WES: And I’ve got a plan for it. I’ll explain…
[ Have 1 Slacker Hangout | None | 1190xp, 6000c ]
Everyone crowds around Wes.
WES: Okay, everyone. Listen up. I know the grading system at Hearst High is corrupt, but I don’t have enough information to pinpoint the details. Sakura’s obsessed with competition, and my sources confirm that she’s been tracking the grades of everyone at Hearst. If anyone has the data we need, it’ll be her.
ADDISON: So we find her and recruit her, right?
WES: Exactly.
JULIAN: Then let’s hurry up and recruit her! Hearst High’s been messing with us long enough. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to put a stop to it… before they try to shut down our school again!
WES: There’s just one problem… Hearst High is on lockdown. Only students with Hearst IDs are allowed to set foot on campus. But there’s still one way to reach Sakura. She always joins a multiplayer online game at lunch. If we get in the game, we can talk to her. Nishan, you know what I’m talking about…
NISHAN: You’re talking about B.A.N.G., right?
ADDISON: B.A.N.G.?
NISHAN: Battle Arena: Next Generation. It’s a sci-fi shooter with a King-of-the-Hill competition.
MIA: Huh?
NISHAN: The players are dropped onto a map. At the center is an abandoned alien cyborg hive on top of a mountain. The goal is to capture the hive and defend it from the other players.
MIA: Ewww! Why would I want to capture some gross alien hive? Is this like what poor people do when they don’t have enough horses to play polo?
NISHAN: Close enough. Anyway, whoever has control of the hive when the clock runs out wins!
JULIAN: I’m in. I’ve played Call of Duty and Battlefield. They’re kinda similar to that game, right?
ADDISON: I’ll help. And I’m sure we can count on Nishan.
NISHAN: Um…
ADDISON: Nishan?
NISHAN: I don’t… I don’t think this is a good idea.
ADDISON: Why not? It sounds like a solid plan…
NISHAN: Yeah? Well, you don’t know Sakura.
ADDISON: What’s that supposed to mean?
NISHAN: I… oh, forget it.
ADDISON: So, what do we need to pull off this plan?
NISHAN: It’s going to take a pretty spectacular setup. That game requires top-of-the-line hardware to even get past the loading screen!
WES: So we’re going to need a lot of processing power. Addison, think we can get something set up?
[ Have 2 Upgraded Nerd Hangouts, Have 3 Nerds at Level 5+ | None | 1190xp ]
You, Wes, Julian, and Nishan gather at one of the Nerd Hangouts…
WES: Okay, everyone. Like Nishan said, this is a King-of-the-Mountain style game… an all-out war to get to the top of the alien cyborg hive and stay there. Sakura is a pro, so she’ll make her way to the top fast.
ADDISON: Nishan, you’re our expert here.
NISHAN: Me? No… I’m no expert on this game. I haven’t played since… well, not in a long time.
WES: That’s still more than the rest of us. And besides, we’ve got one big advantage. We’re going to be working as a team. Everyone else in this game is only looking out for themselves.
JULIAN: Let’s do this!
WES: Right. Just remember to stick close and work together!
You log into the game, and the alien home world materializes around your in-game avatar. Lightning splits the purple sky. Twin moons are high above you, illuminating the map. In the game, you spot your avatar wearing a suit of black, battle-scarred armor. A huge plasma blaster is in your hands.
ADDISON: Whoa… this game is… Ridiculous. I can’t believe people really play this game.
JULIAN: It IS weirder than I was expecting… I mean, do you see those cyborg arms coming out of the hive?
NISHAN: They’re beckoning us to our doom, as per the cyborg queen’s parting instructions to the horde when she was destroyed… er, or so the legends say.
WES: A horde of mindless drones obeying your blood-thirsty plans for revenge… there’s something intriguing there.
ADDISON: Uh… so about finding Sakura?
WES: Right, right. Okay, everyone. Stay alert… Sakura’s got to be at the top of the mountain already… see how fast players are getting wiped out and respawning on the map?
Wes points to a tiny map at the base of their display. On it, blue lights flicker, disappearing and then reappearing farther away from the mountain.
WES: When we find her, we’re only going to have one chance to make our case before she tries to destroy us. She’s not exactly going to believe that we’re only there to talk. Nishan, you’re friends with her, so that means you’ll be our guy. We get you close enough, and you convince her to join us.
NISHAN: I’m not… I… I can’t…
ADDISON: What? Are you okay?
NISHAN: I can’t do this!
In real life, Nishan bolts from the room! In the game, Nishan’s character drops his plasma rifle and stands idle!
ADDISON: That… was unusual…
JULIAN: Deserting your friends on the field of battle? Jerk move.
WES: Well, this just got more difficult.
Julian picks up Nishan’s blaster.
JULIAN: Don’t worry. We’re still in this.
Suddenly, a plasma blast hits the rock behind you!
WES: Another player just found us! We’re under attack!
ADDISON: Uh! Um! Er!
You freeze, and the enemy player hits you with a bolt of plasma! Your character disappears in a flash of blue light!
ADDISON: Aw… what happened?
WES: You’ve just been vaporized.
JULIAN: Look, I know not everyone is good under pressure, but if you freeze up every time things get rough, we’re never going to make it to Sakura.
WES: Julian, get Addison’s avatar back in the game, and get some backup. Things are only going to get tougher from here. I’ve got an idea. I’ll be back.
In the game, Wes’s avatar sprints off.
JULIAN: Well, that was weird and not surprising. Wes always has an agenda.
ADDISON: So what now?
JULIAN: Like Wes said, I guess we get some more people to join the game. We’re going to need gamers. Lots of gamers.
[ Have 2 Gamers at Level 7+ | None | 1190xp ]
The two gamers join the round of B.A.N.G., materializing inside the game next to you and Julian.
JULIAN: Okay, we’ve got our new recruits taking point and guarding our right flank. Between the two of them, we should at least be able to make it up the mountain to the base of the hive.
You, Julian, and the gamers fight your way past other players until you finally reach the entrance to the hive. You go through narrow pathways, lit by eerie, flickering lights.
JULIAN: This is it. According to this blinking map thing, the next room is the inner sanctum of the hive. That’s where Sakura will be.
As you round the corner, you nearly run into Wes!
WES: There you are. I’ve been waiting.
JULIAN: Yeah? Well, you could’ve come and helped us!
WES: I was busy. I made some ‘arrangements’.
ADDISON: What’s that mean?
WES: I had a little talk with some of the other players in the game. Turns out, it’s in their best interest to leave us alone while we face Sakura.
ADDISON: How did you swing that?
WES: I promised each player on the server that I would take out Sakura and then give up the mountain to them. It’s going to be total chaos when we log out, but, hey, not our problem, right?
JULIAN: That’s the most Wes sentence I’ve ever heard…
WES: The point is, they’ll stay out of our way. We just need a plan for how we’re going to get inside the inner sanctum of the hive to speak with Sakura.
[ Addison, Wes, A Gamer (Kennedy) | 8h | 7000c, 1190xp ]
WES: I spotted Sakura just up ahead. She’s taking out everyone around her even faster than I anticipated. We’re going to have to buy ourselves some talking time, or else we’ll be vaporized before we even have a chance to finish a sentence.
KENNEDY: I’ve got an idea. Everyone, listen up. Wes and I will come around the side and hide. Addison and Julian, go straight for a frontal assault. When you’ve got her damaged, we’ll hit her with one of these.
Kennedy holds up a handful of tiny capsules.
KENNEDY: These will trap her in place with a jelly-like glob of goop. But they take a few seconds to activate, so you have to make sure she’s distracted AND that she’s taken some damage. She’ll need to heal, and that will buy us time.
ADDISON: Roger.
KENNEDY: When it’s time, give us the signal. Scream out ‘Fight or die’! Got it?
ADDISON: Fight or die. Got it.
WES: Okay, everyone. Get into position!
You and Julian round the corner and see Sakura! She snaps around, spotting you immediately!
SAKURA: Oh, how adorable. You actually thought you could surprise me.
Sakura aims her plasma blaster straight at you!
