''Unintended Consequences''
''An Original Interactive Narrative by Tim Kallman''
[[Start]]
(set: $computer to false)
(set: $knows to false)
You are LENNY PULVITZ, an analyst for the CIA.
It's a Tuesday afternoon at the office, you've been sifting through routine observation documents all day.
Suddenly, you notice a strange email marked EYES ONLY in the subject line in your inbox.
[[Click to open it]]
[[This wasn’t meant for me, delete it]]
(track: 'noirMusic', 'play')Red text at the top of the page catches your eye. You recognize it as the standard warning text for emails that are supposed to be sent to the supervisors. Weirdly, you’re the only one of the analysts to receive the email.
[[Read it]]
You continue your day and go home. The next day you do the same, and then the next day, and the next. At the ripe old age of 68 you retire with a government pension and live out the rest of your days in Florida wishing you had done more with your life.
(joke ending)
[[End]]You feel your eyes widen and heart rate increase. Beads of sweat form on your forehead as you scroll to the bottom and read the closing sentences.
You close the email. The walls in your cubicle resonate with the sounds of office activities, and you struggle to comprehend what you read.
//Jesus...North Korea?// You think, incredulously.
Suddenly, you hear a knock and see one of the senior analysts, Matthew, standing outside your cubicle.
[["Hey Matthew, what can I do for you?"]]
Game Over
Unintended Consequences
Made by Tim Kallman 11/12/2020
Play again?
[[Yes]]“Hey Len, Brunner says he wants to see you in his office when you get the chance, ok?”
[["Ok, I’ll go see what he needs"]]
[["What does he need?"]]
You walk out of your cubicle to the north end of the building, into Brunner’s office. You close the door and take a seat, he sees you as he fidgets with papers on his desk.
“Lenny, good. I’ve got something to talk to you about”
[["What’s going on?"]]
“I dunno, but he did seem a little on edge. I think his wife probably hid the sauce again” he chuckles. “Well, just make sure you see Brunner before he has a seizure” Matthew turns and walks away.
[["Ok, I’ll go see what he needs"]]
“I’ll be straight with you, Lenny. An important email was supposed to arrive in my inbox this morning, apparently you received it by mistake. I want to make sure you didn’t open it by the same error.”
[["No…I don’t think I saw anything"]]
[["Actually, I did see a weird email. Was that meant for you?"]]
Brunner studies you, eyebrow’s slightly furrowed. After a moment, he relaxes.
“Good, then. If you do see it, please delete it immediately. You can go back to work.
This abrupt dismissal has you awkwardly backstepping out of the office. As you walk back to your cubicle, heavy footsteps sound behind you.
[[Glance over your shoulder]]
[[Keep walking]]
Brunner’s face lights up with mild surprise.
“Well, I hope you didn’t read it, some very sensitive information was in it.”
[["No, I deleted it as soon as I saw it"]]Five men in black suits are tailing you, when they see you’ve spotted them they call out and try to catch up.
[[Break into a sprint]]
You start walking a little faster, but the footsteps behind you keep pace. Your cubicle comes into view.
[[Stop and grab your laptop]]
[[Walk past it]]
Instead of relief, Brunner looks even more concerned, he starts fiddling with the papers again.
“Alright, you can go back to work”
This abrupt dismissal has you awkwardly backstepping out of the office. As you walk back to your cubicle, heavy footsteps sound behind you.
[[Glance over your shoulder]]
[[Keep walking]]
Five men in black suits are tailing you, the faint rattle of handcuffs sounding with each step. You quickly turn a corner into the hallway.
[[Break into a sprint]]
You sprint down the hallway, you can hear the agents behind you trying to keep up. At the end of the hallway, you burst into the stairway. You see another door to the fire escape, you quickly open it before the agents come into the stairwell.
Once outside, you start running to your apartment.
[[Scene 2]]You open the door to your apartment, quickly shutting and locking it
(if: $computer is true)[dropping your laptop on the coffee table, you take a seat on the couch.] Suddenly, your phone rings from your pocket. Looking at the caller id, it’s your coworker, Matheson, who happens to be one of your only friends.
[[Answer the phone]]
<audio src="https://people.rit.edu/tjk2162/cellRing.mp3" autoplay>“Lenny! What the hell are you doing?”
Matheson shouts at you.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" You ask, curiously.
“The entire office is buzzing, talking about you! Agents are talking to us all, asking about you. Told them I hadn’t seen you today” Matheson sounds panicked. "What the hell happened?"
[["Yeah…there’s been a…thing"]]
<audio src="https://people.rit.edu/tjk2162/cellPickup.mp3" autoplay>Matheson sounds incredulous, still panicking.
