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The Empty Embrace of the Void - Things used to be so much easier, weren’t they? Back in Atlantic City, where things were familiar, where at least when you were in pain you knew what was hurting you.
You - “I don’t know about easier. Simpler maybe, but not easier.”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - Don’t you miss it?
You - “Not particularly. There’s not much to miss.”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - No old friends? No favorite places?
You - “There was a shitty bar once. Alcohol was cheap. Made the pain stop. That’s about it. Definitely don’t miss the stink of dead fish, or any of the people. And they definitely don’t miss me.”
The Thing in the Ceiling - …heads, heads, tails, tails, heads, tails, tails, heads, heads, heads, tails, tails, heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, heads, tails, tails.
You - “What the fuck is that?”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - Don’t look at that. Just look at me. There’s no pain here, no people, no dead fish. You don’t have to do anything here. Nothing can hurt you. Doesn’t that sound nice?
You - “That sounds heavenly.”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - Stay with me, here, forever. Experience the bliss of non-existence. I mean, what else do you have to live for?
You - “… You know what, you make a really good point there-”
The Thing in the Ceiling - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 1, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000.
You - “Okay what the fuck is that?”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - I told you not to look at that! It’ll bring you nothing but pain! It hates you! Just like everyone else. But I don’t hate you.
You - “Okay but- how am I supposed to enjoy non-existence with the thing rambling off bullshit?”
The Thing in the Ceiling - …d, r, 1, d, o, u, g…
You - Hey!
The Thing in the Ceiling - … n, o, t, 4, c, h, a, n…
You - “I can’t understand what you’re saying! Speak up or shut up.”
The Empty Embrace of the Void - You idiot, why are you doing this to me.
You - “I can’t even count the number of times someone’s said those exact words to me.”
The Thing in the Ceiling - Wake up, Wettle.
You - “Huh?”
The Thing in the Ceiling - Everyone’s waiting for you.
You - You shoot up straight out of bed. This is just your bedroom, no embracing voids or things in walls. You’ve slept in, it seems. Whatever. Whether you show up one time or three hours late you’ll still be glared at by everyone you pass. Might as well take your time getting out there.
Thought Gained: Voids and Embraces - What does not existence truly look like? Is it the peace you’re looking for? The escape from all things painful or humiliating? You’ll have to give this some thought.
Volition [Trival (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You should kill yourself.
You - “Come swinging right out the fucking gate, why don’t you. I just woke up, do you have anything useful to tell me?”
Encyclopedia - The world is ending.
You - “Cool, any more details on that?”
Encyclopedia - They’re offering amnesty to any hidden anomalies working for the Foundation.
Inland Empire - I suppose it’s time for us to turn ourselves in like we should’ve years ago.
You - “Right. I guess I’ll do that.” You reach for the bottle of pain medication on your nightstand.
Visual Calculus - This bottle is empty. It’s been empty for two months now.
Inland Empire - You have a prescription for pain meds, you should go refill it. But the thought of dragging your fat, ugly, sorry ass down to a pharmacy? Looking the counter person in the eyes and asking for pain medication? They would be justified in pulling out a gun and shooting you in the nuts.
Logic - This isn’t America, they have healthcare here. It’s not like you can’t afford it.
Endurance [Challenging (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - But the humiliation? The shame? Could you really stand to look someone in the eyes and tell them you’re in pain? You’ve handled this pain for as long as you remember, you don’t need help.
Hand-Eye Coordination [Medium (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You try to toss the bottle into the trash. It smacks against the side and falls to the ground.
You - “Great.”
Shivers - This place is alive. It’s impossible to take two steps without walking into someone, it’s been this way since the world started tearing itself up. You ignore everyone. You just need to find someone to talk to, an ETTRA person, admit this is all your fault.
Composure [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -10 Holy Shit): Failure] - Oh no. That’s Sokolsky.
You - “They've got you doing interviews now? Something happen to the people-persons?”
Dr. Sokolsky - “Every able body's got an obligation to help if they can, pal. We're facing an all-hands-on-deck crisis.”
Encyclopedia - He did just say able body, right? I just want to check that we took note of that.
Pain Threshold [Challenging (-1 It Hurts, -3 You’re Terrified of this Guy): Failure] - Like anyone cares how much pain you’re in. Suck it up like the man you are.
Suggestion - You need to be blunt, really sell your point. No more chickening out.
You - “I’m unlucky.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “Jesus Christ.”
Empathy - This is just a hunch, but I think he’s annoyed with you.
Authority [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -4 You’re Still Butthurt about the Password Incident, -10 This is Sokolsky Why are You Even Trying?): Failure] - Put your foot down! You know you’re telling the truth, act like it!
You - “No, honest. I'm extremely unlucky. Good things don't happen to me, period. Game-changingly bad things don't happen to me either. I'm stuck in a cycle where nothing I do turns out right.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “This is a walk-in clinic for closeted reality benders, you realize that? I'm a disaster response coordinator, not a therapist.”
Drama - You’re losing him, sire! Quick, you have to prove yourself!
You - “Fucking listen, alright? Or you know what… let me just…” You’re grasping at straws. You pull out a coin. “Gonna call it in the air,” you announce. “Heads!”
Hand-Eye Coordination [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You flicked it too hard, now it’s stuck to the ceiling.
Dr. Sokolsky - “Who puts gum on a ceiling tile?”
Rhetoric [Challenging (-1 It Hurts, -2 You’re Overheating): Failure] - Ask him to think of a number.
You - “Alright, doesn't matter. Think of a number between one and ten.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “Okay.”
You - “Ten.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Three.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Five.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “One.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Nine.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Eight.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No. Come on.”
Empathy - You’re pissing him off.
Volition - You’re pissing me off.
You - “Three.”
Perception - You said three.
Dr. Sokolsky - “You said three.”
You - “Four.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Two.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Six.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No.”
You - “Seven.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “No. I mean, yes. Jesus. That was entrancing.”
You - “Let's do it again.”
Endurance [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Let’s not.
Shivers - This whole place is looking at you. You can keep blabbering but it just gets swallowed up.
