Start of a transcript of: Who Iced Mayor McFreeze? An Interactive Fiction by Damon L. Wakes Release 1 / Serial number 230928 / Inform 7 v10.1.2 Inform 7 v10.1.2 Identification number: //902BC330-F409-4BF3-AACD-49EB12EA9C4C// Interpreter version 0.6.0 / VM 3.1.3 >x me You're a street-smart broad with a hard sugar shell but a soft centre. >x sign "KEEP OUT - THIS BUILDING IS SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION" There's a date and time too: looks like they're due to blow it up at 9am tomorrow. >x chain It's a heavy, slightly rusty loop of chain, fixed closed with a padlock (also slightly rusty). >x rain The taffy factory might have closed down years ago, but the sky never recovered from the fumes. Now the clouds are black liquorice, and the rain is a thin, sticky syrup. Maybe things will never go back to the way they were... >taste rain You taste nothing unexpected. >x padlock It's a solid padlock, even if it's seen better days. It needs a key to open - which you don't have - but fortunately it's not keeping anything closed. >l Factory Outskirts A small and deeply depressing stretch of industrial wasteland sandwiched between the abandoned taffy factory to the south, and - just beyond the road you drove in on - a row of abandoned storefronts to the north. Just beyond that is the seedy part of town, which is to say the part that has people in it. Raindrops sizzle on the still-hot bonnet of your car, leaving little brown circles of caramelised sugar. All that stands between you and the taffy factory is a set of chainlink gates. There's a bright yellow sign, and a hefty chain and padlock. >n There's nothing back there but a row of abandoned storefronts, and the faint booming bass of Candy Kane's nightclub just beyond. >x storefronts Back when the taffy factory was still in operation, this was a bustling area of town. But no longer. >x car (the Fudge Challenger) Your 1973 Fudge Challenger. It's a fine car, but the permanent nighttime syrup-rain of Sugar City has really done a number of the paint job. >taste rain You taste nothing unexpected. >taste car (the Fudge Challenger) You taste nothing unexpected. >smell You smell nothing unexpected. >l Factory Outskirts A small and deeply depressing stretch of industrial wasteland sandwiched between the abandoned taffy factory to the south, and - just beyond the road you drove in on - a row of abandoned storefronts to the north. Just beyond that is the seedy part of town, which is to say the part that has people in it. Raindrops sizzle on the still-hot bonnet of your car, leaving little brown circles of caramelised sugar. All that stands between you and the taffy factory is a set of chainlink gates. There's a bright yellow sign, and a hefty chain and padlock. >open gate You open the chainlink gates. >in You can't go that way. >s Factory Entrance A muddy patch of industrial wasteland virtually indistinguishable from the depressing stretch of land just the other side of the chainlink gates just to the north. The taffy factory itself towers above you, industrial pipes and chimneys sprouting from the roof like the sprouts of a sweet potato way too old to eat. The doors of the factory are to the south. You can't go west because your way is blocked by a big stack of rusting sugar bins, and to the east there's nothing but the cola docks, fizzing away quietly in the night. >i You are carrying: a fedora (being worn) a trenchcoat (being worn) a car key hi top trainers (being worn) a watch (being worn) a flashlight >x fedora Standard private eye attire. >x trenchcoat Keeps the rain off you, and looks really cool to boot. >x key The key to your trusty 1973 Fudge Challenger. >x trainers There's no gum on them, okay? Stop asking. >x watch It's 11:19 pm. But also, it's always nighttime in Sugar City. >x flashlight You always have your trusty flashlight with you, since it's always nighttime in Sugar City. The flashlight is currently switched on. >w You can't go that way. >e The docks are controlled by the Sourballz, the gang of thugs who (allegedly) do Don Toblerone's dirty work. There'll be any number of crimes to investigate over there, but you've got a job already. Maybe finish this candy bar before you start another one, hmm? >l Factory Entrance A muddy patch of industrial wasteland virtually indistinguishable from the depressing stretch of land just the other side of the chainlink gates just to the north. The taffy factory itself towers above you, industrial pipes and chimneys sprouting from the roof like the sprouts of a sweet potato way too old to eat. The doors of the factory are to the south. You can't go west because your way is blocked by a big stack of rusting sugar bins, and to the east there's nothing but the cola docks, fizzing away quietly in the night. >x bins Vast quantities of sugar went into the taffy here back when the factory was still running - that's how Sugar City got its name. Now all that's left is this vast graveyard of the thin steel