ADDISON: Ahhh!
The blast hits your shoulder armor, vaporizing your arm!
ADDISON: Owww!
SAKURA: That’s the best you can do? One more hit, and you’re space dust.
JULIAN: Now’s our chance!
Julian takes aim at Sakura, and you raise your plasma blaster and… You freeze! Sakura shoots the plasma blaster out of your hand! Then she rolls to the side and swings her blaster up and level with Julian.
SAKURA: Game over.
Sakura fires two quick blasts, and Julian disappears in a burst of vapor!
ADDISON: Help!
Wes and Kennedy jump out of their hiding place! There is a brief skirmish as Sakura takes out Kennedy and hits Wes in the leg. When the battle ends, you and Wes are incapacitated on the ground. Sakura steps closer… Sakura crosses her arms in front of her chest and glares at you and Wes.
SAKURA: Your team is a disaster, but I’ve never seen anyone even TRY to work together in this game. What’s your deal?
WES: We just want to talk to you.
SAKURA: It takes a certain kind of stupid to walk into this game unprepared and hopelessly outmatched just to get the chance to talk to me.
WES: Lady, I’ve been called a lot of things, but never stupid.
SAKURA: All right. I’m curious. What do you want?
WES: I know you’ve been tracking the grades of everyone at Hearst High.
SAKURA: Whoa, buddy. This server isn’t secure. You want to talk about Hearst High, do it IRL.
ADDISON: Will you come to our school?
SAKURA: Sorry, n00bz. I always spend the night after a big win celebrating.
ADDISON: Come celebrate with us.
Sakura sizes you and Wes up.
SAKURA: Default avatars? No offense, but I don’t think we party the same way. I’m not into spin the bottle and dancing on tables.
ADDISON: We’ve got gamers at our school. We can throw the ultimate gamer party.
SAKURA: Yeah? Well, maybe I’ll drop by and check it out. But no promises. I actually want to have fun when I celebrate a win. Speaking of which, time to end this. Later, guys.
Sakura blasts Wes and then you. The text flashes on the screen… GAME OVER. Back in the real world, you turn away from the computer to the gamers.
ADDISON: So. I guess we’re throwing a party?
[ Complete a Party with a Gamer and a Gamer | None | 1190xp ]
SAKURA: A LAN setup… board games… and a pre-release next-gen console? Not a bad party, actually. At least you guys aren’t sore losers. But you didn’t invite me here just to have fun. You said you wanted to talk about Hearst?
WES: I know you’ve been tracking the grades of everyone at Hearst High.
SAKURA: Yeah? So what?
WES: I get it. You wanted to figure out the system of Hearst High… how to ‘play the game’. You picked out the consistent high scorers. You made sure you were always partnered with the people who got A’s.
SAKURA: There’s nothing wrong with that.
WES: Not at all. What I’m interested in is your data. You might not have realized it, but when you were tracking everyone’s grades, you were also tracking the corruption at Hearst High.
SAKURA: Oh, please. You want to go play ‘Cloak & Dagger’, go somewhere else. Like you said, I’ve got this game all figured out. Why would I help you bring down the system?
ADDISON: For justice?
SAKURA: Morality’s all relative.
JULIAN: What about for Nishan? He wants us to take down Hearst. Don’t you want to help him? He’s your friend, right?
SAKURA: My friend? I don’t have any friends.
Sakura turns and leaves.
WES: Well, THAT was unexpected. Seems like it’s time we have a talk with our favorite nerd.
JULIAN: Yeah. That girl was ten kinds of ready-to-kill-Nishan.
WES: Yeah… and I bet he knows why.
[ Addison, Wes, Nishan | 12h | 8000c, 1190xp ]
WES: Nishan, you sent us in with bad intel.
NISHAN: What?
WES: About Sakura. You should’ve warned us that mentioning your name was like walking into a minefield!
NISHAN: So she’s still mad, huh?
WES: Oh, she’s furious. Want to tell us WHY?
NISHAN: When I left Hearst High to come here… I didn’t exactly tell everyone that I was going. And by that I mean I didn’t tell Sakura.
ADDISON: But… weren’t you friends?
NISHAN: We are. Were. Kind of? You might have noticed that she’s not the easiest person to talk to. It wasn’t a conversation I was looking forward to, and I guess I just kept putting it off… And then suddenly she’d already found out from Kara, and that was the end of it! I tried to talk to her about it later, but she didn’t want to hear it!
WES: Well, this is your fault, and that means you’re going to figure out how to solve it, even if you have to use every neuron in that huge brain of yours.
NISHAN: Believe me, you don’t want to send me in to talk to Sakura. I’m the last person she’d want to see. She’s made it pretty clear that she’s through with me.
WES: So what do we do? Sakura said she had a good thing going at Hearst High. She’s not feeling very friendly towards you. We’ve got to come up with some other way to get through to her. How can we get on her good side?
NISHAN: Well… Sakura’s always had a hard time in art class.
WES: No group projects, so no way to play the system… makes sense.
NISHAN: Plus, you can’t really win at art. It either makes you feel something or it doesn’t. I don’t think she ever really got that part of it. Before I left Hearst, I think she mentioned that she was actually failing the class…
ADDISON: So we bring in an artist to help her and try to get on her good side?
NISHAN: That’s probably a good place to start.
ADDISON: Hey! Autumn. Can we get your help with something?
AUTUMN: Sure, Addison. What’s up?
ADDISON: We’re trying to recruit Sakura, and we think we’ve finally found something that she might need help with… art.
AUTUMN: Heh. That IS something I can help with. I’ll just have to find the right way to reach her inner artist. Oooh, we can set up a whole art studio! Clay, paint, marble, oils… we can even put together a still-life for her to contemplate! What do you think?
ADDISON: Sakura might not be the ‘contemplating’ type, but it’s worth a shot! I’ll see what I can do…
As you turn to leave, Payton and Mia run up to you!
MIA: Addison! Addison! We’re going to Fashion Week. Want to come with?
ADDISON: What’s Fashion Week?
MIA: You don’t know?! Fashion Week is the event where all the most famous fashion designers in the world show off their looks for the upcoming season! It’s one of the most exclusive events in Paris!
ADDISON: Whoa, Paris? Your dad’s just letting you fly over there by yourself?
MIA: My dad hasn’t really gotten over that entire betraying-Hearst-by-transferring thing yet. He doesn’t care what I do. Besides, I won’t be alone. Payton’s coming.
PAYTON: Oh yeah! I’m not missing out on the chance to see chic couture! I told my parents it was an educational trip. You know, to improve my French.
ADDISON: You’re taking Spanish…
PAYTON: Details, details. So are you coming? It’ll be totally posh!
MIA: You wouldn’t have to worry about where to stay. My cousin Brigette’s got her own apartment downtown, and there’s plenty of room for all of us. The only thing is… well, you’ll have to buy your own plane ticket. And if you want to sit with me and Payton, it’s got to be first class. Is that going to be a problem? You’re not that poor, are you?
ADDISON: Uh…
PAYTON: You have to come, Addison! Think about all the French stuff in Paris! French shoes, French fashion, French kissing… Paris will be SO much fun! What do you say?
[ Spend 160000 coins | None | 1190xp ]
AUTUMN: Oh, Addison! This is amazing! Oil paints, canvases, clay, fruit, flowers, fancy bowls… I was able to get everything I’ve ever wanted! Er, I mean, everything I need to help Sakura!
ADDISON: Good, because she’s on her way.
SAKURA: Okay, I’m here. Wes texted that you wanted to help me with my art problem. For the time being, we’ll just ignore HOW you found out about my artistic shortcomings… And focus on the fact that Wes promised to solve them for me, no questions asked.
ADDISON: Yep, we just like to help people here.
SAKURA: Great policy. Really giving the Boy Scouts a run for their badges. So, where do we start?
AUTUMN: Good question! I’ve set up a still-life with fruit and flowers over here…
SAKURA: Fruit. And flowers. Wow, I’m inspired already.
AUTUMN: You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you?
SAKURA: Look, I’m just saying that I think we can do a little better. Something with some more action to it.
