Loop

I did as you asked. Is it my fault that the results were not what you expected? [[Ask for immortality]] [[Decline the offer]]

As you wish. (if: (history:) contains "Finish" or "Start")[ [[Awaken]]] [[Wake up]]

No. This is the one choice you have made that cannot be undone. For once, you will have to live with the consequences of your actions. (if: (history:) contains "Finish" or "Start")[ [[Awaken]]] [[Wake up]]

Another day. Spring. Early morning. You're awoken by your alarm. Your girlfriend lies next to you, smiling. (if: (history:) contains "Accept")[For the first time since you can remember, you wake up with a sense of purpose. For the first time, you have something to look forward to, something that won't disappear the moment you fall asleep. [[Search for Edward Smith]]] [[Get Breakfast]] [[Get ready for work]] [[Kiss your girlfriend]] [[Grab your service pistol and blow your brains out]]

It's eggs. You hate eggs. You liked them once, but after eating them for ten thousand mornings, they've lost their appeal. You'll skip breakfast today. [[Get ready for work]]

Uniform. Socks. Shoes. Gun. [[Head to work]] [[Stay Home]]

She wraps her arm around you and pulls you closer. You wish she wouldn't. All you can focus on is her hair on your face, her sweaty hands, her morning breath. Gross. [[Get ready for work]]

You've long ceased to fear death. How much longer until crave it? [[The Beginning]]

Are you bored? Imagine how I feel. I offer you a world with no consequences, and yet your imagination is too limited to make use of it. Let's add some stakes to our little game. I will give you one chance to break free of this gift. [[Accept the offer]] [[No thanks]]

You get to the police station a few minutes late. Commissioner Sanchez glares as you enter, but doesn't press the issue. "We've got reports of a noise disturbance in a residence on San Juan. Who wants to go check it out?" In the past, you've turned down this assignment, but perhaps doing something new might break up the monotony a bit. [[Accept the assignment]] [[Nah]]

Why go to work, you think. Nothing I do will make any difference. Fuck it, I'm staying home and watching tv. Your girlfriend is concerned, but you dismiss her questions. Your ignore your responsibilities and mindlessly watch an episode of a tv show you've seen a thousand times already. [[Interlude]]

Your partner, Officer Vance, gives you a quick smile. She's relatively new to the force, and you know that she's itching for some action. Vance chatters incessantly as the two of you walk to your car. In the past you've enjoyed her company, but now she's getting on your nerves. [[Head to the house]]

Your partner looks disappointed, but you have other things to do. You spend the rest of the day mindlessly filling out paperwork. [[Interlude]]

You park in front of the house. The building is rundown, but so is the entire neighborhood. Music blasts from inside the house. A little early for a party, but who are you to judge? Vance jumps out of the car and rushes up to the house. You vaguely remember when you too were enthusiastic about this job. (if: (history:) contains "Go to the back door")[Time to end this once and for all. You call Vance back to the car. She's clearly confused, but complies. [[Call for backup]]] (if: (history:) contains "Knock on the door")[You're determined to finish what you've started, but taking this route will only end in disaster. [[Go to the back door]]] (if: (history:) contains "Let Vance knock")[You're determined to finish what you've started, but taking this route will only end in disaster. [[Go to the back door]]] [[Knock on the door]] [[Let Vance knock]]

Your partner looks like she wants to initiate things, but you take the lead. You knock twice. A young man in a stained wife beater answers. His eyes widen as he sees who it is. He's twitchy, shaking. Nerves? Or something else? "Uh, hey officers. What do you want?" Vance pipes up. "We've recieved a noise complaint." His head jerks up and down a few times. "Uh, sure. We'll turn it down." [[Leave]] [[Investigate]]

Vance looks like she wants to take the lead, so you gesture to the door. She nervously raps on it a couple times. A young man in a stained wife beater answers. His eyes widen as he sees who it is. He's twitchy, shaking. Nerves? Or something else? "Uh, hey officers. What do you want?" Vance pipes up. "We've recieved a noise complaint." His head jerks up and down a few times. "Uh, sure. We'll turn it down." [[Leave]] [[Investigate]]

You figure there's something sketchy going on inside, but who cares? You've done your job. You head back to the station, all the while listening to Vance blather on about how excited she was. You spend the rest of the day doing paperwork, not happy, but comforted by the routine. [[Interlude]]

"May we come inside?" The man's heart seems to jump into his throat as you ask. Something is definitely going on. For the first time in a while, you feel a jolt of excitement run through you. "Uh, sure, come on in." You step inside. Something in the far corner of a room catches your eye. A small group of men and women are packaging handfuls of white powder into plastic bags. This distracts you for just long enough that you don't notice the man standing to your right, his back pressed against the wall. Just as you realize he's there, he raises a weapon and fires twice. The bullets strike Vance in the chest. Her mouth opens in suprise, and she crashes to the floor, blood blossoming from the holes in her chest. Your hands move before your mind does, and without even realizing it, you're holding your gun. [[Shoot the criminal]] [[Kill yourself]]

