,<h1>The Unstable Zone</h1>
1971, Tierra del Fuego
You are in charge of the first expedition to this area, sponsored by the Royal Society. Aerial photographs have found structures that look like a city - or might be stone columns.
Locals say the zone does strange things to people's memories.
Your mission is to map the area, examine its wildlife, and find this supposed city. You are accompanied by Lucio, a biologist, Clive, a geographer, and Anne, your driver.
Rudimentary maps show two bridges across the river that marks the boundary to the zone. You drive down [[the road to the closer one->The Road]].
<script>
window.playmusic('music');
</script>
As you drive down the road, you talk about why you were chosen for this expedition.
* (link: "'I am sure we are the right people for the job.'")[(set: $stress to it - 1)(set: $wary to it - 1)(goto: "Bridge")]
* (link: "'Given the reputation of the zone, who knows?'")[(set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $wary to it + 1)(goto: "Bridge")]You arrive at the bridge. The river banks are very steep and crumbling, and the bridge is in bad shape, a slab of planks held together by rusty nails.
* [[Drive over it at speed]]
* [[Drive over it carefully]]
* [[Walk over it]]You start $moving towards the city. The scrubland is easy to navigate, though the vegetation is steadily becoming thicker.(set: $breakBridge to true)(set: $memoryDone to true)
Finally, in the distance, you can see the outlines of the city - if a city it is. Tall grey towers. (link: "Another hour should get you there.")[(set: $returnTo to "Stuck")(set: $returnText to "You continue $moving towards the city.")(goto: "Insect Interstitial")]You keep $moving, eyes on the city, monotonous scrubland passing you by.
Surely you should have arrived by now? (set: $tired to it + 1)
After what you all agree are hours of $moving, you [[stop for the night->City Arrival]].You wake up, the towering stone shapes of the city rising immediately before you. (set: $tired to it - 1)
None of you can remember how you got here. A closer inspection of your remaining rations shows that you've been camped out here for about two days. (set: $cityDone to true)(set: $stress to it + 1)
{<ul>
(if: $notebooks)[<li>[[What do your notebooks say?]]</li>]
<li>[[Explore the city->Stone Columns]]</li>
<li>[[Return to the bridge->Road from City]]</li>
</ul>}As you approach the city, you soon see that it is no city at all, but rather a set of vertical stone columns.(set: $returnTo to "Return to camp")(set: $returnText to "You return to camp.")
{(if: $notebooksRead is not 0)[
There is no city. But what about your notes?
<ul>
<li>[[Study the notes more closely]]</li>
<li>[[Keep exploring->Tunnels]]</li>
<li>[[Return to camp->Memory Interstitial]]</li>
</ul>
](if: $notebooksRead is 0)[
<ul>
<li>[[Keep exploring->Tunnels]]</li>
<li>[[Return to camp->Memory Interstitial]]</li>
</ul>
]}As you explore the maze of stone columns, you come across a number of rectangular openings cut into them. The openings are about one metre tall and three metres wide. You explore them, descending into a maze of tunnels, all of this same shape.
They are near-perfectly smooth, but a careful look reveals a pattern of very narrow scraping marks, as if from little claws. (set: $tired to it + 1)(set: $wary to it - 1)
You recover exactly one artefact: a set of binoculars, of a slightly outdated type, broken and left behind in one of the tunnels.(set: $prevExpedition to true)(set: $insight to it + 1)
Eventually, you have to [[turn back and return to camp->Memory Interstitial]].(set: $returnTo to "Return to camp")(set: $returnText to "You return to camp.")Your $move back to the bridge is altogether more straightforward.
(display: "broken bridge")(if: $brokenBridge)[The bridge is gone.](else:)[(if: $breakBridge)[As you return to the site of the bridge you find it mysteriously absent. This way back is blocked.(set: $brokenBridge to true)](else:)[You can see your jeep just across the bridge.]]
You are at the outskirts of the zone. Things look mostly normal here. The city is hidden in mist coming from the sea.
