here?" Doc reacts in surprise. "Don't think it would have helped us figure out the reactor was poisoning us. Seems like it only detects rads outside the //Braver//." Chloé says. "How did I not know about this?" The Major is shocked. "I was given a full briefing on the //Braver//'s specs." "Well, it took us a while to find it," Chloé admits. "Wait an animal has been setting it off?" Doc is still catching up. "How would you be sure if we're in a radioactive dump site?" "Zora saw it, didn't they? That's why they got so freaked out earlier?" Chloé asks. "So you're saying you would recognize it if you saw it," Doc says. "Yes, I suppose I would." "So what about that, is it cause for alarm?" Doc points behind you.](if: $GeigerCounter is false)["What if the //Argo// ran into that thing that's been making all the ticking?" "What are you talking about?" Doc is lost. "Remember when I thought there was a problem with the pump? Well, it turns out it wasn't the pump." Chloé relates. "Yes, I do remember, it was less than 2 hours ago." Doc seems like he's feeling patronized. "Well I've been hearing it all during the mission, and the last time I heard it was before we hit 6000 meters, right before Zora had that freak-out." Chloé walks the team through her process. "I might be jumping to conclusions, but I feel something is out there hunting and only Zora knows what it looks like." "Did you say 'hunting?'" Doc almost laughs. "What sort of creature hunts a hunk of titanium?" "Is this true, Zora?" the Major asks. "Do you know what the creature looks like?" "I didn't get a great look, but I'd know it if I saw it." "What about that one." The Major points behind you.] [[//turn around//|Jumpscare]]

(set: $GeigerCounter to true)Your eyes meet Chloé's, and you can sense she's made a discovery. She opens up the left console by her chair and reveals a small dial labeled "Geiger–Müller." It's a Geiger counter. They tick when you move the detector over ionizing radiation. But this particular version seems to have no detector. That is, until you realize, the //Braver// itself is the detector, ticking in response to the radioactive dump outside. [[//proceed//|The Dump II]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/UDY2FXA.jpg" alt="ï̷͙t̸͚̀ ̵̫̽r̴̻̆e̸̲͆a̴̺͘d̸͚͑i̵̘̾e̷̯̽s̷̯͂ ̶̜̉i̸̦͑t̴̬̚s̵̡͛e̸͉̍l̶͖͌f̵̻̐ ̵̜̊t̸͔͒o̴̭͂ ̴̮́s̷̳̏w̴̺̌ą̴͠l̸̦̾l̸͓̈́o̷͒ͅẁ̴̻ ̶̯̓ý̶̬ō̴̤u̶͔͐ ̷̥̀w̷̧̑h̶̼́o̷̩̓l̵̞̇e̴̗̋" /> [[//run//|Attack I]]

You scream for the Major to move. She throws herself into her seat and slams the controls to max thrust. 5 knots lateral propulsion. The creature is getting closer. It's too fast. The //Braver// can't outrun it. It's on top of you now. All the displays can capture is its leathery, excess flesh bunched up over a body that's still somehow too large in every conceivable way. The wail of titanium assaults your ears. The creature is trying to eat you whole. The dump site disappears beneath you as the impossible body of the creature envelopes every side of the //Braver//. Doc shouts for the Major to dive, double your speed into a blind descent into the Philippine Trench. You feel your guts retreat up into you. The //Braver// enters in a nosedive. (if: $ZoraRad is true)[You cover your mouth with your hands to keep from vomiting again.] The screaming of bowing metal gives way to an unconscionable hissing. A shower of freezing water fires in an arterial spurt upon you and Doc. You watch as a spongy tendril worms through the hatch above you, wriggling with effort. It expands at once with razor-sharp quills along its entire surface area. Then it violently slams from wall to wall putting cracks in the displays. Finally, the tendril gains purchase on Chloé. It wraps tight around her right arm and impales it with a dozen quills. Chloé screams and struggles but she can't escape. Her blood mixes with the deluge of seawater. The creature is engulfing the whole of the //Braver// as the tiny vessel futilely tries to accelerate. The airtight exterior portion of the hatch is touching the roof of the creature's titanic maw. Chloé yells one word over and over: "Discharge." [[Answer the call|Attack II]]

You jump out of your seat and race for the ladder, up to the loose cable by the hatch. Fighting through the radiation poisoning and the chill of the water, you desperately reach for it. Your freezing fingers find the cable. You use your other hand to wipe the salty seawater from your eyes. The big red button labeled with simple tape and permanent marker beckons to you. [[//"GIVE"//|Attack III]]

You flop the horrid thing onto the floor and stand as far from it as you can. Its flesh is already starting to slough off, probably from a mixture of the pressure difference between the Abyssal Zone and the //Braver// and its rampant unstable mutations. Doc is already assessing Chloé. It doesn't look good. He binds her bleeding arm, but he doesn't have enough antibiotics to disinfect all the lacerations. He didn't think he would be treating battle injuries when he prepped for this trip. He'll have to make do with easing her pain rather than properly treating her wounds. After he's finished, he medicates everyone for radiation poisoning and hands a pill bottle and bottle of water to each member of the team. He instructs that you'll all need to self-medicate every hour in case he falls unconscious. You're put on damage assessment in lieu of Chloé. Displays have big cascading cracks, but they are still functional as well as most of the lights and all but one camera. It seems you have a new blindspot in the upper rear of the craft because of that. But near as you can tell, all the other damage done to the //Braver// was only superficial. The reactor certainly doesn't seem to have gotten any more sinister. [[//check the console for damage//|Hadal Time I]]