bins that it came in, stacked messily and slowly rusting away to nothing. >x factory Which do you mean, the taffy factory, the factory doors or the factory door keyhole? >taffy Sugar City hasn't been the same since the old taffy factory shut down for good. It might be right on the outskirts, but in many ways it was the heart of the community. Its closure left a hole that many are still trying to fill: with sherbet, with crystal candy - with whatever numbs the pain. >x doors You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >x door You peer through it, but see nothing of note. >x keyhole You peer through it, but see nothing of note. >l Factory Entrance A muddy patch of industrial wasteland virtually indistinguishable from the depressing stretch of land just the other side of the chainlink gates just to the north. The taffy factory itself towers above you, industrial pipes and chimneys sprouting from the roof like the sprouts of a sweet potato way too old to eat. The doors of the factory are to the south. You can't go west because your way is blocked by a big stack of rusting sugar bins, and to the east there's nothing but the cola docks, fizzing away quietly in the night. >s (first opening the factory doors) You step into the taffy factory, and immediately your worst fears are confirmed: before you on the floor lie the remains of Mayor McFreeze, slowly melting into slush. At least, before you on the floor lie about a third of the remains of Mayor McFreeze. The majority of him is stuck upside-down in an industrial sugar-grinder. What a way to go. You walk over to investigate, but just as you stoop to examine the corpse the factory doors slam closed! You hear a sturdy key turn in the lock, then running footsteps squelch away through the mud and into the night. Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >x door (the office door) A cheap, stained wooden door, badly warped by damp. There's a small keyhole just beneath the brass handle. >x walkway A spartan metal walkway running above the sugar-grinder. Presumably this is where the raw sugar would have been dumped from( and presumably where Mayor McFreeze was dumped from as well.) >x corpse Mayor McFreeze appears to have been shoved - or perhaps fallen - head-first into the industrial sugar-grinder. The lower two-thirds of Mayor McFreeze is wearing a partially shredded plastic suit. The upper third of Mayor McFreeze is similar in consistency to a Slush Puppy and steadily melting into the dusty concrete floor. A candy cigarette lies nearby. >x candy A popular (legal) drug, chalky and addictive. The gold band around the filter end marks this out as Godfather's Choice, the preferred brand of one Don Toblerone. You don't know anyone else who shares his expensive tastes. The cigarette is wet, and tinged just slightly blue. >x blue There's no doubt about it. This cigarette has been moistened with some kind of blue liquid. >x mayor Mayor McFreeze appears to have been shoved - or perhaps fallen - head-first into the industrial sugar-grinder. The lower two-thirds of Mayor McFreeze is wearing a partially shredded plastic suit. The upper third of Mayor McFreeze is similar in consistency to a Slush Puppy and steadily melting into the dusty concrete floor. A candy cigarette lies nearby. >taste mayor Of all the people you've ever tasted in the course of your investigations (which is enough you're concerned you might technically be a cannibal), Mayor McFreeze might be the tastiest. You're getting a powerful hit of blue raspberry, slightly tart but offset by a potent sweetness. >taste cigarette It mostly tastes of highly addictive powdered sugar, but there's a definite hint of blueberry to it as well. Something about that strikes you as very suspicious... There's no shortage of blue liquid pooling on the floor, but that's not the same flavour as Mayor McFreeze. >i You are carrying: a fedora (being worn) a trenchcoat (being worn) a car key hi top trainers (being worn) a watch (being worn) a flashlight >take cigarette Taken. >l Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >take all There are none at all available! >x window It's almost too dusty to see through, except in one corner where somebody seems to have wiped clean a small circle. It's still no help to you with the blinds down, though. >x walkway A spartan metal walkway running above the sugar-grinder. Presumably this is where the raw sugar would have been dumped from( and presumably where Mayor McFreeze was dumped from as well.) >x machine You sure wouldn't want to be shoved headfirst into this thing. The industrial sugar-grinder is currently switched off. >turn on grinder The mangled corpse of Mayor McFreeze appears to have jammed it, and you have absolutely no incentive to un-jam it. >n (first opening the factory doors) They seem to be locked. >e (first opening the office door) It seems to be locked. >x office Which do you mean, the office door or the office window? >door A cheap, stained