AUTUMN: I… guess I could get someone to pose for us…
[ Addison, Autumn, An Artist (Avery) | 6h | 10000c, 1190xp ]
AVERY: So, you need some help from a model?
AUTUMN: Yep… just stand over here and pose for us.
Autumn helps Avery up to a platform at the center of the art room, and Avery strikes a pose!
AUTUMN: There, is that better?
SAKURA: It would be even better with a flaming sword, slick with the blood of fallen enemies…
AUTUMN: You’ll just… have to use your imagination on that one. But… that could actually be a good thing… imagination is a step in the right direction!
SAKURA: Sure…
AUTUMN: Now, let’s get to work! These paintings aren’t going to paint themselves!
SAKURA: Um… how long is this going to take? I’ve got a raid in twenty minutes…
AUTUMN: You can’t rush art! Your inner artist is like a delicate flower. You have to give that side of yourself time to unfurl…
SAKURA: Look, I’ve got places to go, epic battles to win, and n00bs to humiliate. You expect me to stand here all day and stare at this paint?
AUTUMN: Just give it a chance. I thought you didn’t want to fail your art class.
SAKURA: Well, I’m not about to wreck my GPA over all this paintbrush twirling, pencil-doodling nonsense, if that’s what you mean. Let’s do this.
AVERY: Um, how long do I have to hold this pose?
SAKURA: Until I’m done unfurling my delicate inner-artist flower!
Four canvases and a LOT of paint later… Sakura steps back from her finished paintings.
AUTUMN: Well, let’s see how you did…
SAKURA: ...um, are they terrible?
Autumn looks over each of the paintings…
AUTUMN: Is that Nishan being hurled into a flaming abyss?
SAKURA: What? No! That’s crazy. It’s just a random nerd guy.
AUTUMN: Right. A random nerd guy with a faux-hawk and distinctive t-shirt… and this painting is of that same nerd guy trapped in quicksand… and here we have him transforming into a slug. Well, I have to say you’re making progress. I think you’re really starting to get some honest emotion here. Now let’s see your final piece… Wow. Sakura, this is… deep.
ADDISON: Let me see.
You lean over and see an oil painting of a figure floating alone in a black hole, the darkness elegantly and richly portrayed in bold strokes.
AUTUMN: It’s vulnerable and expressive… Sakura… you nailed it.
SAKURA: Heh. This art stuff isn’t all that hard. Achievement unlocked. Well, thanks for the help, art girl.
AUTUMN: It’s Autumn.
SAKURA: Sure. See you around.
ADDISON: Wait… don’t you want to talk about joining our school?
SAKURA: Um, that was never part of the deal. You just said you wanted to help. You helped. I SAID thanks.
ADDISON: Well, we kind of thought that you might consider transferring and helping us out with the downfall of Hearst High…
SAKURA: Are you crazy? Like I said, I’ve got a good thing going there.
ADDISON: What about Nishan?
SAKURA: What ABOUT Nishan?
ADDISON: Er… don’t you want to go back to hanging out with him?
SAKURA: That spineless twerp left me in the middle of the school year with about a dozen half-done class projects, not to mention a long-term RPG quest that’s still cluttering up my quest log. Look, thanks for all the help. I’m out of here.
Sakura waves and heads off.
ADDISON: That… seemed like it could’ve gone better…
AUTUMN: Addison… this painting Sakura did… We’ve got to show Nishan. She’s clearly upset with him. I bet that’s the REAL reason she doesn’t want to transfer. If we could just get the two of them to talk…
[ Nishan | 16h | 1190xp, Sakura ]
ADDISON: Nishan… we’ve got something you need to see. This painting… Sakura made it.
NISHAN: Uh, was the prompt ‘depressing things that keep you awake at night’?
AUTUMN: The prompt was to paint her feelings… and obviously she’s feeling pretty depressed and alone right now.
NISHAN: I don’t get it. That’s not like Sakura at all. She doesn’t need anyone else. She’s a lone wolf, prowling the night.
AUTUMN: Are you sure about that? Because this painting seems to suggest otherwise. I think you should go find her. She needs to talk to someone.
NISHAN: Even if you’re right, I’m the last person she’d want to talk to. I tried to talk to her a couple days after I left Hearst, and she bit my head off. Literally. We were playing ‘Monsters and Mayhem: Eat or Be Eaten’.
AUTUMN: I get that she might put on a tough front, but she obviously feels SOMETHING about what happened between the two of you. Let’s just say some of her other paintings were a little more…
NISHAN: Amorous?
AUTUMN: Violent.
NISHAN: Right.
AUTUMN: Look, what I’m getting at is that you need to talk to her, okay? I think she’s still somewhere on our campus. Go find her. She needs you.
NISHAN: Hey… Sakura. So. I, uh, saw that painting you made. That’s, uh, some pretty bleak stuff…
SAKURA: Who said you could go pawing through my stuff?
NISHAN: Whoa! Autumn showed me. That’s all.
SAKURA: It was just a class project. It didn’t mean anything.
NISHAN: Really? You, alone in a black hole of doom? Kinda got the feeling that it meant SOMETHING… Autumn had this crazy idea that it had something to do with how I left Hearst…
SAKURA: Well, yeah, that was low, Nishan. You left without any warning! We were working on projects together in three different classes! We were supposed to do a science fair experiment together! You could have at least said something!
NISHAN: I know I messed up. I’m not exactly the best guy when it comes to touch-y, feel-y, good-bye-y stuff, okay? I didn’t want to go through all that. Not with you. And to be honest… I didn’t think you cared. I mean, you’re this crazy-cool renegade loner girl. You’re strong and independent and, like, totally in control of everything! I never thought that you’d… care… that I left. I didn’t think you needed me.
SAKURA: I don’t NEED you… but maybe I want you around.
NISHAN: You… do?
SAKURA: Hmph. Don’t let it go to your head.
Nishan reaches out to Sakura and gently squeezes her hand. She looks startled, but then gives him a quick smile.
SAKURA: Nishan…
NISHAN: Sakura… will you join our school? There’s nothing I want more.
SAKURA: Well. When you put it that way… I’ll do it. What’ve I got to lose? And about that data you need…
ADDISON: Yeah?
SAKURA: I’ll email it all over to Wes. He can start looking at it while I enroll.
[ Admit Sakura | None | 1190xp ]
ADDISON: Welcome to the school, Sakura.
SAKURA: You know, I actually might like it here. At least helping you take down Hearst will be fun. Rebel against the oppressive regime, liberate the people… I’m no do-gooder, but it IS fun fighting the evil empire. Especially if you win. Just like playing Resistance Rebels, am I right?
ADDISON: Probably?
WES: Hey, Addison.
Wes and Nishan come walking up to you.
ADDISON: Did you take a look at Sakura’s records? Did you figure out what you were looking for?
WES: Yeah… and the corruption’s even worse than I thought.
ADDISON: Really? How?
WES: I’ll go over everything with the team. There’s just one last snag… We’re going to need some supplies if we want to break into Hearst without getting caught. Nishan?
NISHAN: Just standard, totally routine things… walkie talkies, maps, masks… Infrared goggles, grappling hooks, tiny robot spiders with lazer-beam eyes…
ADDISON: That seems excessive… and unnecessarily creepy.
NISHAN: Look, do you want to caper this caper or not?
[ Spend 18000 coins | None | 1190xp ]
Wes calls the group together in one of the Nerd Hangouts…
WES: I took a look at the data that Sakura gave me… it’s even worse than we thought. You see this chart? This tracks donations from the wealthiest families at Hearst. And this tracks the grades of those students. Every time someone gets a low grade, suddenly there’s a big donation, and then just as suddenly the grade is changed.
AUTUMN: That’s terrible! They’re BUYING grades?
JULIAN: No big surprise there. The Hearst Coach benched me so the principal’s son could be the star. The faculty at Hearst have never played by the rules.
MIA: It WAS a little suspicious that we had a hot tub in the gym… I guess that money had to come from somewhere.
