404 Story

//CALLIBRATING HAPTICS //NEURAL CONNECTION ESTABLISHED Greetings user! Would you like to [[sign up for a shift]] or (text-colour:magenta)[[learn more about our product]]?

Excellent! You’ve indicated that you’d like to sign up for a shift. Donating organic neurotransmitters is a generous (and lucrative) endeavor. What type of donation experience would you like to participate in? [[Dopamine - Reward and Motivation $]] [[Epinephrine (adrenaline) - Fear Response $$$]] [[Serotonin - Sleep and Mood Regulation $$]]

We’re sorry to report that current dopamine stores have been deemed sufficient. Donations of this neurotransmitter are not being accepted at this time. Perhaps you’d like to [[make another donation->sign up for a shift]]?

Welcome, brave donor! Contributing to the epinephrine shortage will help the neurologically impaired recover the necessary ability to feel and experience fear. Without it, stim jockeys and burnouts drift through life an emotional husk, blanking through life in a muted state. A healthy sense fear can also make our virtual experiences feel as real as reality! Remember, if at any time you wish to end your donation, simply indicate you’d like to opt out. [[Begin donation of epinephrine]]

Excellent! You’ve chosen to donate Serotonin - an element in high demand these days to help users unwind, relax, and get ready for sleep. //DISCLAIMER: Continued donation of serotonin may lead to diminishing levels of naturally occurring reserves and may negatively impact a donor’s ability to produce baseline levels in natural settings. Please donate responsibly. // [[Begin donation of serotonin]] [[Back->sign up for a shift]]

Welcome donor. Today, I will be your guiding voice as we transport ourselves into a world of rest and relaxation, spinning down the flywheels of our minds and preparing our bodies for the gentle, cradling embrace of sleep. Simply concentrate on my soothing Welsh accent, and imagine the cares of the day melting away. [[Breathe in]]

We begin our journey offworld, in the aptly named lunar colony near the Sea of Tranquility. Known around the world as the “quietest place known to man” we begin with the ultimate sensory deprivation experience. What better place to set aside the chaos of the day, the urgency of our notifications, and the overstimulation of a world that constantly demands our attention? As you dip your bare toes into the tank, you notice a surprisingly muted sensation. The water is exactly your body’s temperature, and has been so saturated with salt that you become naturally buoyant, assisted by the low gravity. The cosy hatch closes around you, cocooning you in a safe and quiet chrysalis from which you will soon emerge a much more relaxed butterfly. The sunken indirect lights dim and soon fade to black as you are left suspended in a blissfully calm void. Luxuriate in absence. Absence of stress. Absence of responsibility. Absence of thought. You are one with the void and have surrendered both stress and desire. You are the ultimate blank slate. Neural nirvana. [[Breathe out]]

As you release your breath, you further empty yourself into calm and neutral nothingness. You may even drift away from the awareness of the neural tap collecting your donation - each drop of neurotransmitter effortlessly being whisked away from you, taking each care and concern along with it. Rest easy knowing that payments will arrive in your account within three business days. Would you like to continue making donations? [[Dopamine - Reward and Motivation $]] [[Epinephrine (adrenaline) - Fear Response $$$]] (link-reveal: "Serotonin - Sleep and Mood Regulation $$")[<br>//Slow down there Siddhartha! You’ll need to flush the current zen from your system before making another donation!//] [[Disconnect]]

A hare sits motionless among the snow, wishing more of its coat had changed to match the early onset of winter. A woody brown target against a sea of white, its unblinking eyes scan the surroundings relentlessly to confirm the sense of danger it feels deep within. Prey know when they’re being hunted. Sometimes it just takes a minute for their senses to find out by what. [[Remain still]] [[Bolt for the underbrush->Cut right]]

The hare stays outwardly motionless, while a turbulent sea of chaos and fear churns within. The sense of unease spreads like an infection, raising its pulse and flooding its blood with adrenaline. It fights to control its breathing, subtle puffs of steam drawing more attention to itself as it tries to will itself into invisibility. A twig snaps nearby, focusing its attention. [[Bolt for the underbrush->Cut right]] [[Run for the tall grass]] [[Opt out of donation]]