wooden door, badly warped by damp. There's a small keyhole just beneath the brass handle. >x keyhole Which do you mean, the factory door keyhole, the double door keyhole or the small keyhole? >x handle You can't see any such thing. >x handle You can't see any such thing. >x brass You can't see any such thing. >x small keyhole You can't make out much through the small keyhole, but you think you can see the edge of a desk of some kind right beside the door. >l Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >s (first opening the double doors) They seem to be locked. >x double (the double doors) They're the same powder blue as the main factory doors, but in better shape, having been more protected from the elements. However, a particularly enterprising sugar mouse has gnawed a jagged hole in the bottom, where the two doors meet. There's a worn keyhole just beneath one of the handles. >x hole It's just large enough to put your hand through, though you'd need a very good reason to do that. The sugary little critter that nibbled this might be lurking on the other side. >x keyhole Which do you mean, the factory door keyhole, the double door keyhole or the small keyhole? >double You can't see anything through the keyhole. It looks as though there might be something in there - probably the key. >push keyhole Which do you mean, the factory door keyhole, the double door keyhole or the small keyhole? >double Nothing obvious happens. >put cigarette in double (the double doors) You knock the key out of the keyhole with the candy cigarette! Reaching around through the sugar mouse hole, you manage to pick it up. You unlock the double doors. >s (first opening the double doors) Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. >s (first opening the back door) It seems to be locked. >x back You push against it, but though it gives a little this is only because it appears to be chained from the outside rather than locked in any more conventional way. You cannot reach the lock, nor get the door open wide enough to pass a tool through the gap. >x dynamite It's a huge stack of dynamite. There's really not much more to say, except that there's also a small but prominent yellow sign informing you that the building in which you're currently standing has been scheduled for demolition...at 9am tomorrow. In the huge stack of dynamite is a detonator cord. >take dynamite Okay, you probably could, but that doesn't mean you should. >x sign You flip the sign over in case there's anything written on the back. "If you can read this," it says, "you are too close to the explosives." The sign makes a good point. >take sign That seems to be a part of the huge stack of dynamite. >x cord A long length of cord intended to detonate explosives from a safe distance. You are not at a safe distance. >take cord You simply yank the detonator cord out of the huge pile of dynamite and coil it up. You certainly feel a lot safer now! However, you can't be positive there aren't more explosives waiting to go off elsewhere in the building. >x cage A rugged galvanised steel tool cage with a sturdy mesh door. In the tool cage is an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. >x puller The taffy-puller sits in eerie silence, its bright red power button crying out to your oh-so impressionable finger. The taffy-puller is currently switched off. >tie cord to puller You tie the detonator cord around one of the powerful-looking paddles of the taffy-puller. >tie cord to cage You use the free end of the detonator cord to anchor it firmly to the mesh door of the tool cage. >turn on puller The taffy-puller judders into life! With a speed unexpected for its size, the great paddle of the taffy-puller winds up the detonator cord. There's a tremendous squealing of metal as the mesh door of the tool cage is ripped from its hinges and swiftly dragged into the machine. >take torch Taken. >x torch A big trolley with two gas tanks on it, and a comparatively weeny little hose and nozzle to do the business. The oxy-acetylene cutting torch is currently switched off. >turn on torch Turns out the gas tanks are empty. Bummer. >l Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller and the mesh door of the tool cage. The whole thing is whirling round in an extremely dangerous fashion. >turn off puller You switch the taffy-puller off. >x cage A rugged galvanised steel tool cage. >u Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >x vat A huge metal vat for boiling up sugar for taffy. In the vat are a crumpled note and some edible panties. >take note Taken. >x note A note written using letters cut and pasted from a glossy magazine - based on a particularly distinctive "B" in "BiG BOy" you think they might be letters cut and pasted from Vanparys Fair specifically. It says: faCtoRy 10Pm coMe fInD Me BiG BOy You find it hard to imagine that Don Toblerone wrote this note. >x panties They're folded neatly, with sharp creases in areas you can only imagine would be