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Deadman: Perhaps you remember me? That’s right, it’s Deadman. The world, as you know, is in awful shape, and it’s all because of the Death Stranding.
The dead started to find their way into our midst, crossing over from the other side. We called these entities BT’s—Beached Things. When they came into contact with the living, the result was instant annihilation—a voidout leaving nothing but a massive crater in its wake. But that was only the beginning. Strange rain fell from the sky, rapidly aging everything it touched—a phenomenon we came to know as timefall. Structures would rust and collapse, and people grew old in an instant. The world transformed into something completely unrecognizable. Those who survived these changes came to fear both timefall and BT’s alike. They withdrew into the remaining cities, which in turn closed their door to outsiders. People ceased to travel, and stopped meeting in person. They grew distant from one another, and became further isolated. The social, cultural and political bonds between humans began to crumble.
The Death Stranding was hastening humanity’s extinction. Seeing this, Bridget Strang, the last president of the United States of America, founded Bridges — an organization committed to making America whole again, and providing a future for all humankind. However, Bridget died before she could realize this ambition. It was you, Sam, who took up her cause and resolved to see it through. Sam, the humbler porter, who also possessed the unique powers of a repatriate, the one and only person who could save humanity. So, with Bridges’ Q-pid in hand, and accompanied by the Bridge Baby Lou, you embarked on a journey across North America.
Of course, you had struggles of your own—aphenphosmphobia, or the feat of being touched. The despair of having lost everything was just too much. But despite it all, you strived to bring people together. By extending the chiral network across the length and breadth of the continent, you would enable the rebirth of the United States as the United Cities of America. You were also to rescue Bridget’s daughter, Amelie, who had been taken captive by terrorists. These were the vital missions you were entrusted with, Sam.
We, your friends at Bridges, did everything we could to support your efforts. There was our director, Die-Hardman, a close associate to Bridget, who was dedicated to fulfilling her final wishes. His commitment to American reconstructionism was absolute, and for that he was named the first president of the UCA. And of course, Sam, the incomparable Deadman—yours truly. I’d like to think we became the best of friends. As you may recall, I was born from an artificial womb, and over the course of my life was the recipient of numerous organ transplants. I’ve always got on with the dead—I used to be a coroner. Anyway, I pushed myself physically and mentally to help you and your BB, Lou.
Mama and Lockne were twin sisters, as you may remember. Skilled scientists who developed the Q-pid, which was essential for chiral network expansion. A personal tragedy caused the two of them to grow apart. But they’ve since reconciled, with both their souls residing in the same body. Ah, Heartman—every twenty-one minutes, his soul departs his physical form, and for three minutes, his body is clinically dead. During this temporary death, his soul is sent to the Beach. That’s why he knows more about the Beach and the Death Stranding than anyone else. His knowledge proved indispensable in the execution of your mission, Sam. Fragile—leader of the private delivery outfit, Fragile Express. Exposure to timefall caused her entire body from the neck down to age significantly. It was the mark of a terrible betrayal—Higgs, a former comrade, used timefall as an instrument of torture. To no surprise, Fragile was hell bent on getting revenge. But after meeting you, Sam, she had a change of heart.
As your friends, we would stop at nothing to see you succeed. But ultimately, crossing the continent was something you had to do on your own, with only Lou for company, and with no end to the forces that stood in opposition—deadly BTs, unforgiving terrain and unpredictable weather, ruthless terrorists—the list goes on. Without a doubt, your greatest enemy was Higgs. Convinced that humanity deserved to go extinct, he kidnapped Amelie and tried to torment you and countless others. But neither he nor anything else could stop you from achieving your goal.
The chiral network was finally completed. The bridge to the future was built. But your ordeal was not yet over. You had to learn the real nature of the Death Stranding—a secret that Amelie had kept hidden from us all this time, and a terrible truth you had to face. But you accepted this final revelation, Sam, and did what had to be done.
America rose from the ashes as the UCA, and as the people celebrated your accomplishments, you carried out one final mission in secret, to save your BB—to save Lou. You removed the child from the pod that was their prison and began a new life together. And so it was that the two of you vanished without so much as a trace…
Once, there was an explosion.
A bang that echoed around the world. A phenomenon known as the Death Stranding. “Breached Things” (BTs)—lost spirits of the dead – found their way into our midst. When they came into contact with the living, the result was instant annihilation—a voidout.
Since most could neither see nor sense BTs, people lived in fear of them, withdrawing from the outside world. Cities became isolated, and humanity crept toward extinction.
To unite what was left of America, a porter named Sam forged a bond with a Bridge Baby (BB) called Lou, who possessed a special connection to the other side. Together they journeyed west across the continent, reconnecting the people through the chiral network.
But on the day that the United Cities of America celebrated the nation’s rebirth, Sam and Lou vanished without a trace. Though UCA officials attempted to track them down, the pair’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Unknown Woman: Me, I’ve always loved porters. Through freezing rain and biting wind, across rivers, mountains, and endless deserts… They come to deliver something priceless. A glimpse of a life I’ve never known. They’re my window – my sole connection to the outside world. And I know they’ll be back again today.
Sam: Okay. Time to head home. Let’s head home before it gets dark. Uh-oh… I feel that. Pretty damn shaky…
Lou: (cries)
Sam: Okay… You’re alright… Let’s go home and get you fed. Great, rain. Gotta move. Almost there… There. We made it.