For the next half hour, the Major puts distance between you and the stunned creature in a high-speed dive through the Hadal Zone. Your lights can't shine their full distance here, as the terrain is much more chaotic and rocky than the smooth Continental slope. The Major corrects left, right, forward, and back to navigate the deep corridors. This rapid pace is doing no favors for your mounting nausea, but you'd rather throw up than be eaten. [[//check the console//|Hadal Time II]] [[//proceed//|Argo]]

The time is now 16:39 on the eighth of July. There is 47% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 6500 meters. [[//ask about missing power//|Bhint Terminal]] [[//proceed//|Hadal Zone II]]

You remind the Major to call in to the surface. It's past the ETA of your new surface support vessel. You're certain the comms aren't damaged. The microphone was totally untouched in the attack. After a few tries, she shakes her head. Nothing yet. [[//proceed//|Argo]]

"Uhhh we're over halfway through our primary power now?" "The discharge system." Chloé groans. "I didn't have time to add any sort of control for how much power would be discharged. I thought 8 hours was a good number." "Well, if 8 hours' worth of voltage is good enough to keep that thing from chasing us, it will have been worth it," Doc says. "We can't do that again." Chloé gets the words out with great difficulty. "If we jumpstart the //Argo//, we'll leave ourselves just as stranded as they were." "Try to take it easy, Bélanger. We'll get out of this." The Major reassures. [[//proceed//|Hadal Zone II]]

The time is now 17:05 on the eighth of July. There is 46% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 8500 meters. [[//remind the Major to call in to the surface//|Hadal Dice II]] [[//proceed//|Argo]]

The lights of the //Braver// glance over something you almost can't believe. (set: $ZoraTakeTheWheel to false)(set: $DoctorsChair to false)(set: $TokenFrench to false)(set: $Survivors to false)(set: $Gave to false)(set: $Took to false) <img src="https://i.imgur.com/xxMHUns.jpg" alt="A haggard clump of titanium printed with the letters 'DSV' awaits rescue at the bottom of the Philippine Trench" /> The //Argo// rests crumpled like a plastic bag on the dead, rocky trench floor, some 4000 meters from its last known location. "We actually found it." the Major lets her doubt slip out. Here at the nadir of the earth, the brave bulwark of your team has been cracked by poison and flight. It seems no one can think of anything to say. [["Let's use our airlock. We can link up with them."|Link I]] [["We'll just irradiate them if we use the airlock. But we can at least get a little closer."|No Link]] [["We have to abandon the //Argo//."|Leave Raw CoDA A]]

You click in the button labeled "TAKE" and you hear a brief electrical hum. (set: $Took to true) [[//check the console//|Take time]] [[//time to leave//|Leave]]

Are you sure you want to leave the //Argo//? [[//proceed//|Leave]] [[//go back//|Linked]]

You click in the button labeled "GIVE" and you hear a brief electrical hum. (set: $Gave to true) But nothing else seems to have happened. If a jump-start could have saved the //Argo//, you're sure this would have done it. [[//check the console//|Give time]] [[//time to leave//|Leave]]

The Major begins rotating the //Braver// into position. She'll have to line up the //Argo// and the //Braver// hatch-to-hatch for the airlock to work. You help Chloé and Doc to their feet and hold the team of you together as you walk into the rotation. And as the //Braver// comes to rest completely upside-down, you've found your footing on the ceiling. Doc collapses as sits back down on the ceiling. Chloé is a bit more elegant, but not by much. "Pressurizing the airlock." The Major announces. Doc covers his ears. The loud hissing fills the tiny submersible with sound. Then the Major presses the button to open the hatch and gives you a nod. [[//enter the airlock//|Zora Links II]]

"Let's use our airlock. We can link up with them. We'll have Doc take their vitals and assess the situation. Better for them to share a little of our radiation than to die down here, right?" (if: $ZoraRad is false)["I have to warn you, Zora," Doc lets out a deep breath he seems to have been holding for a long time, "I don't think I'd make it up the ladder." You see it now, his posture is slumped, his hands are clammy, and he's barely keeping his eyes open. "I've sat at the back of this vehicle, closest to the reactor, for our entire journey. I chose not to share my individual prognosis when I gave them to the rest of you because I wanted to avoid an incident. But it seems there's no dodging it now." "What are you saying, Doctor?" The Major cuts in, trying to mask her exhaustion. "I most likely won't make it. I'm going to lose consciousness within the next hour. Resuscitating me after that won't be something UN medics on our new support vessel are equipped for, and the nearest hospital is too far away. I'm only able to talk right now because I've shot myself with a triple dose." The Major makes a sound like she's choking. Whatever she tries to swallow comes back up as defiance. "Why are you telling us this now, when it's too late?" she demands. "Because someone had to be in the backseat, absorbing the majority of the rads before they could reach the rest of you. And I wasn't about to doom someone else or take turns so that we'd all die." Doc resigns. "This was the only way." The Major just turns away. Chloé can't find any words. [["I'll go then. I'll assess the crew of the //Argo//.|Zora Links]] [["We can still try a jump-start.|Link III]] [["We'll make our ascent immediately."|Leave Raw CoDA I]] [["We could try taking the rest of the power they have with our discharger."|Link III]]](else:)["Are you sure about this, Zora?" Doc holds no doubt of you in his voice, he only wants to make sure this is what you want. [["Yes, Doctor. Be careful."|Doc Links]] [["We can still try a jump-start.|Link III]] [["We could try taking the rest of the power they have with our discharger."|Link III]] [["No. No, it's too risky. We'd be better off just leaving."|Leave Raw CoDA I]]]