WES: And the worst part? It’s wrecking the curve for everyone else. After all the rich kids take up all the A’s, everyone else has to fight over B’s and C’s.
PAYTON: But… that’s so sad. It’s just… WRONG. Sakura, you KNEW about this?
SAKURA: Hey, I was just figuring out the top people to partner with. I didn’t exactly spend hours studying the results. I’ve got raids every afternoon, and I’ve been marathoning ‘The Last of Us’ in Survivor mode at night.
WES: Anyway, I’ve been studying the patterns here… There’s usually a one-day delay. Except in this case. Right here, on October 10th of last year… Mr. Georgette took three whole days to change the grade.
ADDISON: So what does that mean? Who’s this Mr. Georgette guy?
WES: He’s a history teacher at Hearst. Big on honesty and doing the right thing. My guess? The guy fought back. And if he did, that means there’s a chance there’s a record of his protest. Lucky for him, we’re just the people to take that information and bring it into the spotlight.
NISHAN: I can create a search algorithm that will comb through all of his emails and files. It’ll even retrieve any docs he’s deleted. If there’s any way to find and recover those records, we’ll get them.
WES: But like I said… we can only do this from inside Hearst High… it’s the only way to get access to their closed computer system. And you know what that means…
ADDISON: We’re going in.
* * *
[ Have 30 Classmates | None | 10000c, 595xp ]
ADDISON: So… how exactly do we get into Hearst High to prove their web of corruption? We can’t just stroll on in anymore, not without Hearst IDs…
MIA: Oh, you’ll need more than that. Max will not shut up about how incredibly tough their new security system is. In addition to student IDs, they’ve also got reinforced locks on all the doors and a crack team of security guards working around the clock!
NISHAN: They can afford that but didn’t have the budget for my physics club?
SAKURA: Well, you DID ask for a particle accelerator…
NISHAN: How else am I going to accelerate my particles?
WES: Team, focus. I’ve got a plan to get us into Hearst. To start, we’ll need to get some Hearst student IDs.
AUTUMN: I could probably put something together in Photoshop…
WES: That’s not gonna do it. These things have watermarks, holograms, and RFID chips. No faking them. We’ve got to borrow the real thing…
MIA: Oh! I know! Kara and her stupid team are at a cheer retreat this weekend. It’ll be the perfect place to swipe their IDs!
ADDISON: What? Why?
MIA: Duh! No pockets on cheerleader uniforms! They’ll have to leave their IDs in their bags when they run drills!
WES: I like it! We’ll just need some funds to buy admission to the retreat…
[ Spend 200000 coins | None | 595xp ]
ADDISON: That should cover it!
AUTUMN: Wow, cheer retreats are expensive…
MIA: Yeah…
WES: What’s wrong, Mia?
MIA: It’s just… I used to be on the Hearst cheer team, you know? Kara was the team captain… and a total bully. I don’t know if I can do this… if Kara catches me, she’ll kill me!
ADDISON: Remember, Mia, when you left Hearst, you stood up to Kara face-to-face. All you have to do now is sneak around her, no faces involved. I know you can do it!
WES: Besides, you won’t be going alone.
MIA: Really?
WES: A cheerleading team is more than one person, right?
[ Mia, A Level 7+ Girl Cheerleader, A Level 7+ Guy Cheerleader (Emery, Nat) | 8h | 11000c, 595xp ]
MIA: All right! Emery, Nat, and I are ready to go!
NAT: Woot woot! Cheer retreat!
EMERY: OMG! I’m so excited to go, I could flip! In fact, I’m GONNA flip!
ADDISON: Mia, did you forget to tell them that they’re not ACTUALLY going to participate in the cheer retreat?
MIA: I… may have omitted that fact, yes.
NAT: Wait, what?
WES: Sigh. Gather ‘round, Emery and Nat. I’ll fill you in.
A little while later, Mia, Emery, and Nat arrive at the cheer retreat.
MIA: All right, you two. We’ve got to move fast and sneaky. If Kara and her crew see us, we’re done.
She points across the large, padded floor. There, Kara is berating one of her cheerleaders…
KARA: You call that a hand spring?! That was sloppier than your makeup at Homecoming! No wonder Jerome cheated on you with that girl from Athena Academy! I bet she didn’t flop around like a beached whale!
NAT: Is it just me, or is Kara getting meaner?
For one moment, Mia looks frightened… Then she steels herself with a deep breath.
MIA: Naw. She was always that awful. And she always will be. Now look! Their bags are lying against the wall at the other end of the room.
EMERY: How are we supposed to get to them without being seen?
MIA: By moving with cat-like grace and finesse, weaving behind other people for cover! It’s the ultimate test of cheerleading!
NAT: Wouldn’t the ultimate test be a cheerleading competition?
Kara’s team starts to assemble into a pyramid…
MIA: Now’s our chance! Go!
The three cheerleaders move nimbly across the floor, making sure to stay hidden from Kara’s angry glare! They get right up to the bags, just as one of Kara’s cheerleaders hits the ground with a crash, distracting Kara…
MIA: Now!
Mia and her cheerleaders unzip the bags, grab the IDs, and run outside!
MIA: Wooo!
NAT: We did it!
EMERY: We rock!
They run over to Wes and hand him the IDs.
WES: I can’t believe it! You guys pulled it off! Great work in there!
ADDISON: You doing okay, Mia?
MIA: Better than ever. Seeing Kara in there, tearing into some poor girl, made me realize that she gets her power from people being afraid of her. Well, I’m not afraid of her. Not anymore.
ADDISON: Well, we’ve got the IDs. What’s next?
WES: We’ve got to mod them, of course, unless you were planning to get a makeover to look just like Kara…
ADDISON: So is this technically making fake IDs? Because I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that…
WES: It’s for a good cause, Addison. We’ll just use them once to get in and out of Hearst so we can find evidence of the corruption. After that, you can get rid of them however you want.
ADDISON: Right. So do you have, like, a guy who does this sort of thing for you? Or do you do it yourself?
WES: Actually… I was hoping you might know some folks who could help.
[ Have 2 Nerds, Have 2 Artists, Have 2 Slackers | None | 595xp ]
ADDISON: How are the IDs looking?
WES: Oh, these are some real beauties. Really, top-notch work. Your friends could be professional forgers. Actually, that gives me an idea…
ADDISON: Wes, you are NOT allowed to run a counterfeiting operation out of our school… and I can’t believe that’s something I had to say out loud.
WES: Aw, you’re no fun.
PAYTON: Hey, I’m loving this ID… but why does it still say ‘Cheerleader’ on it?
WES: All part of the plan.
ADDISON: Any chance you’ll share the plan with us?
WES: All in good time… all in good time.
ADDISON: We’ve got IDs. What next?
WES: This is where things get tricky. We’ll need a key that can open a classroom door at Hearst High.
ADDISON: And where are we going to get that?
WES: I happen to know Max has one on his keychain. His dad let him have it so he could work out in the gym after hours. He’s hanging out with some of his crew down at McGraw’s Grill. We just need an actor to go in as a waiter and get close to him…
[ A Level 7+ Guy Actor (Laurie) | 10h | 595xp ]
You and Laurie head down to McGraw’s Grill, a diner on the Hearst side of town.
ADDISON: You sure you can do this?
LAURIE: Play the role? I’ve played kings and killers, conquerors and kittens. I think I can handle being a diner waiter.
ADDISON: Sounds good! Wait, when did you play a kitten?
LAURIE: My kindergarten musical production, of course!
ADDISON: Oh, you guys put on Cats?
LAURIE: What? No! We put on The Great Catsby. I was magnificent.
WES: Well, what you need to do now is go in there, get close to Max, and then spill something on him.
LAURIE: The Clumsy Waiter! A classic trope!
WES: Right. Then, when you go to clean him up, nab his keys off his keychain.
LAURIE: I’ve got this.
Laurie walks over to Max’s table, where he’s laughing with a bunch of his friends…
LAURIE: Well, hi there, buddy! Can I take your order?
MAX: Uh, for starters, I am NOT your buddy. The name’s Max Warren, and I’m a pretty big deal. Go Hearst!