smoothed out if worn, so this discovery isn't nearly as gross as it could be. It's still not exactly the highlight of your day, though. >take panties Taken. >smell panties They seem to be cherry-flavour. That's "cherry" the fruit rather than "Cherry" the exotic dancer from Kandy Cane's Club (though come to think of it there is a very good chance that both would taste the same). >smell note You smell nothing unexpected. >x window There's a pane missing, leaving a space just big enough for you to pass through. The grid of iron between the remaining panes is sturdy despite its age and the constant beating of the rain: you wouldn't find an easier way through even if you were to break one of the others. >x winch A powerful winch, presumably once used to bring refined sugar up to the vat for boiling. The winch is currently switched off. >push vat It is fixed in place. >turn on winch You switch the winch on. >tip vat That's not a verb I recognise. >x winch The winch judders noisily, the large drum shaking back and forth. Apparently the years have not been kind to this thing: you don't think it'll be any use to you. The winch is currently switched on. >climb on winch You can't see any such thing. >stand on winch That's not something you can stand on. >turn off winch You switch the winch off. >l Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >d Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller and the mesh door of the tool cage. The whole lot is wound up around the paddle of the taffy-puller, looking generally messy and chaotic. >take cord It would be rather impractical to take that with that huge mesh door attached to it. >take door Which do you mean, the double door keyhole, the mesh door or the back door? >mesh You disentangle the mesh door from the detonator cord. >x mesh A sturdy mesh door. >n Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >u You can't go that way. >w You can't go that way. >u You can't go that way. >su That's not a verb I recognise. >s Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller. >u Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >i You are carrying: a mesh door some edible panties a crumpled note an oxy-acetylene cutting torch a small key a candy cigarette a fedora (being worn) a trenchcoat (being worn) a car key hi top trainers (being worn) a watch (being worn) a flashlight >x torch A big trolley with two gas tanks on it, and a comparatively weeny little hose and nozzle to do the business. The oxy-acetylene cutting torch is currently switched off. >x hose A moderately long section of hose, through which an extremely dangerous combination of gases could flow if you had any extremely dangerous gases available. It's incredibly sturdy, and fastened tightly to the gas tanks - just as you'd hope. >x nozzle Really just a little section of pipe. Given that flames are supposed to shoot out of the end, you're kind of surprised it's not longer. >x tanks They're very heavy, but unfortunately that's despite being empty. >x trolley You can't see any such thing. >l Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >x fans Huge fans, vital for getting caustic sugar fumes out of the factory back in the day, but not much use to you now. >x pipes You can't see any such thing. >n There's a sizeable gap between this floor and that windowsill. Even if you're not smart enough to think up another plan right now, you're smart enough not to try jumping for it. >l Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >u You can't go that way. >n There's a sizeable gap between this floor and that windowsill. Even if you're not smart enough to think up another plan right now, you're smart enough not to try jumping for it. >s You can't go that way. >w You can't go that way. >e You can't go that way. >d Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller. >n Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >n (first opening the factory doors) They seem to be locked. >e (first opening the office door) It seems to be locked. >w You can't go that way. >x office Which do you mean, the office door or the office window? >door A cheap, stained wooden door, badly warped by damp. There's a small keyhole just beneath the brass handle. >hit door (the mesh door) Violence isn't the answer to this one. >push door (the mesh door) Nothing obvious happens. >x window It's almost too dusty to see through, except in one corner where somebody seems to have wiped clean a small circle. It's still no help to you with the blinds down, though. >hit window That sugar glass is surprisingly tough. You could lick your way through it, perhaps, but you don't have the time. >lick window Mmmm, sugar glass... Peh! Peh! ...and dust. >lick window Mmmm, sugar glass... Peh! Peh! ...and dust. >break window That sugar glass is surprisingly tough. You could lick your way through it, perhaps, but you don't have the time. >hit window with tank I only understood you as far as wanting to hit the office