“Well, then this has to be one hell of a thing! What happened?”
[[Explain the situation to Matheson]]
After you finish explaining, the line is silent for a few moments. Then you hear Matheson let out a sigh.
“North Korea? Geez, that’s quite the pickle…what are you gonna do?
[["I don’t know…I wish I hadn’t ever opened the damned thing…"]]
“Ok…how about this, meet me tonight, take the back exit from your building and walk two blocks east, I’ll pick you up. We'll figure this out together, Len.”
[["I don’t know…"]]
[["Sure, I'll meet you there"]]You Matheson grow more agitated as he says,
“Lenny! We’ve got to do something here! Things like this don’t just go away, they confiscated your entire cubicle for christ’s sake!” (PANICKS)
//Damn, could this be that serious? I mean, those documents were...ugh// you think to yourself, unable to think of what you had read due to anxiety and disgust.
[["…Ok, I'll meet you there"]]
“Attaboy, Lenny!" Matheson sounds pleased He quickly followed up. "I’ll be there at 2 AM, make sure no one follows you”
[["Well...I'll try..."]]“Attaboy, Lenny!" Matheson sounds pleased He quickly followed up. "I’ll be there at 2 AM, make sure no one follows you” (CAUTIONS Lenny)
[["Well...I'll try..."]] (CONFIRMS)
SCENE 3
The streets are dark and eerily silent as you walk through the brisk night air. Coming to the end of the block, you see Matheson’s dark sedan parked by the curb. Inside, Matheson sits looking at his phone.
[[Knock on the window]]
Matheson jolts, startled, and motions for you to get in. You sit and close the door while he starts talking quickly.
“Ok Len, here’s the deal. No one knows what’s going on, the higher ups are pissed, and they’re saying that you leaked confidential information.”
[["What?? That's not true at all!"]]
<audio src="https://people.rit.edu/tjk2162/knocking.mp3" autoplay>You duck inside your cubicle and grab your laptop. The agents are catching up, but you manage to get back on track and start a path to the bathroom.
[[Glance over your shoulder]]
(set: $computer to true)You reach your cubicle, but make a quick decision to detour to the bathroom. You walk past the windows lining the outside of the building.
[[Look at the reflection]]“Hey, I believe you, but they’re making a tough case. The thing is, they don’t have much proof that you did anything yet. But they do have the data from the keylogger on your computer.”
[["Of course! I didn’t do anything!"]]
“Len, you’ll have to work with me here. Right now, I’m your only friend. If they’re smart, they’re going to fabricate some. But if we can nip this in the bud ASAP, you might just make it out without being charged with treason. But it’s gonna be tough…”
[["I mean...do you have any ideas?"]]
“I do have one…but it’s a long shot.”
Matheson pulls out his phone and opens up a screen to show you.
“I’ve got records here from Brunner’s computer. I put the IT keylogger on it and it seems our ‘pal’ has been making payments monthly to an offshore bank account. We can take advantage of that.”
[["But what are the payments for?"]]
Matheson starts to look uncomfortable, and shifts around in his seat.
“I don’t know, that’s the thing. But it might just be enough for Brunner to call the dogs off, he’s high up enough where he has pull like that.”
[["So…we’re fighting lies with lies?"]]
“Look, you’re already in this deep, I don’t think there’s another way out here. They have you cornered and it’s only gonna get worse once they make up some more evidence.”
Matheson sighs, putting his phone away.
“You’re gonna have to trust me here, Len. This is serious.”
[["What if it doesn’t work?"]] Matheson chews on his lip and looks out one of the windows. “Here’s what we’ll do, don’t come into the office until ten, I’ll be there early and scope out the situation. If things are too hot, I’ll lower the shade on the leftmost window on the north side and you can split. That work?”
[["…if you really think it’ll work…"]]
[["..No..I can't. I think if I can just explain to them what happened--"]] Matheson sprouts a smile and puts his hand on your shoulder. “It’s you and me pal, we’ll fix this together, no matter the cost”
He slips a usb drive into your hand
“Take this, I have another copy, but you can never be too careful.”
[[Take the drive]]
Matheson interrupts,
"What do you think this is? We are talking espionage here! You're not gonna be able to explain this away."
[["Fine. Let's do this"]] SCENE 4
The next day, you walk to the office just before ten. When you reach the office, you look up and see that all the blinds are open.
[[Walk through the front door]]
[[Take the back entrance to the stairwell]]
Matheson sprouts a smile and puts his hand on your shoulder. “It’s you and me pal, we’ll fix this together, no matter the cost”
He slips a usb drive into your hand
“Take this, I have another copy, but you can never be too careful.”
