Deus Ex: The Interactive Fanfic

[d Galloway]

With KoF ending, I need another project. Having lots of projects is actually good for me; why, exactly, I don't know. That's why I've decided on trying a very complicated thingy that many have tried, but few have succeeded at: a fic where people help choose where the story goes.

This is Deus Ex: The Interactive Fanfic (or The Interactive Novelization). Deus Ex has a great plot, the best darn gameplay this side of the Missouri, and a stupid singing bum that I want to shoot in the face about a dozen times. I have wanted to do a novelization for a while now. However, there are a LOT of ways to play Deus Ex, including many choices that affect the plot. So, I bring you this.

The idea is this. I write the novelization until I reach a branch of some kind. Then I give the choices, and you pick which one you want. The one that gets the most pics is taken. Kinda like Choose Your Own Adventure, only minus the nine hundred lame ways to die.

Let's try this a bit, shall we? I just want to see what kind of a reaction I'd get:

***

Deus Ex: The Interactive Fanfic
By d_Galloway

Chapter 1: Liberty Island

The boat speeded through the river. Once, this very passage had been used for tourist boats headed for the statue. Now, they were used solely to transport heavy materials and soldiers. He wondered what part of that he'd be under.

"Final stop," said the Private at the helm, "Liberty Island. Welcome aboard UNATCO, agent."

JC grabbed his pistol and riot prod and stepped out onto the dock. The remains of the statue loomed overhead in the moonlight, like some kind of giant that had been destroyed by a god. Rats scurried to and fro along the wooden planks, desperate for any scraps of food they could find. JC saw a UNATCO trooper and a Security Bot patrolling ahead; something big was going on. He began to walk forward, but suddenly, a voice rang out in his head.

INFOLINK:
Alex Jacobson: Your brother Paul is waiting on the dock for you. Terrorists have holed themselves up in the statue. He'll brief you on the situation further.

JC was surprised not only by the voice in his head, but by the person he mentioned. Wasn't Paul on another mission?

His answer came running to him; Paul himself made his way past the bot to his younger brother.

"Paul?" asked JC. "I thought you were in Hong Kong."

"I shipped back early," he said. "Think I'd miss my brother's first day?"

"Didn't think you'd really have a choice," replied JC, now a bit more nervous. "What's going on?"

"The NSF," began Paul. JC remembered that name. It was the number 1 terrorist organization in the world, consisting of former members of the State militias that had refused to give up their guns when firearms were made illegal. They were not very well-financed, but still considered highly dangerous. Paul continued. "They attacked a shipment of Ambrosia and pulled back into the statue."

JC was now VERY curious. Ambrosia...the one cure for the Grey Death, the plague that was killing off so many around the world. A small vial of that was worth its weight in gold, and yet...

"What are we waiting for," JC finally said. "Looks like a textbook assault."

"The NSF have taken one of our agents hostage. We were able to hold the enemy back, but we've received orders to send you in alone. I think someone high up wants to see how you handle the situation."

"All I've got with me is a pistol and an electric prod," said JC, now a bit annoyed. "I don't mind a test, but UNATCO'd better issue some hardware."

"Remeber that we're police," said Paul. "Stick with the prod; a non-lethal takedown is the best way to deal with a situation. However, I have been ordered to provide you with another piece of equipment; either a sniper rifle, a GEP gun, or a mini-crossbow."

(Decision time)
-I like to pick them off from a distance. I'll take the rifle.
-Better take the GEP gun. You never know when you'll run into something heavy.
-I like to take them down quietly. Give me the crossbow

***

Yes, I know what kind of weapon you take doesn't seem very major, but it DOES affect JC's approach a bit. For example:

-If he took the Sniper Rifle, he could take down the guards from a distance, which makes one Secondary Objective MUCH easier. However, ammo is limited, and the gun is slow to fire or reload at this point, making it useless up-close.
-If he took the GEP gun (a.k.a. Rocket Launcher), he could deal with the security bot in the front of the statue without having to worry about messing with security. However, the GEP gun is a large weapon, and thus takes a lot of space. Also, it only has one shot, and WILL kill JC if he's too close to the explosion.
-If he took the mini-crossbow, which comes with some tranquilizer rounds, he could take down target relatively quietly, and with minimal loss of space. However, the tranquilizer takes a little while to completely take down a target, and if the target doesn't go down with one shot, he'll either start shooting or set off an alarm, screwing the whole "stealth" purpose over.