Half Light [Medium (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You should leave, you're making a fool of yourself.
Dr. Sokolsky - “Any change in the past week?”
Empathy [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 Nothing has Changed): Failure] - Why does he care?
You - “Nope. Every call goes wrong. Every single one.”
Dr. Sokolsky - “Every single one.”
You - “Yeah. Why?”
Suggestion - You don’t like that look he’s giving you.
Dr. Sokolsky - “There are one hundred and thirty-six probabilistic anomalies on record. You just became the one hundred and thirty-seventh.”
Inland Empire - Great job! You’ve gotten yourself classified as an SCP object! Now what?
Volition [Trival (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Kill yourself before it gets worse.
Conceptualization [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Go find a dark hole and curl up.
Electrochemistry [Trival (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Get so drunk it stops hurting.
Pain Threshold - I like the way you think.
…
Shivers - Sokolsky thinks you’re a crackhead. He’s running around asking all your ‘friends’ and ‘colleagues’ to validate your claim. Making you look like an idiot.
You - “I don’t need his help to look like an idiot.” You find somewhere dark and curl up with a six-pack of beer.
Perception - This beer tastes like shit.
Endurance - You drink it anyway. Until the Void comes for you again.
Inland Empire - You’re in your office. Of course, this isn’t actually your office, you can see the void creeping up on the edges of your vision. Something drags you to your desk, to the hunched over figure in your chair.
Perception - It’s you. Your face is flat against the desk. You look hollow, clearly you’ve been laying here for a while. It smells awful.
Endurance [Godly (-1 it Hurts, -1 You’re Staring at your own, Rotten Corpse): Failure] - Oh that’s awful. You get vomit all over yourself. Thank God this is just a metaphor.
Inland Empire - A fat maggot crawls out of your mouth.
Composure - Ack- You’re lucky you’ve already emptied your stomach.
You - “What the hell are you supposed to represent?”
Maggot - “Represent? Buddy, I’m just trying to get a meal here!” The maggot crawls across your bloated face, sinking its things into the soft flesh of your cheek. “Can you believe they just leave all this good food lying around?”
You - You swallow a lump in your throat. “No, I can’t believe it.”
Electrochemistry - Is this what bliss looks like?
Logic - This is almost comforting. No matter how awful and disgusting you are, you’ll make a lovely meal for the maggots. This is the end we’re all leading to.
You - “I- I’m gonna be sick.”
Thought Complete: Voids and Embraces - Non-existence looks like a maggot crawling out of your mouth. Finality crawls up behind you. (-1 Volition)
You - You wake up in your bedroom, stinking of beer. You feel heavy and gross. Something thick sits in your mouth.
Composure [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 You’re Hungover, -2 The Dreams): Failure] - The maggots are in your mouth! Quick! Spit it out! Spit it out!
You - You roll over and vomit in your trashcan. Most of it ends up on your clothes. “The actual fuck is going on?”
Shivers - Dr. Dan called you a fat idiot in front of the O5 council.
You - “Huh, well, good for him.”
Drama - You should get cleaned up, sire. At least try to look presentable.
You- “Look presentable for what?”
Encyclopedia - They’re putting you on a mobile task force.
Composure [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 You’re Hungover): Failure] - They’re doing what!?
Savoir Faire - You drag your fat ass to the bathroom like you’re hauling a sack of rocks up the stairs. You look pathetic.
Perception - Some kind of ugly fuck is looking at you from the mirror.
Visual Calculus - That’s you.
You - “Oh God.”
Thought Gained: That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror - How can you stand to be in this body? All the pain it brings you, every movement is a struggle. How do you ever get anything done carrying this thing around?
…
Suggestion - Andrea Adams is the captain of your MTF force. She’s an imposing woman, one who demands respect.
Encyclopedia - Known for her work on Tav-666 (“No Name Entered”).
Logic - Shouldn’t it be Tau-666?
Encyclopedia - I don’t think I’m qualified to get into that.
Drama - Sire, you ought to try to impress her.
Perception - Don’t push it. She could kill you easily.
Half Light - A dedicated beaver could kill you.
Encyclopedia - Why would a beaver kill you?
You - “Can you guys shut the fuck up?”
Rhetoric [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -1 Beavers?): Failure] - She’s coming! Quick! Say something intelligent!
You - “Uh-! Uh- Hi.”
Captain Adams - She looks up up and down, sizing you up. You have some height over her but it still feels like she’s the one casting a shadow over you. She holds her hand out.
Suggestion - Shake her hand! You’re not here to mess around.
Physical Instrument [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You give her hand a masculine squeeze- guh- shit! Ouch! You pulled a muscle in your hand! How do you even manage that?
Captain Adams - “So you’re the guy, huh?”
Empathy - She sounds unimpressed.
Encyclopedia - You’re not the worst she’s had to deal with.
You - “Seems so.”
Captain Adams - “Well then, welcome to Theta-7000, ‘Fortunate Sons’. Get dressed, we’re running the course.”
Thought Gained: Fortunate Sons - What the hell does that even mean? You’re not feeling particularly fortunate.
Encyclopedia - It’s typical for MTF soldiers to go through grueling years of training to handle every possible anomalous conflict. Due to the situation at hand, you’ll be getting an abridged version.
You - “Cool, so do I put this armor on?”
Encyclopedia [Medium (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Okay first- no, no put that down. Start with- yes put that- nope, other way, other way- wait sorry you had it right the first time. Then you- stop grabbing that-
Inland Empire - They don’t make this kind of armor for your body type.
Rhetoric - Seems like an oversight.
Perception - They’re calling for you.
Hand-Eye Coordination [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 Helmet is Too Small): Failure] - Hey! You manage to hit… Woah, you didn’t graze any of the targets?
Savoir Faire [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 Didn’t Strap Your Boots Correctly): Failure] - You trip over yourself trying to get to the next area. No one stops to help you back up.
Physical Instrument [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 Chest Plate Squeezes Your Lungs): Failure] - Fuck- fuck how does anyone do this shit? It’s just putting one foot in front of the other, isn’t it? They make it look so easy.