{
(if: $memoryDone is 0)[But how long did it take you to travel here? No one remembers the trip.]
<ul>
(if: $memoryDone is 0)[<li>[[Try to remember]]</li>]
(if: $mappingDone is 0)[<li>[[Explore the local area->Mapping]]</li>]
(if: $bioDone is 0)[<li>[[Examine the local plants->Biology]]</li>]
(if: $cityDone is 0)[<li>[[Head to the city->Road to City]]</li>]
</ul>
(if: $memoryDone is not 0 and $mappingDone is not 0 and $bioDone is not 0 and $cityDone is not 0)[The map shows a second bridge further downstream. [[You head towards it, eager to leave the zone.->Road to Second Bridge]]]}(if: $memories is 0)[It's suddenly morning. None of you remember it being night.](if: $memories is 1)[Clive, confused, recounts a sudden vivid memory of growing up in Buenos Aires. Clive was born in Hertfordshire. Anne recognises the memory. It's hers.(set: $insight to it + 1)(set: $stress to it + 1)](if: $memories is 2)[You wake up. You were awake already. Who are you? You sort through your memories, a jumble of places and feelings and bodies. Yes. You are in the Unstable Zone. You are in charge of this expedition. The others agree.]
(link: $returnText)[(set: $memories to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]The way to the second bridge - which you fervently hope still exists - is harder going than before. The ground is uneven, and the vegetation becomes taller, until you are $moving through a sparse forest, picking your way between the trees.(set: $returnTo to "Discussion")(set: $returnText to "You keep going.")
(if: $lucioWillRun)[You keep looking out for any signs of Lucio - and suddenly, you see him, hiding between the trees. Except - it's not Lucio. It's an insect in the shape of him, red and white speckled chitin, a giant ant-like creature still unmistakeably in the shape of your lost expedition member. The creature observes you for a moment, and then fades into the forest.
][[You keep going.->Memory Interstitial]](if: $wary > 2)[You spot a whole hive-village of the insects. You do your best to avoid it, but a few of the insects begin to follow you.(set: $fewInsects to true)](else:)[You encounter a whole hive-village of the insects, and they begin to chase you.] Can you make it to the bridge?
Anne suggests you could attempt to reach civilisation by climbing across the hills behind the city instead.(set: $canReturn to true)(if: $tired > 4)[But tired as you are, and with your dwindling supplies, you will never make it. (set: $canReturn to false)(if: $stash)[But then you remember the location of the stash left by the previous expedition. Is it a true memory? And will your people follow your hunch?(if: $stress < 4 and $insight > 5)[ Yes.(set: $canReturn to true)](else:)[ No.]]]
{<ul>
(if: $canReturn)[<li>[[Return to the city]]</li>]
<li>[[Head for the second bridge->Bridge Back]]</li>
</ul>}You reach the bridge. A (cond: $fewInsects, "small", "terrifying") number of the human-like insects are waiting for you there.(if: $insight > 5 and $stress < 5)[ It occurs to you that if they are indeed echoes, they are likely to mimic whatever behaviour you exhibit.]
{<ul>
(if: $armed)[<li>[[Shoot your way through]]</li>]
(if: not $armed)[<li>[[Fight your way through]]</li>]
(if: not $walk)[<li>[[Drive through them at speed]]</li>]
(if: $insight > 5 and $stress < 5)[<li>[[Go past them carefully]]</li>]
</ul>}There! Between the trees! Are those people?
They step out of the shadows. Chitin glistens in grotesque parody of human shapes. They look like you. They even mimic your faces, your mannerisms. They are silent and full of curiosity.
You $move onto a hillock and try to spend a night in your (cond: $walk, "tent", "jeep") with semihuman faces staring at you. [[But your memories become jumbled...->Flashback]]The way over the bridge is blocked by monstrous insects. You return to the city. Perhaps you can hike to safety over the hills.