Okay, let's see how this goes over.

[deadtear]

Crossbow, since that's what I chose every time in the game, and I like headshots.

[d Galloway]

Okay, we can classify this as a failed experiment.

[Weiila]

Worth a try, still. You're dealing with lazy peeps. And I meant to vote for Sniper Rifle, it seems to combine the good stuff about the crossbow and GEP gun.

[wingnut]

Heads or tails, rifle or crossbow… *flips coin* Rifle.

[Pierson]

In all honesty this sounded a little too ambitious to succeed. I mean, how many decisions do you need to take in Deux Ex even in the first opening sequence? You'd need input at nearly every paragraph to make it truly interactive.

[d Galloway]

Originally posted by Pierson
In all honesty this sounded a little too ambitious to succeed. I mean, how many decisions do you need to take in Deux Ex even in the first opening sequence? You'd need input at nearly every paragraph to make it truly interactive.

That's why I'm making some decisions myself. The only choices I'm letting them make are the ones that deal with the plot, JC's personality, and a few other Choose Your Own Adventure-esque things. Besides, it's only an experiment.

[d Galloway]

"I like to pick them off from a distance," said JC. "I'll take the rifle."

Paul cautiously handed JC a slender sniper rifle and two clips of 30.06 rounds. "Remember this isn't a training exercise, JC," he said. "Your targets will be living, breathing people. Keep that in mind."

"I will," said JC, slinging his new toy over his shoulder. "What's the rest of the briefing?"

"We have an informant waiting at the back of the island," said Paul. "His name is Harry Filben. Look for a bum. He has the key to the Statue doors. He responds to the phrase 'iron and copper'. You could avoid a lot of fighting if you found a back way into the statue."

"What do I do when inside the statue?" asked JC.

"Find and interrogate the leader," said Paul. "We don't yet know why they would risk an open assault. And don't forget about Agent Hermann. We believe the terrorists are holding him somewhere in the first floor of the statue. Dismissed." The two brothers saluted each other, then JC made his way onto the actual island.

***

JC ducked behind a bush as two NSF members strolled into view. They were dressed in black ski masks, with simple black camouflage clothing. One was armed with a simple pistol, while another was armed with a mini-crossbow. JC activated his riot prod, then snuck up behind one while his partner wasn't looking and knocked him out. He found a baton on the NSF member, as well as a pistol.

Grabbing the baton, he snuck up behind the other one and smacked him along the base of the neck. He took the crossbow, delighted that he hadn't taken the one his brother had offered him. He then made his way to the front of the statue for reconnaisance.

He found several more NSF members, armed with pistols and mini-crossbows. However, they also had a small, tan-colored, two-foot high security bot; the type used by businesses and private buildings for security, but still armed with high-powered machine guns and radar. He could easily take out the NSF members, but the bot...

He slowly snuck his way to the back of the island, dodging several more NSF members and thugs along the way. Finally, he made it to a large dock, where his Infolink went off.

INFOLINK:
Alex Jacobson: Look out for Harry Filben. Remember to look for a bum. He responds to the phrase, "Iron and Copper".

JC snuck onto the dock, took out two harbor thugs, and made his way to the back. Standing in the doorway of a small shanty was a fat, balding bum with ragged clothes. "What do you want?" he said.

"Iron and copper," said JC. "The statue is made out of iron on a copper frame, right?"

"Just the password's enough, rookie," said the bum, identifying himself as Filben. "Don't act like you know more about the statue than I do. My pop used to do tours out here, you know."

