Playing Games/Transcript

*[The mission starts on a building rooftop in Augustine. It is the next day, evening, and it is drizzling rain. Joey calls James.]*

**JOEY**: Hey, James, good work defeating all those Time Minions!

**JAMES**: Thanks. It was tough work.

**JOEY**: And about those words I said earlier, I didn’t mean that...

**JAMES**: It’s OK, Joey, you were mad. Those things you said were pretty strong, but it gets to the best of us. No worries.

**JOEY**: Thanks, James. Hey, Melanie told me she may have some intel on something. We have to meet up.

**JAMES**: That’s great! But we can’t meet up at Jack's House.

**JOEY**: I know. How about Il Rutto?

**JAMES**: That Italian fast food place? That works.

**JOEY**: Alright, meet me and Melanie there.

*[The player must get to the location. When they do, James will walk inside the place and see Joey, Melanie and another man sitting at a table in the corner. There are a few other people in the place sitting down and eating, but not many. James takes a seat next to the man, who has his laptop open.]*

**JAMES**: Hey guys.

**MELANIE**: Hey James.

**JOEY**: James, this is Charles Bradbher. He’s a professional hacker I’ve hired to help speed this process up a bit quicker.

**CHARLES**: Hello, James. I’ve heard so much about you.

**JAMES**: I’m sure you have. Everybody has. Joey, this is good. But I’ve got better news.

**MELANIE**: What is it?

**JAMES**: Well, remember right after we stopped Joseph Gray, and Father Time stopped time and implanted a device in Chris, and took him and Pete away?

**JOEY**: Yeah.

**JAMES**: Well that device gave Chris powers. Light powers.

**MELANIE**: Get out!

**JOEY**: So there’s another you out there?

**JAMES**: I guess. But here’s the thing. That device was supposed to turn Chris bad, and turn him into a henchman for Father Time. But something failed and Chris turned good, much to the surprise and anger of Father Time.

**MELANIE**: And now Chris is with you. That’s great!

**JOEY**: Yeah, man! He’ll be a big help.

**JAMES**: Yeah. Especially because Father Time is too powerful for me or him to take on alone. But when we combine powers, we’re unstoppable!

**JOEY**: Well, slow your roll, soldier. Never say unstoppable, you haven’t even battled Father Time yet. For now, let’s work on getting you and Chris stronger so that when the time comes, you’ll be able to face Father Time, and WIN.

**JAMES**: Yes, I know. But for now, we gotta find Pete.

**JOEY**: And that’s what Charles here is gonna help us with. What have you got, Charles?

**CHARLES**: Well, you said Father Time’s real name is Nicholas Monetti, right?

*[James and Joey both say yes in unison.]*

**CHARLES**: Well, I’ve searched the city for any persons named Nicholas Monetti, and I found three matches. I’ll send you the coordinates, and you’ll have to follow each one and see if they match.

**JAMES**: Got it. Send it now, and I’ll be back soon.

*[James gets up and the player must walk out of the restaurant. When they leave, the coordinates will be sent to James and the player has to get to each one (which are scattered around the city), one at a time. While the player is heading to the first signal, James calls Joey.]*

**JOEY**: What’s up?

**JAMES**: Just asking, how do you know this guy Charles can be trusted?

**JOEY**: Well, we used to work together at a bar in Columbia City.

**JAMES**: That’s it? Joey, this guy could be a fake-out!

**JOEY**: He’s not, trust me. I see what he’s doing, he wants this guy caught too.

**JAMES**: Why is that?

**JOEY**: Because Father Time killed his wife a few days ago, and he wants answers, too.
JAMES: Oh. Damn. Tell him I’m really sorry. Alright, I’ll be back.

*[The first signal leads to a small house in East City. When the player gets there, James knocks on the front door, and a frail old man answers.]*

**JAMES**: Are you Nicholas Monetti?

**MAN**: Yes, that’s me. Been in the game for 81 years. Why?

**JAMES**: No, I’m just trying to find someone, but you don’t quite fit the description. Sorry for bothering you, sir.

*[The door closes and James calls Charles.]*

**JAMES**: Charles, I followed the first signal but it was no luck. I’ll try the second.

**CHARLES**: Alright, but do hurry, I think someone’s on to us. Our signal is being jammed but I’ll try to install a software that will block them.