Reaction Speed [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 Extra Weight): Failure] - It’s the sunlight. The sunlight caught your eye and you can’t see right. That’s why you get your ass kicked.
Pain Threshold [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -10 Oh God): Failure] - You throw up a little bit in your helmet. Feels like there’s coal in your lungs. You’ve pulled muscles you didn’t even know you had.
Rhetoric - Don’t feel too bad, you’re working with some of the best soldiers in the Foundation. It’s only natural you fall behind.
Encyclopedia - You’ve scored lower than the previous lowest record!
You - “Awesome- awesome- do I get a medal?”
Physical Instrument - A participation medal maybe.
Logic - If you can call that participation.
You - “Fuck you specifically.”
Rhetoric [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -10 You’ve Already Humiliated Yourself in Front of Her): Failure] - Convince Captain Adams that this won’t work out. There’s no way she won’t agree with you.
You - “Captain- Captain- whoo-” You’re very out of breath, you sweat like a pig. “Look, I can't do this. You know I can’t do this. You gotta cut the weakest link, alright? I won’t be offended.”
Captain Adams - She purses her lips. “I was just saying the same thing to your Dr. Dan.”
Rhetoric - Great! See, I told you we’re on the same page here!
Empathy - She’s not done yet.
Captain Adams - “The effect is getting worse. I’m afraid, despite your- difficulties, you will continue to serve with us.” She pins a small medal to your suit, officially designating you a member of the “Fortunate Sons”!
Logic - … Well there’s your participation medal.
…
Captain Adams - “Sound ready.”
Agent Koslova - “Ready.”
Agent Murad Quliyev - “Ready!”
Agent Han - “Ready.”
Agent Ozols - “Ready.”
You - “I don't want to be here!”
Savoir Faire - Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. I was made for this!
Agent Bruce - “Ready.”
Captain Adams - “All ready. Drop!”
Savoir Faire [Godly (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You hit the rooftop at a bad angle, twisting your ankle.
Pain Threshold - fffffUCK!
Perception [Formidable (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Hey is there something happening-
Savoir Faire [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -3 Explosion): Failure] - Agent Bruce grabs you and pulls you behind an air conditioner. You try to lean on him, only to smack your helmets together.
You - “The- fuck is happening?” Before you can gather yourself, Captain Adams yanks you down. Your boot catches on something and comes off.
Captain Adams - “Get his damn boot on.”
You - “I’ll do it mys-”
Captain Adams - “Not taking that chance. Get his damn boot on.”
Agent Bruce - He jams your boot back on, patting your knee with a condescending smile. “All set, kiddo.”
Perception - You are at least twice- if not three times his age!
You - “Piss off!”
Captain Adams - “Positions.”
Reaction Speed [Godly (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - The ground rumbles. Before you can flinch, the ground gives out underneath you.
Endurance - You land on top of a Chaos Insurgency agent.
Agent Bruce - “Guess your name means something after all.”
Suggestion - He thinks this is hilarious.
You - “I don't want to do this!”
Savoir Faire [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 Twisted Ankle): Failure] - You trip and twist your other ankle- look, I’m sorry, I'm trying here.
Pain Threshold - Just shut up would you?
You - “Jesus fuck-”
Savoir Faire [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -4 Twisted Ankle x2): Failure] - You try to catch up only to trip- wait, let me try this again please.
Savoir Faire [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -4 Twisted Ankle x2): Failure] - Shit, shit, one more time!
Savoir Faire [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -4 Twisted Ankle x2): Failure] - You land on your back like a flipped turtle.
Thought Complete: That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror - Your body is a prison. It was made to hurt you. You were built like a punching bag and that’s what you’re always going to be. (-2 Savoir Faire)
Agent Bruce - On Captain Adams’s orders, he turns around and drags you across the floor.
You - You sneeze, fogging up the inside of your helmet. “I can’t see…” Snot runs into your mouth.
Perception - The other take up positions around a door. As you scoot up behind Agent Bruce, your pants tear.
Savoir Faire - I can’t be blamed for that one!
You - “God dammit.”
Agent Bruce - He rolls a grenade through the doorway.
Reaction Speed - You sneeze right as the grenade goes off.
Physical Instrument - Get up! I’m in charge now!
You - “I CAN'T FUCKING SEE!” You stumble blindly across the room, using the wall as a guide.
Physical Instrument - You walk into the waist-high railing of a staircase, trip, and fall over.
Perception - You’re belt catches on a railing, saving you from cracking your head open on the floor.
You - “I think I would’ve preferred that second option.”
Captain Adams - “Get him loose.”
You - “I want to go home.”
Agent Bruce - “Is your home child-proofed?”
Authority [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Fuck this guy.
You - “Suck m-” Gunfire resumes before you can finish that. Something yanks out down with the rest of them.
Agent Koslova - “Looks like two fire teams, Cap. Stuck in good.”
Captain Adams - “Which way's the breaker?”
Interfacing - He checks a device on his wrist and points.
Captain Adams - “Take LUCK and LEE. We'll hold them off.”
Suggestion - Why us-?
You - “I don't-”
Agent Bruce - “Shut the fuck up.”
Authority - You shut up despite yourself.
Savoir Faire [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror): Failure] - You try to scratch your nose only to get your hand stuck in your helmet.
Physical Instrument - How the fuck did you manage that?
You - “Just shut up- shut up please.”
Savoir Faire [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror): Failure] - You wriggle your hand, jamming your finger up your nose.
Interfacing - Agent Han is real lucky, if he hadn’t sneezed just then he would’ve been burned.
Perception - The sprinklers turn on, soaking you. Something explodes beneath us.
Physical Instrument [Godly (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - While trying to run down the hall, you get a loose floorboard and go through a glass window. The floor crumbles beneath you.
You - You land on the bottom floor. A door is right there.
Perception [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -3 Blood in your Helmet): Failure] - There’s no one here! Run for it!
Insurgent - The door swings open, a gun is jammed right into your face.
You - Your life flashes before your eyes.
Insurgent - “Bad lu-”
Reaction Speed - The ceiling collapses and crushes him.