"Paul said you have a key to the statue," said JC, more than a little bit annoyed at Filben's arrogance.

"Yeah, I have something like that," he said, "but I want you to promise me something. I'm friends with the NSF leader here and I don't want to see him get hurt."

"You can trust me," said JC.

"Fine," said the reassured Filben, handing JC a small, cylinder-shaped object. "This will open the front door in a snap. Just remember your promise. Here's a photo so you don't make a mistake." He handed JC a small photograph, which showed a dark-skinned man with blonde hair. JC inserted the cylinder into his nanokey ring, which emitted a small beep of comformation.

***

As JC left the dock, he spied a series of crates. He also saw a ladder, which could be reached from the highest crate. Pulling out some binoculars, he saw a small doorway on the top of the platform the ladder lead to. It was probably a back entrance to the statue. He also spied even more NSF over there than before, and knowing the NSF, they had probably booby-trapped every entrance. Still, it might be easier than tangling with the bot...

(Decision time)
-Go through the front door
-Go through the roof

[PC Glenton]

THe roof, definately... that sniper rifle won't do him much good if he just goes barging in.

[Videospirit]

Roof Roof Roof.

[d Galloway]

JC thought about it for a minute, then decided to take the roof. He climbed up the metal crates, then jumped onto the ladder and made his way onto the roof. Carefully watching the guards, he made his way up several ramps, and through an opening, disarming a gas gernade mere seconds before it would have exploded.

He slowly snuck his way through the area, keeping his eye on the guards. Finally, he reached what he was looking for; the lobby. Searching his pockets, he found a multitool, as well as that half-eaten Kit-Kat he had been looking for. He disarmed the camera, then made his way down the stairs leading to the lobby. He shocked one gaurd into submission using his riot prod, then snuck to an air duct and crawled into an office.

He slowly opened the door, then snuck into a security alcove. He knocked out a guard with a strike from his baton, then took out another one in the same fashion. He then snuck through, until he found a holding area. Someone was in the detention cell, although it was hard to see who exactly. JC pulled out his sniper rifle and shot a sitting guard in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

JC ran to the security terminal. Using the computer skills he had gained in the academy, he was able to hack into the computer and disarm all the cameras, as well as open the cell door. Believing that the captured UNATCO agent was inside, he entered.

What he saw before him was a towering mech, nearly seven feet tall. He was completely bald, and his remaining human body was nothing but pure muscle. Like all mechs, his augmentations were all external, making him look like something out of a mid-20th century movie. He looked at Denton with a sense of immediate disdain, if not hatred.

"Agent Hermann," said JC, a bit nervous about the behemoth in front of him, "you have orders to pull back."

"They told us to retreat!" said Hermann, his thick germanic accent making him sound even MORE threatening. "We do not retreat. They fall back, but Agent Navarra and I do not retreat. Please give me a weapon and move out of my way."

JC thought about giving him his pistol briefly, before realizing that such an action would be foolhardy; he had promised to keep the leader alive, and if Agent Hermann got his way...

"Please leave the area," said JC. "I'll handle the rest."

Even with the emotion blockers all augmented agents had, JC could tell that Hermann was now far beyond pissed. "Forgive me," he said, the sarcasm in his words apparant, "for forgetting about your brother and the worders of nanotechnology."

"I just cannot spare any arms right now," said JC, trying his best to stay calm in the face of this tyrant. "Please retreat to a safe location."

"Fine, very well," said Hermann, surrendering at last. "The stairs leading to the leader are in the lobby. I, Gunther Hermann, will just sweep my outdated bones into the junk pile." He then pushed JC aside and strode out of the cell.

JC could understand his rage. Mechs had to give up everything; lives, families, social ambition, all in the name of being better agents. Now, with nanotech augmentations, agents could be made better without so much as altering their physical appearance, save for no emotion. Mechs everywhere were not happy with this, but still, Gunther was nothing more than a jerk. Putting it aside, JC went on his way.