window. >l Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >n (first opening the factory doors) They seem to be locked. >s Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller. >s (first opening the back door) It seems to be locked. >e You can't go that way. >w You can't go that way. >n Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >throw tank at window You can't see any such thing. >throw torch at window Futile. >l Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >throw torch at door (the mesh door) Futile. >l Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >throw torch at office door You hurl the trolley with all your might. Even with the tanks empty, it's got some considerable weight behind it. The flimsy office door bursts inwards under the assault! >e Factory Office A small, dingy room from which someone presumably once oversaw the comings and goings of the taffy factory. In front of the window is a wooden desk, and in front of the desk is a mouldering swivel chair. On the wooden desk is a pull-rope. You can also see an oxy-acetylene cutting torch here. >x desk A simple wooden desk. There is a drawer on one side, and you can't help but notice that the thick layer of dust on the desktop has been disturbed near the door. You're positive you didn't do that when you came in. On the wooden desk is a pull-rope. >x chair You could have great fun spinning around in this. But as you prepare to do so, you catch scent of something most peculiar... >x rope It appears this was once part of the blinds in the factory office. You're not actually sure how it got detached - it seems surprisingly thick and sturdy for its purpose. >l Factory Office A small, dingy room from which someone presumably once oversaw the comings and goings of the taffy factory. In front of the window is a wooden desk, and in front of the desk is a mouldering swivel chair. On the wooden desk is a pull-rope. You can also see an oxy-acetylene cutting torch here. >x chair You could have great fun spinning around in this. But as you prepare to do so, you catch scent of something most peculiar... >smell You smell nothing unexpected. >smell ch air You can't see any such thing. >smell chair There's no doubt about it: the swivel chair has a distinctly minty aroma. You're almost positive that your hapless rival - the hardboiled detective Mint Humbug - was in this seat not long ago! >take all oxy-acetylene cutting torch: Taken. pull-rope: Taken. >x drawer A simple drawer built into the wooden desk. >open drawer You open the drawer and are immediately hit with a sudden and powerful smell. >xmell That's not a verb I recognise. >smell You smell nothing unexpected. >smell drawer There's an extremely potent whiff of menthol candy cigarettes. >x drawer A simple drawer built into the wooden desk. In the drawer are a pile of candy cigarette butts and a Polaroid photograph. >x butts It's a sizeable pile of candy cigarette butts, mixed with what appear to be the peel-off portions of many Polaroid photographs. You're not certain whether or not this is a fire hazard, but it sure is pretty gross. >taste butts You already can sort of taste them - the scent is just that strong. >take butts No thank you - they're fine where they are. >x photos You can't see any such thing. >x portions You can't see any such thing. >x polaroid It's a slightly-out-of-focus photograph of Mayor McFreeze with one of the jelly babes from Candy Kane's Club, an establishment in one of the less reputable districts of Sugar City (actually not far from here). The two of them are...doing...something. She's wearing handcuffs and he's wearing a policeman's hat. Neither are wearing anything else. Based on the machinery in the background and the smeary glass in the foreground, you can tell that the photograph was taken from within this very office. >take polaroid Taken. >l Factory Office A small, dingy room from which someone presumably once oversaw the comings and goings of the taffy factory. In front of the window is a wooden desk, and in front of the desk is a mouldering swivel chair. >x drawer A simple drawer built into the wooden desk. In the drawer is a pile of candy cigarette butts. >climb desk Little is to be achieved by that. >x rope It appears this was once part of the blinds in the factory office. You're not actually sure how it got detached - it seems surprisingly thick and sturdy for its purpose. >x blinds A bunch of horizontal plastic strips hanging in front of the window to limit the amount of light coming in, or more likely the number of passers-by peeping through. >open blinds They appear to be broken. They won't stay open: the best you can do is hold them up with your hand. >lift blinds That's not a verb I recognise. >hold blinds That seems to be a part of the interior office window. >x window Lifting the blinds a little reveals a window that's almost too dusty to see through, except in one corner where somebody seems to have wiped clean a small circle. It's just beyond a patch