"We'll just irradiate them if we use the airlock. But we can at least get a little closer." "What for?" Doc asks. "There are only two options here. We either go in or we don't. And if you're saying exposing them to our rads is too dangerous, then we'll be leaving them for dead down here no matter if we linger or not." [["Fine, then let's risk going in anyway."|Link II]] [["What if we give them a jump-start?|Link III]] [["Fine, let's just get out of here."|Leave Raw CoDA 0]] [["Last I checked, our Discharger comes with a 'TAKE' Button too."|Link III]]

"Yes, Doctor. Be careful." Doc looks at you with pain in his eyes. Like his icy heart is beginning to thaw. Then he brushes it off and gets ready by the hatch. The Major begins rotating the //Braver// into position. She'll have to line up the //Argo// and the //Braver// hatch-to-hatch for the airlock to work. You help Chloé to her feet and hold the two of you steady on shaky legs, walking slowly into the rotation. You didn't realize it until you stood up just now, but you feel incredibly weak. You're trembling yet you feel overheated. Your stomach churns and protests with every step. You feel like you can't remember why you stood up. But as the //Braver// comes to rest completely upside-down, you've found your footing on the ceiling, just beside Doc on the hatch. "Pressurizing the airlock." The Major announces. Doc covers his ears. The loud hissing fills the tiny submersible with sound. Then the Major gives a nod to Doc, who nods back and she presses the button to open the hatch. Doc climbs down through the black accordion of the airlock to the //Argo//'s hatch. And he knocks on their titanium hatch. [[//wait for a reply//|Doc Links II]]

"Fine, then let's risk going in anyway. We'll have Doc take their vitals and assess the situation. Then we can consider our options for bringing them back." (if: $ZoraRad is false)["I have to warn you, Zora," Doc lets out a deep breath he seems to have been holding for a long time, "I don't think I'd make it up the ladder." You see it now, his posture is slumped, his hands are clammy, and he's barely keeping his eyes open. "I've sat at the back of this vehicle, closest to the reactor, for our entire journey. I chose not to share my individual prognosis when I gave them to the rest of you because I wanted to avoid an incident. But it seems there's no dodging it now." "What are you saying, Doctor?" The Major cuts in, trying to mask her exhaustion. "I most likely won't make it. I'm going to lose consciousness within the next hour. Resuscitating me after that won't be something UN medics on our new support vessel are equipped for, and the nearest hospital is too far away. I'm only able to talk right now because I've shot myself with a triple dose." The Major makes a sound like she's choking. Whatever she tries to swallow comes back up as defiance. "Why are you telling us this now, when it's too late?" she demands. "Because someone had to be in the backseat, absorbing the majority of the rads before they could reach the rest of you. And I wasn't about to doom someone else or take turns so that we'd all die." Doc resigns. "This was the only way." The Major just turns away. Chloé can't find any words. [["I'll go then. I'll assess the crew of the //Argo//.|Zora Links]] [["We can still try a jump-start.|Link III]] [["We'll make our ascent immediately."|Leave Raw CoDA II]] [["We could try taking the rest of the power they have with our discharger."|Link III]]](else:)["Are you sure about this, Zora?" Doc holds no doubt of you in his voice, he only wants to make sure this is what you want. [["Yes, Doctor. Be careful."|Doc Links]] [["We can still try a jump-start.|Link III]] [["We could try taking the rest of the power they have with our discharger."|Link III]] [["No. No, it's too risky. We'd be better off just leaving."|Leave Raw CoDA II]]]

A long time passes. Doc knocks again. Then he calls out a few 'hellos.' He explains he's on the rescue team sent here to save them. He knocks again. [[//wait for a reply//|Doc Link III]]

He waits a long time. Then you hear something. It's the //Argo//'s hatch finally opening. Then you pass out. [[//wait it out//|Resuscitated I]]

Everything is blurry. You are covered in vomit. Your body is on fire. You can't make sense of anything. But then someone injects you with something. The needle hurts. You always hated needles. But the feeling that comes next is like elation. You slowly come back to reality. [[//proceed//|Resuscitated II]]

You nod back to the Major and gingerly climb down into the black accordion spanning the remaining distance between you and the //Argo//. It isn't a perfect seal, maybe thanks to damage from the creature, but you hope it will hold. The soles of your shoes touch the titanium exterior of the //Argo//'s hatch. Only one thing left to do. [[//knock//|Zora Links III]]

You knock. And you wait. And there's no reply. [[//knock again//|Zora Links IV]] [[//give it up//|Linked]]

You knock again. And you wait again. And again, there is no reply. [[//try saying something//|Zora Links V]] [[//give it up//|Linked]]

The loud thrum of the reactor's cooling pump is the only sound onboard the //Braver//. (set: $Linked to true)Now is your last chance to use the discharger. Once you disconnect the airlock, there's no going back. [[//check the console//|Argo Time]] [[//click "GIVE" and give an 8-hour discharge to the Argo//|Give]] [[//disconnect the airlock and make for the surface//|Leave CoDA]] [[//click "TAKE" and extract any remaining primary power from the Argo//|Take]]

"Hello? My name is Zora. I've been sent here to rescue you." But all you hear is your own echo. [[//keep talking//|Zora Links VI]] [[//knock again//|Zora Links VI]] [[//they didn't make it, give it up//|Linked]]