*[After James hangs up, the signals on the player’s screen start to become jammed and fuzzy, going on and off, in and out.]*

**JAMES**: Uh, oh.

*[The second signal leads to an apartment building on Venice Island. When the player gets there, James enters the building and searches the buzzers for Monetti. He finds it, buzzes the apartment, and the front door opens, gaining him access. The player must walk to the staircase of the building to the right, and head up to the 6th floor, apartment 6D. When they get there, James knocks on the door.]*

**JAMES**: No answer.

*[James knocks again. A woman opens the door.]*

**JAMES**: Hello, is there anyone by the name of Nicholas Monetti here?

**WOMAN**: Yes, my son, Nick. He’s been sick with strep throat, though, is there anything we can do to help?

**JAMES**: How old is your son?

**WOMAN**: Almost eight. Why?

**JAMES**: I’m trying to find someone but your son doesn’t fit the description. Sorry for bothering you, tell your son I hope he gets better.

**WOMAN**: I will, James, thanks!

*[The door closes and the player must exit the building now. There is an open window at the end of the hallway. James runs up to it and jumps out the window, landing perfectly on the street below. Charles calls.]*

**CHARLES**: I see you’ve discovered the second signal. Any luck?

**JAMES**: Nope, but there’s still one more to go. Are we still being tracked?

**CHARLES**: I think so. It’s subsided a bit since I installed the software, but whoever this is, they’re not **playing games**.

*[James hangs up. The signals are still being scrambled. All of a sudden, duplicate signals start appearing on the screen.]*

**JAMES**: What the hell is this? Charles better start doing a better job at eliminating these decoy signals, I can hardly see the real one.

*[The player must head to the final signal, which leads to a small office building in western Hourglass, while avoiding the other decoy signals. The player must head to the building’s rooftop.]*

**JAMES**: The signal’s coming from the top floor.

*[The player must go through a door on the roof, which leads down into the top floor via a staircase. Inside is empty and dark, with a bunch of computers that are off. However, there is one computer that is on, in another room on that floor. When the player goes to it, James sits down and reboots it, and calls Charles.]*

**JAMES**: Charles, the third signal is coming from a computer in this office building. There’s no one around. What should I do?

**CHARLES**: Hold on, I’m accessing it now.

*[As Charles accesses it, we see files on the computer opening.]*

**CHARLES**: There! This computer was used by a man named Nicholas Monetti a few days ago. I’m installing a detection software on the computer right now that will lead us to the source, the man.

**JAMES**: Sweet.

*[A few seconds go by.]*

**CHARLES**: Got it. It’s leading to a house on the west end of Logan Island. You better head there and see what this is about.

**JAMES**: After all this, Nick was sloppy. We’ve got him now.

**CHARLES**: Oh, but you might wanna destroy that computer to erase any evidence.

**JAMES**: I probably should do that.

*[The player must shoot the computer with an aura bullet once to destroy it. The computer will fall to the ground and release some smoke. But all of a sudden, James is about to exit the building when a single beep sound is heard, and explosions start going off around the perimeter of the floor James is on. At this point, the emergency sirens are going off, and the building is severely damaged and on fire.]*

**JAMES**: DAMN! I was SET UP!

*[James starts to get flashbacks of when BioLynk was on fire, and now, the player must do the same thing, navigating toward an open point in the building. Immediately as James approaches this opening, he jumps out. As he his falling, a second, single explosion occurs on the floor he was just on, and the building collapses in a fiery ball. James is OK.]*

**JAMES**: I can’t believe this! Charles set me up! Wait ‘till I get a hold of him.

*[The player must head back to Il Rutto, and when they do, a cutscene plays which shows James storm into the restaurant, up to Charles. James is about to grab Charles when Joey interrupts.]*

**JOEY**: James, what the hell are you doing?!

**JAMES**: This man *[Charles]* set me up! I went to the location he sent, and inside, after he did his little computer shit, the building exploded and I had to get out of there before it collapsed!

**CHARLES**: I did not set you up, man!

**JOEY**: Yeah, he didn’t set you up! I saw it, those were the locations that came up when he searched the city for Nicholas Monetti! Father Time must have been there before you got there, and set up explosions because he knew you would track his signal there!

**CHARLES**: Yeah! You think I would set you up? You know how bad I want this guy dead too, just like you?

**JAMES**: Well our reasons are different. If you say you were helping me, then I believe you. I’m sorry, Charles, I guess I just lost my cool again.

**JOEY**: Yeah, you DID. Big time.

**JAMES**: Now what about that house on Logan Island? I lost the coordinates leading there, can you send them again?

**MELANIE**: James, I think you should give this a break for today. We can try again tomorrow. Please, for your own health.

**JOEY**: Melanie’s right here, James. You just narrowly avoided death again. Go home, take a break, relax for a bit, and when you’re ready, we’ll tackle this.

**JAMES**: Alright, guys. I’m sorry.

**JOEY**: Don’t be. You did great work once again. Now go rest.

*[James and Joey fist-bump, James hugs Melanie, and shakes Charles's hand. He leaves the restaurant and the mission ends in success.]*