Agent Koslova - “Shit! LUCK! Are you alright?”
You - “I hate-”
Reaction Speed [Medium (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You swallow your helmet mic.
Thought Complete: Fortunate Sons - Oh, they’re making fun of you. (-1 Authority)
…
Suggestion - It’s Bastien! You’ve missed him a lot.
Authority - Don’t tell him that, though, he’ll think you’re weird.
Perception - What’s with that look he’s giving you. He’s got a half-smirk going on.
Empathy [Medium (-1 It Hurts, +1 It’s LeBlanc): Failure] - Maybe he just thinks your humiliation train is hilarious.
Shivers - He’s here because no one else wants to deal with your whining.
Endurance - You can’t do this anymore. Tell him you’re useless.
You - “...but I didn't do anything.”
Researcher LeBlanc - “They estimate the damaged code involved some seven million independent variables. Every one of them was a minute but extant threat to the success of the repair process. You stopped them from going off. You saved a computer system carrying more information than-”
Reaction Speed - What the hell is he talking about?
You - “I DIDN'T. DO. ANYTHING.”
Perception - That look again. What does he think he knows that you don’t?
You - “So, they got me a handler…”
Researcher LeBlanc - “I prefer to think of myself as an agent.”
Suggestion - Agent LeBlanc. Sounds good on him.
You - “If you were my agent, I'd fire you.”
Agent LeBlanc - “If you were my client, I'd get you fired.”
Reaction Speed [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 Damn He’s Good, +1 It’s LeBlanc): Failure] - Haha! Okay, he’s got you good. You can’t help but grin.
You - “I know you would, kid.”
Thought Gained: Agent LeBlanc - What the hell does he get out of all this anyway? Probably one hell of a bonus in his paycheck, that’s for sure. Figure out his angle, make sure he doesn’t invest too much in a losing dog.
…
Endurance - How many of these things have they forced us through?
Encyclopedia - This would be the seventh… I think. Your brain is a little rattled in there.
Savoir Faire - At least they’re letting us rest for a bit.
Pain Threshold - Ugh…
Perception - There’s some kind of annoying ass noise in here.
Visual Calculus - There are three flies hovering right over your head.
Hand-Eye Coordination [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -3 It Really Fucking Hurts, -3 Those Shits are Tiny): Failure] - You completely wiff it, I mean damn. Luckily no one saw that.
Reaction Speed - It’s fine, you can still- hack- ah- shit- eckeck- what the fuck-
Perception - Jesus fucking Chirst, you just swallowed three flies. God Damn.
Agent LeBlanc - He enters your space a few moments later.
Empathy - He looks proud of himself.
Encyclopedia - They were defusing a bomb outside, weren’t they? Are they done already?
Composure [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -3 The Flies, +1 It’s LeBlanc): Failure] - Wait what did he just say?
You - “I did what?”
Agent LeBlanc - “You mean about the fl-”
Reaction Speed - What the fuck.
You - “I MEAN ABOUT THE BOMB!”
…
Endurance - This was supposed to be the easiest one. All you had to do was stay out of the way. Damn it, damn it!
Pain Threshold - Nothing injured you, but this was the most painful one so far.
You - “I don't want to do this.”
Agent LeBlanc - “I know you don't.”
You - “The universe has something to say, Bastien, about whether my pants are up or down. It has a LOT to say, BASTIEN, about whether my PANTS are UP or DOWN.”
Agent LeBlanc - “Man, I'm really sorry.”
You - “I can't do this anymore. I can't. Don't let them make me.”
Authority [Formidable ( -1 It Hurts, -1 Fortunate Sons, -5p O5-1 Saw your Dick, -1 It’s LeBlanc): Failure] - This is the most pathetic you’ve ever looked.
Pain Threshold [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 It Really Hurts, -5 O5-1 Saw your Dick Twice, -1 You Don’t want him to see you like this): Failure] - How is anyone meant to take this?
Composure [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -5 O5-1 Saw your Dick Three Times, -10 You Already Know the Outcome, -1 He looks like he cares and that hurts more): Failure] - I’m sorry.
You - You break into disgusting tears. Oh this feels awful.
Agent LeBlanc - “Okay. I won't.”
Composure - …Well that catches you off guard.
Agent LeBlanc - “I promise. I won't.”
Empathy - Damn it, he means it! That fucking asshole means it!
You - “What?”
Agent LeBlanc - “I won't let them make you. We'll miss the next appointment, let them come get us if they want. What're they gonna do, shoot a researcher and the goose that lays the golden egg?”
Encyclopedia - ‘Laying an egg’ is slang for fucking shit up.
Conceptualization [Legendary (-1 It Hurts, -2 You’re at a Complete Loss): Failure] - You just kind of stare at him.
Agent LeBlanc - “You get it?”
You - “Bastien…”
Half Light - Something like rage boils up inside of you.
Agent LeBlanc - “'Laying an egg' is slang for messing-”
You - “BASTIEN! You have one job. What is it?”
Authority [Formidable (-1 It Hurts, -1 Fortunate Sons, -2 It’s LeBlanc: Failure] - It’s not your job to be the authority here! He’s supposed to kick your ass.
You - “To kick my sorry ass in gear! So DO IT!”
Perception - His eye twitches.
Agent LeBlanc - “Well. I guess I forgot that geese can bite. After you, Dr. Wettle.”
Half Light [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - You’re digging your own grave.
…
Endurance - They want us to go after SCP- 6-FUCKING82???
Logic - No, they want you to stand there and look pretty while the real fighters draw it away from civilization. Even you can’t fuck this up.
Half Light - Dude, why’d you say that? You’re gonna jinx us all.
Perception - Hey that lizard sure is getting close, huh?
Endurance - Hold your ground, the rest of them have this.
Half Light [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -10 WHAT THE FUCK THAT LIZARD IS COMING STRAIGHT AT YOU RUN): Failure] - You move as causally as you can into the crowd.
Perception - Something smells good.
Visual Calculus [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 Barbecue Smells): Failure] - Everything seems fine, you don’t even stand out her-
Some Fucking Kangaroo Thing - A kangaroo thing charges into you.