You empty your magazine into the gunman's chest. Unfortunately, this leaves you with no defense against the man who opened the door, and he plunges a knife into your throat. As you lie on the floor, choking on your own blood, you decide that maybe doing the exact same thing every day isn't so bad after all. [[The Beginning]]

[[The Beginning]]

Vance seems confused, but she follows your lead. You rap on the door. A few moments later, one of the men packaging the drugs you saw yesterday(?) opens up. When he sees who it is, his shoulders slump in defeat. You ask to come in. He stands aside without a word of protest. The occupants seem startled and scared, but no one seems to be preparing to do something drastic. You survey the room a moment before you prepare your next move. [[Guns blazing]] [[Negotiate]]

These men murdered you and your partner yesterday, and you've been given the unique opportunity to take revenge. You pull out your firearm and blast away, first killing the man who shot Vance, and then emptying the rest of your magazine into the one who opened the door during your previous encounter. You lower your weapon, and the remaining drug traffickers take the opportunity to run out of the house as fast as possible. As you survey the room in satisfaction, you turn and see Vance. She's staring at you in horror, and aiming her gun at you with shaking hands. "Why?" she whispers, tears streaking down her face. [[Kill Vance]] [[Let Vance kill you]]

You wet your lips before informing the occupants of the house that they are all under arrest. Everyone is frozen in fear, except for the man who previously shot Vance, who stares you down unblinkingly. "You entered through the backyard, which is private property. And unless I am very much mistaken, you don't have a warrant, officer. So no, no we are not under arrest. And I'll have to ask you to leave immediately, or I'll be forced to press charges." He's got you there. [[Guns blazing]] [[Exit]]

You lunge forward, snatching your partner's gun before she can react and emptying it into your torso. Vance falls to the floor, her hollow eyes staring at you accusingly. As you gaze at her corpse, you decide that this day cannot end well, and it's probably better just to start over. [[A moment of reflection]]

You take a slow, deliberate step forward, plenty of time for your partner to put a bullet right between your eyes. [[The Beginning]]

Why did you do that? Was it out of necessity, or malice? Or perhaps you did it just because you could. [[The Beginning]]

You exit the premises, frustrated and embarrassed. Vance's subservient attitude has been replaced by rage. "Why the hell did you do that? If you'd just entered through the goddam front door, we woulda had them dead to rights!" When you arrive back at the station, Vance immediately goes off to tattle on you. Perhaps its time to take the rest of the day off. [[Interlude]]

You radio the station and tell them that there's suspicious activity going on inside the house, and that you'll need backup. Vance wants to know what's going on, but you ignore her. A few minutes later, a squad of police cars pull up. What seems like half the force rushes out and batters down the door. In a few moments, the drug suppliers are lead out of the house in handcuffs. Your partner gapes at you. "How did you know?" You wave off her questions. As you watch the criminals get escorted into the squad cars, you feel a momentary prick of satisfaction, but it rings hollow. By tomorrow, none of this will mean anything, all your hard earned progress will have been reset. And all you get for all your hard work is another mound of paperwork. [[Interlude]]

You are not the only one who I have bestowed my attentions upon. So many of your kind have echoed your request. Visit them. Bestow my will up them. If you are able to do as I ask without failing once, then I shall grant you the gift of a mortal life. Begin this journey by speaking to Edward Smith, the oldest of your brethren. I wonder if this is something you are capable of, or if you have grow so accustomed to erasing your mistakes that this shall prove an impossible task. [[Accept]]

Hm. Perhaps you are still capable of surprising me. Very well, as you wish. [[The Beginning]]

For the first time... in a long time... I think you may be able to provide me the entertainment that I seek. [[The Beginning]]

You ignore both work and your girlfriend and spend the morning hunting through every database and directory you can get your hands on looking for Smith. Finally, you discover his address. After a short drive, you get to his house. As you approach the front door, you're seized by a sudden pang of nervousness. For the first time, it really hits you that if you fail, there are no do-overs. Better make this count. [[Knock on Smith's door]]

The door is opened a moment later by an elderly man, his back hunched by age. You open your mouth to introduce you, but Smith cuts you off. "You again?" he moans. "Get it through your head- that elderitch bastard is sending you on a fool's errand! It's pointless!" [[Plead for help]] [[You're right, it's pointless]]

You don't care if it's pointless, you don't even want to think about it. You launch into a speech about how this is your only chance, but halfway through Smith rolls his eyes and waves you in. You glance around the apartment, hungrily devouring the sights and sounds of a new enviroment, but Smith is all business. "So I'm sure you've guessed this by now, but the bastard gets his rocks off by tormenting all of us who were dumb and unlucky enough to get suckered into his little game. He's already told me what you need to do, and I can tell you, it isn't gonna be easy. That's my torture, by the way. He gives me the information I need to help you poor suckers break free, but he never gives me the same opportunity." Guess that sucks, but right now you don't have it in you to care about anyone's plight except your own. "So you're gonna have to take on another guy who's stuck in a loop, just like us. His name's Connor Sanchez." You nod. You don't need any more details than that. "So, uh, you want to finish out the day, or get started now?" [[Finish]] [[Start]]