Max’s bros laugh and cheer, giving him high-fives and fist-bumps!
LAURIE: Oh. Well, what can I get you?
MAX: See, it’s funny. I thought that the nice thing about being a regular at a restaurant is that you don’t have to order. They just know what you want. So why don’t you go back there and tell Mr. McGraw you’re doing a terrible job serving his number one customer? See what he has to say about that.
LAURIE: Right. Wow. Okay. I’ll just… do that. But first, may I recommend the soup?
Laurie grabs a bowl of soup off the serving counter, spins around, and ‘accidentally’ dumps it all over Max!
MAX: Ahhhhhh! What is wrong with you?!
LAURIE: Oh my! I’m so clumsy! What a real butterfingers!
Max lunges up. Laurie bumps into him, fumbling for his keychain… But Max shoves past him before he can grab it!
MAX: Get out of my way, you clumsy loser!
Max storms off to the bathroom. A busboy stops him, trying to clean him off, but Max pushes the busboy out of the way.
LAURIE: Grr… I was so close!
Just then, the busboy turns around, takes off his hat… and grins.
WES: Oh, I think you did just fine.
Wes holds up his hand and waves, jangling Max’s stolen keychain!
WES: Rule number one… always have a backup plan.
Later, you and Wes regroup back on your campus…
ADDISON: Well, we’ve got the IDs, and we’ve got the key. What’s the plan from here?
WES: I’m almost ready to start the heist. I just need to get myself into the zone…
[ Level Wes | None | 12000c, 595xp ]
ADDISON: Ready?
WES: More ready than I’ve ever been.
Wes walks over to where Julian and Autumn are waiting on your school’s grassy lawn. Sakura and Nishan set aside their board game and join them. Mia and Payton put away their phones.
WES: We stand now on the brink of a great chasm. I’m not going to lie to you. What comes next is risky… dangerous… uncertain. If you join me and this heist goes wrong, you might get in trouble. Serious trouble. I can’t promise you’ll come out of this okay. But what I can promise is that if this heist goes right, if we take Hearst down, then everything changes. Since our school has existed, Hearst has been trying to destroy it. That’ll all end. No more pranks. No more sabotage. And for the students still there, the ones who can’t leave, no more being victims of corruption. So I ask you, right now, are you in?
AUTUMN: ...I’m in. No school should ever promote bullying.
NISHAN: I’m in too. Selling good grades to rich kids is just wrong.
JULIAN: Yeah, count me in. School should be about what you can do, not who you’re related to.
ADDISON: And I’m in. Because… Max and Kara suck.
PAYTON: They DO suck! I’m in too!
SAKURA: So am I!
MIA: Me too!
WES: That’s what I’m talking about! Now let’s do this!
ADDISON: So what exactly are we doing?
PAYTON: Yeah, we gathered all these pieces, but I still don’t actually understand why. It’s like doing puzzles with Grandma.
WES: Mr. Georgette, the history teacher at Hearst High, has proof of the corruption on his computer. To get it, we’ll need to break into three teams. The first is Team Eagle-Eye. That’s me and Mia. We’ll keep track of everything from my van.
MIA: Ugh, just promise me you’ll clean it first.
WES: ...the next group is Team Strikeforce. They’re going to physically break into Hearst High and get to the computer lab. Team Strikeforce is Nishan, Sakura, and Addison.
ADDISON: Oh boy.
WES: They’ll need a good distraction though. That’s where Team Pom-Poms comes in. That’ll be Payton, Autumn, and Julian.
JULIAN: Heh, Pom-Poms. Wait… WHAT?!
[ Payton, Autumn, Julian | 12h | 595xp ]
Wes and Mia sit in a van, surrounded by dozens of monitors showing live feeds from cameras all over Hearst High. Wes talks into a walkie-talkie…
WES: All right, it’s go-time. Team Pom-Poms, you’re up first. Your mission is to impersonate the Hearst cheerleading team and distract the security guards. Roll out!
Just outside the Hearst campus, Payton, Autumn, and Julian drive towards the gate…
JULIAN: I still don’t understand why I have to be on Team Pom-Poms…
PAYTON: Because one of the IDs is for a boy, and no one’s going to buy Nishan as a cheerleader!
JULIAN: Yeah, I guess, but this still seems weird. Are you down with this, Autumn?
AUTUMN: Oh, I think it’s kind of fun! We get to pretend that we’re all perky and cheerful and spirited! Besides, I bet you’ll look really cute waving those pom-poms around…
JULIAN: Not as cute as you’ll look in that cheerleader outfit…
PAYTON: And I’ll look cute too!
Julian and Autumn turn to stare at Payton.
PAYTON: … just trying to contribute.
Wes’s voice crackles over a walkie-talkie on the dash…
WES: Okay, Team Pom-Poms, you’re almost at the Interception Point. Get into character now!
The car with Autumn, Payton, and Julian drives up to the Hearst campus. A pair of security guards approaches. Payton rolls down the window…
PAYTON: Hi there, guys! We just got back from this cheer retreat, and we’re soooo tired! Could you help us with our bags? We’ve got, oh, three dozen…
The guards gruffly gesture for IDs. Payton flashes hers with a radiant, confident smile. The guard turns to Autumn…
AUTUMN: My ID? Of course! I’d love to show you my ID! I love showing all IDs! Give me an I, give me a D, what’s that spell? ID! Identification!
PAYTON: Scale it back, sweetie, you’re freaking ‘em out…
AUTUMN: I mean, um, here’s my ID, sir.
The guard checks it out, then turns to Julian.
JULIAN: Uh. Yeah. Okay. Here’s my ID.
The guard stares at Julian skeptically…
JULIAN: Sigh… Here’s my ID, sir! I sure am a cheerleader! I love yelling and flipping and, uh, more yelling! Woo woo, go Hearst High, let’s beat the team and make ‘em cry! We gotta win cuz we’re so great! The other team can’t get a date! What a bunch of stupid losers! They suck! Woo!
The guard considers this… then waves them on through! Payton and Autumn whisper intensely…
PAYTON: OMG! Julian, that was amazing!
AUTUMN: Are you going to try out for the cheerleading team? PLEASE try out for the cheerleading team!
JULIAN: If you guys tell a soul about this, you’re dead, you understand? DEAD!
Team Pom-Poms drives onto the Hearst campus with all the guards following them to help unload the bags. Mia and Wes watch from their van…
WES: Looks like the pigs have swallowed up the cheesecake.
MIA: Were you always this weird? I really feel like you weren’t always this weird.
WES: The guards are distracted! Team Strikeforce… get ready to move in!
[ Addison, Nishan, Sakura | 6h | 595xp ]
You, Nishan, and Sakura hide in the shadows at the edge of the Hearst campus…
NISHAN: Oh man. We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Actually going through with it. IRL. Not pretend. Fo’ realsies.
SAKURA: Nishan, stop saying synonyms and get ready to run!
Ahead of you, the guards all round the corner.
ADDISON: The guards are gone! Move, move, move!
You, Nishan, and Sakura take off, racing across the parking lot towards the Hearst classrooms!
ADDISON: Hfff, hfff, hfff…!
SAKURA: Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.
NISHAN: This… isn’t all that bad, actually… I’m running! I’m really running!
Just then, you see a puddle of water right in front of you!
ADDISON: Oh no!
You hit the puddle and wipe out, slipping and falling on your back!
ADDISON: Ow!
SAKURA: Keep running, Nishan! Leave the weak behind!
NISHAN: No!
Nishan doubles back and helps you up!
ADDISON: Thanks, Nishan…
NISHAN: Of course… I can’t abandon a friend!
SAKURA: So weak.
The three of you make it to the Hearst academic building just as the guards finish helping Team Pom-Poms unload! You quickly open the door and run in!
NISHAN: We made it!
SAKURA: Don’t count your points ‘til you’ve beat the level. We still need to get into Mr. Georgette’s classroom.
ADDISON: Right… anyone know where that is? Well? Any luck finding the classroom!
SAKURA: ‘Mr. Georgette, 10th grade history’! Here it is!