(if: $stash)[[[Thankfully, you know where the equipment cache is->Stash]]](else:)[[[You start the hike->Deadly Hike]]]The cache is where you remember it. You find a quantity of questionably edible supplies and several high-caliber rifles. Will it be enough to hike to safety?(set: $armed to true)
{<ul>
<li>[[Return to the second bridge to find a way to cross it->Bridge Back]]</li>
<li>(link: "Attempt the hike")[(goto: (cond: $tired < 4, "Successful Hike", "Deadly Hike"))]</li>
</ul>}You attempt to get back to civilization, but the terrain is too rugged. You become trapped, lost, and eventually die of hunger and exposure. Another expedition to the zone [[lost forever->Defeat]].Your expedition survived!(if: $cliveDead or $anneDead or $lucioHasRun)[ Some of them, anyway.]
(if: not $firstDead)[You track down the survivors of the first expedition, who are living in obscurity. At last, their stories are believed.]
(link: "Restart")[(reload:)]Your expedition perished.(set: $cliveDead to true)(set: $anneDead to true)(set: $lucioHasRun to true)
(link: "Restart")[(reload:)](enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))(set: $flashback to true)
<div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';"><h1>Ernesto Aguirre</h1>
1963, Tierra del Fuego
You remember - you are - Ernesto Aguirre - the leader of the first expedition into the zone. Three adventurers. You encounter the mimic insects. You call them echoes. At first, they are simple, but they become bolder and smarter.
[[Is that a city in the distance?]]</div><h1>The Unstable Zone</h1>
1971, Tierra del Fuego(set: $flashback to false)
You wake up confused. Were those real memories? A vivid dream? You $move on with haste. You have to get out of the zone before you forget who you are altogether. [[You head towards the second bridge.->The Hive]](if: $insects is 0)[Some of the insects scuttling around have strange, angular, almost mechanical shapes.
(link: $returnText)[(set: $insects to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]](if: $insects is 1)[You spot a tape recorder lying next to a shrub. No, not a tape recorder. An insect that looks exactly like one, down to the buttons, its translucent wing-cases covering a tape-like structure in its body. Small skittering legs propel it forward.
{<ul>
(if: $wary > 0)[<li>[[Photograph it from a distance]]</li>]
<li>[[Examine it close up]]</li>
(if: $wary < 2)[<li>[[Attempt to catch it]]</li>]
</ul>}
](if: $insects is 2)[The insects you encounter become ever larger and stranger. Does this one not resemble a fuel can from your jeep? And this one bears a striking resemblance to a pair of binoculars. You become suspicious of the stones, the trees, the soil. If mimicry becomes perfect, what remains real?
(link: $returnText)[(set: $insects to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]]You examine the local environment. The vegetation is sparse. There are no guanacos or bats or other mammals, but numerous red and black and white ants can be found crawling around. Some of them are quite large. (set: $bioDone to true)(set: $memoryDone to true)(set: $breakBridge to true)
(if: $lucioHasRun)[Lacking Lucio's expertise, you take some cursory photographs and basic notes and [[return to the bridge->broken bridge]].](else:)[{<ul>
<li>(link: "Take detailed observations and samples")[(set: $tired to it + 1)(set: $wary to it - 1)(set: $insight to it + 1)(set: $returnTo to "broken bridge")(set: $returnText to "You return to the bridge.")(goto: "Insect Interstitial")]</li>
<li>(link: "Take some quick photographs and notes")[(set: $returnTo to "broken bridge")(set: $returnText to "You return to the bridge.")(goto: "Insect Interstitial")]</li>
(if: $wary > 0)[<li>[[Return to the bridge, hoping to find more interesting things elsewhere->broken bridge]]</li>]
</ul>}]You sketch the landscape and take measurements. The measurements make no sense, and the sketches do not align.(set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $mappingDone to true)(set: $memoryDone to true)(set: $breakBridge to true)
{<ul>
<li>(link: "Measure and-re measure to get a sense of the perceptual distortions this place imposes on you")[(set: $tired to it + 2)(set: $insight to it + 1)(set: $returnTo to "broken bridge")(set: $returnText to "You return to the bridge.")(goto: "Memory Interstitial")]</li>
<li>(link: "Make a basic survey, noting the inconsistencies")[(set: $tired to it + 1)(set: $returnTo to "broken bridge")(set: $returnText to "You return to the bridge.")(goto: "Memory Interstitial")]</li>
(if: $tired > 0)[<li>[[Return to the bridge, hoping to find something less frustrating to work on->broken bridge]]</li>]