of the desk's surface that seems to have - perhaps inadvertently - been cleared of dust in a similar way. >stand on desk That's not something you can stand on. >w Grinding Floor This room, just inside the entrance of the taffy factory, is where the raw sugar was once ground ready for use. There's a large machine in the centre for just this purpose, with a walkway running over it, and in/beside/around the machine is the corpse of Mayor McFreeze. To the south there is a set of double doors leading farther inside the factory. To the north are the main factory doors, leading back outside. To the east there is what appears to be an office of some kind. A window looks out onto the grinding floor, but the blinds are down inside. >n (first opening the factory doors) They seem to be locked. >w You can't go that way. >s Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller. >u Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. >tie rope to window You would achieve nothing by this. >throw rope to window I only understood you as far as wanting to throw the pull-rope. >throw rope Dropped. >take rope Taken. >climb mesh Little is to be achieved by that. >drop mesh Dropped. >l Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. You can see a mesh door here. >climb mesh Little is to be achieved by that. >take mesh Taken. >put mesh in gap That can't contain things. >put mesh on gap You carefully slide the mesh door of the tool cage beneath the railing of the boiling floor and over to the windowsill, effectively bridging the gap. >n Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >x pipes Those chimneys are what tainted the clouds long ago. The rain in Sugar City was once clear and sparkling, cleansing the wicked and the righteous alike. Now the sky is black as liquorice, and what falls from it paints the ground as sticky as the floor of the grottiest cinema you've ever seen. >x broken A vertical length of steel pipe bolted to the wall, near the edge of the roof. Standing a little uphill of it, you can see inside. Standing a little downhill of it... Never mind: you don't want to get that close to the edge. >x inside You see nothing unexpected in that direction. >x stell You can't see any such thing. >x steel You can't see any such thing. >x inside broken I only understood you as far as wanting to examine inside. >x in broken I only understood you as far as wanting to examine inside. >enter broken That's not something you can enter. >l Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >i You are carrying: a pull-rope a Polaroid photograph an oxy-acetylene cutting torch some edible panties a crumpled note a small key a candy cigarette a fedora (being worn) a trenchcoat (being worn) a car key hi top trainers (being worn) a watch (being worn) a flashlight >tie rope to pipe You can't see any such thing. >tie rope to broken It's no good: the chimney is bolted directly to the wall, and there's no space to tie anything around it. You'll have to find some other way of fixing a rope here. >tie rope to torch You probably want to tie that to the hose specifically. >tie rope to hose You would achieve nothing by this. >tie rope to nozzle You would achieve nothing by this. >l Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >x me You always stick to your guns. >x me You dispense justice even if your clients can only spare a quarter for your services. >x me You always stick to your guns. >x me You're a street-smart broad with a hard sugar shell but a soft centre. >x me You always stick to your guns. >x roof You can't see any such thing. >x steel You can't see any such thing. >x rain The taffy factory might have closed down years ago, but the sky never recovered from the fumes. Now the clouds are black liquorice, and the rain is a thin, sticky syrup. Maybe things will never go back to the way they were... >taste rain You taste nothing unexpected. >n You can't go that way. >s Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. On the sizeable gap is a mesh door. >n Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >x chimneys Those chimneys are what tainted the clouds long ago. The rain in Sugar City was once clear and sparkling, cleansing the wicked and the righteous alike. Now the sky is black as liquorice, and what falls from it paints the ground as sticky as the floor of the grottiest cinema you've ever seen. >x sky You can't see any such thing. >x broken A vertical length of steel pipe bolted to the wall, near the edge of the roof. Standing a little uphill of it, you can see inside. Standing a little downhill of it... Never mind: you don't want to get that close to the edge. >enter pipe You can't see any such thing. >tie rope to pipe You can't see any such thing. >tie rope to broken It's no good: the chimney is bolted directly to the wall, and there's no space to tie anything around it. You'll have to find some other way of fixing a rope here. >i You are carrying: a pull-rope a Polaroid photograph an oxy-acetylene