***

Okay, I didn't put a decision here for a reason; everyone knows what the result would be. Give Gunther a gun, and you screw up the mission. Don't give him one, and he acts like an asshole. Nice choice, isn't it?

[d Galloway]

JC walked out of the cell and crawled back through the grate. He then snuck up some stairs, barely crawling by a security camera. After a while of searching, he found another staircase, leading higher into the statue. As he climbed up, he got another infolink.

INFOLINK:
Alex Jacobson: You're going the right way. We just recieved contact from Agent Hermann; he said you helped him escape. Good work.

JC started to crawl when he heard voices from above. He could make out two NSF members, their heads turned towards the stairs. He took out his prod, but then remembered that he had forgotten his spare chargers; the prod was dead. The guards couldn't be taken out from the front with a baton, so he had no choice but to use brute force.

Pulling out his sniper rifle, he carefully aimed at the first guard's head and fired. The guard went down, but the other was alert, and to make matters worse, two more guards ran into the room. Putting away his sniper rifle, JC pulled out his pistol and ran forward.

One guard, armed with a mini-crossbow, fired at JC, but the agent dodged, sending the dart straight into his fellow terrorist's crotch. Needless to say, he went into a very painful sleep. JC hid behind a pillar, waited for the guards to stop firing, then jumped out and shot one twice in the body. The dead terrorist fell onto his nearby partner, who's shot missed JC's head by about three inches.

JC fired again, but the terrorist used his dead friend's body as a shield. He threw it at JC, knocking the agent backwards. He then jumped forward and prepared to shoot JC, but the agent regained his balance, threw the body away, and fired. The terrorist went down, his finger almost finished pulling the trigger.

Shrugging the combat off, JC pocketed his pistol and went up the stairs, finally reaching the command center. In front of him was a man matching Filben's photograph. The moment he saw JC, his eyes flashed wide with panic. "I surrender!" he shouted.

"Where's the shipment?" asked JC.

"You're too late," he replied, triumphantly. "It's going back to the people, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

(Decision time)
-"Except send you back to the people...in a body bag."
-"Answer my questions, and I'll turn you over as a prisoner rather than a corpse."

[Fou-Lu]

-"Answer my questions, and I'll turn you over as a prisoner rather than a corpse."

[Weiila]

Hmm... that's a toughie. They're both good... ah well, I think I'll just smile and nod at the dragon dude here. :)

And you want this in the update? (Haw! No chasing this time!)

[PC Glenton]

Damn...

I would like to play further, but I don't want to use my knowledge of the game to spoil it for those who haven't even touched it...

Its a good idea, d. But I feel I may be better as a spectator, just to be fair.

[Videospirit]

second option.

[d Galloway]

Originally posted by Weiila
And you want this in the update? (Haw! No chasing this time!)

Yes, please. And enjoy your vacation...because if it takes a month for the update after next, I will begin chasing again. Tell TD that for me, k?

[demigod]

I'm feeling blood-thirsty, kill him

Even though I've heard from my friend a bit about the game to make me think the other option is better.

[Weiila]

There's no use chasing TD for this one, he's fiddling around with some technical stuff in the fanfic section right now so I gave him an update off. It's just me this time *puts on jogging shoes just in case*

[d Galloway]

No fics today. I've got a headache that's blocking my creative juices.

[Ave Destron]

Prisoner.

God I love that game...

[d Galloway]

"Answer my questions, and I'll turn you over as a prisoner rather than a corpse," said JC.

"Ask away," said the leader, "we've already won this round."

"Where are you taking it?"

"We're just giving some ordinary people as much of a chance to survive as the beurocrats in Washington."

"You'll have to unload in New York because the choppers could spot you at sea."

"I think the government made the plague on purpose to control the population growth."

Now JC had enough of this guy. What was it with these terrorists and crazed conspiracy theories? "Just answer the question," he said.