</ul>}Were you just busy with conversations? No one remembers the hours of driving you must have done to get here. (set: $memoryDone to true)
* (link: "It's probably nothing")[(set: $stress to it - 1)(goto: "broken bridge")]
* [[Write everything down]]
* [[Let's test our memories]]You resolve to keep detailed notebooks, writing everything down. (set: $notebooks to true)
(display: "broken bridge")You can remember names and numbers just fine. Just not the trip to the zone.(set: $insight to it + 1)
(display: "broken bridge")Your notebooks describe an ancient city in vivid detail. The frescoes. The shrine of the jaguar-goddess. (set: $notebooks to false)(set: $notebooksRead to true)
{<ul>
<li>[[Explore the city->Stone Columns]]</li>
<li>[[Return to the bridge->Road from City]]</li>
</ul>}You compare the notes and drawings that you don't remember making with the stone columns. (set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $insight to it + 1)
There are certain similarities in shape, but you appear to have invented doors and windows and friezes where there are only rocks.
(if: $stung)[Examining the notes more carefully, it occurs to you that Lucio's notes on the city are written very hastily, mostly repeating observations made by Clive. Usually, Lucio is a very diligent note-taker, so why the change? (set: $lucioWillRun to true)
][[You return to camp.->Memory Interstitial]](set: $returnTo to "Return to camp")(set: $returnText to "You return to camp.")With the daylight waning, you settle down in your camp once more, discussing what to do next before going to sleep.
(if: $lucioWillRun)[When you wake up, you find Lucio gone, a note in his place.
//It's clear that you don't remember what happened. I tried to tell you that the city wasn't real. Your reaction was terrifying, so I started to pretend that I, too, could see it. I no longer feel safe around you now that you've read my faked notes. I'll make my own way home. I suggest you do the same. Lucio//(set: $lucioHasRun to true)(set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $insight to it + 1)
* [[Return to the bridge->Road from City]]
* [[Search for Lucio]]
](else:)[[[Return to the bridge->Road from City]]]You try to find Lucio in the immediate environment but fail. In the end, you decide to [[head for the second bridge->Road to Second Bridge]]. (if: not $walk)[He's on foot. You'll catch up.]<div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))Actually, it's stone columns, except that one of you insists it's a city. You end up having to sedate him, which means more for the rest to carry - in particular, your heavy rifles.
* [[Leave behind a stash of supplies and weapons]]
* [[Carry it all with you]]</div><div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))No, these supplies and weapons may come in handy. You redistribute your packs and carry on. (set: $stash to false)
[[You decide to look for more of these strange insects in the forest.]]</div><div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))There are so many of them. They crowd around you. They wear your faces. Strange echoes.
You realise that the insects are pushing you in a particular direction. Towards their hive.
* [[Fight your way out]]
* [[Attempt to flee]]
* [[Allow yourselves to be led]]</div><div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))(if: $stash)[With your rifles left behind at the city, you are reduced to a couple of pistols which have precious little on the throng of chitinous bodies. They respond in kind and tear you limb from limb.(set: $firstDead to true)](else:)[You level your rifles, take aim, and fire. Multiple creatures are torn apart and the rest recoil, giving you the opening you need. You make a fighting retreat to the bridge, firing at any insect that comes too close, supporting your sedated friend. At long last, you are over the bridge and in your car, speeding away.(set: $firstDead to false)]
[[And then you're back in the present.->Flashforward]](set: $violent to true)</div><div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))You find yourself in a titanic structure made from tree trunks and living insect. The creatures strip away your equipment, your clothes. They swarm over you. At first, their touch is gentle, inquisitive, but it soon becomes probing. There is no violent intent, but ever-mounting curiosity leads them to tug and tear and rend. Your screams do not deter them.(set: $firstDead to true)
[[And then you're back in the present.->Flashforward]]</div><div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))When a gap appears in the throng of insects, you begin to run. Your still-sedated comrade quickly stumbles and falls.