Sam: Hey. Not bad, little porter. Not bad at all. Okay, Lou, time for some nom-noms. Come on, open up. Here you go. There you go.
Lou: (cries)
Sam: Shhh… Who’s there? Who are you? Fragile!?
Fragile: Were you cooking?
Sam: What’re you doing here?
Fragile: I’ve been looking for you. Wow. Lou’s growing up fast. You two look good. Like a happy family. Here’s a gift. The finest chiral-printed diapers.
Sam: Thank god. How’d you track us down?
Fragile: Your neighbour got hooked up to the chiral network. Service now extends to the whole region. I let myself in with this. You can use chiral printers now too.
Sam: I guess it’s time we thought about moving. Maybe further south. You know, I’m surprised you used the front door for once.
Fragile: My jumping days are behind me. Overdoing it left me with some kind of syndrom – they call it ‘Jumpshock’.
Sam: You uh, you care for a drink?
Fragile: Thank you, but no. I should get straight to the point…
Sam: Business, huh? I mean, for a moment there, I thought maybe you wanted to catch up.
Fragile: I have a job for you. Take it, and that whole mess over how you left Bridges will be wiped from the record. You won’t have to live in hiding anymore.
Sam: And what about Lou?
Fragile: That’s a little more complicated. We’re talking about a Bridges asset. You’ll have to work it out. Sam, you brought America together. Helped it be reborn as the UCA. But I’m afraid the Death Stranding is far from over. Humanity is still in danger. Still on the brink of extinction – don’t act like you don’t see it. A lot of things changed after you went off on your own – especially within the UCA. Bridges no longer oversees the distribution network – they withdrew once things were up and running. So your friends and coworkers all went their separate ways. And that’s not all. Die-Hardman is not the President of the UCA anymore. In case you’re wondering who’s handling distribution now, APAS 4000 has revolutionised the whole process. It utilises the chiral network to manage and carry out deliveries. Within network coverage, there’s no need to rely on human porters anymore. And… no need for Fragile Express, of course. So – after I closed up shop, I went and started a new group. One that handles work in regions outside the UCA. We decided to call ourselves ‘Drawbridge’. And we still require the service of human porters that can work outside the network. Preferably ones with DOOMS who can sense BTs. Sam, I’m asking you to go to Mexico… To extend the chiral network to the south, just like you did when you went out west.
Sam: You… you’re asking? Or is this coming from the UCA?
Fragile: Both. The UCA came to Drawbridge, and now I’m coming to you. So? What do you say?
Sam: Are there BT’s out there?
Fragile: Mexico has no shortage of Beached Things. Spirits of the dead washed up from the other side were stranded there just like everywhere else. Any human corpse that hasn’t been properly disposed of will become a BT. And any living human that comes into contact with a BT will get dragged into the depths of the tar. Giant BTs can and will emerge from the tar as well. And if they succeed in consuming a living human being, they’ll trigger a voidout – destroying everything nearby in a massive explosion. Several Mexican cities were wiped off the map in this way. The survivors have since become divided and isolated. As most people cannot see BTs, they live in fear of them – and that fear has made them too terrified to venture outside.
Sam: What’s the state of the environment there?
Fragile: Chiralium contamination is severe. Some areas have it worse than anything you experienced back in the UCA. The timefall storms are growing more intense as well. And, as you can imagine, everything in their path is subject to temporal acceleration. Objects and structures degrade rapidly, while animals and humans grow old and frail in the blink of an eye. Timefall often precedes the appearance of BTs there, too. So you should do everything you can to stay out of it as much as possible. There are many other dangers, though. The rivers can flood in an instant, and earthquakes happen daily.
Sam: Seriously, why me?
Fragile: There are several reasons I thought of you for this job. Deadman, for one. He’s currently working at a lab in southern Mexico. I don’t know the details, but the research they’re conducting there is important—very important. And there are certain things he’d like to tell you in person.
Sam: That was one reason. You got more?
Fragile: I do. And this one’s serious. There is some BT territory near that lab I mentioned. They monitor the chiralium levels, and recently they’ve observed unusual activity. The cause is still unclear, but they seem to think there’s a good chance a massive BT is headed their way. And if they’re right, then I want you there, ready to kill it before it kills them. Don’t forget, Sam – you were the first person in the world to ever take out a BT.
Sam: Guess that makes sense. But something’s still bugging me.
Fragile: What?
Sam: All this talk about extending the network into Mexico – isn’t the UCA basically expanding their territory? Taking control – claiming it for their own?
Fragile: Sam, it’s not like that. They’re not trying to take over the world. They just want to link up new areas with the chiral network. Like the internet before the Death Stranding. Public infrastructure to connect people. Which is why, instead of turning to an established government agency like Bridges, the UCa contracted a private organisation like ours – who then decided to employ the services of a freelancer like yourself. So please, Sam. Won’t you help us out?
Sam: Yeah, alright.
Fragile: So you’ll do it?
Sam: Uh- huh. What about Lou though? It’s not like I can take my kid with me. If I do this… can you hold the fort for me while I’m gone? Play babysitter?
Fragile: We’re inside the network. There’s a childcare app I can use. It’ll be fine. The lab is only a few days away. I promise he’ll be back before you know it. Link up the region as you head south, and come home safe. We’ll be waiting.
Sam: Alright.