NISHAN: Nice work, Sakura! You know, you’ve got amazing eyes! I mean, not, like, amazing, beautiful eyes… I mean amazing like they’re, you know, exceptionally well-suited for scouting and sorting activities.
SAKURA: Oh. Right. Um. Thanks.
ADDISON: Uh, guys? Let’s stay on task.
NISHAN: Right!
Using Max’s key, the three of you unlock the door and rush inside! Back in Wes’s van, he and Mia keep watching the cameras…
WES: Yes! The weasels are in the hen house!
MIA: Yeah, okay, if you say so. Sidenote, are these two cameras supposed to be showing static? Because they’re showing static.
WES: What? No! That’s bad. That’s very bad! Those are the cameras I set up off-campus to keep track of the school’s perimeter! Now I can’t see if security’s going to come back! There’s probably something going on with the signal. Can you go call some people who know their way around cameras to get them back online?
[ Have 2 Filmmakers at Level 6+ | None | 595xp ]
MIA: Looks like the filmmakers are fixing the cameras and…
WES: Yes! We’re online!
MIA: The eagles are back in the sky!
WES: …
MIA: ...what? I can do animal metaphors too.
WES: Well, it looks like the security guards are still helping Team Pom-Poms with their bags, so we’re doing okay…
MIA: Huh… then what’s that movement? There, in the shadows?
WES: Is that…
Wes zooms in on the footage.
MIA: Oh no…
WES: We need to get in touch with Team Strikeforce… NOW!
[ Addison, Nishan, Sakura | 18h | 13000c, 5r ]
You, Nishan, and Sakura huddle up in Mr. Georgette’s classroom. Your walkie-talkie crackles with static…
NISHAN: Huh? It sounds like Wes is trying to say something, but I can’t make it out over the static…
ADDISON: Let’s just focus on getting the proof, okay? Nishan, can you log into the computer?
Nishan rushes over to the computer and boots it up. A password screen pops up…
NISHAN: Uh oh.
ADDISON: What’s ‘uh oh?’ I don’t like the sound of ‘uh oh’.
NISHAN: It looks like Hearst upgraded their security since I was here. It’s got three more layers of encryption.
SAKURA: Can you still hack it?
NISHAN: Yes… Give or take 8 hours.
ADDISON: We don’t have that kind of time! We have to get out of here before the security guards find us!
NISHAN: Well, it would help if I had a seed of some kind… a hint as to what Mr. Georgette’s password might be.
ADDISON: Quick! Look around and see if you can find anything that might help Nishan figure out what the password is!
SAKURA: A Hidden Object game, huh? I like it.
ADDISON: Okay… has anyone found any clues as to Mr. Georgette’s password?
SAKURA: I’ve got a teacher’s log… a framed photo of a supermodel… and a scrunched up piece of paper I found in the trashcan.
NISHAN: No pressure, guys, but we probably ought to hurry. We don’t have that much time left to guess Mr. Georgette’s password.
SAKURA: What do you want to do next?
You unfold the paper and read the message on it…
ADDISON: ‘Buy at store: Bread, milk, underwear (six pairs), foot ointment, romantic candles...’
SAKURA: I feel like I know WAY more about Mr. Georgette than I ever wanted to…
NISHAN: I’m somewhat curious about these romantic candles…
ADDISON: Let’s just try to focus, okay? Hmm, let’s see here… ‘Kara Sinclair… one of the worst students I’ve ever had. Constantly late, disrespectful, and distracted. Also, she called me ‘baldie’, which was downright hurtful.’
SAKURA: Ooo, ooo, find me!
ADDISON: ‘Sakura… bright but odd. Seems mostly focused on getting the best grades for the least work. Also, oddly fixated on the ‘killcount’ of every historical warrior.’
SAKURA: That’s important to know!
NISHAN: Maybe we should just focus on trying to find the password.
ADDISON: It’s a photo of a gorgeous woman in a slinky red dress… I wonder why Mr. Georgette has it.
You take the picture out of its frame and turn it over.
ADDISON: Look! There’s a message here! ‘To my loving, wonderful husband, thanks for such an amazing anniversary! Going back to the research lab where we first met was so romantic! Love, Krystal!’
SAKURA: Wow, Mr. Georgette did REALLY well for himself…
NISHAN: Mental note: consider becoming a history teacher.
You put the picture back in its frame and set it down.
NISHAN: You sure you’re ready?
ADDISON: Yes. I think it’s… Password.
SAKURA: You really think his password is ‘password’?
ADDISON: It’s the most common password?
Nishan tries typing that into his program…
NISHAN: Nope. That’s not it.
ADDISON: Well, I don’t know what else it could be…
SAKURA: How about ‘Krystal’? You know, his wife’s name?
ADDISON: That… would make a lot of sense.
Nishan tries ‘Krystal’...
NISHAN: Jackpot! It works! I’m in!
SAKURA: Yeah. That’s right. I’m still the best.
ADDISON: So you have access to the emails?
NISHAN: Oh yeah. And it’s even worse than we thought. I’ve got an email log between Mr. Georgette and Principal Warren… It looks like Kara blew off all her homework and got an F on every test, but Principal Warren demanded she be given a B+! When Mr. Georgette refused, Principal Warren threatened to fire him!
ADDISON: That sounds like all the evidence we need!
SAKURA: Mission accomplished!
NISHAN: Now let’s get out of--
Before he can finish his sentence, he’s cut off by a blast of noise from your walkie-talkie!
WES: Team Strikeforce! Get out of there NOW!
ADDISON: What? Why?
WES: The cops are surrounding the school! You guys must have tripped an alarm or something! I’m not talking school security, either. I’m talking city police!
Just then, sirens blare from outside, and red-and-blue lights shine through the windows!
NISHAN: Oh no. Oh no!
SAKURA: What do we do?
* * *
[ Have Mia, Have Wes | None | 14000c, 595xp ]
Mia and Wes sit in a surveillance van, watching through monitors as a group of police officers surround Hearst High!
MIA: What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?
WES: Stay calm, Princess. This is the kind of situation where I work best.
MIA: But… the cops have surrounded Hearst High! And Team Pom-Poms and Team Strikeforce are trapped on campus!
Mia runs frantically around the van, checking the monitors.
MIA: Team Pom-Poms is hiding in their car behind the school, dressed as cheerleaders. They can’t leave while the cops are outside. And Team Strikeforce is still in Mr. Georgette’s classroom!
Inside the Hearst classroom, you huddle up with Sakura and Nishan, talking on your walkie-talkie…
ADDISON: Wes? I hope you can hear me, because we need to get out of here!
WES: I’m on it!
MIA: Are they going to go to jail? I’ve heard really terrible things happen in there, like they don’t even let you use conditioner!
WES: No one’s going to jail. Not on my watch.
Wes takes a deep breath, then snaps his fingers!
WES: Okay. Okay! I know how to get them out of there. But first, we’ll need a scanner to listen in on the police radio… Which… surprisingly… I don’t actually own.
MIA: Ugh! I wish Nishan was here! He’s got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty!
WES: Yeah, well, we’re gonna have to improvise. I just need a few of our friends to help me put something together…
[ Level a Nerd except Nishan, Level a Gamer except Sakura | None | 595xp ]
MIA: They’re done working on the police scanner! It’s like a fancy radio, except with boring police talk instead of catchy pop songs!
WES: It’s absolutely perfect.
Wes turns on the device. He hears static for a moment, then some chatter. A gruff cop says… ‘Listen up, son. We’re out here because your dad and I go way back. If the Chief finds out we’re wasting our time refereeing some high school prank war, I’m in a whole stew of trouble!’ Then, Max’s voice replies!
MAX: I’m telling you, Officer! They stole my key, and they’re using it to get into the school! Now get in there and find them!
‘Yeah, yeah. We’re going in. You at least coming with us?’
MAX: I’m on my way. I’ll be at the school as fast as I can!
‘Fine, kid, whatever you say. All officers, inside, now!’
WES: You hear that? The cops are going inside! Team Pom-Poms, this is your chance to escape!
Across the campus, Julian sits up in his car with Payton and Autumn…
JULIAN: I don’t need to be told twice!