Right as you were about to try again, someone answered the call. The hatch comes open. At the controls below, you see a haggard American woman in her 50s with sunken eyes breathing heavily. It's clear she's been crying. [[//assess the Argo//|Zora Links VII]]

She explains she didn't think you were real at first. She apologizes for doubting you. Then she asks for water. You give her some of yours that Doc gave you. Their console reads: "The time is now 17:23 on the eighth of July. There is 13% primary power remaining. ERROR! PRIMARY POWER UNAVAILABLE; CHECK REACTOR There is 28% life-support only power remaining." She takes you through what happened. They were attacked by a monster on their way back up from the dump site. So they dumped their cargo to try to distract the creature and fled into the Philippine Trench. But they sustained damage to their reactor in the attack and it shut off shortly after their escape, leaving them adrift in the Trench. Because of the reactor damage, they never actually ran out of primary power, it's just that the reactor can't move power around the ship. Even still, a jump-start won't work. The //Argo// needs extensive repairs, not battery life. The scene is grizzly. Two people are dead with quills in their necks and faces. Another is dead from some kind of chemical overdose, probably self-inflicted. The last three left are named Shauna, Tyson, and Eris. They're hungry, thirsty, and at least one has soiled their clothes. But none of their barf bags appear used--for vomit, at least--and they aren't feverish, or fatigued more than you'd expect for people who just spent three days under 9 kilometers of water. But there is a slight problem: there are seven total people still alive between your two vessels, but only room for six on the //Braver//. Otherwise, the weight will prevent the DSV's buoyancy-based vertical propulsion from functioning. Unless you can make another trip down here without running out of power or passing out from radiation poisoning, somebody isn't coming back to the surface. [[//chose someone to stay behind in the Argo//|Stay Behind]]

Who will stay in the //Argo// while the rest of the survivors return to the surface? (set: $Survivors to true) [[Madame Chloé Bélanger]] [[Doctor Sadjo Mvondo]] [[Major Alma Reyes]] [[Doctor Zora Marjanović]] [[Shauna|Shauna CoDA]] [[Tyson|Tyson CoDA]] [[Eris|Eris CoDA]]

Are you sure you want to leave the Major behind? [[//proceed//|Major]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Are you sure you want to leave Doc behind? [[//proceed//|Doc]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Are you sure you want to leave Chloé behind? [[//proceed//|Chloé]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Are you sure you want to stay behind? [[//proceed//|Zora]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Shauna nods in understanding. She's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. Once everything is set in the //Braver//, she looks at you across the airlock. She's trying not to start crying again. But it isn't working. Then she closes the hatch. [[//move on//|Linked]]

Tyson is still holding onto hope. He's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. Once everything is set in the //Braver//, he looks at you across the airlock and gives a nod. Then you see his eyes move to the corpses and detritus that will be his only companion from now on. And hope seems to flicker away from his eyes. Then he closes the hatch. [[//move on//|Linked]]

Eris doesn't understand why she has to stay. [[//tell her you'll come back for her//|Eris II]] [[//tell her she'll be killing the rest of you if she keeps holding things up//|Eris II]] [[//pick someone else//|Stay Behind]]

She eventually gets the memo. Soon she's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. Once everything is set in the //Braver//, she catches your gaze across the airlock. She wants to change her mind. She wants to leave the //Argo//. But she knows it's pointless. Your mind is made. And she closes the hatch. [[//move on//|Linked]]

Chloé goes without a fight. (set: $TokenFrench to true) She's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. Before she hits the button to close the hatch, she gives you a look. "I do really like your name by the way. I wasn't making fun of you on the //Medea//." She looks at you with tears coming to her eyes. "I think you chose a beautiful name, Zora." Chloé smiles at you. Then she closes the //Argo//'s hatch. [[//move on//|Linked]]

Major thinks this is for the best. (set: $ZoraTakeTheWheel to true) She's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. Before she hits the button to close the hatch, she has something to say. "Don't forget to repressurize after you retract the airlock," the Major reminds you. "And make sure everyone is seated before you get up to speed." She's searching for things to say now. She knows this is the last time she'll have the chance. But she finds her courage, and looks you in the eye. "Keep them safe, Zora." And she closes the hatch. [[//move on//|Linked]]

(if: $ZoraRad is false)[Doc isn't in any shape to protest and he probably wouldn't if he could. (set: $DoctorsChair to true) He's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. He's just lucid enough to hover his hand over the button that will close the hatch. But then he shoots you a look.](else:)[For once in his life, Doc doesn't protest. He's alone in the //Argo// across the black accordion of the airlock. He stands with his hand hovering over the button that will close the hatch. Then he shoots you a look.] "Make sure they don't forget to take their pills at the top of every hour." "I won't." His hands tremble, but his words come as resolute as ever. "I know." The last thing you see before he closes the door is the corners of his lips beginning to form a smile. [[//move on//|Linked]]

Are you sure you want to leave Shauna behind? [[//proceed//|Shauna]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Are you sure you want to leave Tyson behind? [[//proceed//|Tyson]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

Are you sure you want to leave Eris behind? [[//proceed//|Eris]] [[//go back//|Stay Behind]]

This is where your story ends. You're alone in the //Argo// looking across the black accordion of the airlock back to the //Braver//. Your hand is on the button to close the hatch. You take one last look at your team and the survivors. The Major holds it together. Chloé not so much. Even Doc's frown has graduated into an earnest expression of mourning. [[//close the hatch//|Argo Ending]] [["Wait."|"I can't do this."]]