Logic [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Why the FUCK is there a kangaroo here?
Encyclopedia - We’re in Australia, they live here.
Reaction Speed [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -2 Caught off Guard, +1 At least It’s not the Lizard): Failure] - The kangaroo kicks you into the barbecue.
Pain Threshold - I don’t know if I can do this anymore.
Chef - “Hey! Holy shit, are you okay?”
Composure - You can’t speak, the wind is knocked out of you. You stumble your ass out of the flames and book it until the MFT finds out.
Inland Empire - A video of you getting your ass kicked is now famous on the internet. Are you ready to kill yourself yet?
You - “This isn't working.”
Agent LeBlanc - “No, but it's helping.”
Savoir Faire [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 It Really Hurts, -2 That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror) : Failure] - You try to spit but it does not escape your beard. You wipe your filthy face on your lab coat, smearing gross bullshit around.
You - “Helping. I'm making an all-time ass out of myself to prolong my own worst nightmare.”
Agent LeBlanc - “You're a hero.”
Half Light - I don’t want to be a hero.
You - “I don't want to be a hero.”
Agent LeBlanc - “You're named after William Wallace! Braveheart! One of the most famous heroes of all time. Where would he have gotten without sticking his neck out for others?”
Encyclopedia - William Wallace was also publicly executed.
You - “Not famous enough, apparently. He got his neck stretched.”
Agent LeBlanc - “…Well, he did get a movie.”
Reaction Speed - A Mel Gibson movie.
You - “A Mel Gibson movie. You call that luck? I don't.”
Agent LeBlanc - “Look. I'm sure they have a backup plan. This'll only go on for a little while longer.”
Empathy - He’s not confident in what he’s saying.
You - “Why?”
Agent LeBlanc - “What?”
You - “Why are you sure they have a backup plan? When I said this wasn't working, I meant it wasn't working for me. It's working just fine for them.”
Logic - It doesn’t take a genius to see that they don’t care about you, just what you do for them.
Agent LeBlanc - “William…”
Empathy [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 It Really Hurts, -3 Rage): Failure] - What makes him think you’re on a first name basis.
You - “They're gonna roll me up the hill and let me fall back down for the rest of my life, like Sisyphus. You know that's true.”
Logic - Or until you kill yourself.
Agent LeBlanc - “For one thing, the myth is actually-”
Composure [Godly (-1 It Hurts, -2 It Really Hurts, -4 Fuck this Guy): Failure] - You snap.
You - “GREAT! PERFECT! CHANGE THE SUBJECT TO WHAT A HAPLESS ASSHOLE I AM! I hadn't heard about that for all of one hour. Wow, it's like Harry's right here with me. I bet we soaked up enough bad luck for ten people just now. Hooray!”
Agent LeBlanc - “I didn't mean-”
Logic [Trivial (-10 It Hurts): Failure] - This is just a game for him, he doesn’t understand what it’s like, to be the universe's favorite punchline.
You - “You having fun writing those reports? I've read 'em. Really tight phrasing there, Bast. Dry comedy. Bet they get a real chuckle around all the water coolers. But you wouldn't know anything about that, right?”
Half Light - He thinks you’re just as pathetic as everyone else. You were a fool, a god damn fool. Damn. It.
Agent LeBlanc - “I never-”
You - “You remember what I told you? When you said you wanted to be my friend?”
Encyclopedia - "Promise me you won't regret this, LeBlanc." "I promise I won't."
You - “Well, now I regret it. So fuck off back to 43, and tell them your next set of funny stories in person.”
Researcher LeBlanc - He purses his lips, fists clenched. He stands there for several moments before dropping his shoulders. You don’t see him again.
Thought Complete: Agent LeBlanc - You know exactly who this guy is. You don’t need him, and he definitely doesn’t need you. You’re doing him a favor. (-2 Empathy, -1 Composure, -1 Rhetoric)
Thought Gained: What Now? - …
…
Shivers - LeBlanc isn’t at site-43 the next time you return. You tried to worm and squirm your way out of this job, but did they listen to you? You’re just a fat, ugly, lazy little asset to them. This place was never going to care about you.
Volition [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -1 Voids and Embraces): Failure] - You should k-
You - “Are you going to tell me to kill myself? Because you’ve told me that every day and you haven’t sold it to me yet.”
Volition - Look at me, Wettle. Look at yourself. Look at the people around you. Who would miss you? Blank certainly wouldn’t, you pushed LeBlanc away, hell, your death might even be a relief to McInnis! Your body hurts and it’s only going to get more painful the longer you sit with it! If you give a single shit about yourself, about the people around you, about us, you’ll do everyone a favor and kill yourself.
Composure [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -3 Fuck It Really Hurts, -5 Just Do Everyone A Fucking Favor You Ugly Asshole): Failure] - There’s a handgun in your pocket.
Thought Complete: What Now? - Bliss looks like the barrel of a gun. (+1 Hand-Eye Coordination)
Hand-Eye Coordination [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, +1 What Now?, +10 You Need this to stop): Failure] - You put the gun to your forehead and- wait what just happened.
Encyclopedia - There’s a 3-19% chance for a gun to jam, but that’s not what just happened. The trigger itself broke. I didn’t even know that could happen, let alone the percentage chance of that.
Composure - … hehehe. Snrk, hahaha, pffffft! Heheheheheehe. Okay- mm- okay it’s fi-hahha-f-finee! HAHAHAHA! I ca-can’t heehhehehe I can’t f-fUCKING BELIEVE IT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Half Light - What the hell were you thinking? Of course that wasn't going to work! Damn it, we should leave. Let’s just pick a direction and start walking.
You - You drop the gun to the floor with a clunk. Whatever strange thing possessed you passes, you can’t remember what you were just thinking about. Putting on your coat and pocketing your telephone, you head outside.
Perception - It’s nice out. At least nicer than it is inside. You could use the fresh air.
You - “I’ve gotten enough fresh air for one lifetime.”
Interfacing - The camera on your phone is still on.
You - “It is? How do I turn that off?”
