1.11 It’s like that thing Ray Bradbury was talking about
Time to do some research, you don’t know much about these Nazis. It should also help you find out what kind of technology they lack. As you head out towards the library it starts raining. The falling raindrops cover the city in a grey mist. Fortunately the library is not far. The inside of the library looks different than it did in αδ-37. You approach the female librarian, and start asking her where can you find the newspapers from the past 10 years and the computer terminals.
“Sir, as you should know, all press from before 2007 was destroyed as dictated by the Governor General’s order. Furthermore possessing Jewish press from before the liberation is considered a crime against the Aryan race. Therefore, for your own safety, I ask you to stop inquiring about forbidden publications.” – the librarian reluctantly informs you.
Well surely they have some newer press don’t they? “Sir, in case you have forgotten, newspapers were declared a useless Jewish invention and thus outlawed. After all every publication approved by the Governor General’s censorship bureau can be found online. The same applies to traditional paper books, those promoting
untermensch ideas could be easily hidden. Therefore, to ensure our pure American society can prosper free of the influence of inferior races, they have also been outlawed. Please report anyone who is hiding paper books in his home to the New American Police. I understand, that you must be a newly pardoned POW, who is not yet fully aware of all the changes that have happened since the war. However please read the necessary acts of law introduced by the Governor General.”
So what exactly are they doing in a library if all books are banned? “We transcribe the approved publications to our new servers before destroying the hardcopies. With the help of Zuse Computers technicians and engineers, including some from the Reich itself of course. The new server equipment is quite complicated, it is after all imported Reich technology. But with their help this library, like all libraries in the Reich itself, will soon become a major database and part of the new "Weltnetz" infrastructure.”
Weltnetz? “That’s the network we used to replace the obviously Jewish internet with, it is compatible with all the new Zuse computer terminals and the old PCs and Macs using ZOS-32.” Alright so do they have any terminals here, you would like to search for “approved” publications after all. “Of course sir, just go into that room over there.”
Soon afterwards you find the terminal, it looks rather advanced. You use the highly responsive touch-screen interface to search for recent history. What you find is pretty much entirely propaganda and decrees. “The Reich helps rebuild New Port City.” ”POW freed by the Governor General’s order.” ”The first fusion power plant in America under construction.” Fusion plant? Well the rift-probe must have missed that, it’s not like they can easily spot those from orbit.
You can’t find anything useful apart from one information about gun control. Anyone that isn’t a soldier or policeman cannot posses a gun. Furthermore there are “gun-detectors” installed around key administration buildings, the article doesn’t specify how they detect guns, it could be some over-sized metal detector you guess. Fortunately there doesn’t seem to be one near the library or you would have been arrested by now.
You also managed to find a mention of a “humanitarian” free clinic ran by doctor Kohler. It is located not far from where your apartment in αδ-37 was. Might as well check it out, maybe he can do something about this damn leg. It will take you a while to get to the clinic, after all you are broke and have to walk everywhere. It is also getting dark rather fast. The monotony of the journey is suddenly interrupted by a most disturbing signal. “WARNING! Magnitude 3 rift detected. Estimated distance: 45 kilometers.” – the RGM informs you when you take a peek at its display in a secluded back alley.
Magnitude 3? It is big enough to transit a group of people, a vehicle or a container. It is rather far from the city, whoever is transiting here does not want to attract attention. Who could it be though? Titans? CTPCT? Pioneers? Better tread carefully, the odds of anyone transiting near your location by pure accident are low. This is a fairly remote parallel after all. Someone may be following you, it is best to avoid transit for a while.
You arrive at doctor Kohler’s clinic, outside of the doctor and his two assistants there isn’t anyone there. “What do we have here? It looks crude but it’s not half bad.” – he says with a German accent as he looks upon your broken leg. “Clearly you need a proper cast on that. Just hold still for a moment. You have quite a few bruises on you, the police beat you up?” Obviously you remain silent. “It’s alright, you can speak freely. The walls don’t have ears, well unless you link them to the Weltnetz. And I am bound by patient-doctor confidentiality, even if the Gestapo and their New American Police lackeys start an interrogation.”
“All done, here grab these.” He hands you a small pill bottle labeled “Blitzregen” after the cast is finished. “After about a week of taking those I can take off the cast. Just take one pill every twelve hours.”
“But you will need to remain under observation for the night, a very small group of people has a lethal allergy to those. It is kind of hard to detect before you actually swallow one of those pills. Don’t worry, my assistant is working the night shift tonight, he will keep an eye on you and save your life if you go into anaphylactic shock.“
Well at least that takes care of having to find a place to spend the night at. The doctor wakes you up in the morning. “Well it looks like you do not have an allergy. You can leave now.” As you exit the clinic you wonder what to do next, you proceed to walk to the nearest subway station. However you notice that somebody is following you. Two men, they are trying to blend in with the crowd yet they follow you behind every corner, and you started walking in circles. Far too suspicious.
It is clear these men are following you. You will deal with them by…
1)…trying to lose them in a crowded public place. Any sort of confrontation in such a place would no doubt alert the native authorities, this should buy you time.
2)…luring them into a back alley and ambushing them. The element of surprise should allow you to take them out swiftly and silently.
3)…confronting them. Some small talk might “persuade” them to leave you alone.
4)…yelling that suspicious men are following you. Maybe a police officer will hear you.
5)…by entering one of the local establishments and trying to sneak out using a back door or something.
6)…just shooting them. You are not going down quietly.
If you lose the two men you will…
A)…walk to the Governor General’s office and offer him, or one of his assistants, a presentation. After leaving your gun in a safe place outside of the gun-dectector’s range that is.
B)…send the Governor General a holo-teaser in a package. Hopefully the postal service works reliably.
C)…try to earn some “new dollars” in back alleys using the good old “stun and run” theft technique. Minus the running of course, gods damn that titan.
D)…try to contact Emanuel Cortez about that job. Odds are you will be here a while, might as well acquire a dwelling and a source of income so you won’t starve to death before you get a deal.
E)…look for a job elsewhere. Hopefully there is a newspaper, job agency or bulletin board around somewhere.
F)…deploy the filtering unit in a pool of water. Fuel for one more transit might be useful.
G)…transit to a different parallel. Nazis? Not exactly the kind of people you want to deal with.
You can pick two of the actions listed as A) to G) apart from picking both A) and B) since they are mutually exclusive. The rest is not.
Vote now.
Option G) will only succeed if over 50% of people vote for it. The destination will be picked after the next update should that happen. It will prevent Heracles from doing anything else, apart from trying to elude the two suspicious men following you that is.
I apologize for any butchering of the German language that might be present in this update.