"Wait." You start towards the //Braver//. "I can't stay here. Wait. Please don't leave me here." Your team's expressions twist with horror and grief. "Please, wait! I don't want to die here!" The Major's eyes rip away from yours as they fill with tears. She presses the button to close the //Braver//'s hatch. You are stuck on the other side of the airlock, alone in the //Argo//. [[//move on//|Argo Ending]]

Minutes, hours, and days swirl into madness alone on the //Argo//. (set: $Argo to true) Your only company in the dark is the three rotting bodies of the dead, slowed in their march to oblivion by the pressurized interior of your tomb. Each time you slip out of consciousness, you could swear you hear them, their heads twisting to stare at you each time you close your eyes, their whispers from blue lips knocking on the hard titanium where you rest your head. They are speaking to you. Can't you hear them? Chloé, Doc, and the Major. The Brave crew of the DSV. [[Game Over|End]]

"Listen to me, Zora." It's a voice you recognize. "I didn't want to... I didn't want things to be this way." The voice falters uncharacteristically. "I thought if I could just keep you medicated and relatively sedentary you would be fine... but... that's not what happened." The voice clears its throat. You're beginning to see who's making it. It's a stout man with dark skin, a bald head, and an implacable frown. Then he continues speaking. "When we first embarked on the //Braver//, you told me to go first. So I picked the seat further from the reactor, just in case it was dangerous. And it turned out my hunch was right." He clears his throat again. "I knew you would absorb most of the radiation from the reactor before it could reach us. I knew you would be impossible to save. But still, I didn't say anything." Doc falters again and his head bows. "I'm sorry, Zora." [["Am I dying, Doc?"|Resuscitated III]]

"Am I dying, Doc?" you manage to say, regaining your senses. He wipes his face with something before he answers. "Yes, Zora." Doc lingers on your name when he says it. Like he's deconstructing each syllable, analyzing them for cause and effect in his conscience. "Once we get to the surface, the UN medics won't know what to do with you and the nearest hospital will be too far away. You'll die in transit." Then he gently helps you sit up on the floor. "But you still have time." Doc finishes. [["What happens now?"]]

"What happens now?" "Now," the Major starts, "we need to come to a decision." Time is still a little fuzzy, but you're pretty sure you don't recognize three new people on the //Braver//. You are told that these are the survivors from the //Argo//. Your team explains the situation. You do your best to listen. The //Argo// was attacked by the same creature you were, leaving its reactor damaged. The //Argo// escaped, but now half of the crew is dead. Their reactor is clean though, so the survivors are still okay, if traumatized. Because of the reactor damage, they never actually ran out of primary power, it's just that the reactor can't move power around the ship. Even still, a jump-start won't work. The //Argo// needs extensive repairs, not battery life. But there is a slight problem: there are seven total people still alive between your two vessels, but only room for six on the //Braver//. Otherwise, the weight will prevent the DSV's buoyancy-based vertical propulsion from functioning. Unless you can make another trip down here without running out of power or dying of radiation poisoning, somebody isn't coming back to the surface. [[//chose someone to stay behind in the Argo//|Stay Behind]]

The discharger allows you to give power from the //Braver's// primary power to another vessel--or mutated sea creature--through the hatch. It also allows you to take primary power from another vessel, adding to your primary power reserve. "But to use the discharger on the //Argo//, we'd have to dock to its airlock," Doc says. "I can't help but feel like we're talking ourselves in circles here." "And don't forget that if we use the discharger to give or take from the //Argo//, we can't do the opposite later. At least, not on the //Argo//. I never got around to fixing that bug." Chloé says weakly. [[//check the console//|Link III Time]] [[//commit to linking up with but not entering the Argo//|Power Link]] [[//reconsider//|Argo II]]

The time is now 17:25 on the eighth of July. There is 44% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 9000 meters. (if: $ZoraTakeTheWheel is false)[[[//remind the Major to call in to the surface//|Argo Dice]]](else:)[[[//try calling in to the surface//|Argo Dice]] [[//go back//|Linked]]]

Are you sure you want to leave the //Argo//? [[//proceed//|Leave]] [[//go back//|Link II]]

Are you sure you want to leave the //Argo//? [[//proceed//|Leave]] [[//go back//|Link I]]

Are you sure you want to leave the //Argo//? [[//proceed//|Leave]] [[//go back//|Argo II]]

Are you sure you want to leave the //Argo//? [[//proceed//|Leave]] [[//go back//|No Link]]

(if: $ZoraTakeTheWheel is false)[You remind the Major to try calling in to the surface. After a few tries, she shakes her head. ]No reply. [[//go back//|Linked]]

It's time to leave the //Argo//. You try to steady your mind as the //Braver// begins its long ascent, but your thoughts are diluted like seawater mixing with dark orange pollutants. People are talking and you might be too, but you can no longer keep track of it. Everything is transient in your mind and nothing remains from one moment to the next. Thinking is like pointing a flashlight into dark water. As soon as you point it somewhere new, all that was returns to darkness. [[//keep moving//|Hadal Ascent]]

The time is now 17:26 on the eighth of July. There is 57% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 9000 meters. (if: $ZoraTakeTheWheel is false)[[[//remind the Major to call in to the surface//|Take Dice]]](else:)[[[//try calling in to the surface//|Take Dice]] [[//time to leave//|Leave]]]