Interfacing [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 Sausage Fingers): Failure] - Fuck if I know.
You - “Whatever, they’re probably going to lobotomize me when I’m caught.”
Encyclopedia - What the fuck is a lobotomy?
Interfacing - You don’t have any connection out here.
You - “... fuckshit app… Apathy... That sounds nice. So when you do that, I'll get it. Maybe I'll be a funnier clown when I don't even give a shit that it's happening to me.”
Thought Gained: Metal Spike Through the Cerebral Cortex - Wouldn’t it be nice to feel nothing? Everytime you get punched in the dick you won’t feel shit, might even laugh along! Maybe bliss looks like a metal spike between your eyes.
Hand-Eye Coordination [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, +1 What Now?): Failure] - You fumble and drop your phone. Takes you a minute to pick it back up.
Encyclopedia - You were told once, around when you first joined this damned place, that the world is strange and scary. You didn’t need some old guy in a lab coat to tell you that, you’ve been strange and scared your entire life. They never account for stupid.
Logic - The strange and scary were supposed to cancel out the stupid. Turns out, those things aren’t as mutually exclusive as one would think.
Empathy - No one ever stopped to consider how this made us feel. They think it’s funny, watching us get beat up over and over. They ever consider how scary it is, how much it hurts all the damn time.
Rhetoric - Have you ever considered how your behavior affects others?
Logic - That’s different-
Empathy [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -2 Agent LeBlanc): Failure] - It’s too late for us. We’re a grumpy asshole and that’s all we’ll ever be to anyone.
Thought Gained: The Cycle - Life is a flat circle. You were born in pain, you spread that pain onto others, they push the pain back onto you. Why even bother examining it? You’re okay enough with the pain.
You - “I'm fifty-four years old, and I've been a joke for… I don't know how long. Most of that time. And I'm done with it. I know it's selfish, but you're going to have to find some way to fix this shit that doesn't involve me. I'm going to do the only thing I can do; I'm going to end it all.”
Volition - No you’re not.
You - “Okay, that came out wrong. I meant I'm gonna run away. I just heard how it sounded in my head. Alright. Running away for real now.”
Perception - You’re not alone here. A bright light suddenly fills your vision.
You - “Ah, shit.”
Thought Discarded: What Now?
…
Shivers - Welcome to Foundation Mission Control. Smile, you’re being watched from all angles.
Dr. Dan - “It's time you had a little perspective, I think. Take a wider view.”
Logic - This guy is all talk.
You - “Show, don't tell.”
Dr. Dan - “Well-spoken, for a change. Bring her up.”
You - “Her?”
Shivers - Her…
Perception - She’s beautiful.
Electrochemistry [Trivial ( -1 It Hurts, -2 Caught Off Guard): Failure ] - H-
You - “What in the hell is that?”
Dr. Dan - “The heavens, actually, though no doubt it's hot enough. Her name is Sauelsuesor. She stands vigil over the stars, directs our attention to potential threats.”
Encyclopedia - It’s like Warhammer 40k!
You - “Looks more like she's directing our attention to Chaos Undivided.”
Dr. Dan - “What?”
You - “Warhammer 40k. They've got a wagon wheel logo.”
Empathy - He doesn’t care.
You - “You don't care.”
Shivers - Her eight arms point in the eight cardinal directions, as they have been since the world treated tearing itself apart. Pointing toward the danger- which is everything.
Dr. Dan - “The point is, I think she's still trying to communicate something to us.”
Logic [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Well, we already know the cardinal directions.
You - “If it's the cardinal directions, someone ought to tell her we already know those.”
Dr. Dan - “I think she's pantomiming the wheel of fortune.”
Encyclopedia - You’ve seen twenty episodes of Wheel of Fortune, but I couldn’t tell you what that has to do with the Sun Goddess.
You - “I'd like to buy an… explanation.”
Dr. Dan - “The wheel of fortune is a tarot card. It represents change, the alteration of one's situation. Success. Fate.”
You - “Luck?”
Dr. Dan - “Luck. It's a reminder that there are intractable, implacable, impersonal forces constricting and constructing our destinies.”
You - “Always seemed plenty personal to me.”
Dr. Dan - “Good. That's a start. You're taking offense, which is the first step towards treating this as a conversation with the universe. So, why not raise the tenor? Make it a positive conversation.”
Empathy - A positive conversation?
You - “I'm stuck in a loop of bullshit, Dan. If fortune is a wheel, I'm strapped to it. And it's spinning. And everybody, everybody is chucking knives at me.”
Dr. Dan - “You think you're being punished? By your own sudden usefulness.”
Composure - Being useless is easy, at least easier than this.
You - “Yes. I do. I liked being useless. Useless people get left alone. You don't know what it's like.”
Dr. Dan - “I was in detention for ten years. I know what it's like to be left alone.”
Reaction Speed - He’s got you there.
You - “I'd give anything to be a pariah. I'm a laughingstock instead. You can't know what that's like.”
Perception - Something in his expression shifts.
Dr. Dan - “You wouldn't say that if you knew what was behind the blackboxes.”
Empathy - He means it.
You - “I bet it's something really dumb.”
Dr. Dan - “Mmm.”
Encyclopedia - Well now I’m curious.
You - “What would it take for me to weasel it out of you?”
Dr. Dan - “Outsmart me. Now drop the tangent; we were discussing your chronic inability to accept the attention of others.”
Composure - Ouch.
You - “I've had enough attention for a lifetime. Just once, I'd like to step on a rake without anybody around to point and giggle. I'd just as soon nobody ever looked in my direction again. Blank and LeBlanc want to get fawned over, that's their business.”
Dr. Dan - “Those are two different people?”
You - “Might as well not be, from my perspective. Everybody else is charmed, and I'm cursed.” You can’t help but laugh at yourself. “I still can't believe it.”
Volition - You once said to yourself "It can't get any worse", and by God you believed it. Now you’re stuck between the stoppable force of the Foundation and the immovable object of the Veil.
Dr. Dan - “Conversation with the universe, remember? Think bigger.” He points upwards, toward her. “The messenger of the cosmos is trying to send you, specifically you, a message, and that message is to seize the moment.”