cutting torch some edible panties a crumpled note a small key a candy cigarette a fedora (being worn) a trenchcoat (being worn) a car key hi top trainers (being worn) a watch (being worn) a flashlight >hint You can type "hint" to get a helpful hint - but you already knew that, didn't you? >hint An object that helps you in one place may well prove useful in another as well. >tie hose to rope You would achieve nothing by this. >tie rope to torch You probably want to tie that to the hose specifically. >tie rope to hose You would achieve nothing by this. >tie rope What do you want to tie the pull-rope to? >hose You would achieve nothing by this. >tie rope to tank You can't see any such thing. >x torch A big trolley with two gas tanks on it, and a comparatively weeny little hose and nozzle to do the business. The oxy-acetylene cutting torch is currently switched off. >turn on torch Turns out the gas tanks are empty. Bummer. >x hose A moderately long section of hose, through which an extremely dangerous combination of gases could flow if you had any extremely dangerous gases available. It's incredibly sturdy, and fastened tightly to the gas tanks - just as you'd hope. >take hose That seems to be a part of the oxy-acetylene cutting torch. >put torch on pipe You can't see any such thing. >put torch on broken Putting things on the broken chimney would achieve nothing. >l Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >s Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. On the sizeable gap is a mesh door. >d Pulling Floor A large area of the factory dedicated to the pulling of taffy. Unsurprisingly, a behemothian taffy-puller takes up most of the space. Bolted to the wall nearby is a rugged-looking tool cage. To the north is the grinding floor where raw sugar is processed, and to the south is the back door of the factory. Upstairs is an upper floor that appears dedicated to a large metal vat of some kind. Oh, and there's a huge stack of dynamite slap bang in the middle of the room. That's probably kind of important. Fortunately the detonator cord from that huge stack of dynamite is no longer in there, and instead tied to the taffy-puller. >take cord You untie the detonator cord. >u Boiling Floor A high floor of the factory taking up approximately half the horizontal space of the pulling floor, of which it offers a good view. It seems to be primarily dedicated to a huge tippable vat, poised directly above the taffy-puller below. There's also a winch - presumably for bringing up refined sugar from the floor below - and a large bank of extractor fans feeding into pipes overhead. Back when this place was operational, the caustic sugar-vapours must have been truly overpowering. A large window to the north - one pane near the bottom entirely absent - would have let in plenty of sunlight back before the taffy factory itself blotted out the sun. Through it your torch can just about pick out the roof of the sugar-grinding room, though there's a sizeable gap between the boiling floor and that windowsill. On the sizeable gap is a mesh door. >n Roof The sickly-sweet rain drips down onto the corrugated steel of the roof, making them both sticky and slick. The entire roof is essentially a slippery ramp leading to a long drop: not a fun place to be. Here the pipes from inside become the chimneys visible from halfway across sugar city. Up close, you see they are in a poor state of repair. A section of one has fallen away entirely at some point, leaving the rest of this broken chimney an open vessel. Unless you can find some way down (and ideally not the most obvious one), the only way off this roof is back through the window to the south, to the boiling floor. >tie cord to hose You would achieve nothing by this. >tie cord to broken It's no good: the chimney is bolted directly to the wall, and there's no space to tie anything around it. You'll have to find some other way of fixing a rope here. >tie cord to rope You're not sure you want to be walking around a factory with two long, trailing lengths of material tied together - it's liable to get snagged on something. >put torch in chimney With considerable effort - and at great personal risk - you heave the oxy-acetylene cutting torch over the broken chimney and drop it in. It fits snugly, leaving just the top of the gas tanks and their trailing hose poking out the top. >tie rope to hose You tie the pull-rope to the dangling hose of the oxy-acetylene cutting torch. >climb rope Little is to be achieved by that. >d It's a long, long, long way to the ground from here. You could try climbing down the hose of the cutting torch, but that would still leave an absolutely suicidal drop. Your efforts to extend it go some way towards addressing the problem, but you still don't trust that big pile of sugar bins to break your fall. >tie cord to rope You tie the detonator cord to the dangling end of the pull-rope, which you've already tied to the hose of the oxy-acetylene cutting