Nothing has been the same since the day your son died.
Kyle had just turned 7 a few months earlier. You were working in LA's City Hall at the time, filing development permits and the like. Your boss, Scott Martin, had taken you under his wing, and you were finally making a decent amount of money, for the first time since your husband, John, had died. Unfortunately, the hours were pretty inflexible, so Kyle had to spend a few hours at a babysitter's after school every day. If only you had been able to afford to send him to a daycare center in a better neighborhood, maybe it wouldn't have happened. You know that you could never have expected it, but you'll think about all the things you could have done differently until the day you die.
One afternoon, as Kyle was playing in his babysitter's front yard, a gunfight broke out. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence in any part of downtown LA anymore, but for some reason, you thought that your son would be safe. On that day, he wasn't.
They told you that the bullet had probably ricocheted off a nearby building. They said that the gunfight had been the result of some sort of turf war started by a new Asian gang in the area. They said a lot of things, but you weren't listening. All you could see was your son, lying dead on a table, and all you could hear was the way his ragged breath must have sounded, gasping and gurgling on the pavement as his lung collapsed. Was he trying to call out to you, to his Mommy? Did he realize that he was dying? Did he pray for God to save him? Did he cry? You'll never know, because you weren't able to be with your own son as he died, and you'll never forgive yourself for it.
You should have known better. Maybe if you had left this horrible city after it took your husband, you would at least have your son. John was a policeman, an adult, and he knew the risks he was taking. The two of you had talked it out, and you had made your peace with John's choice, but Kyle was just a little boy, your little boy, and all you had left in the world. You found yourself wondering, "What have I done to deserve so much suffering in my lifetime?"
Scott was a godsend, helping you with the funeral details and dropping by to make sure you didn't go crazy in your now-empty apartment. He offered to give you as much time off as you needed, and you took those weeks to try to make sense of what had happened. The more you questioned, the more you felt that perhaps it was time for a change in your life. Instead of hiding in a fenced-off apartment complex and changing the channel whenever bad news came on the TV, you decided that it was time for you to do your part in making things safer, if not for Kyle then for someone else's child.
Scott was very sorry to see you go, but he understood how important it was for you to find a way to make your life meaningful. You became a high school counselor, and you began volunteering at various after-school programs. You threw yourself into your job and your volunteer programs, and you knew that you finally had the chance to make a difference.
Over the years, you've seen the worst of what the world has to offer, and though you've persevered, the burden has taken its toll. Each week brings a new rape or a kid thrown out by his parents, a girl overdosing or dealing with a pregnancy. You know that you've helped a lot of people over the years, but so many more seem to be slipping through the cracks, and there's nothing you can do to save them. You know that you have to keep trying-you owe John and Kyle that much-but you also know that this is a war that you can't win. It will get you in the end, just as it took the rest of your family, but until then, there's no way that you're giving up.
You'd been talking to Scott about your feelings of hopelessness for a while, and he's done his best to cheer you up. He thinks that you just need to take a break to clear your head. He told you that he had some business up in San Francisco this weekend, and he thought that you should come along to see the sights with him, getting away from all of that suffering for a while. Since the school system has a break during the next week, you thought that it might be a good idea, so you've packed up some things and boarded the train with him. Scott said that his business shouldn't take long, and then he'll be able to show you around the area. He seems a little anxious about it, whatever it is. Maybe you should talk to him about what's bothering him. As you board the train, you realize with a surprise that you're really looking forward to this chance to finally find some measure of peace.
At the beginning of the game, you should ask Scott about this mysterious errand he has to run in SF, since you can tell that it's making him nervous. You should also notice Kitty sitting across the aisle from you, a little girl traveling all by herself. In fact, she's about the same age as Kyle was when he died. When one of the judges announces the explosion, (safely!) fling yourself out of your seat, scream, cry out to the Heavens, or go nuts, as appropriate. Don't go overboard, as pretty much everyone should be dead within a few moments. When you die, just lie still on the ground with your eyes closed until a judge announces the continuation of the game.
When you wake, you'll realize that you don't want this second chance, that you would have preferred to go on directly to whatever afterlife you had earned. You get up anyway, knowing that you probably have a few more battles to fight before you find your own peace at last. There are people here who need your help.
Protect the innocent and helpless. Fight the immoral and unjust. Ease the pain of the suffering.
Share the story of your tragedy and how it reshaped your life, especially if the example might motivate others to better themselves as well.