Smith is startled by your reply. "R-really? Is that really what you think?" You shrug and agree. Why exert yourself playing your tormentor's sick game? Might as well make the best with what you've got. Edward's dour expression melts into toothy grin. "Well shit, I thought you'd never come around! Come one in!" You come inside and spend the rest of the day with Smith, and to your surprise, you end up having a great time. It's such a relief to be with someone who actually understands what you're going through, and for the first time in years, you actually feel like yourself again. That evening, you both smoke weed and eat dinner while watching old movies. As you spend the rest of the night stoned out of your mind, watching Buster Keaton's antics, you start to think that eternity might not be so bad after all. [[The Beginning]]

You thank Smith for his help, and tell him you'll head out and get started later. You go home and spend the rest of the day watching tv with your girlfriend. You're even more distant from her than usual with the grim task ahead of you lurking in the back of your mind. Sleep doesn't come easy. [[The Beginning]]

You tell Smith you want to begin as soon as possible. He nods and leaves, then returns a moment later with a double-barreled shotgun. [[The Beginning]]

The moment your eyes open, you're ready to go. Your bedroom, your girlfriend, your goals and aspirations- none of it seems real. The only thing that exists is the one you've been tasked to destroy. Your girlfriend looks at you with confusion as you burst out of bed and get dressed. "Babe?" she whispers, her voice clouded with sleepiness. Distractions. You do not waver. [[Hunt down Connor Sanchez]]

A brief search on the internet quickly bears fruit. Sanchez is a social worker, 38, no wife or children. Lives approximately half an hour away. You're in a haze. Your mind is so committed to the task ahead of you that you are mentally incapable of focusing on little details like traffic or other people or the world around you. Before you know it, you're standing in front of his house. For the first time all day, a sense of uncertainty overcomes you. How are you going to go about this? (if: (history:) contains "Try the front door" and "Try the back door")[Clearly Sanchez is anticipating your arrival. Maybe it's time to try something he'll never see coming. [[Try something new]]] [[Try the front door]] [[Try the back door]]

The door is unlocked. You step inside. (if: (history:) contains "Try the front door")[You decide to take the same approach, but more carefully this time. [[Creep into the living room]]] [[Search for the target]]

You decide that a head-on approach isn't the best idea, and walk around the house to the back door. It's locked, but in all your years of hunting criminals, you've learned enough to become one yourself. You take your multi-tool from your belt and are making good progress on picking through the lock, when a sudden shout stops you dead in your tracks. "Hey! Hey! Mr. Sanchez! I think someone's trying to break into your house!" Fuck! Some asshole Chinese food delivery guy spotted you on his way to Sanchez's front door! You're completely frozen in your tracks as the back door flys open and your would be victim aims a handgun at you and puts a bullet in your head. [[The Beginning]]

You step forward take a step forward, and feel your heart leap into your chest as the floorboard creaks under your weight. Sanchez whirls around, sees you, and grins. "Hey, I was just looking for you!" he says, a moment before he turns his gun on you and fires. [[The Beginning]]

You walk into the closest room in the house. Sanchez is on his computer, his back to you. [[Approach the target]]

Sanchez is waiting on the couch, his face lit up with a wide smile. "You're back!" [[The Beginning]]

You stand on the sidewalk in front of Sanchez's house, doing your best to look casual. A moment later, the Chinese food delivery guy comes by and starts to walk to the front door. You quickly bash him over the head with a brick and drag his body into some nearby bushes. Serves him right for fucking you up earlier. As you change into his clothes, your attention is drawn to the blood dripping from the gash in his head. At first your biggest concern is whether it's stained your disguise, but then you feel a pang of guilt. Well, at least it'll be gone by the next day. Except, actually, it won't, if all goes to plan. This might just be one decision you'll have to live with. But to be honest, it's a small price to pay. You'd rather spend the rest of your brief life in jail than repeat this day one more time. [[Knock on the target's door]]

You rap on the door a few times. There's some rustling from the inside of the house, and a moment later Sanchez opens up. He grins at you, but the smile dies once he gets a closer look. You drop the bag of food and fire your gun twice into his midsection. Sanchez drops to the ground, and this time there's no room for guilt, only glee as you drop your gun and do a little jig on his front steps. This is it. You're finally free! You go home and spend the rest of the day doing the things you've done thousands of times before, but this time, everything is tinged with joy. You don't care if your colleagues come by the next day and take to jail, because even if you're incarcerated, you'll still be free. [[Interlude 2]]

You look at me with those eyes, and I see joy, I see hope. But I also think I see a bit of anguish, because I think that buried underneath all those happy thoughts is the knowledge that you've failed. You didn't follow the terms of our deal. You found Connor Sanchez and you killed him, but you fell before you succeeded, and proved that you were reliant on my gift, as much as you dispise it. Did the knowledge of your failure hang over you after your first defeat, or was your desperation so great that it overshadowed your rationality? Ah, there it is. I think that's what I like best. Seeing that light in your eyes extinguished by despair. There is an end, you know. There is an end, but it is out of your grasp. There will be infinite choices, infinite paths, but no matter which of them you take, none of them will end with your success. None of them will end. None of them will be The End. [[The Beginning]]