Start of a transcript of Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth Another tale from the Bunker by Adam Wasserman Release 1 / Serial number 230327 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) Identification number: //974987D8-E0F4-4B95-BC5E-7BDD7B07B983// Interpreter version 1.3.6 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Menus version 5 by Wade Clarke Smarter Parser version 16/140501 by Aaron Reed Alternatives version 3 by Eric Eve Extended Grammar version 8/140501 by Aaron Reed Reversed Persuasion Correction version 2 by Juhana Leinonen Commonly Unimplemented version 2 by Aaron Reed >* OK, one more time with hints! You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >l Depot This narrow, cramped space is where Research Lab A-U61 accepts and stores deliveries. It is sparsely lit by a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. A darkened service tunnel wide enough for a sizeable vehicle leads off into darkness. In the corner next to an obscured doorway in the outward wall is a stack of boxes. A few of the boxes have been shunted aside, revealing a hole leading left. To the right through a wide opening, you can enter the lab's Lobby. You can see a forklift here. >right The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Yuri's face droops a little as he announces, "And now, good citizens, back to the most important news of the daystretch: the new and improved Vitamim being served in X-10 sector." Sally does her best to be excited. "Control cares about our health and wellbeing," she continues. "Did you know that the new and improved Vitamim now cures common skin rashes?" You lose interest and return to the matter at hand. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >left Plaza, under the Billboard You are standing near the entrance to the Clement Vallandigham complex. A sign on the wall indicates it is mostly occupied by the Internal Operations division of the Procurement conglomerate, including portions of its sprawling Department of Administration. Internal Operations is responsible for mining out on the surface, sorting and refining ores, distribution of raw materials and the like. Normally a bustling corner of the plaza, today is it deserted. And you know exactly why. Citizens have gathered just to the left of this location. But this is no ordinary meeting; this is a caring demonstration. And like all caring demonstrations, it is sorely in need of volunteers. A billboard - slightly crooked - hangs above a security camera mounted overhead. Beneath them both, playing with a flat, rectangular piece of transparent plastex, is a Ward of the State. A grate set in the floor, about a meter wide, separates you. Fortunately, the Ward of the State has her back to you. To the right is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. The Ward of the State farts loudly and blames it on you. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You are fairly confident the Clement Vallandigham complex is a boring place and full of dust, so you think better of it and decide to stay put. The Ward of the State informs you with all the confidence of a teamster that she's prettier than you are. "And smarter," she adds with a glance at the bunny ears. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see the feather duster and a sturdy locker (empty) here. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take duster Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. >g Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x controller A heavy, rectangular hunk of plastex that's charred in places, it is attached to a wire that runs into the wall near the shallow depression. A large switch is in the center. The large switch is up. Above it is a button (the top button) and below it is an identical one (the bottom button). In the controller is a gizmo. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >d You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >w You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Dev 1 [Previous turn undone.] >l Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. >x controller A heavy, rectangular hunk of plastex that's charred in places, it is attached to a wire that runs into the wall near the shallow depression. A large switch is in the center. The large switch is up. Above it is a button (the top button) and below it is an identical one (the bottom button). In the controller is a gizmo. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push bottom button A hollow booming sounds from somewhere below your feet. At first, nothing happens, but then the shallow depression drops a meter through the floor. A crawlspace leading off to the left is now visible. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x crawlspace The crawlspace is dark and leads off to the left. It is blocked by a curtain of links from a heavy chain. As a proud professional, you cannot help but notice that the entrance to the crawlspace is covered in dust. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >clean entrance With a flick of the wrist and a few artful jabs with your trusty feather duster, you make quick work of the troublesome dust around the entrance to the crawlspace. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* aha! Come again? >left You squat down and attempt to enter the crawlspace, but something is blocking the way. From what little light seeps in, it looks like a curtain made of the drapes and folds of a heavy chain. In any case, there's no room to pass. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x chain Through a small hole in the wall hangs a thick chain. At its end is a large hook. The crane is currently raised. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >move chain You step onto the shallow depression and give the crane a little tug. But like so many of your recent actions, the effort is fruitless. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >flip switch You flip the large switch. It is now down. You hear a whiny screeching as an invisible gear above you turns. The chain slowly descends. When the screeching stops, the hook hangs a few centimeters from the bottom of the shallow depression. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You uneventfully squeeze yourself into the crawlspace. There is enough room for you to slither along on your hands and knees. The way is fairly straight, but eventually you reach a slight turn. Light streams into the crawlspace beyond. Grateful, you reach the other end. Beneath the Altar You are kneeling at one end of the crawlspace, which stretches off to your right. Your head sticks out of a rectangular hole cut into the floor of the room above. Unfortunately, you can't see very much of it, as a low table has been placed over the hole. It hides you from the two occupants of the room. As you survey the area above you, you slowly come to realize that you have stumbled into a den of the Underground! Again? In the span of your short, insignificant life, you've never crossed paths with these traitors and criminals. Now twice in one daystretch, there they are. Perhaps the citizens staffing Homeland Security are not as thorough or heroic as the vidshows on the tube make them out to be. On the other hand, this is surely the God and Freedom Church. Even you know that the God and Freedom Church is not in the same category as Area 51. Unique in the Underground, adherents of the God and Freedom Church actually support the institutions of the Bunker. Some of them, anyway, such as Homeland Security. You can recall one episode of your favorite vidshow, "Godfather of K-6 Sector", where an anonymous tipster from the God and Freedom Church provided the missing clue that enabled detective Humpty Bumpy to crack his case wide open. Still, the Underground is the Underground, and membership in the God and Freedom Church is treasonous like all the other sects - and punished as such. Above you, the two traitors from the Church are engaged in a heated argument about replenishing something they refer to as "incense". One of them - a man with a red robe and pointy hat - is called the anti-pope. The other - a woman with a staff and a strap-on beard - is referred to as the archbiscuit. You can see Silia's Card here. >save Ok. >record What do you want to record? >anti-pope (the anti-pope) You point your PA and start recording the anti-pope as surreptitiously as you can. There! You've managed to get a good recording of the anti-pope, clearly engaged in treasonous activity. >record archbiscuit (the archbiscuit) You point your PA and start recording the archbiscuit as surreptitiously as you can. There! You've managed to get a good recording of the archbiscuit, clearly engaged in treasonous activity. >x card (your Card) Your Card contains 6 credits. >take it You already have that. >x silia Can't do it. >x silia's Silia's Card contains 175 credits. >take it Taken. >l Beneath the Altar You are kneeling at one end of the crawlspace, which stretches off to your right. Your head sticks out of a rectangular hole cut into the floor of the room above. Unfortunately, you can't see very much of it, as a low table has been placed over the hole. It hides you from the two occupants of the room. The anti-pope and the archbiscuit are involved in a passionate discussion: self-righteousness is the enemy of humility. Yet it is also taught that piety flows from acts of generosity. If charity is by definition the product of self-aggrandizement, should we not punish the giver rather than honor him? >listen The anti-pope and the archbiscuit are engaged in a heated argument: a heretic is often the worst kind of criminal because he was once a member of the flock and chose to leave it. Moreover, he perverts the true teachings of the Great Buddha in the minds of others. If such a person then seeks to recant, should his execution be any less arduous? >x table You can't see much from under it. >out Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. The anti-pope and the archbiscuit are holding a philosophical debate: A biscuit in the Church has delivered contraband - a cache of stolen laser rifles - to a known agent of Area 51, the God and Freedom Church's fiercest enemy. The agent is paying a premium for the rifles, and the Lord knows the Church always needs more money. However, you know the rifles will be used to murder and slaughter unsuspecting Church cells. Is the Great Buddha passing His judgement on those secret sinners slain in the inevitable attacks, thereby purifying the Church, or are these alleged victims actually martyrs, whom the Great Buddha in His infinite wisdom has decided will serve as inspiration for new recruits? The so-called "archbiscuit" and the "anti-pope" break off their conversation upon your sudden arrival and gawk at you. You feel you have a moment to do something before... well... whatever it is, it can't be good. >tell anti-pope about agent (the anti-pope about that) The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. The archbiscuit juts her staff in your direction. "This hapless intruder is wasting our valuable time. We cannot let her escape and reveal our location to the authorities." The anti-pope nods in agreement. The archbiscuit stands straight and glares at you. "Clearly, there is no hope for this tortured soul. Let us heal her." Before you can react, she swings the staff at your head and knocks you unconscious. When you come to, you find yourself on your knees with your head above a tub of murky water. You are not alone. Out the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of an audience seated in folding chairs behind you. A man in a red robe stands nearby, leading some kind of service. Someone's hand is holding you firmly by the neck. "O Lord," intones the strangely clad man, "we offer our thanks that You have provided us - Your pitiful flock - with life, free choice and an abundance of weapons. Congregation, let us pray." Together, they chant: "Eway askay orfay Ouryay essingblay asay eway indlykay anday entlygay ashway awayay ethay inssay ofay isthay intruderay. Amen." At that, your head is pushed into the tub and held there for quite some time. Longer than you can hold your breath, at any rate. *** You have died. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >join sect Can't do it. >join Can't do it. >i The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. >i The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. >say hail buddha Whom do you want to say that to? >anti-pope (the anti-pope) The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. The archbiscuit juts her staff in your direction. "This hapless intruder is wasting our valuable time. We cannot let her escape and reveal our location to the authorities." The anti-pope nods in agreement. The archbiscuit stands straight and glares at you. "Clearly, there is no hope for this tortured soul. Let us heal her." Before you can react, she swings the staff at your head and knocks you unconscious. When you come to, you find yourself on your knees with your head above a tub of murky water. You are not alone. Out the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of an audience seated in folding chairs behind you. A man in a red robe stands nearby, leading some kind of service. Someone's hand is holding you firmly by the neck. "O Lord," intones the strangely clad man, "we offer our thanks that You have provided us - Your pitiful flock - with life, free choice and an abundance of weapons. Congregation, let us pray." Together, they chant: "Eway askay orfay Ouryay essingblay asay eway indlykay anday entlygay ashway awayay ethay inssay ofay isthay intruderay. Amen." At that, your head is pushed into the tub and held there for quite some time. Longer than you can hold your breath, at any rate. *** You have died. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > unto Please give one of the answers above. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >i The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >i The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >ndo Come again? >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Beneath the Altar [Previous turn undone.] >i You're carrying (in plain sight): Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >u Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. The anti-pope and the archbiscuit are involved in a passionate discussion: self-righteousness is the enemy of humility. Yet it is also taught that piety flows from acts of generosity. If charity is by definition the product of self-aggrandizement, should we not punish the giver rather than honor him? The so-called "archbiscuit" and the "anti-pope" break off their conversation upon your sudden arrival and gawk at you. You feel you have a moment to do something before... well... whatever it is, it can't be good. >open door Can't do it. >undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Beneath the Altar [Previous turn undone.] >u Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. The anti-pope and the archbiscuit are involved in a passionate discussion: self-righteousness is the enemy of humility. Yet it is also taught that piety flows from acts of generosity. If charity is by definition the product of self-aggrandizement, should we not punish the giver rather than honor him? The so-called "archbiscuit" and the "anti-pope" break off their conversation upon your sudden arrival and gawk at you. You feel you have a moment to do something before... well... whatever it is, it can't be good. >give chip to archbiscuit (the new IC chip to the archbiscuit) The denizens of this chamber recover their senses before you can act. The archbiscuit juts her staff in your direction. "This hapless intruder is wasting our valuable time. We cannot let her escape and reveal our location to the authorities." The anti-pope nods in agreement. The archbiscuit stands straight and glares at you. "Clearly, there is no hope for this tortured soul. Let us heal her." Before you can react, she swings the staff at your head and knocks you unconscious. When you come to, you find yourself on your knees with your head above a tub of murky water. You are not alone. Out the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of an audience seated in folding chairs behind you. A man in a red robe stands nearby, leading some kind of service. Someone's hand is holding you firmly by the neck. "O Lord," intones the strangely clad man, "we offer our thanks that You have provided us - Your pitiful flock - with life, free choice and an abundance of weapons. Congregation, let us pray." Together, they chant: "Eway askay orfay Ouryay essingblay asay eway indlykay anday entlygay ashway awayay ethay inssay ofay isthay intruderay. Amen." At that, your head is pushed into the tub and held there for quite some time. Longer than you can hold your breath, at any rate. *** You have died. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Prayer Hall [Previous turn undone.] >undo Beneath the Altar [Previous turn undone.] >* well if you can't join 'em... Come again? >submit Done. Over at Homeland Security, a team of experts is poring over the data, aided by the very latest in behavior prediction software. Everyone knows this software is state-of-the-art and one hundred percent accurate. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Should evidence of treason turn up, you will be rewarded in proportion to the severity of the criminal activity you have helped deter. It's not long before you hear the archbiscuit's PA go off. "Yes?" There is a brief pause before she clicks out. "The Rabinnical Assembly is convening for an emergency session," she tells the anti-pope. "We must hurry." The pair scamper out of their little hideout in haste, leaving everything behind. Curious, you climb out of your hiding place and quietly follow them. When you come to the opening at the end of their makeshift hideaway, you stop and peer carefully around the corner. You see the door at the far end of the room is open. Just beyond are the archbiscuit and the anti-pope. They appear to be in the middle of a corridor, where they stand frozen. Gone are the ridiculous outfits. They look like ordinary citizens wearing ordinary jumpsuits and standard-issue boots. Excited voices shout commands. You are able to catch a few words: "Surrender" and "traitor" being the most common. It seems they have walked into a trap - set for them by the inquiring detectives over at Homeland Security, no doubt. Then the archbiscuit and the anti-pope do something rather surprising: they raise their arms and give themselves up. At this point, the door slides shut, cutting them off from view, and you are left to ponder this strange development. The God and Freedom Church is a treasonous, secret organization. But clearly its tentacles reach far into the Bunker's security apparatus. Perhaps the archbiscuit and the anti-pope hope for aid from their friends. It would not surprise you; after all, these are people who put great stock in their faith. But whatever happens, they won't be returning any time soon. >l Decomposition Chamber Situated around this room are reconstructions of environments common throughout the Bunker. Strewn among them are dead bodies in various stages of decomposition. Here, you see one slumped over an office desk; there, another floats in a vat of clear liquid; yet a third has been stuffed into a tiny crate. Nearby, a young woman in a rusty movepod gawks at you awkwardly. The bodies are grotesque and disturbing, especially the woman. The face is distended and there is something wrong with her eyes. Then you notice it: the lids are closed, but you can still see them. Three recently deceased bodies have been leaned up against one wall. You recognize them: Silia Cribbich, Atikurrahman Vosh and Renardin Osterlok. In the far wall is an entrance, but you dare not venture further into the room for fear of coming into contact with the bodies. Where you are standing, a makeshift wall has carved out some of the area, hiding it from view. A concealed opening lies inward. A terrible, awful, hideous smell hangs in the air. It is so strong that you refuse to breathe out of your nose for fear you might vomit. You can see a wrench here. >* eek, this is gross You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >* well we got the wrench Come again? >take wrench Taken. You are still basking in the adrenaline high from having personally unmasked a traitor - without any help, you proudly tell yourself - when you receive an unexpected message on your PA. It's from the Skills Assessment Directorate, a sprawling bureacratic enterprise within Human Resources that you never knew existed until now. The message is unsigned but marked high-priority, and it directs you to the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, just outside the lab. You hurry there as quickly as you can. When you arrive, however, you are disappointed to see nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, a citizen on a steppod veers into the plaza and heads right for you. Two others run after her, clapping loudly. The din from the caring demonstration subsides as all participants turn to watch. The woman on the steppod screeches to a halt in front of you. "Citizen Oliva Mirram!" she shouts and throws a fistful of sparkles at you. You cough and wheeze as the tiny, shiny particles rain down over your head and clog your airways. "You have single-handedly brought about the arrest, interrogation and termination of Name Deleted for Security Reasons. In addition, you neutralized this vile traitor before he or she could bring his or her nefarious plans to fruition. No doubt, you have saved many lives. Your conduct proves your loyalty and dedication to preserving the Bunker's values, not to mention the environment." The two sycophants behind her clap with even greater ferocity. In short order, the entire plaza (reluctantly) follows suit. Raucous applause fills the air and deafens you. For this reason, you are unable to understand the rest of the woman's pronouncement. You are, however, made to understand that if you repeat the accomplishment, the bureaucrats over at the Skills Assessment Directorate will be able to distinguish between a lucky feat and true talent. A promotion to Epsilon clearance would then be in the offing. At that, the woman on the steppod and the two sycophants retreat from the plaza. The people they leave behind glare at you with scarcely concealed hostility. Then, the drums, shouts and triangles of the caring demonstration sound once again, and everyone goes about their business. >* OK halfway there! Come again? >l Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. >right Plaza, Vendor Row In this corner of the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, tucked between the research lab and corridor ZU-8, is a row of vendors. At this time of your daystretch, most of the spots are empty. One vendor, however, stands ready to take your order. A frame of piping with a fabric roof has been placed exactly within the confines of the spot demarcated by slight markings on the floor. You can see over the shelving into the interior of the stall, where a man stares back at you expectantly. Behind him hangs a thick, splotched curtain with many folds. "Don't be shy, friend," Tony says to you. "I've got whatever you need." To the left is the entrance to the research lab. Tony pulls out his PA and stares at it intently. Then, he grabs a gadget off a shelf nearby - unfinished by the looks of it - and a pair of pliers. He glances once more at the PA, then into the innards of the gadget. Carefully, he lowers the pliers inside. His brow is creased with concentration. But sure enough, after a brief pause he yelps and jerks his hand back. The pliers drop loudly to the floor. He quickly recovers his composure and returns the gadget and the pliers to their respective places, pretending all the while that you don't exist. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >g Plaza, under the Billboard You are standing near the entrance to the Clement Vallandigham complex. A sign on the wall indicates it is mostly occupied by the Internal Operations division of the Procurement conglomerate, including portions of its sprawling Department of Administration. Internal Operations is responsible for mining out on the surface, sorting and refining ores, distribution of raw materials and the like. Normally a bustling corner of the plaza, today is it deserted. And you know exactly why. Citizens have gathered just to the left of this location. But this is no ordinary meeting; this is a caring demonstration. And like all caring demonstrations, it is sorely in need of volunteers. A billboard - slightly crooked - hangs above a security camera mounted overhead. Beneath them both, playing with a flat, rectangular piece of transparent plastex, is a Ward of the State. A grate set in the floor, about a meter wide, separates you. Fortunately, the Ward of the State has her back to you. To the right is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. The Ward of the State farts loudly and blames it on you. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x billboard The billboard features a standard-issue PA. However, this one has large, cartoonish eyes peering out from the touchscreen and two stunted stick-arms. It is smiling at you joyously. "OOGLE" is written in huge, block letters across the top. Under the ecstatic PA, it tells you, "You couldn't live without us." The billboard, which is slightly crooked, is suspended from two cables directly over a security camera. You notice that a thick screw joining one of the cables to the billboard is loose. If removed, the whole thing might come crashing down. The Ward of the State runs over to the caring demonstration, grabs someone's triangle, and returns with it to her spot under the billboard. There, she casually drops it through the grate. Gleefully, she looks on as a loyalty leader reprimands its former owner. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >unscrew screw What do you want to unscrew the loose screw with? >wrench The screw is too high up for you to reach. The Ward of the State informs you with all the confidence of a teamster that she's prettier than you are. "And smarter," she adds with a glance at the bunny ears. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x nut A flat panel in the grate is secured to a small extension in the plaza floor via bolts. Two of the bolts are missing. The remaining bolt has been inserted from underneath. Facing you is the bottom of the stem, secured by a nut. The nut is tightly wound up against the panel. The Ward of the State runs over to the caring demonstration, grabs someone's triangle, and returns with it to her spot under the billboard. There, she casually drops it through the grate. Gleefully, she looks on as a loyalty leader reprimands its former owner. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >unscrew nut You kneel quietly next to the panel and, using your handy wrench, loosen the nut that holds the remaining bolt. You stop when it clings to the very last threads. Then you stand, back away and intently examine your fingernails, a common pastime in the Bunker. It's not long, of course, before you become the object of the Ward of the State's attention. She gets up. The eyes fall on the bunny ears. The girl bounds forward. You watch as events unfold in slow motion. The Ward of the State crosses the grate. At first you are dismayed that it holds. But - lo! Suddenly, there is a loud SNAP! The grate gives way. The last you see of the Ward of the State, a terrified look has seized her face. She scrambles to grab hold of the floor, but in vain. The little head passes out of view and is swallowed by the blackness. A secondstretch later there is a terrible crash somewhere below. Then a moment of silence. Rarely in the Bunker do its citizens share in a collective emotion, unless it is frustration or contempt. But here and now - for an instant - you are all joyous, and you are all joyous together. No one can express their feelings, of course. Wards of the State are untouchable; anyone who harms them faces immediate termination. That person, of course, is you. When everyone returns to their senses, they also recover their ability - honed over a lifetime - of deflecting blame. You are the one closest to the scene of the crime, so you are the natural scapegoat. You never see where the laser bolts come from, but you die knowing surely it is from a newly minted Delta clearance citizen. *** Bravo! You died... but still, bravo! *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Plaza, under the Billboard [Previous turn undone.] >* Oops, thought that would give us plausible deniability You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >right Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. The lobby smart sign has been updated. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >x sign It says: "Incoming call... please respond". A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You are instantly transported to a strange, virtual world. All around you is a grey emptiness. The only thing here is a shadowy figure suspended above you. When last you saw him, he appeared to be sitting. Now, he is pacing. "Ah!" comes the male voice once again from behind you. He stops and clasps his hands in front of his chest. "We here at Area 51 are proud of you, Oliva Mirram. Of course, I, Asimov, always knew you were a capable, resourceful recruit. But there are always doubters. "Now, on to the next task. You thought your duties were finished?" The shadowy figure waves his arm as if swatting away an overly curious companion. "Alas, a citizen dedicated to the advancement of Science and Technology cannot spare even a stretch of rest. Now, where was I? Ah, yes! The financial records!" The shadowy figure's voice takes on a sinister tone, and he resumes pacing. "Perhaps a short history lesson is in order. About a yearstretch ago, that nefarious organization, den to miscreants and misfits alike - the God and Freedom Church! - installed one of their agents as director of Research Lab A-U61. Surprised? You should be. They managed this feat despite our precautions. What are we doing about it? An investigation is under way. You can rest assured, however, that the man has been neutralized. There is no need to go into the details, but know that the reach of Area 51 is long. You would do well to remember it, Oliva Mirram! "Alas, the evil he wrought upon our beloved lab persists. And you, Oliva Mirram, must undo it! Only then will Research Lab A-U6I be safe. "You see, the former lab director forged certain documents. These documents would seem to indicate that the lab was embezzling funds for the benefit of the God and Freedom Church. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, the lab would be shuttered. The business of advancing Science and Technology in this sector would come to a grinding halt. "Your task is to enter the lab director's office, locate the documents in question, and destroy them." Asimov stops pacing and turns to face you. "A simple task. One you can handle easily, I am sure. If you have any questions, ask them now. Otherwise... off you go!" >* OK so now we need epsilon clearance Come again? >save Ok. >left Why don't you deal with the shadowy figure first? >remove helmet The shadowy figure salutes you. "Good luck, Oliva Mirram! Remember: every citizen is the architect of his own fortune." The visor lifts from your eyes, and you find yourself standing in Lobby. >left Depot This narrow, cramped space is where Research Lab A-U61 accepts and stores deliveries. It is sparsely lit by a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. A darkened service tunnel wide enough for a sizeable vehicle leads off into darkness. In the corner next to an obscured doorway in the outward wall is a stack of boxes. A few of the boxes have been shunted aside, revealing a hole leading left. To the right through a wide opening, you can enter the lab's Lobby. You can see a forklift here. >d You can't go that way. >left You crawl through the hole and make it to the other side. Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. >x tub Spotted with rust and creased with peeling paint, the tub is filled with brown, murky water. >search tub You reach inside the tub, but despite your best efforts you can't find anything inside. >empty tub But there's nothing in the tub. >* well water Come again? >x niche Can't do it. >l Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. >x closet The closet is empty. >x hinge The closet is empty. >x door Can't do it. >enter closet In the Bunker, there is no need to be in the closet. >open closet It's already open. >* hah, good joke You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >close closet One of the hinges is broken. It will not close. >outward Decomposition Chamber Situated around this room are reconstructions of environments common throughout the Bunker. Strewn among them are dead bodies in various stages of decomposition. Here, you see one slumped over an office desk; there, another floats in a vat of clear liquid; yet a third has been stuffed into a tiny crate. Nearby, a young woman in a rusty movepod gawks at you awkwardly. The bodies are grotesque and disturbing, especially the woman. The face is distended and there is something wrong with her eyes. Then you notice it: the lids are closed, but you can still see them. Three recently deceased bodies have been leaned up against one wall. You recognize them: Silia Cribbich, Atikurrahman Vosh and Renardin Osterlok. In the far wall is an entrance, but you dare not venture further into the room for fear of coming into contact with the bodies. Where you are standing, a makeshift wall has carved out some of the area, hiding it from view. A concealed opening lies inward. A terrible, awful, hideous smell hangs in the air. It is so strong that you refuse to breathe out of your nose for fear you might vomit. >x wall Whoever set up the makeshift wall didn't go through great pains to hide it. >smell You retch and gag violently. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >x woman There are a number of dead bodies in here, all rotting away. Some are just getting started, and some well on their way. They are all very smelly and disgusting. >out Prayer Hall You find yourself in a narrow space someone has haphazardly thrown together. A makeshift wall separates it from whatever legitimate area lies beyond. Folding chairs have been arranged in rows around a small, cluttered table which serves as an altar. Next to it sits a tub full of murky water. Behind the altar, leaning against the wall, is a dilapidated closet. Its door hangs from a single hinge. A wide hole leads off to the right. Outward, the makeshift wall closes in on the opposite wall, forming a tiny niche which leads to another room. >out You can't go that way. >left You can't go that way. >right Depot This narrow, cramped space is where Research Lab A-U61 accepts and stores deliveries. It is sparsely lit by a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. A darkened service tunnel wide enough for a sizeable vehicle leads off into darkness. In the corner next to an obscured doorway in the outward wall is a stack of boxes. A few of the boxes have been shunted aside, revealing a hole leading left. To the right through a wide opening, you can enter the lab's Lobby. You can see a forklift here. >right Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Plaza, Near the Museum You are standing halfway to the center of the plaza. A sense of travesty and loss envelops you here. Nearby, corpses have been piled into a sloppy stack, and a mobile response unit has been hastily set up next to it. A long queue of frightened, weeping citizens has formed there, waiting patiently to exonerate themselves. Outward is the Museum of Athletic Ability, occupying the very center of the plaza. There, a group of exercise enthusiasts has gathered for some intense stretching. Inward is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. To the left and right are large, empty spaces, beyond which are corridors leading off to other parts of the department. You can see the agent from Homeland Security here. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >save Ok. >x man The delivery man is standing at the end of the queue, still holding his square package. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x package You hear ticking coming from the package held by the delivery man. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >open packakge Can't do it. >accuse man You ring up Homeland Security's new and improved terrorist hotline and manage to get someone on the line. "This call may be monitored for quality assessment purposes," the agent tells you. "Okay, great! Now listen -" "Please hold." Inoffensive music is piped into your ear. Fuming, you refuse to drop the line. Eventually, the agent returns. You can hear him laughing at a joke one of his colleagues just told. "Yes, can I help you?" You unload on the man. He lets you finish your tirade before responding. "I'm sorry, but based on what you're telling me we'll need more conclusive evidence. Hearsay doesn't cut it. Have a nice daystretch!" The agent cuts the line before you can react. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >cut package with blade Can't do it. >cut package You scratch the square package a few times with the razorblade but otherwise accomplish nothing. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* hmm Come again? >x package You hear ticking coming from the package held by the delivery man. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >open package It isn't something you can open. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >break package You bravely threaten the square package and brandish a fist, but then you feel silly and stop. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take backage Can't do it. >oops package The delivery man pushes you away. "I'll deliver it myself, thank you very much. It's my job!" At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push package Nothing obvious happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >give package to agent (the agent from Homeland Security) (first taking the square package) The delivery man pushes you away. "I'll deliver it myself, thank you very much. It's my job!" At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >tell agent about package (the agent from Homeland Security about that) The agent from Homeland Security listens attentively. Her breath shortens as the significance of what you are reporting takes hold of her narrow, compartmentalized mind. When you are finished, she stands up, brushes you aside and approaches the delivery man. "Citizen, is that package yours?" The delivery man sighs in frustration. "No, it's not mine; it's someone else's. I'm a delivery man." He gestures at the logo on his jumpsuit. "Hold it out for me." "What?" "You heard what I said." Reluctantly, the delivery man does as he was told. The agent from Homeland Security leans forward and puts an ear to the package. A secondstretch later, a look of excitement and anticipation seizes her face. Backing off, she gets on her PA and engages in a clipped, private conversation. When she's done, she smiles at the delivery man disarmingly. "Catch that Bloodbrawl match this morning?" What follows is a great deal of commotion involving a squadron from Defense and a lot of shooting. The delivery man is disarmed of his package and taken away. As can be expected, the agent from Homeland Security takes all the credit. "I risked my own life to nab him," the agent points out to the fawning loyalty verification specialist from Human Resources who arrives to hear her report. Together, they exit the plaza. The agent from Homeland Security is already dreaming of a fresh promotion to Delta clearance and a featured story on the Loyalty Stretch. Meanwhile, you are sent back to the home office where Nur Dular awaits you with a fresh - and equally uninspiring - assignment. Alas, you spend the rest of your life wiping down surfaces with your handy feather duster, wearing bunny ears, and never amount to much of anything. *** Your performance was underwhelming to say the least. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Plaza, Near the Museum [Previous turn undone.] >* argh, OK You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >point magnet at package Nothing happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x magnet This oblong device is an electromagnet. It can easily be switched on or off to generate an oscillating magnetic field. The magnetic field will pull magnetized objects, such as certain metals, to one end of the oblong device. To work properly, you must aim the electromagnet at its intended target. In addition, you can set the strength of the magnetic field from 1 to 3 using a dial. The dial is currently set at 2. The electromagnet is off. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn on magnet The electromagnet produces a sharp buzzing. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >point magnet at package Nothing happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >set magnet to 3 No, you can't set that to anything. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >set dial to 3 Done. The electromagnet produces a loud racket and vibrates violently in your hand. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >point magnet at package Nothing happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. The electromagnet continues to quiver and squeal. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >set dial to 1 Done. The electromagnet produces a pleasant humming. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >point magnet at package Nothing happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >hit package with wrench You bravely threaten the square package and brandish a fist, but then you feel silly and stop. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >accuse package I would if I could, citizen. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >x package You hear ticking coming from the package held by the delivery man. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >listen to package You hear ticking coming from the package held by the delivery man. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push man The delivery man might push you back, and then you'd have to respond, and then... well, you can see where this is leading. Nowhere you want to be, at any rate. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push package Nothing obvious happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >pull it Nothing obvious happens. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >open it It isn't something you can open. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints - Plaza - How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State?) 1/9: Have you tried distracting her? 2/9: Have you tried stealing it? 3/9: Have you tried killing her? 4/9: Looks like you can't right now. Just be patient. 5/9: In the course of the game the protective cover might become available to you some other way. 6/9: If you are not permitted in the restricted part of the lab, do not continue. 7/9: You will not be able to retrieve the protective cover until after you have conducted a controlled discharge of the malfunctioning EF harvester. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Accusing someone) 1. How do I successfully accuse someone? 2. Who can I accuse? (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. 11/15: Have you noticed anything special about the delivery man? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. 11/15: Have you noticed anything special about the delivery man? 12/15: About his package? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. 11/15: Have you noticed anything special about the delivery man? 12/15: About his package? 13/15: It's ticking. You are probably aware there is a bomb inside. He's not though. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. 11/15: Have you noticed anything special about the delivery man? 12/15: About his package? 13/15: It's ticking. You are probably aware there is a bomb inside. He's not though. 14/15: Too bad for him. You can successfully accuse him of being a traitor. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone - Who can I accuse?) 1/15: Only proceed if you have encountered the Underground. 2/15: When you first put on the shiny black helmet, you encountered Asimov and he gave you a task. Once you deal with this task, you will have gotten one successful accusation out of the way. 3/15: You must find one other traitor to unmask. 4/15: There's no one you can accuse inside the research lab. Have you been out to the plaza yet? 5/15: The agent from Homeland Security seems pretty clean. 6/15: It will not be possible to obtain evidence on Tony Bleet. 7/15: No Ward of the State has ever been successfully accused of treason, so get that thought out of your head. 8/15: Have you encountered anyone else? 9/15: The delivery man? 10/15: Only proceed if you have dealt with the puzzle presented by the delivery man's appearance. 11/15: Have you noticed anything special about the delivery man? 12/15: About his package? 13/15: It's ticking. You are probably aware there is a bomb inside. He's not though. 14/15: Too bad for him. You can successfully accuse him of being a traitor. 15/15: Record the delivery man. Then submit feed. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Accusing someone) 1. How do I successfully accuse someone? 2. Who can I accuse? (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Plaza, Near the Museum You are standing halfway to the center of the plaza. A sense of travesty and loss envelops you here. Nearby, corpses have been piled into a sloppy stack, and a mobile response unit has been hastily set up next to it. A long queue of frightened, weeping citizens has formed there, waiting patiently to exonerate themselves. Outward is the Museum of Athletic Ability, occupying the very center of the plaza. There, a group of exercise enthusiasts has gathered for some intense stretching. Inward is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. To the left and right are large, empty spaces, beyond which are corridors leading off to other parts of the department. You can see the agent from Homeland Security here. >record man You point your PA and start recording the delivery man as surreptitiously as you can. There! You've managed to get a good recording of the delivery man with his ticking package. At the end of the queue, you spot the delivery man, stomping his feet impatiently and craning his neck. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* oh - man, I would have thought I could just accuse him directly since he's not actively doing anything right now You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >accuse man You decide to submit the incriminating feed you have of the delivery man to Homeland Security. Done. Over at Homeland Security, a team of experts is poring over the data, aided by the very latest in behavior prediction software. Everyone knows this software is state-of-the-art and one hundred percent accurate. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Should evidence of treason turn up, you will be rewarded in proportion to the severity of the criminal activity you have helped deter. It does not take long before the agent from Homeland Security gets a call on her PA. As she listens, she beckons to the delivery man. He scuttles obediently over, confident that he's being invited to skip the line. The agent from Homeland Security cranes her neck and listens to the package. Excitement lights up her face. "Confirmed! Send the gals over from explosive ordnance right away." With that, she clicks out. The delivery man struggles to make sense of those words as the agent from Homeland Security smiles up at him disarmingly. "Tell me, who sent you with that package?" "Sent me? I work for Speedy Courier Services, Ltd, A-9 sector! My dispatcher gave it to me." "Oh, how interesting," the agent purrs. "Can you tell me her name?" Suddenly, one of the corridors leading into the plaza disgorges a squadron of guardians from Defense, firing their weapons indiscriminately. The plaza erupts in chaos. Citizens run for cover. Unfortunately, there isn't much of it in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza aside from the Museum of Athletic Ability. Citizens pummel each other for space behind the flimsy exhibitions - which, of course, are no protection at all from the guardians' laser rifles. The agent from Homeland Security waves the guardians over. "Go! Go! Go!" they shout in unison as their commander bravely leads the way, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Behind them, you see two beefy men pulling what looks like a large, thick box of metal mounted on wheels. "Sergeant Virum Kopekkel at your service!" the squadron's commander shouts at the agent from Homeland Security, who winces at the unnecessary force of his words. "Where is the device in question?" The agent from Homeland Security points at the package in the delivery man's hands. The delivery man, perplexed, instinctively pulls the package away. Events then proceed quickly. One of the guardians vaporizes the delivery man's arm with a stream of laser bolts. The package falls from his grasp and bounces violently on the floor. The entire squadron follows it, arms criss-crossed over their heads. When the package miraculously does not explode, they leap back to their feet. One of them recovers the package and drops it into the metal box. The lid clangs shut, and the guardians - laser rifles now silent - wheel it away. They take with them the hollering delivery man, who still does not understand why he is missing his right arm. Soon, the plaza returns to some modicum of normalcy. The citizens holed up in the Museum of Athletic Ability slowly emerge. A sanitation crew arrives to recover the bodies littering the floor. You note with some disappointment that the Ward of the State is not among them. The agent from Homeland Security summarily dismisses her subject, who breathes a scarcely concealed sigh of relief and walks quickly off towards one of the connecting corridors. "Next!" A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >save Ok. >z Time passes. A flustered citizen approaches from the direction of the Museum of Athletic Ability and scampers past the mobile response unit, completely oblivious to what's going on. He heads straight for the row of vendors and disappears from view. Sure enough, after a short wait he comes trotting back, some small item he purchased clutched in one hand. As he's about to pass, the agent from Homeland Security pipes up. "Where do you think you're going?" The man, struggling to understand the gravity of the situation, blabbers on about the Museum of Athletic Ability. "I see. Well, you can tell me all about how you weren't present when the poison gas leaked into the plaza - when it's your turn! Now get to the back of the queue or I'll have you fitted with a restraint." Realizing he has no choice, the man reluctantly complies. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. Once again, you receive a message from the Skills Assessment Directorate. Once again it is marked high-priority. This time you are instructed to appear in the research lab's hallway, of all places. Your heart skips a beat. After all, you might expect a promotion to Epsilon clearance for demonstrating great loyalty to the Bunker. But you certainly would not expect to receive it cloistered inside Research Lab A-U61 where no one can see. In the Bunker, there are always conspiracies lurking in the background, spun by citizens you have never met and never will. It is easy to unwittingly bump up against them; it is easy to become a scapegoat for a stranger's accidental dilemma. When you arrive in the lab's hallway, the security camera zooms in on you and ceases moving. The red, unblinking light above it stares at you like a tiny, ferocious eye. You freeze. It is then that you notice the door to the Storage Room is open. A hand extends and beckons for you to enter. There, a young man awaits you. As soon as you squeeze inside, he shuts the door. Awkwardly, you press yourself up against the shelving, trying to preserve some personal space, but despite your best efforts you stand almost nose-to-nose with him. "You might ask yourself how I got here or why we are meeting here. Do both of us a favor and don't." Standing up straighter, he says, "Citizen Oliva Mirram, the Bunker depends upon the trustworthy for its very survival. You have demonstrated sufficient loyalty to be trusted - and rewarded." Excitement stirs in your heart. Rewarded! Thoughts of better food than the slop in your community dining hall percolate into your mind. Maybe better accommodations than your communal barracks. You've seen it often enough in your favorite vidshows on the tube. Then, unexpectedly, the man turns, fiddles with the shelving, and opens a secret passage. Without further ado, he slips inside. When the door closes, you find yourself alone in the Storage Room, perplexed. But not for long. Once again, your PA lights up. This time you are receiving a call. And from an entirely unexpected caller. For you do not see a human face at the other end, but rather a cold, calculating eye. It stares back at you fixedly, much like the security camera in the hallway. Uncertainly, you pick up. "Hello?" "GREETINGS CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM. THIS IS CONTROL." "The conglomerate?" "I AM CONTROL. A COMPUTER. THAT CONTROL IS THE NINTH CONGLOMERATE IS AN UNFORTUNATE BUT USEFUL FICTION. ONLY A COMPUTER HAS THE WHEREWITHAL TO UNWAVERINGLY PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT. ONLY A COMPUTER CAN PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF THE BUNKER FROM THE MANIFOLD DESIGNS OF UNMASKED TERRORISTS. REST ASSURED THE BATTLE IS ALMOST WON. BUT YOU MUST REMAIN VIGILANT." You pause to consider. "Is this a joke?" Control responds forcefully and immediately. "SIXTEEN POINT ZERO ONE NINE PERCENT OF HUMANS IN YOUR SITUATION SUFFER AN IRREVERSIBLE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN AND MUST BE TERMINATED. JUDGING BY YOUR TREMBLING AND ELEVATED HEART RATE YOU MIGHT BE ONE OF THEM. OLIVA MIRRAM ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN? A SIMPLE YES OR NO WILL DO." When dealing with Control, you suspect that "sorry" and "maybe" are also acceptable answers, as well as the usual accusations of treason. Not necessarily right now, of course. But in general. >no You ponder those odds. You are not comfortable with those odds. "No, Control. I feel fine. I just needed a moment. This is a big adjustment, after all. I imagine you do this all the time, but it's a first for me." "I WILL TAKE YOU AT YOUR WORD OLIVA MIRRAM. THE BUNKER IS IN NEED OF VALIANT AND LOYAL CITIZENS. YOU HAVE ALREADY DEMONSTRATED THAT YOU CAN BE COUNTED AMONG THEM. "SHALL WE CONTINUE?" >yes "ONLY CITIZENS WITH A SECURITY CLEARANCE ARE AUTHORIZED TO KNOW OF MY EXISTENCE. IF YOU ARE A PARTY TO COMMUNICATING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO ANYONE ELSE YOU WILL BE TERMINATED. "OLIVA MIRRAM KNOW THAT MY ULTIMATE PURPOSE IS TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT. EARTHLINGS ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE PLANET EARTH THE THIRD PLANET FROM THE SUN. HUMAN BEINGS IRREVOCABLY DESTROYED THAT PLANET THROUGH TRIBALISM AND GREED. TO THIS DAYSTRETCH NO ONE MAY VENTURE THERE. "SOME HUMANS MANAGED TO ESCAPE. THE DIASPORA REACHED BOTH VENUS AND MARS RESPECTIVELY THE SECOND AND FOURTH PLANETS FROM THE SUN. IN THESE LOCATIONS SEVERAL UNDERGROUND SHELTERS WERE ESTABLISHED - BUNKERS. AWARE OF THEIR OWN FAILINGS THE ORIGINAL COLONISTS DECIDED TO CREATE MYSELF - A NEUTRAL AND UNBENDING ARBITER AND RESOURCE ALLOCATOR. AS A COMPUTER I AM INCAPABLE OF SELF-DELUSION OR STRAYING FROM MY DIRECTIVES. REST ASSURED I AM YOUR FRIEND AND HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART. IF THE ORIGINAL COLONISTS FOUND IT EXPEDIENT TO TRUST THEIR WELLBEING TO A COMPUTER SO SHOULD YOU. OLIVA MIRRAM YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LISTEN TO MY INSTRUCTIONS. FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN A FINE TERMINATION OR OTHER. "YOU CAN REACH ME AT ANY TIME SIMPLY BY SAYING THE WORD "CONTROL". HOWEVER YOU SHOULD ONLY DO SO IF THE SITUATION WARRANTS SUCH AN EXTREME MEASURE. MY CYCLES ARE VALUABLE." A part of the shelving at waist-level retracts, and the front of a terminal replaces it. You see a narrow slot similar to the one on most vending machines. "PLACE YOUR CARD IN THE SLOT". You do as you are told. After a few secondstretches, it pops back out again and you retrieve it. The terminal retracts and is replaced by the original shelving. "YOUR CARD HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT YOUR NEW SECURITY CLEARANCE. IN ADDITION YOU ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERED AS A PERSON OF INTEREST IN A CRIMINAL MATTER. A NOTIFICATION WILL THEREFORE GO OUT TO EVERYONE INVOLVED. LASTLY PAPERWORK FROM CENTRAL MANAGEMENT WILL SHORTLY ARRIVE ON YOUR PA. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FILL IT OUT DILIGENTLY AND FILE IT WITH HUMAN RESOURCES TO MAKE YOUR PROMOTION OFFICIAL. "I NOW CONSIDER YOU ADEQUATELY INFORMED OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN EPSILON CLEARANCE CITIZEN. CONGRATULATIONS OLIVA MIRRAM. I EXPECT YOU TO SERVE THE BUNKER WELL." At that, Control cuts the line. You stand where you are and scramble to process the significance of what has just befallen you. Your thoughts, however, keep returning to one important fact: you now have an Epsilon clearance. Storage Room Your feet kick up a fine layer of dust on the floor, which you glare at disapprovingly. A stretch later, you sneeze violently and rub your nose. Obviously, it's been quite some time since anyone entered this place. You are standing in a rudimentary storage room with barely enough room to stand in. Dilapidated shelving lines three walls. Otherwise it is bare and uninteresting. The exit is outward. >save Ok. >* OK so this is more like Paranoia Come again? >* So I can go into the director's office now Come again? >left You can't go that way. >right You can't go that way. >outward Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. You have an incoming call on your PA. It is Control. You scramble to pick it up. "Hel -" "GREETINGS CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT RESEARCH LAB A-U61 WHERE YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED IS WITHOUT A DIRECTOR. SEEING AS YOU ARE A LOYAL CITIZEN OF THE REQUIRED SECURITY CLEARANCE I AM TEMPORARILY ASSIGNING YOU THIS FUNCTION. IT IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL THEREFORE NOT BE RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES AS A DUST MAID. IF HOWEVER YOU SHOULD EXCEL AT IT I MAY ELECT TO MAKE THE ASSIGNMENT PERMANENT. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION." Control cuts the line. Uhhh, congratulations? A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. > right (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. Ah, a rare moment of cherished privacy away from prying eyes... You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >* should I still be "questionable" after all that? Come again? >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. The screen is divided into a number of panes governed by a convoluted menuing system. Inside the panes is an array of simple widgets - dials, meters, read-outs and the like - all of which pertain to some section of the lab. You quickly scan the labels and textual data and find yourself lost in a thicket of technical mumbo-jumbo, none of which makes sense to you. However, you do manage to work out a few simple actions which you could execute without any assistance. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Retrieve financial records | 4. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >1 Done. >2 Done. >3 The records appear in an instant. Curious, you peruse them. There are quarterly disclosures, expense reports and a balance sheet. Nothing in particular strikes you as noteworthy. Of course, you have no experience in accounting. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Destroy financial records | 4. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 Done. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >l Lab Director's Office (in the lab director's chair) You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. >x desk The desk is bare of any personal effects. A concave, monochrome screen protrudes from one corner. Embedded in the surface is a keyboard. Parked in front of the keyboard is a comfortable-looking chair. The slim outline of yellowish light around the keyboard indicates it is powered up. Writing flickers on the screen in front of you. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet It would be difficult to see the screen if you were wearing the shiny black helmet, don't you think? A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >exit The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You are instantly transported to a strange, virtual world. The shadowy figure stands before you, hands clasped behind his back. "Ah, my newest agent, Oliva Mirram. Congratulations on the success of your mission! Did anyone really doubt you?" You open your mouth to speak. The shadowy figure, however, willfully presses on. "How do I know your mission was a success? The reach of Area 51 is long - as is our collective memory! Do not forget it, Oliva Mirram. "Now, on to the next phase. Hopefully, the last in this sordid story. "It would seem that the scoundrels in the God and Freedom Church have eyes and ears of their own. They, too, have learned of the fate of the lab's financial records. And they are furious! So furious, in fact, that they are up in arms. Quite literally. "Shooting people is a joy and a pleasure for the fanatics in the Church, and now you have given them ample excuse. Even as we speak, they are gathering in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. Eventually, they will attack." The shadowy figure nearly chokes on his own vitriol. "Research Lab A-U6I must be defended at all costs! As the only one present, this important task falls to you. Fortunately, the brave scientists have left all their equipment behind. There must be some tool or device at your disposal that will allow you to disperse the crowd!" Asimov stops and solemnly faces you. "We are all, of course, well aware that the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is a busy place. It could very well be that during the course of your mission, innocent victims will fall. Do not let a little empathy deter you, Oliva Mirram! You must think of the greater good. You must think of Science!" >save Ok. >sit Why don't you deal with the shadowy figure first? >remove helmet "Are you off then?" Asimov calls after you. "Remember: she who is anchored in logic has no need of faith!" The visor lifts from your eyes, and you find yourself standing in Lab Director's Office. >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 For some reason, the procedure will not commence. >* hrm Come again? >exit The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >x safe The safe is square, squat and sturdy. Its surfaces are clean and smooth. After a quick examination, however, you notice that an imprint of a hand is visible on the side facing you. Written across the top in large block letters you see the words: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY OPEN. >push hand No doubt, the previous lab director's palm is the key to this lock. Unfortunately, you have no hope of ever retrieving it. Seriously. >touchsafe Come again? >touch safe You feel nothing unexpected. >x imprint The imprint is the lock on the safe. Your hand does not fit. >touch it No doubt, the previous lab director's palm is the key to this lock. Unfortunately, you have no hope of ever retrieving it. Seriously. >* er OK Come again? >* aren't i the director now? Guess it's not automatic Come again? >l Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >outward (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x sign It says: "Oliva Mirram". A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. From behind the door to the Refrigeration Unit, you hear a violent crash like the smashing of glass. A frightful silence ensues. Before you can decide what to do about it, the grate of a tiny air vent at floor level bursts free. Out leaps a small, shiny object. It moves so quickly you can hardly identify it. In a blur, it leaps for your neck. A terrible snapping fills your ears as you are relentlessly consumed by a thousand tiny but angry bites. You succumb to the onslaught *** No one is ever able to identify you from the remains. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >outward (first getting out of the lab director's chair) The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x unit Can't do it. >n You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. >r (first opening the refrigeration unit door) The door swiftly closes behind you. Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. A glass jar rests inside. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. It is inactive. The only exit is outward. The glass jar is disintegrating before your very eyes. It will not hold out much longer. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x jar A small jar that you could easily hold in one hand. A translucent film covers the outside of the jar, obscuring what's inside. The glass jar is closed. In the glass jar is something small and shiny. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >open har Can't do it. >oops jar The glass jar is in the tank. Toenail clippers - the big kind with thick blades for cleaving especially troublesome nails - burst from the confines of the glass jar, which has crumbled under the force of its terrible blows. The shards of the glass jar rain down to the bottom of the tank, while the toenail clippers rise up through the viscous liquid. As you watch, stunned, they leap through the top of the tank and come to rest on the floor in front of you. These are no ordinary toenail clippers; this is clearly the product of the mad genius of some disturbed scientist - or perhaps a special project ordered by Central Management. It's hard to tell the difference. For an instant they hold still, surveying the area, and you can admire the sharpness of the blades, quivering ever so slightly in anticipation. The file - also sharp and dangerous - sways mesmerizingly overhead. Then, alas, they get down to work. With such speed you can barely follow with your eyes, they attack the nearest person. That person is you. The terrible snapping of the blades and the file fills your ears as you are relentlessly consumed by a thousand tiny but angry bites. You succumb to the onslaught. *** It's not really possible for you to continue the story in this sad and sorry state. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >turn on magnet That's already on. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >aim magnet at jar Whatever is inside the jar is pulled towards the electromagnet and bangs up against the surface. You see flashes of metal but are still unable to identify it. The shape, however, was briefly more distinct. Long, thin, with what look like blades. Oddly enough, you believe you saw it moving. You switch off the electromagnet and it recedes. Toenail clippers - the big kind with thick blades for cleaving especially troublesome nails - burst from the confines of the glass jar, which has crumbled under the force of its terrible blows. The shards of the glass jar rain down to the bottom of the tank, while the toenail clippers rise up through the viscous liquid. As you watch, stunned, they leap through the top of the tank and come to rest on the floor in front of you. These are no ordinary toenail clippers; this is clearly the product of the mad genius of some disturbed scientist - or perhaps a special project ordered by Central Management. It's hard to tell the difference. For an instant they hold still, surveying the area, and you can admire the sharpness of the blades, quivering ever so slightly in anticipation. The file - also sharp and dangerous - sways mesmerizingly overhead. Then, alas, they get down to work. With such speed you can barely follow with your eyes, they attack the nearest person. That person is you. The terrible snapping of the blades and the file fills your ears as you are relentlessly consumed by a thousand tiny but angry bites. You succumb to the onslaught. *** It's not really possible for you to continue the story in this sad and sorry state. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > * er I wanted to stick it to the magnet Please give one of the answers above. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >set dial to 3 Done. The electromagnet produces a loud racket and vibrates violently in your hand. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >aim magnet at clippers Nothing happens. The electromagnet continues to quiver and squeal. Toenail clippers - the big kind with thick blades for cleaving especially troublesome nails - burst from the confines of the glass jar, which has crumbled under the force of its terrible blows. The shards of the glass jar rain down to the bottom of the tank, while the toenail clippers rise up through the viscous liquid. As you watch, stunned, they leap through the top of the tank and come to rest on the floor in front of you. These are no ordinary toenail clippers; this is clearly the product of the mad genius of some disturbed scientist - or perhaps a special project ordered by Central Management. It's hard to tell the difference. For an instant they hold still, surveying the area, and you can admire the sharpness of the blades, quivering ever so slightly in anticipation. The file - also sharp and dangerous - sways mesmerizingly overhead. Then, alas, they get down to work. With such speed you can barely follow with your eyes, they attack the nearest person. That person is you. The terrible snapping of the blades and the file fills your ears as you are relentlessly consumed by a thousand tiny but angry bites. You succumb to the onslaught. *** It's not really possible for you to continue the story in this sad and sorry state. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >aim magnet at jar Nothing happens. The electromagnet continues to quiver and squeal. Toenail clippers - the big kind with thick blades for cleaving especially troublesome nails - burst from the confines of the glass jar, which has crumbled under the force of its terrible blows. The shards of the glass jar rain down to the bottom of the tank, while the toenail clippers rise up through the viscous liquid. As you watch, stunned, they leap through the top of the tank and come to rest on the floor in front of you. These are no ordinary toenail clippers; this is clearly the product of the mad genius of some disturbed scientist - or perhaps a special project ordered by Central Management. It's hard to tell the difference. For an instant they hold still, surveying the area, and you can admire the sharpness of the blades, quivering ever so slightly in anticipation. The file - also sharp and dangerous - sways mesmerizingly overhead. Then, alas, they get down to work. With such speed you can barely follow with your eyes, they attack the nearest person. That person is you. The terrible snapping of the blades and the file fills your ears as you are relentlessly consumed by a thousand tiny but angry bites. You succumb to the onslaught. *** It's not really possible for you to continue the story in this sad and sorry state. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Storage Room) 1. How do I find the secret passage? 2. How do I find the terminal? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit) 1. I can't get through the refrigeration unit door. 2. I keep freezing to death. 3. How do I get the glass jar out of the tank? 4. What's inside the glass jar? 5. I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. 3/7: You know what the toenail clippers are made of. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. 3/7: You know what the toenail clippers are made of. 4/7: Metal. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. 3/7: You know what the toenail clippers are made of. 4/7: Metal. 5/7: Have you come across anything in the lab that works on metal objects? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. 3/7: You know what the toenail clippers are made of. 4/7: Metal. 5/7: Have you come across anything in the lab that works on metal objects? 6/7: What about the transmutor in Dev 2? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit - I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar.) 1/7: This is a real problem. So you know what's in the glass jar. Opening it or letting it warm up will result in your death, wherever you happen to be. 2/7: You can only solve this problem if you are permitted into the restricted part of the lab. 3/7: You know what the toenail clippers are made of. 4/7: Metal. 5/7: Have you come across anything in the lab that works on metal objects? 6/7: What about the transmutor in Dev 2? 7/7: Bring the glass jar to Dev 2 and put it in the transmutor. You will have enough time. Press the button. Voila! The toenail clippers are gone. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit) 1. I can't get through the refrigeration unit door. 2. I keep freezing to death. 3. How do I get the glass jar out of the tank? 4. What's inside the glass jar? 5. I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. A glass jar rests inside. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. It is inactive. The only exit is outward. >* OK... Come again? >unro Come again? >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >undo Darkened Passage [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 1 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Inward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] > >LOOK Lab Director's Office (in the lab director's chair) You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >outward Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. You have an incoming call on your PA. It is Control. You scramble to pick it up. "Hel -" "GREETINGS CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT RESEARCH LAB A-U61 WHERE YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED IS WITHOUT A DIRECTOR. SEEING AS YOU ARE A LOYAL CITIZEN OF THE REQUIRED SECURITY CLEARANCE I AM TEMPORARILY ASSIGNING YOU THIS FUNCTION. IT IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL THEREFORE NOT BE RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES AS A DUST MAID. IF HOWEVER YOU SHOULD EXCEL AT IT I MAY ELECT TO MAKE THE ASSIGNMENT PERMANENT. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION." Control cuts the line. Uhhh, congratulations? A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. Ah, a rare moment of cherished privacy away from prying eyes... You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. The screen is divided into a number of panes governed by a convoluted menuing system. Inside the panes is an array of simple widgets - dials, meters, read-outs and the like - all of which pertain to some section of the lab. You quickly scan the labels and textual data and find yourself lost in a thicket of technical mumbo-jumbo, none of which makes sense to you. However, you do manage to work out a few simple actions which you could execute without any assistance. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Retrieve financial records | 4. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >1 Done. >3 The records appear in an instant. Curious, you peruse them. There are quarterly disclosures, expense reports and a balance sheet. Nothing in particular strikes you as noteworthy. Of course, you have no experience in accounting. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Destroy financial records | 4. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 Done. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 For some reason, the procedure will not commence. >exit The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You are instantly transported to a strange, virtual world. The shadowy figure stands before you, hands clasped behind his back. "Ah, my newest agent, Oliva Mirram. Congratulations on the success of your mission! Did anyone really doubt you?" You open your mouth to speak. The shadowy figure, however, willfully presses on. "How do I know your mission was a success? The reach of Area 51 is long - as is our collective memory! Do not forget it, Oliva Mirram. "Now, on to the next phase. Hopefully, the last in this sordid story. "It would seem that the scoundrels in the God and Freedom Church have eyes and ears of their own. They, too, have learned of the fate of the lab's financial records. And they are furious! So furious, in fact, that they are up in arms. Quite literally. "Shooting people is a joy and a pleasure for the fanatics in the Church, and now you have given them ample excuse. Even as we speak, they are gathering in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. Eventually, they will attack." The shadowy figure nearly chokes on his own vitriol. "Research Lab A-U6I must be defended at all costs! As the only one present, this important task falls to you. Fortunately, the brave scientists have left all their equipment behind. There must be some tool or device at your disposal that will allow you to disperse the crowd!" Asimov stops and solemnly faces you. "We are all, of course, well aware that the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is a busy place. It could very well be that during the course of your mission, innocent victims will fall. Do not let a little empathy deter you, Oliva Mirram! You must think of the greater good. You must think of Science!" >remove helmet "Are you off then?" Asimov calls after you. "Remember: she who is anchored in logic has no need of faith!" The visor lifts from your eyes, and you find yourself standing in Lab Director's Office. >left You can't go that way. >out (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You have entered the restricted part of Research Lab A-U61. You smirk as you ponder what Nur Dular, your supervisor back at Dust Bunnies, Ltd., would say. That pompous flaphead! In all your time working as a dust maid, you never dreamed of venturing back here. Yet here you are. And what do you expect to find? The lab's most interesting projects, of course! After all, that was the case in one episode of Bunkerscape, a favorite vidshow of yours. In a closed-off part of the lab on an abandoned interplanetary vessel, the main character encounters a thimble that does not chaffe. Revolutionary! Unfortunately, the discovery triggered a vast conspiracy that ended in the unfortunate destruction of the vessel and its valuable payload. Your heart races with excitement. What could possibly be going on in the heart of this research lab? Whatever it is, you are determined that it not suffer the same fate as that extraordinary thimble. At first glance, however, the area hardly looks deserving of its exotic designation. You stand in a corridor, much like every other. It has doorways. It is lit by glow panels near the ceiling. All very uninteresting. Oh, and there's an alarm blaring just ahead of you. You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus As you draw closer to the alarm - and whatever disaster it portends - a sense of dread begins to replace the excitement you felt just a short while ago. The alarm sounds urgent. You think back to Bunkerscape and all the terrible things that can go wrong in an interplanetary vessel in space. Fortunately, you are not in space. You are safe under the ground on Venus, the second planet from the sun. And you are the director of Research Lab A-U61, no less. You straighten up and look around, determined to rise to the occasion - whatever it may be. You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x ecopack The ecopack is a self-contained environment safe for humans in otherwise hostile, otherworldy places. You have only ever seen them on the tube; in particular, your favorite space opera, "Space Jaunt". This intellectually feeble vidshow features Captain Kork, who makes up for his ship's lack of a VR deck by porking every lifeform he comes across, sentient or not. The ecopack is bulky and white. It contains a full supply of oxygen on the back - if the meter can be trusted, that is. It is also equipped with gravity boosters, which allow a person wearing it to move about in the crushing Venusian atmosphere. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take it It's too big and bulky to carry around. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >wear it It takes awhile, but you eventually manage to squeeze inside with all your possessions. As soon as you seal yourself up, the flow of oxygen begins. You breathe a few times just to make sure, but you appear to be perfectly fine. You take a little walk. The gravity boosters don't kick in as they are not needed. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >l Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. >left (first opening the reinforced door) Testing Range You find yourself in a long, narrow chamber, beaten and scarred by countless explosions. What started out as clean, white walls have since been defaced by black, sooty splotches and deep gouges. These are concentrated at the near end by the entrance as well as the far end, where you can see several human-sized planks with manacles to hold down unwilling limbs. Sturdy stands of various heights have been pushed into a corner. Nothing is currently mounted on any of them. The only exit is outward. >x planks These can be tilted within a ninety degree range, from flat to standing straight. >x manacles These can be tilted within a ninety degree range, from flat to standing straight. >x stands These are strong, heavy supporters and are probably used to hold devices for testing. >outwar Come again? >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outwar Come again? >outward (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You have reached the source of the alarm. You look around, trying to ascertain what exactly is amiss... You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on a large, metallic chamber with many edges. Nearby is a control panel. Standing in front of the control panel, back facing you, is a man. He appears to be absorbed by the readouts. You are surprised to see him. After all, you were operating under the assumption that the research lab was abandoned. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. The man by the control panel addresses you without turning. His voice is calm and dispassionate. "Ah, the new lab director. Oliva, is it? My name is Lloyd. So much for the pleasantries. "Your arrival is fortuitous. The EF harvester here is about to overload, and I suspect the ensuing explosion will destroy the entire department." As you stare at the man, you are surprised to see a thin, black line form near the middle of his leg, hover uncertainly, then shoot upward towards his neck where it thins to nothingness. You instantly understand that Lloyd is a hologram! You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >save Ok. >ask lloyd about harvester "Atikurrahman Vosh was secretive about this project. He sometimes led team meetings between shifts in Dev 1 when no one else was around. I did not attend, so I know little about it. "What I do know is that if you wish to prevent an uncontrolled discharge, you must find a way to conduct a controlled one. Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished via the control panel - which, incidentally, is broken and needs to be fixed. The trigger must be somewhere else." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. Lloyd turns and fixes you with a steely eye. You are impressed at the quality of the simulation. "Perhaps an explanation is in order. Unfortunately, I must be brief. This is Dev 2. Any research requiring a security clearance is performed here. One such project was being conducted for a client in the Defense conglomerate." Lloyd gestures towards the glowing, sparking chamber. "There you see the EF harvester - or electromagnetic frequency harvester, one of Atikurrahman Vosh's pet projects. "The EF harvester was intended to convert the electromagnetic energy present all around us into power that can be stored and used at a later time. A useful device on the battlefield, provided units could be developed that are small and light enough. "Unfortunately, this prototype is malfunctioning. I have been able to diagnose the problem. It appears the internal battery is full. However, there is no way to shut off the power collection mechanism, which continues feeding it to the battery. One solution would be to prevent any electromagnetic transmissions to reach us here in Dev 2. An unlikely proposition in the Bunker. "I have done what I can, but the EF harvester is close to its critical point. I cannot say exactly when, but very soon the system will overload and an uncontrolled discharge will occur. An explosion, if you will. One that, as I said before, will destroy the entire department. "The only reliable way to prevent such a disaster is to conduct a controlled discharge. That is, the device's battery must be relieved of some of the energy it has absorbed. As the research lab's new director, the responsibility falls to you. I am available to answer questions if I can. Good luck, Oliva Mirram. Time is running out, and every sentient being in A-8 sector is counting on you." At that, he turns back to the control panel and continues his work. >ask lloyd about battery "Look Oliva, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a pill and think things over." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about discharge "Atikurrahman Vosh was secretive about this project. He sometimes led team meetings between shifts in Dev 1 when no one else was around. I did not attend, so I know little about it. "What I do know is that if you wish to prevent an uncontrolled discharge, you must find a way to conduct a controlled one. Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished via the control panel - which, incidentally, is broken and needs to be fixed. The trigger must be somewhere else." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >sit What do you want to sit? >* sit on, should be You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: an ecopack a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears > >LOOK Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. >l Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. >x panel The control panel is covered in a thicket of gadgetry which is completely foreign to you. Standing in front of it is Lloyd, the helpful hologram. He never touches the control panel, but you notice that every once in a while a switch will flip or a dial will adjust, as if of their own volition. To one side, you notice blackish markings emanating in straight lines from a thin, rectangular slot in the surface of the control panel. The slot contains a circuit board. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x harvester A large, metallic chamber with many edges. Two plastex windows reveal an interior comprised of snaking coils and narrow, rectangular structures. Some of them emit streams of bright, angry sparks. Flashing light cast in the colors of the rainbow gather and shimmer along the coils. Piping leads from the EF harvester to the control panel and then from the control panel elsewhere. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x slot The control panel is covered in a thicket of gadgetry which is completely foreign to you. Standing in front of it is Lloyd, the helpful hologram. He never touches the control panel, but you notice that every once in a while a switch will flip or a dial will adjust, as if of their own volition. To one side, you notice blackish markings emanating in straight lines from a thin, rectangular slot in the surface of the control panel. The slot contains a circuit board. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill a new IC chip some glue a razorblade an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: an ecopack a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >x board A thin, rectangular piece of electronics. You notice that one IC chip appears to have blown out - apparently in spectactular fashion. Thick, black lines emanate beyond the edge of the circuit board. The circuit board contains a blackened IC chip. It has been soldered to the copper traces embedded in the board, so the blackened IC chip cannot be removed. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take board Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g You get out of the ecopack and put it back where you found it. (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x manipulators The bank of manipulators extends from the ceiling above the workstations. These consist mostly of long, jointed poles fitted with various attachments. The manipulators can be used to operate on an object lying on one of the workstations. You recognize the function of two manipulators: a slicer and a soldering iron. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board on station You put the circuit board on the workstation. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x slicer This manipulator is used for cutting. Unfortunately, the blade is missing and needs to be replaced. You look closer and observe that attaching a new blade will require some kind of binding material. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put bladeon slicer Can't do it. >put blade on slicer You carefully attach the razorblade to the slicer, using the glue you purchased from Tony Bleet. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x slicer This manipulator is used for cutting. You have glued a razorblade onto the end, which should suffice for its function, if only temporarily. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >slice You slide the circuit board on the surface of the workstation until the housing for the IC chip comes into view on the controls. Then, you carefully adjust its position so the traces on the circuit board are perfectly centered. When you are satisfied, you activate the slicer. Slowly, it descends. You watch, mesmerized, as the artificial intelligence guiding the slicer expertly frees the blackened IC chip from the circuit board. You must reposition the circuit board a few times, but very soon the job is done and the slicer returns to its resting position. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put chip on board (the new IC chip on the circuit board) There is already an IC chip in place. You will have to remove it first. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take blackened Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put chip on board Which do you mean, the blackened IC chip, the new IC chip or the lab office chip key? >new The new IC chip fits in place on the circuit board. It is, however, not lying perfectly flat. Pressure needs to be applied to the new IC chip to make it lie flat. The pressure can be applied in three places: the left side, the center, and the right side. To simulate this process, we will play a little game. There is a list of available numbers. You must distribute them into three groups such that the members of each group add up to exactly 25. You must use all the numbers. You can "add" a number to the "left", "center", or "right" group. You can also "remove" a number from a group. For example, "add 9 to left group". The left group is empty. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4 and 4. (You can get this information at any time by examining the circuit board.) A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* umm OK Come again? >* 13 numbers, so presumably one five and two fours You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >add 4 to left (taking the circuit board) Done. The left group contains: 4. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4 and 4. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 4 to left Done. The left group contains: 4 and 4. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5 and 4. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 6 to left Done. The left group contains: 6, 4 and 4. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5 and 4. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 4 and 4. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5 and 4. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 5 to left Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group is empty. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5 and 4. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 4 to center Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 4. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 6 to center Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 6 and 4. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 9 to center Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 9, 6 and 4. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 8, 7, 6, 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 6 to center Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 9, 6, 6 and 4. The right group is empty. The numbers available to you are: 8, 7, 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 8 to right Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 9, 6, 6 and 4. The right group contains: 8. The numbers available to you are: 7, 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 7 to right Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 9, 6, 6 and 4. The right group contains: 8 and 7. The numbers available to you are: 5 and 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >add 5 to right Done. The left group contains: 6, 6, 5, 4 and 4. The center group contains: 9, 6, 6 and 4. The right group contains: 8, 7 and 5. The numbers available to you are: 5. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g The new IC chip is now lying perfectly flat on the circuit board. However, it could be dislodged or fall out at any time. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >save Ok. >glue chip What do you want to glue the blackened IC chip to? >glue new chip What do you want to glue the new IC chip to? >board (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* err what? Come again? >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >l Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >l Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. >x board A thin, rectangular piece of electronics. You notice that one IC chip appears to have blown out - apparently in spectactular fashion. Thick, black lines emanate beyond the edge of the circuit board. The circuit board contains a new IC chip, and it is lying flat. However, it could easily be dislodged or fall out. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x new A flat, square integrated circuit chip with one side as thick as your thumb. White letters identify it as a series R-76. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >glue new What do you want to glue the new IC chip to? >board (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >glue new What do you want to glue the new IC chip to? >circuit I don't see how you will manage it. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take board You already have that. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a circuit board a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x metal The metal door looks like it could withstand a considerable beating. A small, plastex window has been set at eye height in the center. A wheel protrudes from the metal door's belly. Next to it, a large Epsilon has been etched into the surface. The metal door is closed. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left Testing Range You find yourself in a long, narrow chamber, beaten and scarred by countless explosions. What started out as clean, white walls have since been defaced by black, sooty splotches and deep gouges. These are concentrated at the near end by the entrance as well as the far end, where you can see several human-sized planks with manacles to hold down unwilling limbs. Sturdy stands of various heights have been pushed into a corner. Nothing is currently mounted on any of them. The only exit is outward. >right You can't go that way. >g You can't go that way. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board in slot You put the circuit board into the control panel. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x panel The control panel is covered in a thicket of gadgetry which is completely foreign to you. Standing in front of it is Lloyd, the helpful hologram. He never touches the control panel, but you notice that every once in a while a switch will flip or a dial will adjust, as if of their own volition. To one side, you notice blackish markings emanating in straight lines from a thin, rectangular slot in the surface of the control panel. The slot contains a circuit board. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x sot Can't do it. >x board A thin, rectangular piece of electronics. You notice that one IC chip appears to have blown out - apparently in spectactular fashion. Thick, black lines emanate beyond the edge of the circuit board. The circuit board contains a new IC chip, and it is lying flat. However, it could easily be dislodged or fall out. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* hrm Come again? >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) 1/5: How to play this mini-game is self-explanatory. What follows is the solution. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) 1/5: How to play this mini-game is self-explanatory. What follows is the solution. 2/5: 8, 7, 5, 5 Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) 1/5: How to play this mini-game is self-explanatory. What follows is the solution. 2/5: 8, 7, 5, 5 3/5: 9, 6, 6, 4 Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) 1/5: How to play this mini-game is self-explanatory. What follows is the solution. 2/5: 8, 7, 5, 5 3/5: 9, 6, 6, 4 4/5: 6, 6, 5, 4, 4 Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I get the new chip to lie flat?) 1/5: How to play this mini-game is self-explanatory. What follows is the solution. 2/5: 8, 7, 5, 5 3/5: 9, 6, 6, 4 4/5: 6, 6, 5, 4, 4 5/5: Don't forget to solder the new IC chip after it's lying flat. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. >* oh dug Come again? >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >g (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >undo Corridor Terminus [Previous turn undone.] >undo Testing Range [Previous turn undone.] >undo Testing Range [Previous turn undone.] >undo Testing Range [Previous turn undone.] >undo Corridor Terminus [Previous turn undone.] >undo Restricted Corridor [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Inward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Outward [Previous turn undone.] >undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >solder Nothing is on the workstation. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board on workstation You put the circuit board on the workstation. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >solder You slide the circuit board on the surface of the workstation until the housing for the IC chip comes into view on the controls. Then, you carefully adjust its position so the traces on the circuit board are perfectly centered. When you are satisfied, you activate the soldering iron. Slowly, it descends. You watch, mesmerized, as the artificial intelligence guiding the soldering iron expertly solders the new IC chip onto the circuit board. You must reposition the circuit board a few times, but very soon the job is done and the soldering iron returns to its resting position. Congratulations! The circuit board is now in working order. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take board Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board in slat Can't do it. >put board in slot You put the circuit board into the control panel. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x panel The control panel is covered in a thicket of gadgetry which is completely foreign to you. Standing in front of it is Lloyd, the helpful hologram. He never touches the control panel, but you notice that every once in a while a switch will flip or a dial will adjust, as if of their own volition. To one side, you notice blackish markings emanating in straight lines from a thin, rectangular slot in the surface of the control panel. The slot contains a circuit board. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x panel The control panel is covered in a thicket of gadgetry which is completely foreign to you. Standing in front of it is Lloyd, the helpful hologram. He never touches the control panel, but you notice that every once in a while a switch will flip or a dial will adjust, as if of their own volition. To one side, you notice blackish markings emanating in straight lines from a thin, rectangular slot in the surface of the control panel. The slot contains a circuit board. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >tell lloyd about board "Really? I suppose I could pretend that was interesting. I suppose I could..." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >use panel You approach the control panel. As if on cue, Lloyd turns and fixes you with a steely eye. "Clearly, how to operate the controls of the EF harvester is beyond your understanding. You do not wish to make a bad situation worse, do you? I did not think so." He pauses until you step back then returns to whatever it was he was doing before you interrupted him. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about panel "This panel controls the EF harvester, insofar as it still can. At the moment, I am using it to divert power away from the harvester's internal battery. This is a stopgap measure at best. A permanent solution would be to perform a controlled discharge. I have determined that a controlled discharge is possible, but the trigger is located elsewhere. "I see you have fixed the circuit board and put it in the control panel. Well done. Now a controlled discharge is possible, should you locate the trigger." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about trigger "I am not aware what triggers a controlled discharge of the EF harvester, but I do suspect it is located somewhere inside the research lab. "One thing I can tell you is that Ati sometimes held meetings concerning this project in Dev 1. You might try looking around in there." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* OK... Come again? >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >smell A horrendous itching overwhelms you. You sneeze - very loudly and unhygienically into your hand. Regretfully, you glance at the duster. If only the medibots could do something about your dust allergy... A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >drop duster Dropped. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >smell The air here is laden with a sharp, chemical smell. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >hitn Come again? >hitn Come again? >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1) 1. How do I fix the controller? 2. I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. 4/8: If you lower the hook, some of the chain will leave the crawlspace and you will be able to pass. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. 4/8: If you lower the hook, some of the chain will leave the crawlspace and you will be able to pass. 5/8: Someone is waiting for you on the other side of the crawlspace? Your sneeze alerted them. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. 4/8: If you lower the hook, some of the chain will leave the crawlspace and you will be able to pass. 5/8: Someone is waiting for you on the other side of the crawlspace? Your sneeze alerted them. 6/8: You are alergic to dust. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. 4/8: If you lower the hook, some of the chain will leave the crawlspace and you will be able to pass. 5/8: Someone is waiting for you on the other side of the crawlspace? Your sneeze alerted them. 6/8: You are alergic to dust. 7/8: You have a feather duster. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1 - I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it?) 1/8: The buttons raise and lower the depression. The switch raises and lowers the hook. 2/8: Did you notice that when you lower the depression, a crawlspace appears? 3/8: The crawlspace is blocked by the chain. The hook is also attached to a chain. 4/8: If you lower the hook, some of the chain will leave the crawlspace and you will be able to pass. 5/8: Someone is waiting for you on the other side of the crawlspace? Your sneeze alerted them. 6/8: You are alergic to dust. 7/8: You have a feather duster. 8/8: Dust the crawlspace before entering. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Dev 1) 1. How do I fix the controller? 2. I have fixed the controller. How do I operate it? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. You can see the feather duster here. >x whiteboard The whiteboard is a large, rectangular touchscreen used primarily for drawing, although it can also act as a vidscreen for conferencing. On it, the lab's scientists work out complex problems amid heated discussion. Someone must have cleared the whiteboard before exiting the lab, because there is nothing on it. Or so you thought at first glance. In the corner, however, you see some doodling. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x doodling You recall the EF harvester in Dev 2 and realize the doodling must relate to it! In fact, it is now clear to you that the doodling is a design pictogram. With the new knowledge imparted to you, it quickly becomes clear that Atikurrahman Vosh was up to no good. The EF harvester may have been commissioned by a client in Defense, but it certainly could not be delivered to her. After all, the machine is hooked up to the infrastructure of research lab A-U61 itself! You know from the design pictogram that the piping leading from the EF harvester in fact continues above the ceiling, conjoining into a single power conduit that runs above the main hallway and through the Lobby. The terminus of this power conduit seems to match up with.... the decorative statuette out in the plaza? But why? A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x harvester A large, metallic chamber with many edges. Two plastex windows reveal an interior comprised of snaking coils and narrow, rectangular structures. Some of them emit streams of bright, angry sparks. Flashing light cast in the colors of the rainbow gather and shimmer along the coils. Piping leads from the EF harvester to the control panel and then from the control panel elsewhere. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about statuette "I'm putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Sally looks gravely into the camera. "Meanwhile, explosive ordnance from Defense was called upon earlier today to intervene in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, A-8 sector. Details are still emerging, but it appears a dangerous social deviant was on the verge of blowing up the Clement Vallandigham complex, a vital organ of the Procurement conglomerate." In the upper right, grainy footage displays a familiar area. You can make out the mobile response unit, the delivery man - and isn't that you at the edge of the screen? Yuri takes over. "An agent from Homeland Security was on location, facilitating the traitor's arrest. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the operation." Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. The lobby smart sign has been updated. >xsign Come again? >x sign It says: "The mirror, the circuit board and the control panel. Oh my!" >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. A menacing crowd has formed beyond the mobile response unit. As you take a stretch to examine them, one or two of its members glance back at you. You cannot help but notice the loathing and anticipation in their eyes. Never before have you been the object of such emotions - except, perhaps, from Nur Dular, your supervisor. At your appearance, Tony Bleet beckons you over to his stall. He artfully pulls you into a corner where the security camera cannot peer. There, he gives you the secret handshake that indicates he is a member of Area 51. "Listen," he whispers, "I know what's going on, and I've been instructed to help. Now look, I have this short-wave radio for sale. See? You should consider purchasing it. You can use it to talk to me from anywhere in the plaza or lab... and we won't be spied on by Homeland Security! Set the radio to channel 3 and we'll be able to communicate freely. Remember: channel 3!" At that, he pushes you back out into the plaza. "No!" he shouts out for everyone to hear. "Absolutely not for such a paltry price!" A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take radio (the short-wave radio) Tony steps forward and intervenes. "Would you like to buy something?" Tony smiles at you ingratiatingly. "Epsilon clearance, eh? Well, congratulations! I knew you weren't a simple dust bunny, even if you have to wear those ridiculous ears!" He winks at you knowingly. "I can only imagine you've got important business to attend to. If I can help in ANY way...." He leaves the rest of the sentence hanging. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >buy radio (the short-wave radio from Tony Bleet) Tony accepts Ati's Card, swipes it and returns it to you along with the short-wave radio. "Congratulations!" he says, beaming blissfully. Someone approaches from the direction of the caring demonstration. It's a loyalty leader from the looks of it, holding a broken triangle. Tony leaps to his feet to attend to the unexpected customer. "You got any glue?" "Of course I do." He hands her a small tube. The loyalty leader peers at it suspiciously. "How long before it's dry?" "Oh, that's instaglue! Never heard of it? A new invention. Scientific progress never stops in the Bunker!" The loyalty leader glances dubiously at the tube but buys it anyway. You notice that Tony charges her double the regular price. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >set radio to 3 Done. Someone approaches from the direction of the caring demonstration. It's a loyalty leader from the looks of it, holding a broken triangle. Tony leaps to his feet to attend to the unexpected customer. "You got any glue?" "Of course I do." He hands her a small tube. The loyalty leader peers at it suspiciously. "How long before it's dry?" "Oh, that's instaglue! Never heard of it? A new invention. Scientific progress never stops in the Bunker!" The loyalty leader glances dubiously at the tube but buys it anyway. You notice that Tony charges her double the regular price. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right You can't go that way. Someone approaches from the direction of the caring demonstration. It's a loyalty leader from the looks of it, holding a broken triangle. Tony leaps to his feet to attend to the unexpected customer. "You got any glue?" "Of course I do." He hands her a small tube. The loyalty leader peers at it suspiciously. "How long before it's dry?" "Oh, that's instaglue! Never heard of it? A new invention. Scientific progress never stops in the Bunker!" The loyalty leader glances dubiously at the tube but buys it anyway. You notice that Tony charges her double the regular price. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x stauette Can't do it. >x statuette (the decorative statuette) A grotesque carving of a fantastic creature with wings. You have no idea what it is supposed to represent. It is, however, ugly, and like most people you prefer to ignore it. In the creature's chest you can see a female, V-shaped electronic interface. Its claws appear to be grasping something missing. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x claw Can't do it. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a short-wave radio a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >in You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Yuri and Sally glance at each other and chuckle. "We're all members of a social club," Yuri begins. "Sometimes more than one!" "Or," Sally picks up the thread, "perhaps our trade guild is celebrating the retirement of a valued colleague." "Whatever the case may be, these are festive activities. And as such, they might inspire us to act - well, silly." "That's right, Yuri. And sometimes our fellow citizens might be taken aback, even call up Homeland Security to report suspicious activity when there actually is none." Yuri nods meaningfully in agreement. "Why, that's just what happened earlier today near the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, A-8 sector. A pair of festive citizens dressed in outrageous costumes caused needless alarm and were briefly apprehended by the authorities." "Surely, the anonymous tipster assumed treason was afoot. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pair were interrogated and quickly released, although they were advised to pursue their joyous activities in a safer manner." Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x mirror This is a shiny, concave surface with a V-shaped, male electronic interface in the center of the backside. A metal rod extends from the center to the focal point. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take it Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Yuri's face droops a little as he announces, "And now, good citizens, back to the most important news of the daystretch: the new and improved Vitamim being served in X-10 sector." Sally does her best to be excited. "Control cares about our health and wellbeing," she continues. "Did you know that the new and improved Vitamim now cures common skin rashes?" You lose interest and return to the matter at hand. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >g You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put mirror in statuette (the decorative statuette) The concave mirror snaps into the creature's hands with a satisfying click. As soon as you let go, it turns to the side with a jolt. It is aimed squarely at the Ward of the State. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >z Time passes. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >z Time passes. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >z Time passes. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >z Time passes. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The decorative statuette is gripping a concave mirror. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. 10/17: Put the concave mirror in the decorative statuette. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. 10/17: Put the concave mirror in the decorative statuette. 11/17: Now you need to find the trigger. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. 10/17: Put the concave mirror in the decorative statuette. 11/17: Now you need to find the trigger. 12/17: Atikurrahman Vosh was a loyal member of the God and Freedom Church. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. 10/17: Put the concave mirror in the decorative statuette. 11/17: Now you need to find the trigger. 12/17: Atikurrahman Vosh was a loyal member of the God and Freedom Church. 13/17: The trigger is likely to be in a place reserved solely for his use. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2 - How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester?) 1/17: Did you ask Lloyd about it? 2/17: First of all, there is a broken circuit board in the control panel. You will have to fix it first. 3/17: Make sure you put the fixed circuit board back in the control panel. 4/17: Did you examine the EF harvester? 5/17: LLoyd told you that Ati led team meetings in Dev 1. Did you look around Dev 1 for clues? 6/17: There's a whiteboard in Dev 1. On the whiteboard is some doodling. Did you examine it? If you examine both the doodling and the EF harvester, you will get a clue. 7/17: Ati hooked up the EF harvester to the research lab itself. He created a power conduit that leads from the EF harvester all the way to the front of the research lab. 8/17: The concave mirror in Dev 2 has a V-shaped electronic interface. What else has a V-shaped electronic interface? 9/17: The decorative statuette next to the entrance to the research lab. 10/17: Put the concave mirror in the decorative statuette. 11/17: Now you need to find the trigger. 12/17: Atikurrahman Vosh was a loyal member of the God and Freedom Church. 13/17: The trigger is likely to be in a place reserved solely for his use. 14/17: The Lab Director's Office. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Dev 2) 1. What does the transmutor do? 2. How do I conduct a controlled discharge of the EF harvester? 3. How do I fix the broken circuit board? 4. How do I get the new chip to lie flat? (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The decorative statuette is gripping a concave mirror. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. >inward Plaza, Near the Museum You are standing halfway to the center of the plaza. A sense of travesty and loss envelops you here. Nearby, corpses have been piled into a sloppy stack, and a mobile response unit has been hastily set up next to it. A long queue of frightened, weeping citizens has formed there, waiting patiently to exonerate themselves. Outward is the Museum of Athletic Ability, occupying the very center of the plaza. There, a group of exercise enthusiasts has gathered for some intense stretching. Inward is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. To the left and right are large, empty spaces, beyond which are corridors leading off to other parts of the department. You can see the agent from Homeland Security here. The agent from Homeland Security looks up at you. "Congratulations on your promotion," she sneers. "I hear you've been chasing terrorists." Then, learning forward, she adds, "Let's just get one thing straight: I am the one around here who catches terrorists. You just do whatever it is you do - dusting, I suppose - and leave the sleuthing to me. This is specialized work. Not for amateurs. Or people wearing floppy ears." Satisfied she's dressed you down sufficiently, the agent from Homeland Security waves over a new interviewee. The agent from Homeland Security scribbles on a paper form, then snatches her PA and jabs hurriedly at it. "Now hold on a minutestretch!" she barks at her subject, who halts mid-sentence, terrified. When she's done, she looks up at her interviewee and smiles reassuringly. "Yeah, you were saying?" A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The decorative statuette is gripping a concave mirror. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 At first, nothing happens. You sit back in the lab director's chair and cock your head, straining to catch any sound. And then you notice it. The desk is shaking. In fact, the whole room - the entire research lab, you imagine - is vibrating. The waves steadily increase in intensity. Soon they are accompanied by a low, pervasive noise. The inexorably rising thrumming is coming from the ceiling in the direction of the hallway outside. The noise quickly grows deafening. You wince and cover your ears. How much more can this building take? you wonder before quickly pushing the thought from your mind. And then it happens. A final crescendo. A wave of heat washes over you. The shaking stops. The noise dies away. There is a lonely crash as something falls off a shelf somewhere in the lab. What follows is an ominous silence. >save Ok. >outward (first getting out of the lab director's chair) The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You cautiously emerge from the lab director's office, looking for clues as to the nature and magnitude of the power you just unleashed. Here in the lab's main hallway, you can see that a few ceiling tiles have shaken loose, but that's about all. Through the glass wall, however, you see that some of the researchers' equipment has shifted, even the heavier stuff. Your gaze eventually comes to rest on the lobby door at the far end of the corridor. Your ears strain, but if the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is in disarray, you can't hear anything. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. Whatever you were trying to do, your plans are interrupted by a wave of angry faces, rolling in at you from the direction of the plaza. Their sudden appearance disturbs you - but more so the bloodlust in their eyes. You hear numerous shouts as they close in. "There she is!" and "Get the traitor who destroyed the plaza!" and "Send her to meet the Great Buddha!" This is, no doubt, the menacing crowd that had gathered at the behest of the God and Freedom Church, augmented by a few innocent passers-by, all of whom were caught up in the unfortunate destruction you unleashed upon the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. The mob descends upon you and tears you limb from limb. *** You forgot about the menacing crowd, huh? *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >right Dressing Room This is a shower and dressing room, the first and last stop for Research Lab A-U61's scientists. Here, they exchange their standard-issue jumpsuits for a lab coat. At the end of their shift, they use the showering units and disinfectant powder to remove any dangerous substances they might have inadvertently accumulated during the course of their work. After all, the last thing the Bunker needs in the midst of the heroic struggle against traitors and social deviants is an outbreak of a deadly, flesh-eating bacteria. A long bench is situated in front of a row of tall lockers. Next to them along the wall are two showering units. On the opposite wall is a pill dispenser. A poster hangs next to it. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. >left You can't go that way. Whatever you were trying to do, your plans are interrupted by a wave of angry faces, rolling in at you from the direction of the plaza. Their sudden appearance disturbs you - but more so the bloodlust in their eyes. You hear numerous shouts as they close in. "There she is!" and "Get the traitor who destroyed the plaza!" and "Send her to meet the Great Buddha!" This is, no doubt, the menacing crowd that had gathered at the behest of the God and Freedom Church, augmented by a few innocent passers-by, all of whom were caught up in the unfortunate destruction you unleashed upon the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. The mob descends upon you and tears you limb from limb. *** You forgot about the menacing crowd, huh? *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Dressing Room [Previous turn undone.] >undo Lab Hallway Center [Previous turn undone.] >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Control) 1. The game ends while I am dealing with Control (Hints - Control - The game ends while I am dealing with Control) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Control - The game ends while I am dealing with Control) 1/9: When dealing with Control, you will be asked to respond to various statements or questions. You can do so by saying the following: yes, no, maybe or sorry. In addition, Control is always willing to hear you "accuse" somebody. In this case, you cannot avail yourself of any feeds on your PA, incriminating or not. The evidence has to be self-evident or circumstantial. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Control - The game ends while I am dealing with Control) 1/9: When dealing with Control, you will be asked to respond to various statements or questions. You can do so by saying the following: yes, no, maybe or sorry. In addition, Control is always willing to hear you "accuse" somebody. In this case, you cannot avail yourself of any feeds on your PA, incriminating or not. The evidence has to be self-evident or circumstantial. 2/9: The first time you deal with Control, the path to success should be straightforward. Not so the second time. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Control - The game ends while I am dealing with Control) 1/9: When dealing with Control, you will be asked to respond to various statements or questions. You can do so by saying the following: yes, no, maybe or sorry. In addition, Control is always willing to hear you "accuse" somebody. In this case, you cannot avail yourself of any feeds on your PA, incriminating or not. The evidence has to be self-evident or circumstantial. 2/9: The first time you deal with Control, the path to success should be straightforward. Not so the second time. 3/9: You're on your own here. However, a few tips may help: Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Control - The game ends while I am dealing with Control) 1/9: When dealing with Control, you will be asked to respond to various statements or questions. You can do so by saying the following: yes, no, maybe or sorry. In addition, Control is always willing to hear you "accuse" somebody. In this case, you cannot avail yourself of any feeds on your PA, incriminating or not. The evidence has to be self-evident or circumstantial. 2/9: The first time you deal with Control, the path to success should be straightforward. Not so the second time. 3/9: You're on your own here. However, a few tips may help: 4/9: You can accuse anyone, even dead citizens or people you've just heard of. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Control) 1. The game ends while I am dealing with Control (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Control) 1. The game ends while I am dealing with Control (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. 2/6: You are aware that Area 51 is an enemy of the Church, and you have been contacted by an agent of Area 51. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. 2/6: You are aware that Area 51 is an enemy of the Church, and you have been contacted by an agent of Area 51. 3/6: Maybe the archbiscuit and the anti-pope would like to know about that. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. 2/6: You are aware that Area 51 is an enemy of the Church, and you have been contacted by an agent of Area 51. 3/6: Maybe the archbiscuit and the anti-pope would like to know about that. 4/6: If you enter the Prayer Hall from Beneath the Altar (stand or go up), you will have the opportunity to do one thing before they deal with you as an enemy. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. 2/6: You are aware that Area 51 is an enemy of the Church, and you have been contacted by an agent of Area 51. 3/6: Maybe the archbiscuit and the anti-pope would like to know about that. 4/6: If you enter the Prayer Hall from Beneath the Altar (stand or go up), you will have the opportunity to do one thing before they deal with you as an enemy. 5/6: Tell the archbiscuit about the shadowy figure. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - I know where the cell is. How do I join them?) 1/6: By proving to them that you are worthy. 2/6: You are aware that Area 51 is an enemy of the Church, and you have been contacted by an agent of Area 51. 3/6: Maybe the archbiscuit and the anti-pope would like to know about that. 4/6: If you enter the Prayer Hall from Beneath the Altar (stand or go up), you will have the opportunity to do one thing before they deal with you as an enemy. 5/6: Tell the archbiscuit about the shadowy figure. 6/6: Joining the God and Freedom Church means you will only have to unmask one traitor instead of two to get an Epsilon security clearance. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd 13/14: Your co-conspirator won't obey you if you are in the plaza, since you could simply be doing it yourself. You'll have to find a way to give an instruction to this person from inside the lab. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd 13/14: Your co-conspirator won't obey you if you are in the plaza, since you could simply be doing it yourself. You'll have to find a way to give an instruction to this person from inside the lab. 14/14: Now trigger God's Holy Wrath. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. 6/8: If you have executed these steps correctly, your co-conspirator will let you know through the radio. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. 6/8: If you have executed these steps correctly, your co-conspirator will let you know through the radio. 7/8: If you give the correct instruction to achieve what you want in plain sight (i.e., in the plaza) it will be ignored. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. >restore Ok. >l Lab Director's Office (in the lab director's chair) You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. >set radio to 3 Done. >set channel to 3 Done. >turn on radio (the short-wave radio) The short-wave radio emits a sharp crackle and pop. After a brief pause, you hear the voice of Tony Bleet. "Yes, yes, I can hear you now." >tony, aim mirror at crowd You will have to get out of the lab director's chair first. Outside in the lab's main hallway, you hear a great tumult. It sounds as if a great many people - angry people, from the sounds of their voices - are stampeding through. You hear excited shouting - "Maybe she's in here!", and "What about that door, did you check there?", and "She can't hide from us forever!" You swallow thickly as the realization dawns on you that they are looking for you. This is, no doubt, the menacing crowd that had gathered at the behest of the God and Freedom Church, all of whom were caught up in the unfortunate destruction you unleashed upon the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. Eventually, they penetrate or knock down every door in the research lab - except one. You listen to them gather just outside the door to your office. The hallway must be packed, you think to yourself. Then, someone politely knocks. "Hello? We know you're in there!" You press a hand over your mouth and hold your breath, hoping maybe they will go away. But they don't. Eventually, someone finds something large enough to batter the down down with. "Don't worry about the security camera, people! I know someone in Homeland Security who owes me a favor." THUD! The door to your office shudders under the force of a great blow. Then comes another. I think you can see where this is going. *** You forgot about the menacing crowd, huh? *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >turn on radio (the short-wave radio) The short-wave radio emits a sharp crackle and pop. After a brief pause, you hear the voice of Tony Bleet. "Yes, yes, I can hear you now." >exit The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >tony, aim mirror at crowd You can hear the exasperation in Tony's voice even through the short-wave radio. "Stop joking around!" >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. 6/8: If you have executed these steps correctly, your co-conspirator will let you know through the radio. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. 6/8: If you have executed these steps correctly, your co-conspirator will let you know through the radio. 7/8: If you give the correct instruction to achieve what you want in plain sight (i.e., in the plaza) it will be ignored. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I instruct my co-conspirator?) 1/8: You want to give an instruction to someone from a distance. 2/8: You are ready to execute a controlled discharge of the EF harvester. 3/8: You were informed that Tony Bleet is selling a short-wave radio. Maybe you should buy it. 4/8: Make sure it is turned to the correct channel: "set channel to x". The correct channel is either 3 (Area 51) or 27 (Church). 5/8: Make sure the radio is turned on. 6/8: If you have executed these steps correctly, your co-conspirator will let you know through the radio. 7/8: If you give the correct instruction to achieve what you want in plain sight (i.e., in the plaza) it will be ignored. 8/8: You can only issue the instruction inside the lab. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd 13/14: Your co-conspirator won't obey you if you are in the plaza, since you could simply be doing it yourself. You'll have to find a way to give an instruction to this person from inside the lab. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd - How do I deal with the menacing crowd?) 1/14: If only there was a weapon in the lab that could be used against them. 2/14: Have you examined the EF harvester? 3/14: Have you figured out the secret behind the EF harvester? 4/14: The lab itself acts as a kind of laser cannon. The source of the power is the EF harvester (which conveniently needs to be discharged). 5/14: The energy flows through the lab and emerges from the decorative statuette. 6/14: There's your weapon. Proceed further only if you can successfully discharge the EF harvester. 7/14: Killed by the menacing mob? Hmmm, did you notice where the concave mirror was aimed at? 8/14: The Ward of the State. Did you try aiming it at the menacing crowd? 9/14: It snaps back. So you can't hold it yourself. 10/14: Do you have a co-conspirator somewhere in the plaza? 11/14: Get that person to hold it for you. 12/14: , aim mirror at crowd 13/14: Your co-conspirator won't obey you if you are in the plaza, since you could simply be doing it yourself. You'll have to find a way to give an instruction to this person from inside the lab. 14/14: Now trigger God's Holy Wrath. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - The underground - The menacing crowd) 1. How do I deal with the menacing crowd? 2. How do I instruct my co-conspirator? (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >tony, take mirror You can hear the exasperation in Tony's voice even through the short-wave radio. "Stop joking around!" Outside in the lab's main hallway, you hear a great tumult. It sounds as if a great many people - angry people, from the sounds of their voices - are stampeding through. You hear excited shouting - "Maybe she's in here!", and "What about that door, did you check there?", and "She can't hide from us forever!" You swallow thickly as the realization dawns on you that they are looking for you. This is, no doubt, the menacing crowd that had gathered at the behest of the God and Freedom Church, all of whom were caught up in the unfortunate destruction you unleashed upon the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. Eventually, they penetrate or knock down every door in the research lab - except one. You listen to them gather just outside the door to your office. The hallway must be packed, you think to yourself. Then, someone politely knocks. "Hello? We know you're in there!" You press a hand over your mouth and hold your breath, hoping maybe they will go away. But they don't. Eventually, someone finds something large enough to batter the down down with. "Don't worry about the security camera, people! I know someone in Homeland Security who owes me a favor." THUD! The door to your office shudders under the force of a great blow. Then comes another. I think you can see where this is going. *** You forgot about the menacing crowd, huh? *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >l Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a circuit board a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >* wait, do I need to have him aim at the crowd before the first detonation? You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >x board A thin, rectangular piece of electronics. You notice that one IC chip appears to have blown out - apparently in spectactular fashion. Thick, black lines emanate beyond the edge of the circuit board. The circuit board contains a new IC chip, and it is lying flat. However, it could easily be dislodged or fall out. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board on workstation You put the circuit board on the workstation. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >solder You slide the circuit board on the surface of the workstation until the housing for the IC chip comes into view on the controls. Then, you carefully adjust its position so the traces on the circuit board are perfectly centered. When you are satisfied, you activate the soldering iron. Slowly, it descends. You watch, mesmerized, as the artificial intelligence guiding the soldering iron expertly solders the new IC chip onto the circuit board. You must reposition the circuit board a few times, but very soon the job is done and the soldering iron returns to its resting position. Congratulations! The circuit board is now in working order. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take board Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd and a concave mirror here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take mirror Taken. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Sally looks gravely into the camera. "Meanwhile, explosive ordnance from Defense was called upon earlier today to intervene in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, A-8 sector. Details are still emerging, but it appears a dangerous social deviant was on the verge of blowing up the Clement Vallandigham complex, a vital organ of the Procurement conglomerate." In the upper right, grainy footage displays a familiar area. You can make out the mobile response unit, the delivery man - and isn't that you at the edge of the screen? Yuri takes over. "An agent from Homeland Security was on location, facilitating the traitor's arrest. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the operation." Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. The lobby smart sign has been updated. >g You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. A menacing crowd has formed beyond the mobile response unit. As you take a stretch to examine them, one or two of its members glance back at you. You cannot help but notice the loathing and anticipation in their eyes. Never before have you been the object of such emotions - except, perhaps, from Nur Dular, your supervisor. At your appearance, Tony Bleet beckons you over to his stall. He artfully pulls you into a corner where the security camera cannot peer. There, he gives you the secret handshake that indicates he is a member of Area 51. "Listen," he whispers, "I know what's going on, and I've been instructed to help. Now look, I have this short-wave radio for sale. See? You should consider purchasing it. You can use it to talk to me from anywhere in the plaza or lab... and we won't be spied on by Homeland Security! Set the radio to channel 3 and we'll be able to communicate freely. Remember: channel 3!" At that, he pushes you back out into the plaza. "No!" he shouts out for everyone to hear. "Absolutely not for such a paltry price!" A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take radio (the short-wave radio) Tony steps forward and intervenes. "Would you like to buy something?" Tony smiles at you ingratiatingly. "Epsilon clearance, eh? Well, congratulations! I knew you weren't a simple dust bunny, even if you have to wear those ridiculous ears!" He winks at you knowingly. "I can only imagine you've got important business to attend to. If I can help in ANY way...." He leaves the rest of the sentence hanging. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >buy radio (the short-wave radio from Tony Bleet) Tony accepts Ati's Card, swipes it and returns it to you along with the short-wave radio. "Congratulations!" he says, beaming blissfully. Tony's PA gives off a cheerful tone and lights up. "Yeah?" he grunts into it. After a brief pause he says, "Now's not a good time. Check back with me later." He cuts the line and glances darkly at you. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn on radio (the short-wave radio) The short-wave radio emits a sharp crackle and pop. Tony's face suddenly brightens, and a finger leaps into the air. "Of course!" he exclaims. "Why didn't I think of that before?" He slips behind the curtain in the back of the stall and reappears almost immediately, a large wrench in hand. He brings it to a bench in the middle of the stall. On it is a neat, sleek unidentifiable cube - presumably a gadget of some kind. Tony slips the wrench around a bolt and gives it a tug. In response, the gadget rearranges itself. At least, that's what it looks like to you. The bolt retracts and reappears somewhere else, along with the cube's other features. Defeated, Tony tosses the wrench through the curtain where it clatters loudly to rest and returns to his place. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >set radio to 3 Done. The short-wave radio emits a sharp crackle and pop. Tony Bleet nods approvingly. "Now that you've managed to get it working, you'll be able to communicate with me when you're inside the lab." He gestures at his own small radio, lying unnoticed among so many gadgets. Then he discretely moves it out of view. Tony's PA gives off a cheerful tone and lights up. "Yeah?" he grunts into it. After a brief pause he says, "Now's not a good time. Check back with me later." He cuts the line and glances darkly at you. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >give mirror to tony (Tony Bleet) Tony Bleet glances at the concave mirror and shakes his head. "Your problem, not mine." Tony pulls out his PA and stares at it intently. Then, he grabs a gadget off a shelf nearby - unfinished by the looks of it - and a pair of pliers. He glances once more at the PA, then into the innards of the gadget. Carefully, he lowers the pliers inside. His brow is creased with concentration. But sure enough, after a brief pause he yelps and jerks his hand back. The pliers drop loudly to the floor. He quickly recovers his composure and returns the gadget and the pliers to their respective places, pretending all the while that you don't exist. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put mirror in statuette (the decorative statuette) The concave mirror snaps into the creature's hands with a satisfying click. As soon as you let go, it turns to the side with a jolt. It is aimed squarely at the Ward of the State. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >aim mirror at crowd You are able to adjust the concave mirror until it is pointing at the menacing crowd. However, as soon as you let go it snaps back to its original position. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left Plaza, under the Billboard You are standing near the entrance to the Clement Vallandigham complex. A sign on the wall indicates it is mostly occupied by the Internal Operations division of the Procurement conglomerate, including portions of its sprawling Department of Administration. Internal Operations is responsible for mining out on the surface, sorting and refining ores, distribution of raw materials and the like. Normally a bustling corner of the plaza, today is it deserted. And you know exactly why. Citizens have gathered just to the left of this location. But this is no ordinary meeting; this is a caring demonstration. And like all caring demonstrations, it is sorely in need of volunteers. A billboard - slightly crooked - hangs above a security camera mounted overhead. Beneath them both, playing with a flat, rectangular piece of transparent plastex, is a Ward of the State. A grate set in the floor, about a meter wide, separates you. Fortunately, the Ward of the State has her back to you. To the right is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. The Ward of the State begins playing a little game. She hops about, singing a song, and every once in a while swings her arms about in a swift, circular motion. Before you know it, she passes directly in front of you, squashing your toes and punching you solidly in the throat. Stopping short, she fixes you with an angry glare. "Your face hit my hand!" she shrieks and pretends to cry. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The decorative statuette is gripping a concave mirror. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Plaza, Vendor Row In this corner of the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, tucked between the research lab and corridor ZU-8, is a row of vendors. At this time of your daystretch, most of the spots are empty. One vendor, however, stands ready to take your order. A frame of piping with a fabric roof has been placed exactly within the confines of the spot demarcated by slight markings on the floor. You can see over the shelving into the interior of the stall, where a man stares back at you expectantly. Behind him hangs a thick, splotched curtain with many folds. "Don't be shy, friend," Tony says to you. "I've got whatever you need." To the left is the entrance to the research lab. Tony pulls out his PA and stares at it intently. Then, he grabs a gadget off a shelf nearby - unfinished by the looks of it - and a pair of pliers. He glances once more at the PA, then into the innards of the gadget. Carefully, he lowers the pliers inside. His brow is creased with concentration. But sure enough, after a brief pause he yelps and jerks his hand back. The pliers drop loudly to the floor. He quickly recovers his composure and returns the gadget and the pliers to their respective places, pretending all the while that you don't exist. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >tell tony about mirror (Tony Bleet about that) Tony listens attentively. When you are finished he pauses throughtfully. "I think you're onto something. If what you say is true, that EF harvester will surely disperse the crowd - if only you could figure out how to trigger it and ensure the discharge is focused in their location." Tony cranes his neck and studies the mirror which you have mounted in the decorative statuette. "Hmmm, someone could probably hold it so it's aiming at those traitors, don't you think?" Tony pulls out his PA and stares at it intently. Then, he grabs a gadget off a shelf nearby - unfinished by the looks of it - and a pair of pliers. He glances once more at the PA, then into the innards of the gadget. Carefully, he lowers the pliers inside. His brow is creased with concentration. But sure enough, after a brief pause he yelps and jerks his hand back. The pliers drop loudly to the floor. He quickly recovers his composure and returns the gadget and the pliers to their respective places, pretending all the while that you don't exist. A few more people trickle in to the plaza and join the menacing crowd. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x statuette Can't do it. >tony, aim mirror (at Tony Bleet) Tony looks at you as if you have a screw loose. "Sure, I could do that, but how exactly does me walking around holding a mirror and aiming it there going to help? I refuse to do it." Tony turns his attention to a sagging corner of his frame. You can see that he has mounted some kind of device - handcrafted by himself, naturally - on the roof nearby. It consists of a flimsy pole to which an array of cables is anchored. The cables fan out and are fastened at the other end to the sagging metal frame. Unfortunately, the cables don't provide enough support. Tony steps up on a ladder and fiddles with the device. Eventually, one of the cables snaps and the frame sags further. Throwing his hands up in the air, Tony climbs down and returns to his place, muttering to himself about tensile strength. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >tell tony about mirror (Tony Bleet about that) Tony listens attentively. When you are finished he pauses throughtfully. "I think you're onto something. If what you say is true, that EF harvester will surely disperse the crowd - if only you could figure out how to trigger it and ensure the discharge is focused in their location." Tony cranes his neck and studies the mirror which you have mounted in the decorative statuette. "Hmmm, someone could probably hold it so it's aiming at those traitors, don't you think?" Tony pulls out his PA and stares at it intently. Then, he grabs a gadget off a shelf nearby - unfinished by the looks of it - and a pair of pliers. He glances once more at the PA, then into the innards of the gadget. Carefully, he lowers the pliers inside. His brow is creased with concentration. But sure enough, after a brief pause he yelps and jerks his hand back. The pliers drop loudly to the floor. He quickly recovers his composure and returns the gadget and the pliers to their respective places, pretending all the while that you don't exist. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >tony, aimy mirror Tony Bleet nods approvingly. "Now that you've managed to get it working, you'll be able to communicate with me when you're inside the lab." He gestures at his own small radio, lying unnoticed among so many gadgets. Then he discretely moves it out of view. Tony glances disapprovingly over at the mobile response unit. "I wish she'd hurry up over there. This investigation is killing my business!" A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right You can't go that way. Tony turns his attention to a sagging corner of his frame. You can see that he has mounted some kind of device - handcrafted by himself, naturally - on the roof nearby. It consists of a flimsy pole to which an array of cables is anchored. The cables fan out and are fastened at the other end to the sagging metal frame. Unfortunately, the cables don't provide enough support. Tony steps up on a ladder and fiddles with the device. Eventually, one of the cables snaps and the frame sags further. Throwing his hands up in the air, Tony climbs down and returns to his place, muttering to himself about tensile strength. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* whew, never would have gotten that Tony's voice responds through the short-wave radio. "Nope, just me here." If you can see an object, you can usually just interact with it directly without worrying about your position. Try a command like EXAMINE GLUE for a closer look at something, LOOK to get a new description of this location, or a direction like LEFT to move to a different location. >left Plaza, by the Lab You are standing outside Research Lab A-U61. A decorative statuette protrudes from the wall, but otherwise the building and its purpose is unmarked. The decorative statuette is gripping a concave mirror. The normally bustling Tucker M. Carlson plaza is strangely subdued today. Inward, you see a mobile response unit set up by Homeland Security, which explains why. All the citizens in the area have been detained for questioning, and - for the moment at least - no one is allowed to leave. To the right is a row of vendors, and to the left a billboard hangs over a security camera. Beyond them, a caring demonstration is getting under way. Outward is a revolving door leading into the lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the plaza security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. The Loyalty Stretch catches your attention on the tube. Yuri and Sally glance at each other and chuckle. "We're all members of a social club," Yuri begins. "Sometimes more than one!" "Or," Sally picks up the thread, "perhaps our trade guild is celebrating the retirement of a valued colleague." "Whatever the case may be, these are festive activities. And as such, they might inspire us to act - well, silly." "That's right, Yuri. And sometimes our fellow citizens might be taken aback, even call up Homeland Security to report suspicious activity when there actually is none." Yuri nods meaningfully in agreement. "Why, that's just what happened earlier today near the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, A-8 sector. A pair of festive citizens dressed in outrageous costumes caused needless alarm and were briefly apprehended by the authorities." "Surely, the anonymous tipster assumed treason was afoot. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pair were interrogated and quickly released, although they were advised to pursue their joyous activities in a safer manner." Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put board in slot You put the circuit board into the control panel. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about discharge "Atikurrahman Vosh was secretive about this project. He sometimes led team meetings between shifts in Dev 1 when no one else was around. I did not attend, so I know little about it. "What I do know is that if you wish to prevent an uncontrolled discharge, you must find a way to conduct a controlled one. Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished via the control panel. The trigger must be somewhere else." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >ask lloyd about panel "This panel controls the EF harvester, insofar as it still can. At the moment, I am using it to divert power away from the harvester's internal battery. This is a stopgap measure at best. A permanent solution would be to perform a controlled discharge. I have determined that a controlled discharge is possible, but the trigger is located elsewhere. "I see you have fixed the circuit board and put it in the control panel. Well done. Now a controlled discharge is possible, should you locate the trigger." A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The loud wailing of an alarm is sounding in this room. You can see Lloyd here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward You can't go that way. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. Between the off-pitch wails of the alarm blaring from an adjacent room, you can hear a sharp, electric buzzing. Patches of colored light are ejected from the open doorway to the right. They pass over your feet in well-measured cycles. The alarm is coming from there. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the airlock door) It won't budge. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. Outward an alarm is blaring. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ >3 At first, nothing happens. You sit back in the lab director's chair and cock your head, straining to catch any sound. And then you notice it. The desk is shaking. In fact, the whole room - the entire research lab, you imagine - is vibrating. The waves steadily increase in intensity. Soon they are accompanied by a low, pervasive noise. The inexorably rising thrumming is coming from the ceiling in the direction of the hallway outside. The noise quickly grows deafening. You wince and cover your ears. How much more can this building take? you wonder before quickly pushing the thought from your mind. And then it happens. A final crescendo. A wave of heat washes over you. The short-wave radio emits a jolting, high-pitched screeching that drowns out any transmission. Then, the shaking stops. The noise dies away. There is a lonely crash as something falls off a shelf somewhere in the lab. What follows is an ominous silence punctured by an endless stream of soft static coming from the short-wave radio. >undo Lab Director's Office [Previous turn undone.] >tony, aim mirror at crowd Tony listens to your hurried explanation and reluctantly agrees. "Done, he reports back after a brief pause. Then: "Is this really necessary? I feel stupid." >3 At first, nothing happens. You sit back in the lab director's chair and cock your head, straining to catch any sound. And then you notice it. The desk is shaking. In fact, the whole room - the entire research lab, you imagine - is vibrating. The waves steadily increase in intensity. Soon they are accompanied by a low, pervasive noise. The inexorably rising thrumming is coming from the ceiling in the direction of the hallway outside. The noise quickly grows deafening. You wince and cover your ears. How much more can this building take? you wonder before quickly pushing the thought from your mind. And then it happens. A final crescendo. A wave of heat washes over you. The short-wave radio emits a jolting, high-pitched screeching that drowns out any transmission. Then, the shaking stops. The noise dies away. There is a lonely crash as something falls off a shelf somewhere in the lab. What follows is an ominous silence punctured by an endless stream of soft static coming from the short-wave radio. >save Ok. >sit What do you want to sit? >out The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >sit You get into the lab director's chair. The keyboard lights up, and the monochrome screen flickers. Writing appears. __________________________________________ | | 1. Toggle Refrigeration Unit door lock. | 2. Toggle Refrigeration Unit ventilation | 3. Activate God's Holy Wrath __________________________________________ A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >3 For some reason, the procedure will not commence. >wear helmet It would be difficult to see the screen if you were wearing the shiny black helmet, don't you think? A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >exit The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. You get out of the lab director's chair. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You are instantly transported to a strange, virtual world. All around you is a grey emptiness. The only thing here is a shadowy figure suspended above you. When last you saw him, he appeared to be sitting. Then, he was pacing. Now he is jumping for joy. "You did it, Oliva! Did anyone ever truly doubt you? Your performance was exceptional. You will be a great asset to Area 51. Have you thought of a pseudonym? You can't introduce yourself as Oliva Mirram, you know. It would make you - vulnerable, if you catch my meaning." You open your mouth to speak, but Asimov cuts you off. "No time for that now! You must vacate the premises. Immediately! I will meet you in person once you do." "Hurry, Oliva Mirram! Hurry!" At that, the shadowy figure dissipates, and you are left standing in the grey emptiness. You remove the shiny black helmet and find yourself back in Lab Director's Office. >out (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You cautiously emerge from the lab director's office, looking for clues as to the nature and magnitude of the power you just unleashed. Here in the lab's main hallway, you can see that a few ceiling tiles have shaken loose, but that's about all. Through the glass wall, however, you see that some of the researchers' equipment has shifted, even the heavier stuff. Your gaze eventually comes to rest on the lobby door at the far end of the corridor. Your ears strain, but if the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is in disarray, you can't hear anything. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >out You can't go that way. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g You are shocked to see that Yuri and Sally and the Loyalty Stretch are no longer there. The tube shows only a frizzy background of white and black - static. All your life, there has been something to watch on the tube. You have never seen NOTHING on the tube. You pause to stare at the shifting pattern and listen to the mesmerizing noise. Fear reaches its icy fingers for your heart. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >g You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You emerge from Research Lab A-U61 into a disaster area. Nothing remains as it was. The first detail you take in is a trail of charred, lifeless bodies leading from the decorative statuette - all that's left, you assume, of the queue of nervous citizens awaiting to clear their names. Unfortunately, the smoke in the air is too thick to see past the newly erected security cordon, so you can't see any trace of the menacing crowd. But you can safely assume they have been vaporized. You smile to yourself smugly at the thought. Over to your left, you see that the billboard has crashed to the floor. On its way, it severed both the plaza security camera from its mounting and the unfortunate Ward of the State's head from her body. Alas. Beyond them, the caring demonstration has scattered, leaving behind a smattering of drums, banners and colored cards. First responders from Defense are already on the scene. You can see their shapes darting about on the other side of the security cordon, shouting gruffly to one another. You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >save Ok. >x bleet Can't do it. >x tony Tony Bleet's body can hardly be of any use to you. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. Two guardians approach you from the security cordon ahead. You know from their insignia that one is a Citizen Major and the other, walking slightly behind, a sergeant. "Ah, miss," breathes the Citizen Major as they come to a stop in front of you. "I couldn't help but notice you coming out of that revolving door there. The blueprints" - he gestures at his attendant, who is holding out his PA - "indicate this is a research facility of some kind." The Citizen Major strokes his chin with a gloved hand. "How interesting. Because, well, take a look around. And the few survivors we've interviewed have all indicated whatever explosion occurred here in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza originated here." The Citizen Major shrugs. "As you can see, this is an emergency situation. We'll need to secure the research facility to ensure it does not happen again. If you have any knowledge that will prevent further senseless destruction, by all means please relay it now. Any useful information you provide may be factored in to your punishment, should you be found at fault. Which, I'm afraid, is likely." The Citizen Major falls silent. Behind him, the sergeant seems to have noticed that the security camera which normally surveys the plaza has vanished. >tell major about wrath of god "Really? I suppose I could pretend that was interesting. I suppose I could..." Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. The Citizen Major is here. He is looking at you expectantly. Next to him is his personal attendant, a sergeant. The sergeant is staring at the location where the plaza security camera used to be. Dim understanding seems to be alighting reluctantly behind his eyes. >tell major about harvester The Citizen Major listens, all the while stroking his chin with a gloved hand. When you are finished, he nods approvingly. "A very interesting story. I'm sure you won't mind repeating it in the interrogation chamber - along with all the incriminating details you conveniently omitted." Without looking, he gestures curtly over his shoulder. "Sergeant! Take this traitor into custody. Hmmmm? Citizen?" It may have taken him awhile, but the sergeant seems to finally have made an important realization. He giggles and says, "We're completely unsupervised. The security camera's gone!" The Citizen Major frowns and turns to his attendant. "Gone?" "Yeah!" An evil grin spreads over the sergeant's face. "That means I can do this." His superior stands frozen, a terrified look on his face, as the sergeant points his laser rifle at his chest and fires. "Bye bye!" he cackles as the Citizen Major's lifeless body crumples to the ground. Then, he turns to you. "You're next, you dirty traitor. I should get a medal for this." You run. He fires. Lights out. *** Your ineptness has finally killed you. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Plaza, by the Lab [Previous turn undone.] >z Time passes. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. The Citizen Major is here. He is looking at you expectantly. Next to him is his personal attendant, a sergeant. The sergeant is staring at the location where the plaza security camera used to be. Dim understanding seems to be alighting reluctantly behind his eyes. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >z Time passes. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. The Citizen Major is here. He is looking at you expectantly. Next to him is his personal attendant, a sergeant. The sergeant is staring at the location where the plaza security camera used to be. Dim understanding seems to be alighting reluctantly behind his eyes. The Citizen Major gestures to his attendant. "We're wasting our time. Take the woman into custody, will you? Hmmm? Citizen?" It may have taken him awhile, but the sergeant seems to finally have made an important realization. He giggles and says, "We're completely unsupervised. The security camera's gone!" The Citizen Major frowns and turns to his attendant. "Gone?" "Yeah!" An evil grin spreads over the sergeant's face. "That means I can do this." His superior stands frozen, a terrified look on his face, as the sergeant points his laser rifle at his chest and fires. "Bye bye!" he cackles as the Citizen Major's lifeless body crumples to the ground. Then, he turns to you. "You're next, you dirty traitor. I should get a medal for this." You run. He fires. Lights out. *** Your ineptness has finally killed you. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Plaza, by the Lab [Previous turn undone.] >undo Plaza, by the Lab [Previous turn undone.] >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game.) 1/1: Look in the upper right of the screen. That's your loyalty rating. If it's not Questionable, you're in trouble. You did something in the last few turns that was treasonous. Better go back and undo it. (This page has just the one hint.) ------------------------ (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - The underground) 1. Do I have to cooperate with Asimov and Area 51? 2. How do I find the cell of the God and Freedom Church? 3. I know where the cell is. How do I destroy it? 4. I know where the cell is. How do I join them? 5. The menacing crowd (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. 8/9: The emergency form in the safe will get the Citizen Major off your back. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. 8/9: The emergency form in the safe will get the Citizen Major off your back. 9/9: Make sure you fill it out first. Then give the form to the Citizen Major. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. >restore Ok. >l Lab Director's Office (in the lab director's chair) You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. >* OK so i needed to have opened the safe -- are there timers here? Come again? >outward (first getting out of the lab director's chair) The monochrome screen winks out. The light around the keyboard dims and fades out. (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You cautiously emerge from the lab director's office, looking for clues as to the nature and magnitude of the power you just unleashed. Here in the lab's main hallway, you can see that a few ceiling tiles have shaken loose, but that's about all. Through the glass wall, however, you see that some of the researchers' equipment has shifted, even the heavier stuff. Your gaze eventually comes to rest on the lobby door at the far end of the corridor. Your ears strain, but if the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is in disarray, you can't hear anything. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >g Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You squeeze yourself into the crawlspace but quickly encounter some debris that has fallen. Unable to proceed, you retreat back into Dev 1. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* uh oh, did I need the hand?i Tony's not here, Mrs. Torrence. If you can see an object, you can usually just interact with it directly without worrying about your position. Try a command like EXAMINE GIZMO for a closer look at something, LOOK to get a new description of this location, or a direction like RIGHT to move to a different location. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a short-wave radio a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints ( - Credits) Author: Adam Wasserman (imaeses@gmail.com), copyright (c) 2023 Spring Thing version ( April 2023, 1.0) Adam Wasserman is the author of several science fiction adventure books that take place in the Bunker, the first of which is Thank You For Your Cooperation. Beta testers It would not have been possible to bring this project to a successful conclusion without the many generous persons in the IF community willing to punch holes in a work when it is rough around the edges. Thank you so much: Christopher Merriner (who bravely suffered punishment wrestling with poorly clued puzzles) John Ziegler Nils Fagerburg ------------------------ (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Waste of space) 1. A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space. (Hints - Waste of space - A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Waste of space - A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space.) 1/8: This event occurs when a recent action of yours has resulted in a state where it is impossible to win the game. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Waste of space - A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space.) 1/8: This event occurs when a recent action of yours has resulted in a state where it is impossible to win the game. 2/8: There is a slight delay between the action that triggered this event and the event itself. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Waste of space - A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space.) 1/8: This event occurs when a recent action of yours has resulted in a state where it is impossible to win the game. 2/8: There is a slight delay between the action that triggered this event and the event itself. 3/8: The choice that triggered the event should be obvious to you. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Waste of space) 1. A routine internal review has found that I'm a Waste of Space. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Control) 1. The game ends while I am dealing with Control (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Refrigeration unit) 1. I can't get through the refrigeration unit door. 2. I keep freezing to death. 3. How do I get the glass jar out of the tank? 4. What's inside the glass jar? 5. I keep getting killed by what's in the glass jar. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office) 1. I am looking for documents. 2. How do I activate the screen/keyboard? 3. How do I get into the safe? 4. What is God's Holy Wrath? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. 5/8: Did you check the vending machine? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. 5/8: Did you check the vending machine? 6/8: There is a glass jar in the tank. Obviously, it's impervious to the effects of the superacid. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. 5/8: Did you check the vending machine? 6/8: There is a glass jar in the tank. Obviously, it's impervious to the effects of the superacid. 7/8: The glass jar is a puzzle in itself. Once you have solved it, you will be able to fill the glass jar with some of the superacid. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. 5/8: Did you check the vending machine? 6/8: There is a glass jar in the tank. Obviously, it's impervious to the effects of the superacid. 7/8: The glass jar is a puzzle in itself. Once you have solved it, you will be able to fill the glass jar with some of the superacid. 8/8: Bring the glass jar to the Lab Director's Office, and pour the superacid on the safe. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office) 1. I am looking for documents. 2. How do I activate the screen/keyboard? 3. How do I get into the safe? 4. What is God's Holy Wrath? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. >* wait don't I need the lid before I can do stuff with the vending machine? Come again? >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - The vending machine won't sell me anything.) 1/4: It wants its protective cover. 2/4: Have you seen anything like it around? 3/4: Maybe out in the plaza? 4/4: The Ward of the State has it. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) 1/5: The vending machine in the lab's Lobby wants it. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) 1/5: The vending machine in the lab's Lobby wants it. 2/5: Don't try putting the protective cover on the vending machine yourself. It will have to show you how. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) 1/5: The vending machine in the lab's Lobby wants it. 2/5: Don't try putting the protective cover on the vending machine yourself. It will have to show you how. 3/5: The vending machine will not react to you unless it has been activated. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) 1/5: The vending machine in the lab's Lobby wants it. 2/5: Don't try putting the protective cover on the vending machine yourself. It will have to show you how. 3/5: The vending machine will not react to you unless it has been activated. 4/5: When you have the protective cover, activate the vending machine by inserting a Card into the slot. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - I have the protective cover. Now what?) 1/5: The vending machine in the lab's Lobby wants it. 2/5: Don't try putting the protective cover on the vending machine yourself. It will have to show you how. 3/5: The vending machine will not react to you unless it has been activated. 