As the cops step inside, Julian floors it, racing off the campus!
MIA: Yes! They’re out!
JULIAN: We’ll lie low and loop around in case Team Strikeforce needs a ride out!
MIA: But… isn’t Team Strikeforce still trapped inside?
Wes takes out his walkie-talkie and calls you…
WES: Doing okay?
In Mr. Georgette’s classroom, you, Nishan, and Sakura huddle down under the windows…
ADDISON: Not really!
SAKURA: Sooner or later, these cops are going to find us!
NISHAN: I’m getting stress hives!
WES: Don’t worry, guys. I’ll get you out of there.
Wes flicks the scanner back on, listening in to the cop’s conversation with Max. ‘I don’t see anyone here.’
MAX: They might be hiding in a classroom! Search ‘em!
‘Seriously, kid? Only because it’s a slow night. If anything else comes up, we are OUT of here.’
MIA: What do we do?
WES: You heard the cop. They’ll leave if anything else comes up. Time to cause a little chaos.
[ A Level 5+ Slacker except Wes, A Level 4+ Skater (Kris, Mickey) | 7h | 15000c, 595xp ]
MICKEY: What’s up, Wes?
KRIS: Yeah, what do you want? I was in the middle of something!
MIA: Were you?
KRIS: Okay, I was just kind of sitting around. But still! I was really comfy!
WES: We called you here because we need your help. Kris, I know you like hanging out where you’re not allowed to. How do you feel about chilling in that old, abandoned warehouse just outside of town?
KRIS: Seriously? I’m in!
WES: And Mickey, you love skating, right? Well, how do you feel about skating in places where you’re not supposed to?
MICKEY: Those are the BEST places to skate!
WES: I was hoping you’d say that. Why don’t you get out there and cause a ruckus?
MICKEY: Best. Assignment. Ever!
A little while later, Wes calls Kris on his walkie-talkie…
WES: Kris! What’s the situation out there?
KRIS: Well, the good news is, I’m hanging out in the abandoned warehouse, just listening to music and eating Taco Bell… Bad news is, I think some people driving by might’ve seen me and called the cops.
WES: Oh, believe me, that’s good news too. Now get out of there! And how about you, Mickey? How’re things going your way?
MICKEY: Oh, they’re going great! I’m grinding on guard rails and tail-stopping off of tail-pipes!
WES: Yeah, but has anyone seen you?
MICKEY: Uh, yeah, like half the neighborhood, maybe? I’m guessing they’re calling in a LOT of complaints…
WES: Perfect.
Wes switches on the police radio, where he can hear the gruff main officer grumbling… ‘Listen, kid, I’ve got reports coming in from all over town. Skaters, slackers, who knows what. I’m sending half my boys to check it out!’
MAX: Argh! Fine! But keep searching the school with the rest!
MIA: Well, that’s half the officers gone… but what do we do about the rest?
WES: Looks like it’s time to cause a little MORE chaos…
MIA: You just love saying that.
WES: It’s fun to say, yeah. But seriously, I need some people who can draw their attention.
MIA: Oh, if there’s one thing cheerleaders know how to do, it’s make some noise!
[ Complete a Party with a Cheerleader | None | 595xp ]
WES: Wow. Let me say one thing, Princess, you cheerleaders party pretty hard.
MIA: What, you thought we were all practice, no play? Believe me, we still know how to have fun!
WES: Let’s just check the scanner…
Wes flicks on the police radio just as the officer is talking… ‘Look, son, this is over. I’m getting reports of some major parties going on across town. We gotta go deal with them.’
MAX: Oh, come on! If you want to send all your men out, fine, be my guest. But I expect you to stay and keep searching, or my dad will hold you responsible!
‘Ugh. After this, he owes me one heckuva nice Christmas gift...’ Wes calls you on the walkie-talkie.
WES: Okay, it’s down to one cop. Addison. Things still okay in there?
ADDISON: We’ve been hiding here for what feels like forever!
NISHAN: If I don’t get some water, I’m going to pass out!
WES: This is as good as it’s going to get. The three of you need to make a break for it!
[ Addison, Nishan, Sakura | 10h | 595xp ]
You, Sakura, and Nishan huddle up against the door. You can hear the officer pacing just outside…
ADDISON: How are we supposed to make a run for it? The officer is in the hallway!
SAKURA: If only we had a cardboard box to use as a disguise…
NISHAN: Of all the days to leave my optic camo at home…
SAKURA: Wait. I just figured it out. The cop is in the hallway, right? So we go above him.
You follow Sakura’s gaze up to the air vent above the door.
ADDISON: Oh no.
SAKURA: Oh yes.
You and Nishan shove a desk against the wall. Sakura goes first, climbing onto it and unscrewing the cover of the vent with an arcade token she pulls out of her pocket.
ADDISON: Do you always carry that with you?
SAKURA: Always be prepared, am I right?
NISHAN: Coolest. Girl. Ever.
Sakura pries the cover off and hoists herself in. Nishan goes to follow her.
NISHAN: Just switch schools, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. You won’t have to do anything crazy, like escape through air vents, they said.
ADDISON: I don’t think I ever actually said that…
Nishan climbs in. You pull yourself up after him.
ADDISON: Wow. This is WAY tighter than vents are in the movies…
SAKURA: Shhh!
Sakura points down through a grate you’re lying on. The officer is patrolling right below!
SAKURA: You have to move. Very. Quietly.
You nod, take a deep breath and crawl… quickly! You pull yourself forward too fast, scraping the side of the vent! The officer below you freezes!
ADDISON: Oh crap!
The officer looks up suspiciously, shining his flashlight right at you!
SAKURA: Time for plan B!
Sakura pushes herself up and slams down against the floor of the vent! It snaps off, plunging down into the hallway! The officer ducks out of the way, as you, Nishan, and Sakura spill onto the ground!
SAKURA: RUN!
The three of you take off sprinting! Behind you, the officer scrambles to his feet and runs after you.
SAKURA: Nice… going… Addison!
ADDISON: Sorry!
The three of you burst out of the school and take off running!
SAKURA: Split up! He can’t catch all three of us!
Sakura runs one way, with the officer in hot pursuit. Nishan runs in another direction. You look straight ahead at the exit to the parking lot.
ADDISON: (Here goes nothing…)
[ Addison | 12h | 16000c, 595xp ]
You sprint across the parking lot.
ADDISON: (Come on, come on…)
Up ahead, you see Julian’s car. He sits inside expectantly.
ADDISON: (Almost there…!)
You sprint past the last building… just as Max pops out and tackles you!
ADDISON: Oooof!
You scramble up to your feet! Max, gloating, blocks your path!
MAX: Gotcha.
ADDISON: Get out of my way, Max!
MAX: Are you kidding me? I caught you red-handed! I don’t know what you’re doing here or what you’re up to, but you’re trespassing on Hearst campus grounds!
ADDISON: I’m here for a good cause! Your school is full of corruption!
MAX: Oh please! Spare me the do-gooder act, would you? I seriously could not care less. Now sit tight while I get my buddy, Officer Jenkins, to come pick you up. You are going to have so much fun in the county jail…
ADDISON: Then you leave me no choice… But to tell you how incredibly hot you look right now…
MAX: Are you… are you seriously coming onto me?
ADDISON: Why not? Kara’s not around. It’s just the two of us…
MAX: I… I guess… but that doesn’t change anything! I still caught you breaking into my school!
You step forward…
ADDISON: Come on… I’m about to get in a lot of trouble, right? Why not give me one kiss for the road?
MAX: That’s not a thing people do!
Max steps back, confused… and you use the moment to take off sprinting!
MAX: Get back here!
You run as hard as you can with Max in hot pursuit!
ADDISON: (So close!)
Right in front of you, Julian throws open his car door! Max almost grabs you, but you dive in just in time!
ADDISON: Go go go!
Julian steps on the gas, and the car drives off, leaving Max in its dust!
MAX: NOOOOO!
JULIAN: Yesssss! Awesome! Totally awesome!