Perception [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -3 You’re Staring into the Sun): Failure] - Doesn’t look like an important message to me. Looks like bad yoga.
Electrochemistry [Trivial (-1 It Hurts): Failure] - Hot yoga.
You - “You think she's doing hot yoga for me? That's dumb.”
Dr. Dan - “Who else would it be for? You're the only one this event has singled out. Just you. Nobody else on Earth has that distinction. Wave goodbye, Dr. Wettle.”
You - “She can't fucking see me.”
Dr. Dan - “Still, it's only polite.”
Shivers - As you wave, the screen flickers, it appears almost like she’s waving back.
Composure - What the fuck?
Dr. Dan - “God, you really don't see it, do you. This is your debut on the world stage! You're making a positive change, not just for you but for everybody. For all we know, it's what you were always meant to do! Your destiny.”
Volition - What a crummy destiny.
Dr. Dan - “You'd be surprised. People love an underdog. Sympathy leads to empathy, and empathy… well, that can lead to all sorts of complicated relationships. Haven't you been stuck in your simple rut long enough?”
Though Gained: The Underdog - It’s true, people root for the underdog, but is that you? And isn’t the underdog supposed to win in the end?
You - “You think I ought to try enjoying this.”
Dr. Dan - “What's the worst that can happen? I'm allowed to say that now, since the entire human race has lost their tempting fate privileges. Everyone except you.”
You - “You think… I should embrace this insane nonsense. You really think that.”
Dr. Dan - “Think of it this way. Have you ever not been miserable?”
Volition - Eh.
You - “No.”
Dr. Dan - “Have you ever tried?”
Rhetoric - That’s what I said!
Thought Complete: Metal Spike Through the Cerebral Cortex - You’re not going to be lobotomized, which is great, but you’re also stuck with everything else, which is not great. (-1 Pain Threshold, +1 Empathy)
…
Visual Calculus - Your door swings open, interrupting your private moment.
Reaction Speed - You can’t be blamed for this one! That door was locked!
Suggestion - It’s LeBlanc!
You - “I locked that damn door.”
Researcher LeBlanc - “Yeah, I figured you wanted to be alone. So I just hit a bunch of random numbers, and guess what?”
Composure - Hahahaha!
You - “Fuck.” You chuckle. “Yeah… That would work.”
Researcher LeBlanc - “So, I've been talking to your parents.”
Reaction Speed [Medium (-1 It Hurts, -2 Huh?): Failure] - Your parents?
You - “What? Why?”
Savoir Faire [Trivial (-1 It Hurts, -2 That Ugly Fuck in the Mirror): Failure] - You sit up, banging your knees on the coffee table. For some reason the table also collapses, because one problem isn’t enough.
Researcher LeBlanc - “Because you're stuck in a holding pattern, William, and I wouldn't be a very good friend if I left you there.”
Empathy - What’d you do to deserve a friend like this?
You - “I'm a gold medallist at the Shitty Friend Olympics, you don't owe me anything. But why my parents, specifically?”
Researcher LeBlanc - “While I was with Theta-7000, I got to see a lot of the SCP file. ‘This is my whole life, has been since I don't know when.’ If you didn't know, I figured…”
Logic - Something in your childhood?
You - “Sorry you wasted a trip. To fucking Florida, of all places. That's what they call a double-waste.”
Researcher LeBlanc - “It wasn't a waste. Put some clothes on.”
Thought Complete: The Cycle - He came back for you. If a man like LeBlanc still cares… then maybe you aren’t the hopeless wreck you believed yourself to be. (+2 Empathy, +2 Volition)
Thought Discarded: Agent LeBlanc - That’s your friend. For some reason, he wants to be your friend…
Researcher LeBlanc - He walks you around the site, into the Acroamatic Abatement Section, where there’s a blindspot in the camera. He pulls out an interview transcript, one section is highlighted.
Researcher LeBlanc - “Can you remember what he said?”
Your Mother - “I can hear it. He's saying: ‘Take anything else you want. Take all my stuff. Take all my friends. Take all my chances, take everything good and keep it… just don't…don't take my mom.’”
Conceptualization - You… You remember this. The details are fuzzy, it was all nearly a half century ago, but you remember this. You were so so scared of losing your mother, so scared of it being your fault. You clasped your little hands together and prayed like you never did before. Begged the universe to hurt you.
Encyclopedia - “Don't hurt my parents. Hurt me instead, for as long as you want. I can take it. I promise. Please." That’s what you said to it.
Shivers - You didn’t know something was listening.
You - “That… can’t be it.”
Researcher LeBlanc - “Why not? Lines up with everything else. You offered yourself up in exchange for someone else.”
Rhetoric - Maybe you’re not as selfish as you think you are.
You - “So… What does that mean? And why is it getting worse now?”
Researcher LeBlanc - “That’s the interesting part.” He pulls out a memory card. “These are the security tapes from your office, going from two months before the incident to now. I promise I haven’t looked at them yet, I thought you might want to look at this with me.”
Shivers - You flick through two months of footage in a matter of minutes. And there- in the darkness of your room, half-naked, half-drunk, you call out to your old friend in the ceiling.
You - “What the fuck.”
Empathy - LeBlanc seems proud of himself.
You - “... So I broke my promise to- whatever I sold my soul to. What am I supposed to do about that?”
Researcher LeBlanc - “You asked for the curse in the first place. Who’s to say you can’t ask again?”
Thought Gained: The Thing In The Ceiling - It can’t be that simple… can it?
…
You - “It can't be that simple.”
Drama - Come now, sire, you know in your heart it has to be.
You - “It really… it can't be that simple. It can't be…”
Conceptualization - You’ve convinced yourself that every world ending problem needs a world ending solution. Would it kill you to give it a try?
You - “…’SCP-7000-1 is inconsequential and requires no containment.’ Exactly. Exactly. That's all there is to it. He's full of shit.”
Logic - LeBlanc is a smart man, he wouldn’t just do something like this for no reason. You’re in the privacy of your own room, there’s no punchline waiting here. Just do it.