The time is now 17:26 on the eighth of July. There is 11% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 9000 meters. (if: $ZoraTakeTheWheel is false)[[[//remind the Major to call in to the surface//|Give Dice]]](else:)[[[//try calling in to the surface//|Give Dice]] [[//time to leave//|Leave]]

(if: $ZoraTakeTheWheel is false)[You remind the Major to try calling in to the surface. After a few tries, she shakes her head. ]No reply. [[//time to leave//|Leave]]

(if: $ZoraTakeTheWeel is true)[Your sweaty hands grip the //Braver//'s controls tightly, fighting hard to stay lucid enough to maintain the 3 knot ascent. ]You must be ascending the Hadal Zone, climbing out from under the bottom of the world. The constant jostling left, right, forward, and back wouldn't be necessary in open water. [[//check the console//|Hadal A Time]] [[//keep moving//|Abyssal Ascent I]]

The time is now 18:00 on the eighth of July. (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[There is 41% primary power remaining.](if: $Gave is true)[There is 8% primary power remaining.](if: $Took is true)[There is 55% primary power remaining.] There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 7000 meters. [[//keep moving//|Abyssal Ascent I]]

(if: $Survivors is true)[The survivors from the //Argo// are trying to take care of your teammates, as they periodically vomit or need help taking their medicine. ]You suddenly realize you can see the open darkness again. You have no idea how long you've been in the Abyssal Zone, but you don't know if asking anyone here will be helpful. [[//check the console//|Abyssal A I Time]] [[//keep moving//|Abyssal Ascent II]]

The time is now 18:23 on the eighth of July. (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[There is 39% primary power remaining.](if: $Gave is true)[There is 5% primary power remaining.](if: $Took is true)[There is 53% primary power remaining.] There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 5500 meters. [[//keep moving//|Abyssal Ascent II]]

(if: $TokenFrench is false)[Chloé is trying desperately to stay awake. She keeps trying to ask you questions about which zone you're in and what lives here. And while you know the answers must be in your mind somewhere, the act of probing deeply enough to find them is too difficult a task. ]You try to concentrate on locating the Continental Rise. If only you can get back into its protection, things might begin to make sense again. [[//check the console//|Abyssal A II Time]] [[//keep moving//|Midnight Ascent I]]

(if: $DoctorsChair is false)[Doc passes out at some point. His bag is rifled through for some kind of cure to whatever is ailing him, but all his medicine has already been handed out or used. ]Suddenly the darkness around you doesn't feel quite as infinite and unknown as it did when you first made your descent. You catch yourself halfway through the realization that the vast oblivion feels like home. [[//check the console//|Midnight A I Time]] [[//keep moving//|Midnight Ascent II]]

The time is now 18:35 on the eighth of July. (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[There is 38% primary power remaining.](if: $Gave is true)[There is 4% primary power remaining.](if: $Took is true)[There is 52% primary power remaining.] There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 4500 meters. [[//keep moving//|Midnight Ascent I]]

The time is now 18:46 on the eighth of July. (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[There is 36% primary power remaining.](if: $Gave is true)[There is 2% primary power remaining.](if: $Took is true)[There is 51% primary power remaining.] There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 4000 meters. [[//keep moving//|Midnight Ascent II]]

Something is different. You don't know what it is. Your hairs are standing on end, your heart is racing, and your breathing is labored. Then you lay your eyes on something moving outside. Your lights are casting long, dancing shadows on the surface of the Continental slope as you move along it. Was this it? It's hard to tell what a gut feeling is when your guts are turning inside out. But you swear you know this feeling. What is that rhythm? [[//check the console//|Midnight A II Time]] [[//keep moving//|Twilight Encounter]]

The time is now 19:09 on the eighth of July. (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[There is 34% primary power remaining.](if: $Gave is true)[There is 1% primary power remaining.](if: $Took is true)[There is 49% primary power remaining.] There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 2000 meters. [[//keep moving//|Twilight Encounter]]

There's blood and bile spattered on the console, you can't read it. Something's happening. Something loud. People are making noise around you. And something else is making noise too. Cold water is pooling on the ground about your ankles. Many thin somethings are thrashing around. All the camera displays are just dark. Someone is shaking your shoulders. They're trying to get your attention. But you can't understand them. Your mind starts to slip into unconsciousness. You can feel the inescapable grip of fatigue drowning out all other sensations. [[//this is the end//|The Light]]

Your body acts on its own. You couldn't give it commands if you wanted to, because everything is numb and slack, like your limbs are going to fall off at any moment. But still, you march through the dark. Ignoring the sounds, and the pains, and the fear. And you behold the red button with a label made from masking tape and permanent marker. (if: $Took is true)[[["GIVE"|Repel the Creature]]] (if: $Gave is false and $Took is false)[[["GIVE"|Sink]]] (if: $Gave is true)[[["GIVE"|Out of Battery]]]

But then something pierces the darkness. A point of light coming from the hatch. An impossible flash, like the sun's power was doubled for just a moment. It shimmers a glint off a red button hanging from a loose cable by the hatch. The light. It's calling to you. [[Answer the call|Answer the Call]]

As your terminal clarity expires, you lay your eyes one final vista in the West, towards the Philippine Archipelago. (set: $True to true) <img src="https://i.imgur.com/gg1dMZU.jpg" alt="A Mushroom cloud rises over the distant city of Manila" /> [[Game Over|End]]

