Suddenly, you find yourself walking down a residential city street.
Everything around you seems as if it has been preserved in resin from the night’s frost. Ahead of you there’s a manhole, and you happen to be carrying a tool that can open it. This place is familiar somehow, you recognize the street-names. There is a bus to the city that stops at the intersection around the corner.
What do you do?
The tool moves the manhole cover easily.
The streetlight above you reveals a ladder leading down into the void below. You step on to the first footholds and begin your descent. When you get to the bottom an empty space opens up below your feet, you are not sure how far you will fall. Taking a leap of faith you drop only a few feet to the concrete floor of a tunnel. Light from a cavern ahead illuminates the way forward.
You have only one option.
Enter the cavern.
You set the tool on the ground.
You walk to the end of the block, then make a right-turn and continue briskly to the bus-stop. A quarrel of sparrows chirp up a storm in a nearby bush. Moments later the bus appears buzzing its way up the hill. It comes to a halt in front of you and the doors open. There is no driver. It is automated. A sign indicates there is no fare.
You have one option.
Step on to the bus.
The bus drives a while.
You are the only passenger. An LED sign repeats the same message, “Non-stop transit to the city.” You sit patiently, watching the scenery pass as the bus continues a long way down a winding road. The sunrise fills the sky with colorful light as you leave behind the trees of the residential boulevards for the pavement and towering buildings of downtown. You are so transfixed that before you realize it, the bus comes to a stop and the doors open.
You have only one option.
Step off the bus.
You stand beneath the skyscrapers.
There is a flurry of activity in every direction. Two revolving doors spin continuously as a current of people stream in and out of the lobby of the building closest to you. A sign next to the doors reads: “The Bourgeois Punk’s Grand Celebration. Level 2.” As you take in the rest of your surroundings you also notice an alley-way leading to a back entrance.
What do you do?
The alley comes abruptly to a dead end.
The ground is covered in ice and snow. Pigeons coo softly on a perch above a yellow door. There is a security camera pointed directly at you, but you have already come this far. This seems unnecessarily risky. You begin to have second thoughts. A panic rises in your breath as you turn around and see a security guard walking your way.
What do you do?
The door slams shut with a loud thud.
Torch sconces illuminate a tunnel that slopes down in front of you. The walls are made of brick and the ceiling curves to an arch above you. The way forward bends so that you cannot see where it leads.
You have only one option.
Continue down the tunnel.
Uǹ̸̮c̶̠̅eṙ̵̦t̴̠͊aiņ̶̀t̸̗͠y̴̯̌ d̶͎͌et̴̩̉ec̵̝͑t̵̙͘ed̶̡̆. S̶̢̚t̷͓̏at̷͇͐e y̵̲͐our̶̳̉ in̸̬͗ẗ̶̗en̶͓͑t̴͉͋ion̷̨͑.
Struggling to breathe, you try to think of a way to respond. There is something strange about the guard, something familiar. “I was just looking for the entrance, got a bit turned around,” you say unconvincingly.
Id̵͈͛en̷̠̒t̵̡͂ify̷͚̋ ỳ̵̘our̴̗̂s̶̞̀el̵͇̃f̶̠̔.
Thinking quickly you analyze your options. There’s still time to make a break for the door, or you could shove the guard aside and tempt fate.
What do you do?
The lobby of the building is stark.
The ceiling rises over two stories. The smell of coffee drafts into the atrium from the second-floor coffee shop. A cool breeze flows in with the people spinning the revolving doors. By the elevators you see a sign that reads: “Artists of the World Unite! Level 2!”
What do you do?
Level Zero
Level One
Level Two
Level Three
Level Four
Level Five
Roof Access
The elevator opens to a dark empty hallway.
Multi-colored light is projected on to a vinyl curtain several steps ahead. You can already feel the steady rhythm of the subwoofers vibrating through the floor. Although the hallway is relatively quiet, you get the sense that a big party is happening on the other side and people are having a good time.
You have two options:
The room is walled by thick black curtains.
You make your way to the bar where an automaton stands awaiting orders. There are two options: water or wine. As it fills your cup, the machine explains that the passage on the left leads to the dance party, while the opening on the right leads to the Artist’s gallery. Taking your cup in hand, you smile and decide what to do.
You have three options:
Back to the elevator.
The robot pours you a drink.
The dark room hums with the chatter of laughter and banter. You remember what the robot told you earlier. On the left is the dance floor, and on the right is the Artist’s gallery.
You have three options:
Back to the elevator.
The DJ is playing your favorite song.
Tingles run up your spine as you make your way into the crowd. The wood panel walls, carpeted floor, and dropped ceiling dampen the sound from the speakers. This gives the room a warm and upbeat vibe. In fact, the volume is at the perfect level and there is plenty of space for everyone to dance. You cannot help but rock your shoulders to the beat and get in the groove. Near the back of the room there’s a door with a sign that reads “Stairwell: Roof Access.” You close your eyes and dance for a few songs, letting the vibrations wash over you until a sense of ease and calm fills your body. After a while you realize your cup is empty.
You have two options:
You enter a massive, brightly lit cuboid room.
The walls, floor, and ceiling are painted white. A metal filing cabinet is positioned at the center. Your footfalls echo all around as you step towards the only object in the room. The drawers appear to contain various stories and poetry, with dates going back to the 2000s. It becomes clear that this room is just a figment of your mind created by words on the same web-page as the blue sky at dawn, and the street lamp; from where you started all the way to your journey here. You then understand that this filing cabinet symbolizes the Artist’s portfolio and that viewing it will require visiting a different web-page on thebourgeoispunk.net.
You have two options:
The doors open to a carpeted hallway.