You decide to chance it. You run towards the tall grass and feel it stiffly rake your skin in passing. The grass conceals you a bit, but tunnels your vision. You are running nearly blind with nothing but dry, snow-dusted stalks in all directions. No time to sit tall and survey the surroundings for directions. There is only instinct and fate. You pray for the benevolence of both. [[Cut left]] [[Cut right]] (link-reveal: "Opt out of donation")[ unavailable at this time]

You chance a glance left, appraising the distance to the treeline. It’s far. The sound was close. Too many unknowns. Is it a fox? Is it a wolf? Another rustling of underbrush. More than one? Every choice is a wager of your life, and the debt will be settled in blood. Now or never. You bolt. [[Cut left]] [[Cut right]] ~~Opt out of donation~~ //Temporarily unavailable please try again later//

You break left, hoping the wiry stalks of long dead plant scruff will offer some semblance of cover or protection. They do not. The hunters drop their pretense of concealment and give full chase. You see them in pursuit at the edge of your vision, nothing but teeth and anger. Time dilates down as each stride you take stretches you to your limit, clawing at the earth for every inch of distance you can put between you and your pursuers. Your muscles burn as they pump and reach, praying each step finds sure footing, pivoting and darting, feeling snapping jaws closing around empty air inches away. Your life is now measured in moments. How many remain? [[Cut right]] (text-colour:blue)+(hover-style:(text-color:black))[''Opt out of donation'']

You change direction. The treeline lies ahead, and with it a low covering underbrush. You see a small tunnel ahead that rings familiar. You know the path ahead holds snarling bramble and unforgiving thistle for anything much taller than you. Botanical salvation. But only if you get there in time. There are more in coming. Malevolent monsters who slake their thirst with blood and sate their hunger with broken bones. They move together. Have you chosen this path, or have they? Are you making an escape, or being driven into an unseen danger? There is no time for thought. There is only this stride. And the next. And the next. A shadow looms behind you. It has closed the gap. It is all encompassing. It is hunger and hate and pain and fury. Last chance. [[Dive for the tunnel]] (text-color:gray)[''Opt out of donation'']

You risk it all on one last effort. Your life. Your limb. Your lineage. You throw one last zag in your pattern and jump for it, wagering everything that the hunter will miscalculate. You are momentarily weightless, praying even gravity to slip up and give you the benefit of just one more inch of distance. The shadow presses down on you like a headsman’s axe, and you fear the blade will land at any moment. A tooth rakes across your leg, but closes too late to find purchase. //That’s fine//, you think. //A scar I can live with//. But the glancing impact alters your trajectory just a hair. Your outstretched feet are no longer positioned to anticipate your landing, and you falter, back leg sliding out in the dirt, robbing you of the springboard needed for the next stride. There is no second chance. The jaws snap shut again, this time striking true. Your back legs feel warmth. Then pressure. Then nothing. They stop responding to your one and only directive to RUN and instead you find yourself hovering a foot above the ground, suspended in the jaws of your enemy. You summon the last reserves of your strength, belting out a final call - a death rattle - a once-in-a-lifetime sound so bloodcurdling every hare in half a mile can hear it and know that a brother has died to pass along his warning. Death has come for you but perhaps you can bargain with him on their behalf. A measure of moments may be all they need. You anticipate the final blow. Shock and adrenaline numb the pain, but bring your mind into such sharp focus it hurts. Why hasn’t he done it? What is he waiting for? [[...]] (text-colour:transparent)+(hover-style:(text-color:red))[You can never opt out]

