Deus Ex: The Interactive Fanfic

The Core Media Forum
1

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.

2

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

3

Okay, we can classify this as a failed experiment.

4

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.

5

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

6

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.

7

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.

8

“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

9

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

10

Roof Roof Roof.

11

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?

12

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.”

13

-“Answer my questions, and I’ll turn you over as a prisoner rather than a corpse.”

14

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

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

15

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.

16

second option.

17

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?

18

I’m feeling blood-thirsty, kill him:mwahaha:

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

19

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

20

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