Artificial lights leave no hint to the time of day. The sound of the elevators humming up and down is all you can hear, everything else is still. At one end of the hallway, past the door to the stairwell, are a pair of frosted glass doors. On a wall nearby there is a standard door buzzer with a single button. A sign reads: “Press button for service.” Following the hallway to the left leads in a circle back to the elevators.
You have two options:
Back to the elevator.
The doors unlock and you step inside.
A handsome administrative assistant stands up and comes around the front desk greet you. Their voice is in a different font and alignment.
Greetings, User 535715291018!
“Welcome to Level Five. I am an automated information screen. It’s a pleasure to meet you! This office houses the main headquarters for Memory Radio, an online choose-your-own-adventure text-based game and podcast series! Perhaps I can answer some of your questions? Otherwise, please take a seat and a member of our staff will be with you shortly.
What is a blue sky at dawn, a street lamp?
This imaginary ever-changing city is the framework behind thebourgeoispunk.net. It unites what is at the heart of all the Artist’s disparate creative visions, a value for exploration. It is also a dynamic HTML web-page but we prefer just to call them Online Stories. The red hyperlinks of the city lead in all kinds of criss-crossing directions, the only ending is when you choose to leave.
Can I see a map of this place?
By all means, have a look. Note that The Forest has only been surveyed from this tower and for now remains unexplored. The Void leads to an alternate universe that is the primary subject of investigation here at Memory Radio HQ.
What is Memory Radio?
The term “Memory Radio” refers to the name of a radio station that can be heard in the first transmission we received from another dimension in space-time. If you take the elevator or stairwell to the roof, you’ll find a computer attached to our satellites. Memory Radio is the primary active project on thebourgeoispunk.net. Thanks to this skyscraper’s exclusive access to the underground tunnel network our team is ideally situated here on Level Five to unravel these mysterious artifacts. Please have a seat and a member of our staff can give you a tour to explain in more detail.
What is The Void?
The Void is an ongoing subject of inquiry for our staff, please have a seat and someone will be with your shortly.
You have two options:
The stairs only lead up.
The door locks behind you. Pipes of varying diameters span the width of the stairwell. With only one way to go, you ascend the steps. Your footfalls echo across the white concrete walls until you reach a ladder leading to a sliding hatch. An arrow pointing up and the words “Roof Access” are painted nearby. The hatch is spring-loaded to lock closed after you climb through.
Only one option remains:
Climb through.
The roof offers a fine view.
From this height, you feel as giant as the other massive buildings of downtown. Red lights pulse continuously atop a tall receiving tower that spikes out of the roof. A blue wire crawls down the struts and into a radio siting on a metal desk. A bell rings and the doors of the elevator open. Out of them walks a half-human, half-bird creature. It sees you immediately and gazes deep into your eyes as it speaks.
All of this is an illusion.
The human aspect of the bird is not clearly gendered, but it has long flowing hair, muscular arms, and large powerful wings. It also has the legs and taloned feet of a hawk and so walks awkwardly over the sheet metal walkway.
You knew it the moment you saw the blue sky at dawn and the streetlamp.
Then you hear the radio buzzing static, it’s been on this whole time, is that music? The creature looks at the radio, flips the switch off, and looks back at you. It tries to hide a smirk, and then nods.
Of course if you want to explore deeper into thebourgeoispunk.net, I can’t stop you.
Without another word, the bird creature takes to flight and leaves you alone on the roof.
Two options remain:
You arrive in a large cavern.
Sunlight filters into the space through a giant grate some 30 feet above your head. Wet matted leaves form a carpet at your feet. On one side of the room, white candles light a path into a concrete tunnel. On the other side of the room, red candles indicate a second path into a sandstone tunnel.
You have two options:
You walk for what seems like eternity.
The path ends at the open doorway of an elevator. Bad muzak pours out and drifts into the dark underground corridor. Next to the elevator, more flickering candles light up a sign that reads:
The Bourgeois Punk . NET
Grand Celebration
– Level 2 –
Everyone Welcome!
You have two options:
The elevator doors open to a dark tunnel.
You step on to the sandy ground and assess your surroundings. Next to the elevator a sign reads:
The Bourgeois Punk . NET
Grand Celebration
– Level 2 –
Everyone Welcome!
Directly ahead, red pillar candles light a path into a sandstone tunnel.
You have two options:
The candles light your way.
After a short distance, the concrete tunnel ends and you step on to sandy ground. The line of candles continues a few steps further terminating with a large ring of little flames flickering dimly in a vast darkness. At the center of the circle you notice a large flashlight. Looking closer, you find a blank business card with the words “Memory Radio HQ – Level Five” written in black marker. You pause for a moment to consider.
You have two options:
You flip the switch.
A 1000 lumen beam of light illuminates the sand at your feet, but the way forward remains dark. Turning around, you see the concrete tunnel, a hole in a wall that continues left, up, and right farther than the light can shine. The room must be massive. Returning your attention to the void beyond the candles, you step carefully into the unknown.
Once you have walked a while, the rays of light reach a peculiar threshold. You reach out to touch the barrier, but your hand passes through as though nothing is there. You pull your hand back, then reach your whole arm through. The air on the other side is cold, when you pull your arm back there are snowflakes melting on your sleeve. A voice enters your mind.
On the other side of this portal
is a self that is not myself,
a world that is not this world.
Remember, there is no danger.
You have two options:
You return to the circle of candles.
Before heading back to the concrete tunnel, you place the flashlight back where you found it. The blank business card with the words “Memory Radio HQ – Level Four” written in black marker still sits there in the sand.
You have one option:
Continue to the cavern.
When your arm makes contact with the guard…
…you die instantly. The end. What were you trying to accomplish anyway?