With a deafening choir of screams, it's all over. The darkness is gone. You collapse. Your body and mind compete for control, seizing up and pressing on again. You are allowed only brief moments of presence in these flagging instances of what life you have left. After a long time, your senses gradually begin to return to you. You feel warm. Warm and bright. The hatch opens and you are taken from out the interior of the //Braver//. You hear someone loudly screaming. An anguished, tortured sound. You see clouds, water, and a sunset. [[//look out to land//|True End]]

With a deafening choir of screams, it's all over. The darkness retreats and you collapse. The world around you contorts and changes. It mutates and malforms until your concept of time is fully unwound. But gradually, your senses begin to return. It's dark, but quiet. You prop yourself up with your arm and peel yourself onto the nearest console. [[//check the console//|Sunken Ending]]

But when you click the button, nothing happens. You click it again and again, even when all the lights and sounds have faded. Until you feel a stabbing pain in your back and you are thrown into a console. In your fleeting moments of remaining vigor, all you can do is move your eyes. [[//look at the console//|Twilight Encounter Time]]

The time is now 19:30 on the eighth of July. (set: $Sunken to true) There is 0% primary power remaining. There is 99% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 6000 meters. [[Game Over|End]]

The time is now 19:25 on the eighth of July. There is 0% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 500 meters. [[//become food//|Eaten Ending]]

The creature plucks you from the dead DSV and draws you in toward its maw. (set: $Eaten to true) You close your eyes. Darkness is better. [[Game Over|End]]

The Major does not slow down, righting the course from its somewhat erratic start. "We'll talk about plans later." the Major says. It's clear Doc would mount protests, but even he can tell something isn't right. Your heart is beating like it's trying to escape your chest. But there's nothing you can do. (if: $Preview is true)[[[//wait it out//|Preview End]]](else:)[[[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone V]]]

You're sure you squeaked out a sound. But you don't think you said any words. "What?" Chloé asks. "Your entire job on this mission is to identify and properly prepare us for what we'll run into down here, and even you can't find the words to explain what you saw?" Doc is starting to get it. "That's all the information I need to reach my conclusion." The Major does not slow down. "We can talk about plans later, at the //Argo//." Your heart is beating like it's trying to escape your chest. But there's nothing you can do. (if: $Preview is true)[[[//wait it out//|Preview End]]](else:)[[[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone V]]]

The moment you click in the button, a pained melisma like a million voices screaming at once overwhelms you. You instinctively cover your ears, falling off the ladder into a curled-up pile on the floor of the //Braver//. The monster on the other side of the hatch pulls its quilled tendril with godlike strength, but the //Braver// keeps its souvenir. The hatch fully shuts now, stopping the downpour of Pacific power and severing the tendril from its owner. The tendril's quills retract and it falls limp onto your curled-up body. The darkness of the open ocean returns to each of the displays in sequence as the creature is left behind from your rapid descent into the Philippine Trench. But its haunting cry reverberates even through 10 centimeters of titanium. [[//try to get the tendril off of you//|Hadal Zone I]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/xxMHUns.jpg" alt="A haggard clump of titanium printed with the letters 'DSV' awaits rescue at the bottom of the Philippine Trench" /> The //Argo// rests crumpled like a plastic bag on the dead, rocky trench floor, some 4000 meters from its last known location. It seems no one can think of anything to say. [["Let's use our airlock. We can link up with them."|Link I]] [["We'll just irradiate them if we use the airlock. But we can at least get a little closer."|No Link]] [["We have to abandon the //Argo//."|Leave Raw CoDA A]]

The Major begins rotating the //Braver// into position. She'll have to line up the //Argo// and the //Braver// hatch-to-hatch for the airlock to work. (if: $ZoraRad is false)[You help Chloé and Doc to their feet and hold the team of you together as you walk into the rotation. And as the //Braver// comes to rest completely upside-down, you've found your footing on the ceiling. Doc collapses as he sits down on the ceiling. Chloé is a bit more elegant, but not by much.](else:)[You help Chloé to her feet and hold the two of you steady on shaky legs, walking slowly into the rotation. You didn't realize it until you stood up just now, but you feel incredibly weak. You're trembling yet you feel overheated. Your stomach churns and protests with every step. You feel like you can't remember why you stood up. But as the //Braver// comes to rest completely upside-down, you've found your footing on the ceiling, just beside Doc on the hatch.] "Pressurizing the airlock." The Major announces. Doc covers his ears. The loud hissing fills the tiny submersible with sound. Then the Major gives you a nod. [[//prepare to use the Discharger//|Linked]]

The time is now 17:20 on the eighth of July. There is 44% primary power remaining. There is 100% life-support only power remaining. Your current depth is 9000 meters. [[//go back//|Link III]]

Your idle eyes linger on where the forward display meets the floor, past the Major's feet. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/22Fgs4g.jpg" alt="s̸͔̓o̸̩̊m̴͉̈ȩ̸̛t̶͙͒h̸̢͆i̸̘͋ṋ̴̓g̷̯̏ ̵̫̅l̷̝̓ȉ̸̲n̷̨̈g̵͔̀ĕ̵͈r̸̨̾s̶̭̆ ̷͕̈i̶̮͆ń̴͙ ̶̫̕t̷̪͝h̶͔͝e̴͔͒ ̴̽͜d̸å̵͖r̵͙̎k̴̛̤n̸̗̆e̷͔͐ŝ̸̩ș̴̑" /> Two glowing points, almost motionless, just out of the reach of the //Braver//'s lights. The creature is at least a kilometer away. But if it is, how could its eyes be so far apart? That would make it at least as wide as a car. To have two eyes on the front of its head and be that large is unheard of. But this unprecedented discovery makes you feel very different from the coral you saw just moments before. [[//get the Major's attention//|Creature Flees I]] [[//keep looking//|Creature Stares I]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/lqaTQCw.jpg" alt="nothing but empty darkness" /> But the eyes are gone. You can't resist your jaw falling open in disbelief. How could a creature that size move fast enough to get out of sight at this depth? How did it avoid entering the //Braver//'s lights just in front of it? Did it swim //backwards//? The Major can sense your unease. "Let's keep moving for now. We can talk about this more once we reach the //Argo//." And she sits at her chair, bringing the //Braver// back up to speed. It's clear Doc would mount protests, but even he can tell something isn't right. Your heart is beating like it's trying to escape your chest. But there's nothing you can do. (if: $Preview is true)[[[//wait it out//|Preview End]]](else:)[[[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone V]]]