Later, you regroup with all your friends back on campus…
WES: Amazing work, everyone. I’ve pulled a lot of heists in my day… but that was by far the best. Team Pom-Poms, great work on the decoy. You were more convincing than most actual cheerleaders.
JULIAN: Yeah, yeah, you did pretty good too, Eagle-Eye. And we couldn’t have done it without Team Strikeforce.
ADDISON: Did Nishan and Sakura make it back okay?
NISHAN: Yeah, we did. That cop was a pain to lose, though…
SAKURA: We wouldn’t have had to lose him if Addison knew how to crawl through a vent…
WES: The important thing is, you got the transcripts off Mr. Georgette’s computer. Now I just need somewhere to review them… somewhere no one would think to look for me…
[ Have 1 Upgraded Prep Hangout | None | 595xp ]
Wes sits alone in the stables of the Prep Hangout.
ADDISON: Well? How is this place working out?
WES: It’s really nice, actually. Classy. I dig it. Though the horse might take some getting used to…
ADDISON: Aw, she’s a good girl. You can always give her some fruit to eat if you want to get on her good side!
WES: Just make sure she doesn’t eat the transcripts before I can go over them…
ADDISON: Well? Are the transcripts good evidence?
WES: Oh, they’re so good I didn’t even mind that horse licking my hair halfway through. Not only do these transcripts prove that affluent students have been paying for good grades, they link the corruption directly to Principal Warren!
ADDISON: So what happens now?
WES: I reached out to the School Board members. The only one willing to talk was Professor Edwin. She’s coming by this afternoon. I’ll show her these transcripts, and then she’ll lay the mother of all smackdowns on Hearst High!
ADDISON: Um… no offense, Wes, you’re great at what you do… but when it comes to presenting the evidence, maybe we could use someone with a little more… you know…
WES: Presentability?
ADDISON: I’m sure there are some people around here who can pull it off.
WES: Sounds good. But what do the rest of us do in the meantime?
ADDISON: I guess we just wait.
But a few minutes later, Payton comes running over…
PAYTON: OMG! There you are, Addison! I’ve been looking everywhere!
ADDISON: Hey, Payton, what’s up?
PAYTON: While you guys were working on the evidence, Autumn suggested we all do something together to de-stress! Long story short, now we’re having an impromptu get-together by the pool in my backyard.
ADDISON: Ooh, that sounds like a lot of fun!
PAYTON: Fun? ‘Fun’ is the understatement of the millenium! When I left, we’d just started up a crazy game of Truth or Dare. I’m pretty sure that if I ask the right questions, I can get Sakura to spill the backstory on her and Nishan. Plus Julian was so amped to pull off a successful heist that he’s gotten all sweaty and hypercompetitive. He’s practically ripping his shirt off!
ADDISON: Uh, I see…
PAYTON: All that’s missing is you! You just totally have to come with us! PLEASE! PLEASE!
[ A Level 6+ Girl Student Gov, A Level 6+ Guy Student Gov (Hadley, Joss) | 9h | 595xp ]
Professor Edwin arrives on your campus, and Hadley and Joss are there to greet her.
HADLEY: Professor Edwin! Thank you so much for coming out to meet us!
PROF. EDWIN: I’m a busy woman, so don’t waste my time. After what happened at your disastrous science fair, you should be lucky I’m here at all…
JOSS: Of course. We’ll keep this fast and professional.
PROF. EDWIN: Much appreciated. Now what is it you’ve found?
JOSS: We’ve managed to get our hands on some information that you absolutely must see.
HADLEY: It proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, a tangled conspiracy of corruption and fraud in Hearst High…
JOSS: A conspiracy that goes all the way to the top!
Hadley and Joss show the transcripts to Professor Edwin, along with Sakura’s notes. She review them diligently, then…
PROF. EDWIN: This is… incredibly troubling. I’m not even going to ask how you got your hands on it.
HADLEY: That’s probably for the best.
PROF. EDWIN: I’d long suspected there was something suspicious occurring at Hearst… but I never imagined it was this flagrant or sweeping. I’ll need to present a copy of this to the rest of the School Board. I can’t promise you they’ll act on it… but I’ll do my best.
Professor Edwin leaves.
JOSS: Well? What do we do now?
ADDISON: The only thing we can do. We wait.
PAYTON: And then, Julian was all like, ‘I sure am a cheerleader! I love yelling and flipping and--’
ADDISON: Sorry to interrupt, Payton, but it looks like Professor Edwin is on the local news!
Everyone gathers around the TV, where Edwin is talking…
PROF. EDWIN: --saddened to report that an anonymous tip has revealed significant corruption, favoritism, and bullying at Hearst High. The School Board has gone over the information and decided to place Hearst High under review. Independent monitors will be placed within the school to closely review all academic exchanges, as well as look out for bullying or harassment. In addition, Principal Warren has been suspended without pay.
WES: In other words… The mother of all smackdowns!
You and all your friends cheer!
WES: I think it’s safe to say that the Warren family’s reign of terror is over.
ADDISON: ...I wouldn’t be so sure.
You hold up your phone. On it is a text from Max: ‘Addison. We need to talk. I’m coming to you.’
PAYTON: What could he want?
WES: No way he’s going to try anything, not with this much attention on Hearst…
AUTUMN: I’ve got a bad feeling about this…
ADDISON: Look, he’s coming here, so I’ll hear what he has to say. But don’t worry. I’ll have my two best friends with me.
[ Addison, A Classmate, A Classmate (Cameron, Indiana) | 18h | 17000c, 595xp ]
You, Cameron, and Indiana head out to the edge of school.
ADDISON: We don’t know what Max wants, so we’ve got to be ready for anything.
CAMERON: Don’t worry, Addison. Whatever Max tries, we’ll handle it.
INDIANA: We’ve got your back.
ADDISON: Thanks.
Max’s car swings around a corner and pulls into your parking lot.
ADDISON: Get ready.
He slams his door and stomps over to you, his face a mask of fury. Kara follows after him…
MAX: You! You got my dad suspended!
ADDISON: Oh, I think your dad got himself suspended…
CAMERON: You know, with the whole cheating and corruption and favoritism and all…
MAX: You think you’re sooooo clever, don’t you? Breaking into our school, hacking Mr. Georgette’s computer, giving the tip to Professor Edwin…
ADDISON: Do you have any proof of those claims? Because that sounds like a whole lot of speculation.
MAX: I saw you there!
Max lunges forward… but Kara stops him!
KARA: Max, no! Hearst High is under review already! If you do anything now, we’ll just get in more trouble!
Max exhales, cracking his knuckles…
MAX: She’s right. I can’t do anything now. But just because you won this battle doesn’t mean you won the war. Hearst High WILL return. My dad WILL get reinstated. And when he does, you are going to wish you never messed with us.
Max and Kara turn to walk off. You… Taunt him!
ADDISON: Not so tough without your dad behind you, are you?
Max growls and storms away, punching the side of his car as he gets in!
ADDISON: Oh, that felt good.
INDIANA: Yeah, it did.
CAMERON: Now let’s go back and celebrate!
Back on campus, you regroup with the teams that pulled the heist…
ADDISON: We pulled off the ultimate caper and defeated Hearst. It’s finally over. And we couldn’t have done it without you, Wes.
WES: I’m just helping out my new school. Nothing more.
ADDISON: If there’s anything I can do for you in return…
WES: Well… there is one thing. See, it’s always been my dream to pull something like this off. It’s not just that it’s the perfect heist. It’s also for a good cause. It’s kind of silly, but I always had this image in my head that when I was done, I’d stand in front of a fountain and celebrate my victory.
ADDISON: ...are you trying to recreate the ending to Ocean’s Eleven?
WES: Is that so wrong?
[ Have 1 Fountain | None | 1200xp ]
Wes stands in front of the fountain. You join him. Julian, Autumn and Payton come over to stand with you, followed closely by Mia, Nishan, and Sakura.
ADDISON: How’s that?
WES: It’s perfect.
You all stand in silence, staring at the splashing water, enjoying the sweet, sweet taste of victory.
WES: Absolutely perfect.
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