torch. >d You clamber down your improvised rope to freedom. Though it's hard going - and extremely nerve-wracking - you reach the ground without incident. Returning to the taffy factory's chainlink gates, you find them locked - and your car gone. Wide, wet tracks on the road suggest it has been towed. Walking back into town, you stop into Candy Kane's Club to call a cab. It's the most alliterative thing you've done all day. While you're at it, you put in one other call... "Where to, toots?" asks the driver, a gingerbread man with a 5 O'clock shadow of dark chocolate. "The mayor's house," you reply, simply. The driver glances at the dashboard clock: it reads 2:32 am. "He expecting you at this hour?" he asks. "No he isn't," you reply. "And I don't think his wife is either." The journey takes perhaps ten minutes. Mrs. McFreeze opens the door. "Where's my husband?" she asks, after a pause. "He's dead," you say, bluntly. "But I get the impression that won't be a surprise to you." For just an instant she seems taken aback by your words. But then she composes herself: "I suppose I knew it the moment I set out to secure your services. But please. Come in. Let me know exactly what's happened." You enter the home of the late Mayor McFreeze and take a seat while Mrs. McFreeze pours out two large tumblers of scotch. Her icy fingers leave a drippy blue trail on the rim of your glass, which you politely ignore: it is a warm night, after all, and it can't be helped. The refreshments now sorted, you get straight to the point: "I know it was you." "Why, whatever do you mean?" Mrs. McFreeze stares quizzically at you. "It was you," you repeat. "You iced Mayor McFreeze." "What an outlandish accusation." Mrs. McFreeze takes a delicate sip of her scotch, the glass frosting in her hand. "What reason could I possibly have to do that?" You produce the Polaroid that you found in the drawer of the desk in the factory office. "Your husband wasn't exactly faithful, was he?" "Perhaps not," says Mrs. McFreeze. "Perhaps we've remained together more for the sake of appearances than for love: that's often the way in politics. Who's to say I'd care enough to murder him?" "I know I'm not the first private eye who's been sent into that factory. Somebody was in there taking pictures. I'd recognise the stench of my old rival anywhere. I think you know much more than you let on when you hired me." Mrs. McFreeze spreads her arms. "My husband was a prominent politician. Any number of people might want to dig up dirt on him. All this evidence you've found - I'd say it suggests someone might have been blackmailing him. I'd think it most likely that late-night meeting was with the blackmailer - what reason could you have to think that I was ever involved?" You produce the candy cigarette you found right by Mayor McFreeze's corpse. "Look familiar?" "I know Don Toblerone smokes that brand," says Mrs. McFreeze. "Everybody does," you say. "I think that's the point. I think we all know Don Toblerone's behind half the crime in Sugar City, but this... I think this is in the other half. Because this particular cigarette?" You give it a lick. "It tastes of blueberry." You pick up your untouched scotch and taste the little drop of blue liquid that Mrs. McFreeze's thumb left on the glass. "It's quite a distinctive flavour." "Well done, Ms. Gumshoe." Mrs. McFreeze gives a slow, exaggerated clap. "I see your powers of observation were not exaggerated. But tell me: how do you know that cigarette was not flavoured by my famously blue husband?" "Because your famously blue husband tastes of blue raspberry, Mrs. McFreeze. Not blueberry. I am quite certain you were at the crime scene. And what's more, I'm quite certain that you returned to it just after I arrived: to lock me in the condemned factory." Mrs. McFreeze rolls her eyes. "Now why would I ever do that?" "Because - if it's not tooting my own whistle pop - you knew that if you did not dispose of Sugar City's greatest private eye as part of your crime, you would have to contend with her once it was complete." "So what happens now?" asks Mrs. McFreeze. "What's the next move for Sugar City's preeminent private eye?" You set down your scotch. "I made it fifteen minutes ago." Blue lights flare through the front window as a squad car pulls up outside. Through the glass, you see Officer Bagel step out, adjusting his cap. "Please just think about this," says Mrs. McFreeze, her voice suddenly hurried. "I have a great deal of influence. I was going to run for mayor myself. I- We could still pin this on Don Toblerone! We could turn this city around!" "There's just two problems there." You get up and walk to the door. "One: when I take down Don Toblerone, it'll be for something he's actually done. And two..." You open it. "Nobody blows up Bubble Gumshoe." *** THE END *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > q Please give one of the answers above. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > quit