iStory:The Private/chapter 301 alternatives

This page notes the different possible versions of chapter 1 of The Private.

All cases (I)

Rachel Mills visits the the remnants of Pinehearst Headquarters, which is in ruins due to the explosion that happened there and then leaves the area in a cab. Some time later, she is in an office, interviewing for a civilian job. The interviewer asks her from behind a desk about her time as a U.S. Marine, and why he should even consider employing someone who screwed up their career so badly. Rachel then begins explaining what happened on her last tour of duty in Iraq.

While stationed in Iraq the previous summer, the then Corporal Mills arrives by Humvee to a makeshift outpost that serves as a checkpoint in the town of Ghanaf, Iraq. Rachel's commanding officer, Barton, orders her to search a woman in a stopped car on a blazing, busy street. Rachel hears something beep and recalls how her grandfather used to tell her she had great hearing skills, and that they would save her life one day. Rachel approaches the car and hears someone walking away from the scene. By the time she gets there, the person is gone, and Rachel finds a piece of a local newspaper with a strand of digits written on it:

XOO OOXO / XXX XO OXOXOX / XOXO XXX XX O / XXO O X / OOOO O OXO OXOXOX

Suddenly, Rachel hears a bang and goes back to the checkpoint, where Barton and the other Marines have been ambushed and subdued. Thick smoke is hissing out of canisters on the pavement. Rachel hears a shooting start, and makes out the sound of both sides' gunshots. She also sees a group of shooters wearing full-body hazard suits and heading her way. Rachel runs into an alley, pursued, and turns around to face her pursuer, who turns out to be Ammar, the Marines' Iraqi translator. Rachel takes him deeper into the alley before the enemy fighters capture him and kill him as a traitor. She advises him that they need to escape the area, and to run and not look back. Rachel then takes off running and must choose whether to go in an apartment building or head down a side street.

Options

Option	Summary
Option 1 (optimal case): head into an apartment building, then up to the roof Option 2 (basement case): head into an apartment building, then hide in the basement	click "show" to view summary Choosing to run into an apartment building, Rachel runs into a narrow hallway and her belt catches on something, and a pile of rotting cardboard boxes sprawls across the floor. Ammar asks where they are going, and Rachel explains that they need to search for a phone or radio. But then, they hear some men shouting back the way they came and Rachel suggests they head up to the roof. However, Ammar says that's risky and suggests instead that they hide in the basement. Rachel needs to choose which to do. Option 1 Option 2 Choosing to head to the roof, Rachel finds stairs at the end of the hallway and pounds up them, Ammar following close behind. People look out at them briefly through doorways as they pass by. Upon reaching the roof, Rachel can see the town of Ghanaf stretched around them, bigger than she had imagined. She sees that the smoke and clutter stretch out to the horizon, but doesn't hear helicopters yet. The gunfire has stopped and the checkpoint and ambushers cannot be seen. Ammar tells Rachel that he is worried the people will tell the militia where they are, but Rachel notes she is much less worried about the militia, which she can shoot at, than the gas that disabled her friends at street level. Ammar then asks what do they do now, and Rachel says they need to wait and hope for the best. Choosing to head to the basement, Ammar and Rachel quickly get underground and hunch down in the damp, smelly dark for a couple minutes. It appears to Rachel that there may have been a lot of something made of paper or cloth in there once, but it had decayed into spongy mounds of trash and rat droppings over the years. Overhead, they could hear boots walking back and forth, and Ammar notes that they seem very determined. Rachel replies that something does seem off and turns on a flashlight she is carrying.
Option 3 (side street case): head down a side street	click "show" to view summary Choosing to run down a side street, Rachel hears radios and running feet, and thinks they are still being pursued. With Ammar tiring from all the running, Rachel spots a passing man's car and gets the opportunity to steal it, or push Ammar into a side alley. In this case, Rachel needs to duck into the alley directly to gain more information. (Note: Rachel can't steal the car if she tries, as Ammar ducks into the alley himself if she does try to steal it, forcing her to abandon it and join him in the alley behind a dumpster). If Rachel ducks into the side alley directly, she is able to spot two of the men in hazard suits pass by. One starts to tug off his gas mask, but the other gives him an order and the first man pulls it back on. However, before he does so, Rachel sees that the man isn't Middle Eastern. Rachel also notes to herself that the order sounded very much like English.

All cases (II)

Rachel then takes out the piece of paper from before. She tells Ammar about it and mentions the erratic beeping sound she heard before finding it and that she suspects the two things are connected. Ammar tells her that they should be worried about surviving, and Rachel tells him that she has a hunch and to let her study the digits. After looking at the paper again, she says she thinks she knows what it means.

The player is then given the following choice to vote to affect what happens in the next chapter:

Select the option with the first six letters of the decoded message. Vote carefully: your choice affects what happens in the next chapter. Discuss your choice at the 9th Wonders "Friend or Foe" forum. Poll ends and story continues on Friday, 1/16/09. What do you think the note means? DFONCO GOTOFI

Notes

• Option 1 is the optimal case since being on the roof is advantageous for multiple reasons: First, Rachel will know when someone is approaching and can defend herself; second, she will not be as vulnerable to whatever gas is being used; and third, if airborne help arrives, she will be able to signal to it and get rescued. Option 3 allows Rachel to gain additional information about her attackers, but it also leaves Rachel and Ammar vulnerable to being gased if they are found.

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