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 (roof 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 (optimal 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. Ammar is tired from all the running, despite Rachel being the one carrying 40 pounds of extra weight, and Rachel spots a civilian passing by in his car. She gets the opportunity to steal the car, 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.

Option

Summary

Option 4 (DFONCO): tell Ammar the first letters of the coded message spell "DFONCO" Option 5 (GOTOFI): tell Ammar the first letters of the coded message spell "GOTOFI"

click "show" to view summary Option 4 Option 5 Rachel explains that the message is in Morse code--that the Xs are the dashes, the Os the dots. She recalls that she learned Morse code from her grandfather, who was also a Marine, then starts to tear off her body armor. When Ammar asks what she is doing, Rachel explains to him that the message translates to "DF on. Come get her.", that DF likely means directional finder, and the "her" has to refer to herself. Ammar replies that he thinks she must be crazy, and asks if she is seeing a psychiatrist. Rachel then ignores Ammar and, a few seconds later, finds a black disk the size of a silver dollar, stuffed in the lining of her helmet. She drops the disk and stomps on it, noting that someone must have placed it there while she was asleep. Ammar asks who she thinks would do that, and Rachel realizes that it must be Ammar who placed it there. However, when Rachel looks up from the note she sees Ammar pointing a pistol at her. Ammar forces Rachel out into the street at gunpoint, and some of the men in hazard suits begin to rush over. Rachel gets Ammar to confirm he really does like the Lakers, and is turning Rachel in to the enemy for a monetary reward. Rachel and Ammar are soon surrounded, and the men place a smelly bag over her head. Rachel tries to decode the message for a couple minutes, but everything she tries comes out as gibberish. Ammar notes that it sounds like their pursuers are getting closer, and that they know where they are. Rachel then realizes that it's Morse code in English, and that it implies that she is bugged with a directional finder. Rachel adds that it looks like somebody wants a female Marine, and then their pursuers were on them. She notes to herself that the hazard suits look aged and pieced together from various militaries, and then bags are placed over Rachel's and Ammar's heads.

Notes

• Using Options 3 and 4 is the optimal case. Being on the roof (Option 1) would normally give Rachel tactical advantages, allowing her to know when someone is approaching, not be as vulnerable to a gas attack, and be ready if airborne help arrives. However, all of those things do not apply for Rachel as her companion, Ammar, is working against her and she does not immediately find any airborne support in the area. Option 3 allows Rachel to gain additional information about her attackers. She is able to learn that at least two of them also speak English and one of them does not appear to be of Middle Eastern descent. Option 4 allows Rachel to learn the additional information that her companion, Ammar, is part of the plan to capture her, and enables her to get rid of the bug he placed on her.

Trivia

• In the original version of Chapter 301, released January 14, 2009, the chapter ended with Rachel looking at the coded message and the player was given the opportunity to vote to affect what happened next with the following prompt:

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

• On January 16, 2009, the polling was set aside and chapter 301 continued with the player being given the opportunity to choose either option. However, on January 20, 2009, Option 5 ("GOTOFI") was removed and users were left with only the "DFONCO" option.