But when you lock your eyes back on the point it once occupied... <img src="https://i.imgur.com/lqaTQCw.jpg" alt="nothing but empty darkness" /> [["Sorry, it's nothing."]] [["There was something out there."]] [["Get us moving. Now.]]

"It wasn't //radiation//. But it could have been //radioactive//." "I don't see your point, Zora," Doc says. "What's the meaningful difference in this context?" "Radiation poisoning wasn't what got them. But something that was radioactive still might have." "You're saying a barrel in their load could have caused problems?" Doc asks. "Or contaminated marine life." "But there's still one thing I don't understand." The Major continues. "What could have faulted if nothing went wrong on their first trip to and from the dump site?" "What if it wasn't a fault at all?" Chloé posits. (if: $SawSiph is true)["What if the Sigilyph got 'em?" "Siphonophorae?" For how well Chloé remembers everything else, it's a bit baffling that she can't recall this name. "Besides the fact that they're way too small to even accidentally damage the //Argo//, they live in the Twilight Zone, 5 kilometers above where the //Argo// sent its last communication." Chloé ponders that. Then she snaps her finger as she comes to a new hypothesis. ](if: $GeigerCounter is true)["What if the //Argo// ran into thing that's been setting off the Geiger counter?" "There's a Geiger counter in here?" Doc reacts in surprise. "Don't think it would have helped us figure out the reactor was poisoning us. Seems like it only detects rads outside the //Braver//." Chloé says. "How did I not know about this?" The Major is shocked. "I was given a full briefing on the //Braver//'s specs." "Well, it took us a while to find it," Chloé admits. "Wait an animal has been setting it off?" Doc is still catching up. "How would you be sure if we're in a radioactive dump site?" "Zora said there could be contaminated marine life, didn't they?" Chloé asks.](if: $GeigerCounter is false)["What if the //Argo// ran into that thing that's been making all the ticking?" "What are you talking about?" Doc is lost. "Remember when I thought there was a problem with the pump? Well, it turns out it wasn't the pump." Chloé relates. "Yes, I do remember, it was less than 2 hours ago." Doc seems like he's feeling patronized. "Well I've been hearing it all during the mission, and the last time I heard it was before we hit 6000 meters, right before Zora had that freak-out." Chloé walks the team through her process. "I might be jumping to conclusions, but I feel something is out there hunting and only Zora knows what it looks like." "Did you say 'hunting?'" Doc almost laughs. "What sort of creature hunts a hunk of titanium?" "I don't know," Chloé says matter-of-factly. "What if it's like... contaminated, like Zora said?"] "Okay, marine biologist, enlighten me." Doc is almost smiling. "How can you tell if the sealife is contaminated?" "Well, it's not clear immediately, but given time, non-lethal yet persistent exposure to radiation produces mutations. If something's been mutating for long enough, it would stop resembling any species we know of and develop unique features." "And you would be able to tell?" "I don't see why not." "Prove it," Doc says. "How about that one? Is it contaminated?" Doc is pointing behind you. [[//turn around//|Jumpscare]]

Welcome to the preview of DSV. This is a small selection taken from the middle of the roughly 20,000 word Twine game available at the following link: https://qjjng9hf.play.borogove.io/. Play by clicking blue text. [[Play|Preview II]]

(set:$Preview to true)(set:$ZoraRad to false)Lives are on the line. Six Americans have gone missing somewhere in the Philippine Trench, some 6000 meters below sea level. Their vessel, the Argo, is a DSV, or Deep-Submergence Vehicle. Now, the UN has mounted a rescue effort to send another DSV, the Braver, to find and return the lost Americans. Making up the Braver’s crew is Major Alma Reyes, the pilot and leader, Madame Chloé Belganer, the technician and mechanic, Doctor Sadjo “Doc” Mvondo, the radiologist and medical doctor, and you, Doctor Zora Marjonovic, the marine biologist. In the long dark of the descent [[you wait|Midnight Zone II]]...

"Achieved depth 5000 meters." The lights the //Braver// shines out in the Abyssal Zone feel like turning on the windshield wipers in a hurricane. Even with atomic power, this is the best humankind can do: LEDs strapped to a titanium ball slowly rolling downhill in vast oblivion. [[//check the console//|Abyssal Time V]] [[//look for the creature//|Observation I]] [[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone VI]]

Is anything there? <img src="https://i.imgur.com/XZYxVvG.jpeg" alt="it looks empty" /> [[//wait it out//|Abyssal Zone VI]]

Do you see anything? <img src="https://i.imgur.com/Cek5Cbd.jpeg" alt="just the abyssal zone staring back" /> [[//proceed//|The Dump I]]