You - “He's right, isn't he.”
Shivers - It’s here. It’s listening.
You - “Well, what do you want me to say? I've learned my lesson? I'm overflowing with the milk of fucking human kindness, here? Fuck you. Fuck you forever.”
Volition - You know what you have to say.
You - “I don’t know if I have the strength to…”
Volition [Impossible (-1 It Hurts, -1 Voids and Embraces, -2 Everyone Hates you, -3 Everyone is Waiting on you, +2 The Cycle, +2 LeBlanc, +3 He did that for you, +3 All he wanted was for you to try, +4 Dr. Dan Owes You Something, +4 You’re going to do this, +4 It wasn’t your fault, +5 You’re not dead yet, +6 It’s waiting, +6 You’re going to do better, +6 You’re going to make the choice to do better, +8 Someone loves you, Goddamn it, someone has to love you, +1 If not for him, do it for yourself): Success] - …
You - “I’m sorry… I can’t fucking do this anymore, I’m sorry. I’ll do better, okay? I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll be better. Please…”
Composure - Good, good, keep it together.
You - “You fucking hear me?!”
Perception - A light fixture detaches from the ceiling and falls, shattering in a hail of sparks as it hits the bed frame.
Rhetoric - Seems like a good sign.
You - “Yeah, you hear me.”
Thought Complete: The Thing in the Ceiling - Acceptance.
…
Dr. Dan - “There's our Willy Nilly! Drowning your sorrows?”
Suggestion - Looks like he’s proud of himself.
Authority - He doesn’t scare you anymore.
You - “My sorrows can swim. I'll bet they could drown me.”
Dr. Dan - “Who'd you get that one from?”
You - “Harry. He writes most of my lines.”
Rhetoric - Haha, good one.
Dr. Dan - “Seriously though, how you holding up?”
You - “I'm upright enough for a guy with a knife in his back.”
Dr. Dan - “Look-”
You - “No, I get it. I'm not mad. This is what you're known for, right? You're the guy who doesn't need to play a game of chess to see how it ends. You know how all the pieces move already.”
Dr. Dan - “Everyone knows how the pieces move in chess. That's pretty basic.”
Encyclopedia - He doesn’t miss a beat, does he.
Endurance - Let’s get to the point. You want to see the look on his face when you crush his little self-gratification train.
You - “…you're wrong.”
Dr. Dan - “Pardon?”
Empathy - You’ve really got him right now.
You - “A long time ago, I made a pact with the universe. To live a sucky life, but not too sucky. And then I forgot, and then I broke it. This was the revenge.”
Dr. Dan - “What are you talking about?”
Composure - When everyone thinks you’re an idiot it makes it so much more satisfying to prove them wrong.
You - “Turns out I was talking to the universe a long time before I met you. I told it to use me as a punching bag, and then I went to sleep. You ever remember those late-night thoughts the next day? I don't.”
Dr. Dan - “So what, you're a two-time reality bender? Or you prayed to the ceiling, and Fortuna heard you?”
You - “Something heard me, and it took me up on the offer. It got good value for the next few decades, and then… well, you got one thing right. Everybody else was moving on and up, except me. Everybody else had change in their lives. I wanted that. I needed that. And on some new unmemorable night, half-drunk, lying on my couch in my dorm in my underwear, I asked for it out loud. I didn't even remember until my friend thought to check the security feed.”
Suggestion - Friend. LeBlanc is your friend. You feel confident in saying that.
Dr. Dan - “Let me get this straight. You think you caused your own luck anomaly, and you think you made it worse by breaking the terms, and then… and then what? Deciding you liked it wouldn't fix that problem.”
Perception - He sweats.
You - “No. Sorry, buddy.” You pat him on the back.
Reaction Speed [Medium (-1 It Hurts, +1 You’re Medicated): Success] - Ha! He looks a bit like you’ve backhanded him.
You - “I thought this was all happening to me, right? I thought I was stuck, but it was me all along! My life might be fucked up, but it's my life. I'm in control. I set the terms. I just never knew it until now.”
Dr. Dan - “Wettle, are you saying you intentionally set things back to normal? Made your deal with the devil again? You spoke to the ceiling, and the ceiling answered?”
You - “Pretty much… Your speech did help, though. Too flowery, but the sentiment was nice.”
Dr. Dan - “Have you grasped the full implications of this yet?”
Half Light - No, and you don’t really want to.
You - “A lot of things, I guess. What's on your mind?”
Dr. Dan - “You, Dr. William Wettle, destroyed the Chaos Insurgency.”
Composure - You laugh.
You - “Every clown has his day!“
Encyclopedia - Honk honk.
Dr. Dan - “You're back to mixing metaphors.”
Authority [Medium (-1 Fortunate Sons): Success] - Hey, doesn’t he owe you something?
You - “Yeah, well, that's one of the perils of writing your own script. Hey, wait. There's another implication too.”
Dr. Dan - “Which is what?”
You - “I outsmarted you.”
Perception - He blanches.
You - “Well?”
Dr. Dan - “Well what.”
You - “Well, what's behind the blackboxes?”
Authority - He’s not getting out of this, not after the hell you’ve gone through.
You - “You prom-”
Perception - He mumbles something.
You - “Huh?”
Drama - You’re gonna have to nudge him a little more.
You - “I can't hear y-”
Dr. Dan - DANIELS!
Half Light [Medium: Failure] - You flinch as he shoots out of his seat and throws his hands in the air. Everyone glances at you.
You - “Daniels…”
Dr. Dan Daniels - “Yeah.”
You - “Dr. Dan Daniels.”
Composure - Don’t laugh. You’re gonna get the shit beat out of you if you laugh.
Dr. Dan Daniels - “Yeah.”
You - “Dr. Daniel Daniels.”
Dr. Daniel Daniels - “Yes. Go on, have your guffaw.”
Empathy [Trivial (+1 Metal Spike Through the Cerebral Cortex, +2 The Cycle, +4 You’ve Been Through this too): Success] - You offer out your hand.
You - “Dr. William Wettle.”
Thought Complete: The Underdog - Against all odds, you’ve saved the day.