(if: $stash)[You run until you can no longer run. Then you walk. You reach the bridge and find your car. At least some of you survived.(set: $firstDead to true)](else:)[Your packs are too heavy. The insects soon catch up with you and drag you to their hive. The memories become a jumble of insect limbs.(set: $firstDead to false)]
[[And then you're back in the present.->Flashforward]]</div>(if: not $flashback)[{<div style="position: fixed; top: 10px; left: 10px; font-weight: bold; background-color: #eeeedd; padding: 5px;">
(cond: $lucioHasRun is true, "~~Lucio~~", "Lucio"), (cond: $cliveDead, "~~Clive~~", "Clive"), (cond: $anneDead, "~~Anne~~", "Anne")<br>
(cond: $stress > 3, "Very Stressed,", $stress > 1, "Stressed,", $stress > 0, "Slightly Stressed,", "")
(cond: $wary > 2, "Jittery,", $wary > 1, "Wary,", $stress > 0, "Alert,", "")
(cond: $tired > 5, "Exhausted,", $tired > 3, "Very Tired,", $tired > 1, "Tired,", "")
(cond: $insight > 5, "Full Understanding", $insight > 3, "Dawning Understanding", $insight > 0, "Inklings of Understanding", "No Discoveries")
}
</div>]Anne guns the engine and accelerates. You swerve across the bridge. Something scrapes and crunches underneath the jeep. Then you are across - and the bridge is sagging, breaking.(set: $wary to it - 1)(set: $stress to it + 1)
[[But you are across.->broken bridge]](set: $brokenBridge to true)Who knows how much the bridge can hold? You line up the jeep carefully and start trundling over the bridge, which creaks, strains, buckles - but holds just long enough for you to [[cross->broken bridge]].(set: $brokenBridge to true)(set: $wary to it + 1)You decide not to risk the crumbling bridge. You dismount, pack your most important equipment, and proceed on foot.(set: $walk to true)(set: $move to "walk")(set: $moving to "walking")(set: $tired to it + 1) (set: $returnTo to "broken bridge")(set: $returnText to "You take stock.")
A sense of strangeness pervades the landscape across the river. (display: "Insect Interstitial")You keep your distance and carefully take several photographs.(if: $wary < 3 and $stress > 1)[ Lucio complains that you're being too cautious.(set: $stress to it + 1)]
(link: $returnText)[(set: $insects to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]Lucio moves up to the animal to examine it in detail.(set: $insight to it + 1) (if: $wary < 2 and $stress > 0)[The creature, upon noticing him, scuttles towards him and stings him. The sting is very painful.(set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $wary to it + 1)(set: $tired to it + 1)(set: $stung to true)](else:)[From close up, the illusion is less perfect, but it is clear that no sensible natural process could have resulted in such a creature.]
(link: $returnText)[(set: $insects to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]Lucio attempts to catch the creature with a net. He succeeds, but then the creature stings him. He drops it and it scuttles away.
You swiftly administer first aid. The sting is very painful.(set: $stress to it + 1)(set: $wary to it + 1)(set: $tired to it + 1)(set: $stung to true)(set: $insight to it + 1)
(link: $returnText)[(set: $insects to it + 1)(goto: $returnTo)]At first, your attack is successful. The heavy caliber of the guns makes short work of the insects. But they soon regroup and increase in numbers, and the battle to reach the bridge is desparate.