His sparing you was not a mercy. You’ve been brought back to a den. You are carried through the small hole into a darkened tunnel. Larger, but not entirely different to your own burrow. Several pairs of golden eyes reflect shards of light as they emerge from within the darkness. They are young and still learning - sloppy in their technique with nips and scratches pulling you in all directions painfully, but not lethally. They squabble amongst themselves over who gets more of you, and you wish it would be quicker. Your near omnidirectional vision, once your greatest source of protection, now punishes you with a full view of your final moments. You thought the end would be stark - a closing of the eyes, a sense of finality. But it's gradual, like easing downward into a black lake. A fading. A drifting. A drowning. [[....]] (text-colour: red) + (t8n: "dissolve") + (t8n-time: 10s) + (t8n-delay: 25s) [You opted out long ago]

Oblivion envelops you. You sense about the void, unsure if you are blind or if all you see is nothingness. You feel fear, without a brainstem. A sense of cold, without nerve endings. Your body was destroyed but your consciousness remains intact. You stare out into the abyss lidless and eyeless, a paralyzed but sensing system without form. You have no memory, but find no joy or curiosity in the unknown. Your present state is all there is, and all there shall be, outside of time. You are an endless fire burning without light or heat. An unlife. A living death. Eternity awaits you, and you are painfully aware of it. (enchant: ?link, (t8n: "dissolve") + (t8n-time: 10s) + (t8n-delay: 17s))[[[Opt out of donation->Stop donation]]]

//Records indicate you have visited the page multiple times in the recent past! As a reminder, if a user is experiencing cognitive disruptions, including memory loss, we encourage you to take advantage of our award winning consultation services. // (text-size:.5)[*Users waive their ability to hold NEURALTAP(™) responsible for these disruptions as agreed upon in our terms of service.] Welcome to NEURALTAP! As the world’s leader in revolutionary Neural Virtual Reality System technology, we provide an immersive experience unparalleled in the digital world. NEURALTAP technology is the only system capable of mimicking all five of the brains’ senses during our experiences, and can truly take you to another world. In addition to our novel experience offerings, we’re also on the front lines tackling the serious health issues of the day. An overabundance of cognitive stimulation has left the world’s digital natives with a startling disability to manufacture organic neurotransmitters on their own. But where some see only hardship, we see opportunity. That’s why you and other members of your caste have benefited from the exploding new industry of selling your own neurotransmitters! Our technology makes the donation process as seamless and painless as possible - you get to rest easy knowing you’ve helped someone in need, and get paid for it! Win win! When ready, simply indicate you’d like to [[sign up for a shift]] Remember, actively advancing through our prompts is the best way to create the greatest yield. Our studies indicate that users experiencing agency of choice through the donation process become the most engaged, and produce much more neurotransmitters for collection!

Congratulations donor! You’ve set a new personal record in epinephrine donation! Expect funds to arrive in your account within three business days. Would you like to make another donation? [[Dopamine - Reward and Motivation $]] (link-reveal: "Epinephrine (adrenaline) - Fear Response $$$")[<br> //Please allow time for your central nervous system to reset//] [[Serotonin - Sleep and Mood Regulation $$]] [[Disconnect]]

Thank you for using NEURALTAP(™) Remember to log back in within seven (7) working business days to maintain an active account in good standing. Goodbye

//This story is best told in full screen// <input type="button" value="Fullscreen" onclick="makeitbig.myEventHandler();"> [[Begin->Home]]

(link-repeat: "Pass time ")[.] (link-repeat: "Opt out of donation")[(set: $output to (random: 1, 50)) (if: $output is 1)[(print: "opting out is unavailable at this time. ")] (elseif: $output is 2)[(print: "this feature is not available. ")]] (link-reveal: "Opt out of donation")[ unavailable at this time] [[Home]] (set: $click_count to 0)|clicklink>[(link-repeat: "Wait")[(set: $click_count to it + 1)(replace: ?message)[(if: $click_count < 3)[You've waited $click_count millenia!] (else:)[An exit appears!]](if: $click_count is 3)[(show: ?newlink)]]] |message>[The void envelops you] |newlink)[[[Opt out of donation->Stop donation]]] here is a test code for fading in red text: (enchant: ?link, (t8n: "dissolve") + (t8n-time: 5s) + (t8n-delay: 17s))(text-color:red)[You opted out long ago]