"Don't believe me?" asked the leader. "It's all in the numbers. For a hundred years, there's been a conspiracy of plurocrats against ordinary people."

"Can you give one fact to back that up?"

"One: In 1945 corporations paid 50 percent of federal taxes. Now they pay only 5 percent. Two: In 1900 90 percent of Americans owned businesses. Now it's about 2 percent."

"So?"

"It's called consolidation. Strengthen governments and corporations, weaken individuals. With taxes, this can be done imperceptibly over time."

"I guarantee you that the interrogation staff at UNATCO will not be as forebearing as I am."

"Yeah, the secret police. You're just bullies for a completely illegitimate government in Washington."

"We WILL locate that shipment one way or another."

"The entire executive branch is hand-picked. Nineteen of the last twenty-three presidents have been members of the Triateral Commission. The Triteral Commission is financed by the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. Don't tell me-"

"That's a think-tank. Anyone can be a member."

"But not everyone is. That's why they call it the secret government."

Finally, the UNATCO troopers arrived. JC calmly turned him over and left the statue, but not before grabbing a strange blue canister that was sitting next to the leader. Somehow, he thought he'd need it.

(to be continued)

[Weiila]

And the conspiracy is given more water to grow into a big, blooming tentacle monster.

[Videospirit]

Wow the first chapter I actually read everything in. Cool. Always got the loonies with their conspiracies.

[d Galloway]

I altered the chapter slightly. I forgot to include the important blue canister. Anyone who's played the game knows how important those babies are.

[d Galloway]

***

JC made his way down to the base of the statue. After calmly walking out the front door, he was greeted with the smell of gun smoke and blood. He saw nearly a dozen NSF members lying in pools of blood, their bodies punctured with hundreds of bullet holes. He also saw UNATCO troopers looting the bodies. He felt sorry for them briefly, then remembered that they had brought this upon themselves.

Shrugging it off, he made his way down the brick path, to a large sign that read "UNATCO Headquarters. UNATCO Personnel Only." At last, he was going to be entering the fabled UNATCO HQ. Ever since he began his studies, throughout his childhood, even when his nano-augs were being installed, it was his only dream. At last, he would become a full UNATCO agent.

The front of the HQ was bustling with activity. Troopers were bustling to and fro in the panic following the NSF leader's capture. The only one not running around was Paul; he simply walked up to JC.

"Looks like Manderly's happy," said Paul. "You passed with flying colors."

"I never expected to see this much action before," said JC, pleased with his results.

"You showed restrainable force out there," said Paul. "That's always the best way to go. Anyway, Manderly wants to see you in his office for a debriefing."

JC quickly moved pass Paul and entered the fabled front doors of UNATCO HQ.

***

"Good to see you," said Lloyd, the new UNATCO receptionist and a classmate of JC. "It's my first day, too, you know."

"Yeah," said JC. "Good to see you got in. Wouldn't know it after that accident on the shooting range." Lloyd laughed, then went back to the paperwork. JC simply walked past him and down a winding, carpeted hallway.

He then reached a large, reinforced steel door with a retinal scanner. "Don't worry," said a trooper from behind a bulletproof glass window. "The machine can read straight through your glasses." JC adjusted his sunglasses, then submitted to the scan. The doors opened with a loud beep.

The inside of the HQ was far different from what JC had imagined. It bore more of a resemblance to a carpeted, furnished bunker than the headquarters of all anti-terrorist activity. After walking down a flight of stairs, he found a nameplate that read "Joseph Manderly." Walking through, he saw a lovely secretary.

"Hello," she said. "You must be Paul's brother, JC. My name's Janice Reed. Our little family just keeps getting bigger."

"I was told to see Manderly," said JC. "Is he available?"

"Yes, Mr. Manderly will see you know. By the way, your network account is ready. Login JCD, password bionicman."

"Thanks, I'll remember that." With that, he walked into Manderly's office.

