• Article Excerpt (Intro): Shadow sat alone in the coffee shop, the caramel latte untouched before her. Midnight draped the streets outside in fog, and the hum of the neon sign barely cut through the silence. She had been waiting for Jaq for two hours—long enough for patience to curdle into hunger, both for bourbon and answers. Her eyes flicked to the empty street again. Nothing. No Cadillac, no sign of him. Only the soft glow of SQL code hovering around her table, lines of logic bending in the air like whispered instructions from some unseen programmer. Something was wrong, and Shadow’s instincts told her it wasn’t just the coffee getting cold.

 

-- Shadow approaches the warehouse, checking for potential traps
DECLARE @TrapDetected BIT = 0;

SELECT TrapType, Severity
FROM WarehouseTraps
WHERE Location = 'Warehouse'
AND Time <= '00:45';

IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM WarehouseTraps WHERE Severity > 7)
SET @TrapDetected = 1;

-- Shadow prepares backup plan
INSERT INTO BackupPlans (Character, Plan, Priority)
VALUES ('Shadow Conn', 'Retreat and regroup', 'High');

-- Encounter with Jaq: suspense build
SELECT Jaq.Status, Jaq.Location, Jaq.Mood
FROM Characters AS Jaq
WHERE Jaq.Name = 'Jaq';

-- Conditional branching based on Jaq's mood
IF (SELECT Mood FROM Characters WHERE Name = 'Jaq') = 'Angry'
BEGIN
INSERT INTO ActionsTaken (Character, Action, Result)
VALUES ('Shadow Conn', 'Approach cautiously', 'HighRisk');
END
ELSE
BEGIN
INSERT INTO ActionsTaken (Character, Action, Result)
VALUES ('Shadow Conn', 'Approach confidently', 'Safe');
END;

-- Vampire powers activation
UPDATE ShadowConn
SET PowerUse = 'ShadowBlend, EnhancedHearing'
WHERE Objective = 'Find Jaq';

-- Dialogue simulation
INSERT INTO Conversations (Speaker, Listener, Message)
VALUES ('Shadow Conn', 'Jaq', 'You’re late. Where have you been?');

INSERT INTO Conversations (Speaker, Listener, Message)
VALUES ('Jaq', 'Shadow Conn', 'Unexpected complications…don’t ask.');

-- Shadow analyzes situation
SELECT SituationAnalysis
FROM Mindset
WHERE Character = 'Shadow Conn';

-- Decision point: attack or negotiate
DECLARE @Decision NVARCHAR(50);
SET @Decision = CASE
WHEN (SELECT Mood FROM Characters WHERE Name = 'Jaq') = 'Angry' THEN 'Negotiate'
ELSE 'Attack'
END;

-- Log Shadow’s next action
INSERT INTO NextMoves (Character, Decision, ConfidenceLevel)
VALUES ('Shadow Conn', @Decision, 85);

-- Cliffhanger for chapter 2
RAISEERROR('Chapter ends: Midnight showdown imminent.', 16, 1);