[[Take the drive]]
You walk through the front door and make your way to the elevators. You swear out of the corner of your eye you see passerby’s heads turning to look at you.
The elevator opens and you step inside. You push the button for the 7th floor and wait as it takes you there.
[[Walk in]]
You circle around to the back of the building and enter the stairwell. Seven flights of stairs later and you are at the door to your office.
[[Walk in]]
[[Peek through the door]]
You walk into the office space and immediately see the same agents from yesterday congregated around Brunner’s office. As you walk to your desk, you see one of them pull out a radio and start talking. After a few seconds, he turns his head in your direction. The rest of the agents split themselves between guarding the office and walking over to you.
(if: $computer is true)[[This is bad, abort the mission]]
[[Keep your head down and find Matheson]]
You open the door a crack and look around the office. The agents from yesterday are standing around Brunner's office looking around. Searching more, you see Matheson at his desk, typing at his computer.
[[Walk in]]
[[Call Matheson]]
You rush to the stairwell as you hear the agents start to yell. Outside the city is bustling with morning foot traffic. Blending into the crowd, you make your way to a nearby café.
Sitting down at a corner table, you throw open your laptop. Outside the front window an agent walks past, searching for you. Luckily he doesn’t spot you in the café. Looking back at your laptop, the screen shows the drive Matheson gave you ready to open.
[[Open the drive]]
You duck down and keep walking, making your way to Mathesons cubicle. The agents are spreading through aisles.
When you get to his cubicle, Matheson is working at his computer.
[["Hey, whats with all the agents?"]]
The phone rings once and Matheson answers.
"Lenny!" You hear him whisper harshly on the other end. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be here by now!"
(if: $knows is false)You start to answer, but look at the agents first.
[["What's with all the agents, 'friend'?"]]
[["I wasn't sure if it was all clear, with all the agents..."]]You open the drive and are shocked at what you see. Instead of bank records, the drive is full of classified documents, along with copies of your ID, passport, and records showing payments to an unknown bank account.
(set: $knows to true)
[[Call Matheson]]
[[Unplug the drive and look for an exit]]Matheson serves around, he looks slightly shocked to see you.
"Keep quiet!" Heb whispers harshly. "Theyve been looking for you all morning."
[["I thought you would leave the blind up if things were good?"]]
"Uhh, I didn't get a chance to" he peeks over his cubicle and then hunches down again.
"Look, nows the chance, go to Brunner's office, I'll be right behind you"
[["OK, let's do this"]]
You rush over to the office, the agents have their backs turned for the moment, so you're able to slip in unseen.
"I'm surprised you actually came, Lenny." You turn around and see Brunner at his desk with his hand folded.
"Luckily we were able to come to an understanding." a voice behind you says. You turn and see Matheson standing in front of the door.
"Well, let's finish this then" Brunner says as he stands up. "Boys! In here!" He yells. Seconds later the door opens to the five agents.
[["W-What the hell...?"]]
"Hes got the documents on a flash drive, probably in his pocket." Matheson says as the agents restrain you.
One of the agents fishes around in your pocket and grabs the drive.
"Got it" he says as he holds it up and walks over to Brunner. Brunner takes it and plugs it into his computer. "Much appreciated." he says.
[["Oh, no..."]] One of the agents speaks up. "Is the information there?"
Brunner takes a moment to scroll through the drive before smiling and looking up. "Indeed, it is. Take it from here, fellas."
"Leonard Pulvitz" The agent said as the others handcuffed him. "You are being detained for treason against this nation. You have the right to remain silent--"
[[This can't be happening...]] You quickly unplug the drive and stuff it in your pocket. Getting up and walking to the door, you don't see any agents, so you briskly walk down the block, away from the office.
[[Head home]]Matheson goes silent for a moment.
"It's not like that Lenny. With them here, we have a better chance of apprehending him without having him escape. We can still do this."
[["...alright, what's the plan?"]]
(if: $knows is true)[["You seem nervous..."]] Matheson wastes no time explaining, "With them here, we have a better chance of apprehending him without having him escape. We can still do this, Len."
[["...alright, what's the plan?"]]
You manage to make it back to your apartment complex without any trouble. You relax as you make your way to your door. //Am I finally safe?//, you think.
[[Open the door]]"Ok, so nows the chance for us to make our move, go to Brunner's office, and I'll be right behind you"
[["OK, let's do this"]]
Matheson starts stammering, clearly starting to grow agitated. "Lenny, we got //one// shot here. Do you wanna go to prison?"
[["I know what's on the drive Matheson..."]] Silence falls again. You can hear Matheson breathing heavily. "Lenny..." He starts to say, but you interrupt him.