***

(to be continued)

Gallo-note: Yes, I know it's been a while since we made a decision, but I have to further the plot and introduce more characters. You don't make any major decisions for a little longer in the game, anyway.

[d Galloway]

Manderley himself was a short, fat man with snow-white, neatly-trimmed hair. He wore a grey suit and tie, making him look more like a politician than the leader of UNATCO. He looked at JC with a sense of eagerness. "Ah, the man himself," he said. "Welcome aboard, JC."

"It's an honor to be working here," said JC.

"Yes, yes," said Manderley, as he pulled out a credit chit. "That's 1000 for the capture of the terrorist leader, and an extra 250 for rescuing Agent Hermann. We reward our people here." JC took the credit chit and pocketed it.

"Now," continued Manderley, "we have learned that the NSF is hiding the shipment in the warehouse district in Hell's Kitchen."

"Give me a gun and some ammo and I'll clear the place out," said JC.

"I'm sure you could," said Manderley, chuckling a little, "but your brother is leading up the recovery team. You'll be working with Agent Navarra. Return here after you've been checked up by Jaime and recieved your equipment from Carter."

JC left Manderley's office, then made his way to the break room for a quick soda. Inside, he saw Gunther talking to a female mech. She had black hair, pale skin, and more mechanical parts than Gunther.

"Are you sure you pressed the right button?" she said.

"I wanted orange," said Gunther. "It gave me lemon-lime."

"The machine would not make a mistake."

"It's the janitor. He knows I like orange!"

"So the staff has a conspiracy against you?"

"Yes! They just want to annoy me!"

The woman mech turned to JC. "Ah, my new partner, JC Denton. Please don't tell me you're wearing dark glasses on a night mission."

"My vision is augmented," said JC.

"Better to look good than to have distractions like another agent that needs backup," said Gunther, still eyeing JC with great dislike.

"I'm prepared to fulfill my duties," said JC, completely unfazed by Gunther.

"I do not expect you to perform as well as Agent Hermann," said Navarra, "but it takes more to defeat the NSF than wearing coats that make us look bigger than we really are."

"No problem," said JC. He then left the break room, sans a soda, and went to the third level medical lab. Sitting on a stool, just by the entrance, was a hispanic man, with a small mustache and wrinkled face.

"Hey, JC," he said. It was Jaime Reyes, all right, JC's old doctor from the academy days.

"They actually let you operate on people?" asked JC.

"Just fixed Gunther's knee, in fact," said Jaime. "A stick actuator. So far I feel more like a mechanic than a doctor. They actually let you point a gun at people?"

"We can catch up later," said JC. "Can you send Manderley what he wants?"

"Right away," said Jaime. "Now, about your augmentations. You do know they're going to roll out the program worldwide, right?"

"As long as I don't turn green and grow a pair of attenas, as I understand it," said JC.

"Yeah, well, the design's pretty modular, which means you'll soon be able to install upgrades from 'augmentation canisters', like that one you have sticking out of your pocket," he said. "You can use the medical bot to install it. Some canisters upgrade specific systems, while others require you to make important and permanant decisions."

"Thank you," said JC. He then entered another room of the medical lab, where a small medical bot was moving around. He approached it and inserted the augmentation canister. On a small screen, he saw two choices: Microfibrial Muscles and Combat Strength.

(Decision time)
-Microfibrial Muscles
-Combat Strength

***

Here's how the augs work. JC is allowed one aug from these choices. He cannot make the decision again after he's done so. Each aug does the following:

*Microfibrial Muscles increases JC's muscle strength, allowing him to lift heavier objects, carry them quicker, and throw then farther.
*Combat Strength increases JC's close-combat ability, allowing him to take targets out much more quickly, and thus saving vital ammo.

Now CHOOSE!

[Videospirit]

Micro muscles all the way. And um is there a relation between JC Denton and PC Glenton?

[PC Glenton]

I only based my name on JC Denton... there is no other relation.

[Fou-Lu]

I'll go with Microfibrial Muscles.