(cond: $walk, "They overtake Clive and Anne and tear them to bits.","They tear into the jeep, glass splintering, the engine seizing up. You attempt to escape the vehicle, but Clive and Anne are both taken and carried away.")
You find yourself on the other side of the river, bloodied, a scant few notes and photographs to your name. But [[alive->Victory]].(set: $cliveDead to true)(set: $anneDead to true)You try to fight your way to the bridge, but there are too many of them, and they are too strong. Initially sluggish to respond to your assault, they soon enter a frenzy of violence that sees you [[torn apart->Defeat]].(if: $violent)[You try to force your way to the bridge, but the throngs of insects become ever more aggressive, their faces contorting in an imitation of human rage. They pummel the jeep's windows, and cracks soon form. Long, spindly limbs reach [[inside->Defeat]]...](else:)[(if: $fewInsects)[Startled, the insects move out of the way of the jeep. As you drive on, their movements become aggressive, but you've built up enough speed to plow past the last few of them and make it [[across the bridge->Victory]].](else:)[At first, the insects move out of the way of the jeep, but their movements soon become aggressive and agitated. The jeep makes it to the bridge, but then the mass of insects is too great, and the engine seizes. With no other choice, [[you jump]].]]You $move very slowly so as to not provoke the insects. It's nerve-wracking to see them so close, but as you suspected, they mirror your peaceful behaviour.
At long last you are past, and [[on your way home->Victory]].(set: $notebooks to false)(set: $lucioWillRun to false)(set: $lucioHasRun to false)(set: $stung to false)(set: $stress to 0)(set: $wary to 1)(set: $tired to 0)(set: $insight to 0)(set: $move to "drive")(set: $walk to false)(set: $moving to "driving")(set: $breakBridge to false)(set: $brokenBridge to false)(set: $cliveDead to false)(set: $anneDead to false)(set: $armed to false)(set: $violent to false)(set: $stash to false)(set: $fewInsects to true)(set: $prevExpedition to false)(set: $flashback to false)[[You make it. Barely.->Victory]]On your way, you attempt to make sense of what you've encountered.
(if: $insight > 1)[Clearly, your memories and perceptions are unreliable in this place.](if: $insight > 2)[ And these strange insects appear to be able to mimic all sorts of things.](if: $insight > 5)[ In fact, the insects appear to act like echoes, mimicking the shape and behaviour of whatever they encounter.](if: $prevExpedition)[ It's also clear that you are not in fact the first expedition to this place. There were others. Why were you not told about them?(set: $stress to it + 1)]
* (link: "'This place is driving us mad. But we just have to keep our heads down and get out of here alive.'")[(set: $wary to it - 1)(set: $stress to it - 1)(goto: "EndDiscussion")]
* (link: "'All of this has a rational explanation, somehow. We need to use our heads.'")[(set: $insight to it + 1)(goto: "EndDiscussion")]
* (link: "'If we're to survive this, we have to be careful.'")[(set: $wary to it + 1)(goto: "EndDiscussion")]The river is far below, and the banks are steep and crumbling. At least the insects do not also jump. You crash into the river, and as you struggle to stay above water, you lose track of your companions.
Eventually, the banks become less steep and the river becomes calmer and shallower. You manage to reach the shore and wait for the others. Only Anne appears.(set: $cliveDead to true)(set: $lucioHasRun to true)
Somehow, you make it back to [[the nearest town->Victory]].<div style="font-family: 'ELEGANT TYPEWRITER';">(enchant:?page,(background:(rgb:190, 190, 200)))You find a sheltered spot between the stone spires and bury a quantity of supplies and your rifles, marking the spot with a cairn.(set: $stash to true)
[[You decide to look for more of these strange insects in the forest.]]</div>(cond: $stress > 4, "The others just roll their eyes at your attempts at leadership.", $stress > 2, "The others reluctantly agree.", "The others agree.") [[You keep $moving through the increasingly dense vegetation.->Previous Expedition Insects]]