[["I trusted you...I guess I know what I should do now..."]] "Don't do anything stupid!" Matheson says angrily. "We've got you dead to rites, you can't get away from this! We have proof of your deals with North Korea!"
You hear his words, but his voice tells a different story. Shaky, uncontrolled, //he knows he's lost...// you think.
[[I'm only going to do what I have to, Matheson]]As soon as you rotate the doorknob, you hear a click from right inside the door. Confused, you open it and stand in the doorway.
[[Step inside]]
//[[What's going on here...]]//You step inside your apartment and are immediately greeted with a foul stench.
[[It almost smells like rotten--]]You stand in the doorway, cautious. You take a quick look around but see nothing suspicious.
But then it hits you...
[[The smell of rotten eggs...]]''[[BOOM]]''Your apartment was rigged to explode, the CIA got you in the end.
Lenny Pulvitz is framed as a traitor to America, and the truth will stay buried forever.
(this is not a reversal of intention)
[[End]]You quickly step back out and slam the door before starting to break into a sprint. But before you can get far...
''[[KABOOM]]''The explosion knocked you on your face. Other than a few scrapes and a concussion, you're alive and well.
[[Leave. Leave now]]You sprint away from the scene, still clutching your laptop. While rushing down the stairway, you think about destroying it, but then you have a better plan.
[[Open the laptop]]The agents start to walk you out the door, Brunner and Matheson follow.
"You're really doing this? How are you gonna frame me for your deals?" You ask
"What are you talking about?" Brunner asks. "The files on this drive clearly show you were committing treason by making deals with North Korea, giving them information for money.
[[What the hell? You bastard!]] As you walk to your freedom, you start to smile. However, that smile soon fades as you remember the life you had, the peace that came with it.
You're going to be running for a long time, and though you've made it out of this battle, the war is still thriving.
//But at least Matheson didn't have the last laugh// you think to yourself. //That'll have to be enough...//
[[End]]You stop and sit in the stairwell on the second floor landing. Furiously navigating through the drive, you delete all information related to you, leaving nothing but the classified documents.
You start to log out of the computer
[[Wait a second...]]
Before you turn off the computer, you have an idea. Quickly, you type Matheson's password into the login screen. //Guess you shouldn't have shared your password with me so I could do your work, asshole...//
[[Log into Matheson's account]]You open up the email app and attach the contents of the usb drive. You then quickly copy some of the connections at various news websites you've fed info to over the years.
[[Send the email]]After clicking send, you close the laptop and continue your escape. After exiting the building and turning left, you hear police sirens approach. You rush to turn the corner before the squad arrives, and as you walk away you hear many people shouting with the sound of heavy footsteps and metal clinking.
[[Next]] "//You fu-//"
Before he can finish, you hang up on him.
//Why did it have to be like this...// You think, dismally. You get up from your table and walk out of the cafe after making sure no agents were in sight.
//[[I guess it's time to disappear...]]//Brunner chuckles and you shift your eyes to Matheson, who stands with a neutral expression on his face.
"You really helped him with this?" You ask your former friend.
"Sorry Lenny, but you weren't getting out of this one."
Rage builds up inside of you like never before, this is a new feeling for you...
[["This isn't over...I'll show everyone the truth!"]] Matheson merely looks on, not a bit of regret on his face. "The truth is already out there, it just is what it is Len."
You're taken away by the agents, despite your efforts, Leonard Pulvitz is now going to be branded a traitor.
[[End]]As you start walking, you let relief wash over you. You can't imagine what would have happened had you not been so cautious.
//Matheson in on it...I never would have seen that...// you think to yourself as you continue down the block. //I guess I can't trust anyone now...I just don't know why it had to be me...//
The sun is starting to set, and you look up at it while continuing to walk.
//[[Tomorrow will be a new day, I suppose...]]//As you cross the street, you suddenly feel something hit you in the chest. You don't think much of it until you realize that there's a stain on your shirt.
//Huh?// You think as you touch it with your finger. You continue on but start to feel lethargic, you try to lift your left leg to step onto the curb, but you fall on your face, the gunshot wound in your chest bleeding profusely.
Then, you hear your phone ring.
[[Answer it]]
Turning onto your side with great effort, and with people starting to gather around you, you raise the phone to your ear.
"Now I've got the last laugh, Len." The cold voice on the other end says.
Before you can give a retort, you cough, spilling more blood on the sidewalk.
Just before you black out, the voice speaks one more time,
"You weren't getting out of this one, Len. Sorry, pal."
[[Matheson...]] One man lies dead on the sidewalk.
Another sits silently at his desk.
All the while, the third packs the sniper rifle in a suitcase.
[[End]]
noirMusic: https://people.rit.edu/tjk2162/noirMusic.mp3