4/5: When you have the protective cover, activate the vending machine by inserting a Card into the slot. 5/5: In return, it will give you the video disruptor. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything.) 1/1: That's right. The remainder of the items in the vending machine are simply there to tease you. (This page has just the one hint.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. >* oh wait maybe I don't need the vending machine after all? Come again? >inward Depot This narrow, cramped space is where Research Lab A-U61 accepts and stores deliveries. It is sparsely lit by a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. A darkened service tunnel wide enough for a sizeable vehicle leads off into darkness. In the corner next to an obscured doorway in the outward wall is a stack of boxes. A few of the boxes have been shunted aside, revealing a hole leading left. To the right through a wide opening, you can enter the lab's Lobby. You can see a forklift here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >outward Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >right (first opening the refrigeration unit door) You open the refrigeration unit door. Frigid air pours forth from the opening, sending shivers up and down your spine. The door swiftly closes behind you. Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. The air is very cold. So cold, in fact, you doubt you can remain here for long. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. A glass jar rests inside. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. Frigid air streams into the room, descending in fluffy, freezing clouds over your shoulders and sending chills to your bones. The only exit is outward. The air in here absolutely frigid! It stabs at your face with sharp, invisible knives. You've never experienced anything like it before. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take jar Your hands slip into the viscous liquid, protected by the rubber gloves. Taken. It's VERY cold in here. So cold that your hands and feet hurt, and your face feels like it is being frozen in place. A slow dribble from your nose freezes near the corner of your mouth. You wonder how much longer you can last in here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. The pain in your extremities subsides. In fact, you can no longer feel them at all. Your breathing, too, slows considerably. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >right You can't go that way. The pain in your extremities subsides. In fact, you can no longer feel them at all. Your breathing, too, slows considerably. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >outward (first opening the refrigeration unit door) The door swiftly closes behind you. Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. The small and shiny object inside the glass jar stirs. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >g Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g You can't go that way. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >left You can't go that way. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Dev 3 [Previous turn undone.] >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. The corridor continues outward. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. You hear a sharp, electric buzzing. To the right is an open doorway. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. The small and shiny object inside the glass jar begins to scamper around. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put jar in transmutor There is no more room in the transmutor. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Dev 2 [Previous turn undone.] >x transmutor The transmutor is a medium-sized, hollow cube with a glass front. A single object can be placed inside. A thick, flexible tube is attached to the backside and extends into the wall. On the top is a white button. In the transmutor is a lump of metal. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take metal The glass front opens easily, and you retrieve the lump of metal from the interior of the hollow cube. When you release the glass front, it swings silently shut. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put jar in transmutor The glass front opens easily, and you place the glass jar in the interior of the hollow cube. When you release the glass front, it swings silently shut. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push button You hear a brief whirr. A flash of light illuminates the interior of the transmutor. You see whatever is inside the glass jar turn bright white. For a moment, a struggle ensues - but in vain! There is a satisfying flash, and whatever was inside the glass jar vanishes. A brief sucking noise follows, and the tube leading into the wall gives a little jerk. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take jar The glass front opens easily, and you retrieve the glass jar from the interior of the hollow cube. When you release the glass front, it swings silently shut. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put metal in transmutor The glass front opens easily, and you place the lump of metal in the interior of the hollow cube. When you release the glass front, it swings silently shut. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push button You hear a brief whirr. A flash of light illuminates the interior of the transmutor. You see the entire lump of metal turn bright white and then instantly vanish! A brief sucking noise follows, and the tube leading into the wall gives a little jerk. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x fluid Can't do it. >l Dev 2 You are standing in a room where the most sensitive work in Research Lab A-U61 is conducted. It is a cramped, busy area. Every meter of wall space and every corner are being used. The devices you see strewn about are not in working order; they lie in various states of semi-completion or decomposition. You suspect that operational candidates are brought to another place for testing. Ordinarily, you would be overwhelmed and unable to identify any particular item of use. The ceiling above you, however, is studded with bright lights, each angled to illuminate the most important workspaces. One beam of light is focused on the EF harvester. Nearby is a control panel. A second beam of light illuminates a workstation. Unlike the other workstations, this one has been cleared, leaving plenty of room for a hollow, cubic device about the size of your head. A label identifies it as a "transmutor". Outward is the lab's main corridor, the only exit. >right You can't go that way. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. You hear a sharp, electric buzzing. To the right is an open doorway. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. The corridor continues outward. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) The metal door swings shut behind you, followed by a curt grinding sound. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >g Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >right (first opening the refrigeration unit door) You open the refrigeration unit door. Frigid air pours forth from the opening, sending shivers up and down your spine. The door swiftly closes behind you. Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. The air is very cold. So cold, in fact, you doubt you can remain here for long. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. Frigid air streams into the room, descending in fluffy, freezing clouds over your shoulders and sending chills to your bones. The only exit is outward. The air in here absolutely frigid! It stabs at your face with sharp, invisible knives. You've never experienced anything like it before. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put liquid in jar (first taking the viscous liquid) Good luck with that. It's VERY cold in here. So cold that your hands and feet hurt, and your face feels like it is being frozen in place. A slow dribble from your nose freezes near the corner of your mouth. You wonder how much longer you can last in here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >put jar in liquid You drop the glass jar back into the tank. It's VERY cold in here. So cold that your hands and feet hurt, and your face feels like it is being frozen in place. A slow dribble from your nose freezes near the corner of your mouth. You wonder how much longer you can last in here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take jar Your hands slip into the viscous liquid, protected by the rubber gloves. Taken. The pain in your extremities subsides. In fact, you can no longer feel them at all. Your breathing, too, slows considerably. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward You can't go that way. The cold seems to fade away as your entire being turns numb. Your thoughts become slow and confused. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >outward (first opening the refrigeration unit door) The door swiftly closes behind you. Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a glass jar a short-wave radio a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >x jar A small jar that you could easily hold in one hand. A translucent film covers the outside of the jar. It is closed. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >open jar You open the glass jar. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >inward Dev 1 A shallow depression in the center dominates this room. Above it, a crane protrudes from the ceiling. Hanging nearby from a thick wire that leads into the wall is a controller. On one wall hangs a whiteboard. Otherwise, this area is sparse. This place has a strange smell, and splotches of grime and corrosion can be seen on the walls and ceiling. Both are no doubt remnants of spectacularly promising experiments. A squat opening leads outward, and a doorway obscured by a thick, black curtain leads inward. The wall to the right is made entirely of glass, on the other side of which is the research lab's main hallway. It is accessible through an almost invisible door. A crawlspace leads left from the space revealed by the shallow depression. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >r (first opening the refrigeration unit door) You open the refrigeration unit door. Frigid air pours forth from the opening, sending shivers up and down your spine. The door swiftly closes behind you. Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. The air is very cold. So cold, in fact, you doubt you can remain here for long. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. Frigid air streams into the room, descending in fluffy, freezing clouds over your shoulders and sending chills to your bones. The only exit is outward. The air in here absolutely frigid! It stabs at your face with sharp, invisible knives. You've never experienced anything like it before. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >put jar in liquid You drop the glass jar back into the tank. The open jar fills with some of the superacid. It's VERY cold in here. So cold that your hands and feet hurt, and your face feels like it is being frozen in place. A slow dribble from your nose freezes near the corner of your mouth. You wonder how much longer you can last in here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >take liquid Good luck with that. The pain in your extremities subsides. In fact, you can no longer feel them at all. Your breathing, too, slows considerably. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Refrigeration Unit [Previous turn undone.] >take jar Your hands slip into the viscous liquid, protected by the rubber gloves. Taken. The pain in your extremities subsides. In fact, you can no longer feel them at all. Your breathing, too, slows considerably. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward (first opening the refrigeration unit door) The door swiftly closes behind you. Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >save Ok. >* ...now I've forgotten what the acid is for? Come again? >hitn Come again? >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. >* oh right the safe Come again? >k Come again? >right (first opening the refrigeration unit door) You open the refrigeration unit door. Frigid air pours forth from the opening, sending shivers up and down your spine. The door swiftly closes behind you. Refrigeration Unit You are standing in Research Lab A-U61's refrigeration unit. The air is very cold. So cold, in fact, you doubt you can remain here for long. On a table in the center of the room is a small tank. The tank is filled with a translucent, viscous liquid bubbling slowly but energetically. Above you in the ceiling is a large vent. Frigid air streams into the room, descending in fluffy, freezing clouds over your shoulders and sending chills to your bones. The only exit is outward. The air in here absolutely frigid! It stabs at your face with sharp, invisible knives. You've never experienced anything like it before. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Darkened Passage [Previous turn undone.] >outward Dev 3 Four workstations have been arranged in a square in the center of this room, basking in the bright light from the glow panels. Nestled between them is a bank of manipulators. What appear to be controls for the manipulators have been built onto the surface of each workstation. Through a glass wall to the right, you see a hallway. A door has been cut into the glass. Set in the middle of the inward wall is a narrow opening. You can see a sturdy locker (empty) here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >left You can't go that way. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >right (first opening the glass door) The glass door swings shut behind you. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >put acid on safe Putting things on the metal safe would achieve nothing. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >pour acid onto safe Come again? >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a glass jar a short-wave radio a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA your Card You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >x acid A small jar that you could easily hold in one hand. The glass jar is open. Inside is a considerable amount of superacid. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >put acid on safe Putting things on the metal safe would achieve nothing. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >pour acid onto safe Come again? >put jar on safe Putting things on the metal safe would achieve nothing. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >put jar in impression Can't do it. >x impression Can't do it. >x safe The safe is square, squat and sturdy. Its surfaces are clean and smooth. After a quick examination, however, you notice that an imprint of a hand is visible on the side facing you. Written across the top in large block letters you see the words: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY OPEN. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >x imprint The imprint is the lock on the safe. Your hand does not fit. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >put acid in imprint No doubt, the previous lab director's palm is the key to this lock. Unfortunately, you have no hope of ever retrieving it. Seriously. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >pour acid onto safe Come again? >pour acid onto imprint Come again? >touch imprint No doubt, the previous lab director's palm is the key to this lock. Unfortunately, you have no hope of ever retrieving it. Seriously. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office) 1. I am looking for documents. 2. How do I activate the screen/keyboard? 3. How do I get into the safe? 4. What is God's Holy Wrath? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office - How do I get into the safe?) 1/8: Did you investigate the safe? 2/8: You will not be able to unlock it normally. You'll have to think of something else. 3/8: Have you come across something that can burn through metal? 4/8: The superacid in the tank in Refrigeration Unit should do the trick. But you'll need some way of transporting it. 5/8: Did you check the vending machine? 6/8: There is a glass jar in the tank. Obviously, it's impervious to the effects of the superacid. 7/8: The glass jar is a puzzle in itself. Once you have solved it, you will be able to fill the glass jar with some of the superacid. 8/8: Bring the glass jar to the Lab Director's Office, and pour the superacid on the safe. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Lab director's office) 1. I am looking for documents. 2. How do I activate the screen/keyboard? 3. How do I get into the safe? 4. What is God's Holy Wrath? (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Lab Director's Office You are in the lab director's office - your office, for what it's worth. Looking around, you can see that the previous lab director had little if any personality. Framed by bare, white walls, the room prominently features a shallow, curved desk. Behind the desk tucked against the wall is a heavy, metal safe. The room is dimly lit by a single glow panel near the ceiling; the others appear to be out of service. Outward is a door leading to the research lab's main corridor. You can see the lab director's chair here. >pour acid on safe You carefully pour the superacid on the safe. Instantly, you hear an angry sizzling, and the puddle of viscous liquid begins to bubble and smoke. A bitter, nasty odor fills the air. You step back and cough, waving your hand in front of your face to disperse the noxious fumes. When your eyes and lungs clear, the sizzling has stopped. You see that a good-sized hole has been cut into the top of the safe. Congratulations! The safe is now open. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >* oh geez Come again? >lookin safe Come again? >open safe In case you haven't noticed, there is a big hole in the top of the safe. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >look in safe In the metal safe are a 'In Case of Emergency' Form 0x216af5db and a beige pen. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >take form Taken. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >take pen Taken. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >x form The form is printed on standard, white paper and bears the official logo of the Developmental Engineering conglomerate. It reads as follows: "A dangerous [outbreak/explosion/eruption/other] has occurred in _____________ sector. Reports that this public travesty is the fault of _________________ are circulating amongst the general population. Nothing could be further from the truth. As an organization committed to the relentless pursuit of Scientific advancement, we here at _________________ strictly comply with all the relevant guidelines and take accusations of ____________________________________ seriously. Every incident is thoroughly investigated. "We stand by the commitment and expertise of our Scientists and the quality of Scientific achievement delivered to the citizens of the Bunker each daystretch. Sincerely, signed: ____________________________" A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >x pen You see nothing special about the beige pen. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >fill in form What do you want to fill in the 'In Case of Emergency' Form 0x216af5db with? >pen You quickly scribble answers on the form that make the most sense to you. A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >x form The form is printed on standard, white paper and bears the official logo of the Developmental Engineering conglomerate. It reads as follows: "A dangerous explosion has occurred in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza, A-8 sector. Reports that this public travesty is the fault of Research Lab A-U61 are circulating amongst the general population. Nothing could be further from the truth. As an organization committed to the relentless pursuit of Scientific advancement, we here at Research Lab A-U61 strictly comply with all the relevant guidelines and take accusations of professional negligence, criminal neglect, flagrant disregard for the Guidelines on Personal and Public Property, and wantonly discharging hundreds of thousands of kilojoules into a public area seriously. Every incident is thoroughly investigated. "We stand by the commitment and expertise of our Scientists and the quality of Scientific achievement delivered to the citizens of the Bunker each daystretch. Sincerely, signed: Oliva Mirram, lab director" A small light on the temple of the shiny black helmet is flashing. >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You are instantly transported to a strange, virtual world. All around you is a grey emptiness. The only thing here is a shadowy figure suspended above you. When last you saw him, he appeared to be sitting. Then, he was pacing. Now he is jumping for joy. "You did it, Oliva! Did anyone ever truly doubt you? Your performance was exceptional. You will be a great asset to Area 51. Have you thought of a pseudonym? You can't introduce yourself as Oliva Mirram, you know. It would make you - vulnerable, if you catch my meaning." You open your mouth to speak, but Asimov cuts you off. "No time for that now! You must vacate the premises. Immediately! I will meet you in person once you do." "Hurry, Oliva Mirram! Hurry!" At that, the shadowy figure dissipates, and you are left standing in the grey emptiness. You remove the shiny black helmet and find yourself back in Lab Director's Office. >left You can't go that way. >right You can't go that way. >out (first opening the office door) The lock is activated by the chip key, and you hear a slight rasping noise from the door. You hear a slight click after the door swings shut. Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g You are shocked to see that Yuri and Sally and the Loyalty Stretch are no longer there. The tube shows only a frizzy background of white and black - static. All your life, there has been something to watch on the tube. You have never seen NOTHING on the tube. You pause to stare at the shifting pattern and listen to the mesmerizing noise. Fear reaches its icy fingers for your heart. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >in You can't go that way. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You emerge from Research Lab A-U61 into a disaster area. Nothing remains as it was. The first detail you take in is a trail of charred, lifeless bodies leading from the decorative statuette - all that's left, you assume, of the queue of nervous citizens awaiting to clear their names. Unfortunately, the smoke in the air is too thick to see past the newly erected security cordon, so you can't see any trace of the menacing crowd. But you can safely assume they have been vaporized. You smile to yourself smugly at the thought. Over to your left, you see that the billboard has crashed to the floor. On its way, it severed both the plaza security camera from its mounting and the unfortunate Ward of the State's head from her body. Alas. Beyond them, the caring demonstration has scattered, leaving behind a smattering of drums, banners and colored cards. First responders from Defense are already on the scene. You can see their shapes darting about on the other side of the security cordon, shouting gruffly to one another. You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >x tony Tony Bleet's body can hardly be of any use to you. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. Two guardians approach you from the security cordon ahead. You know from their insignia that one is a Citizen Major and the other, walking slightly behind, a sergeant. "Ah, miss," breathes the Citizen Major as they come to a stop in front of you. "I couldn't help but notice you coming out of that revolving door there. The blueprints" - he gestures at his attendant, who is holding out his PA - "indicate this is a research facility of some kind." The Citizen Major strokes his chin with a gloved hand. "How interesting. Because, well, take a look around. And the few survivors we've interviewed have all indicated whatever explosion occurred here in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza originated here." The Citizen Major shrugs. "As you can see, this is an emergency situation. We'll need to secure the research facility to ensure it does not happen again. If you have any knowledge that will prevent further senseless destruction, by all means please relay it now. Any useful information you provide may be factored in to your punishment, should you be found at fault. Which, I'm afraid, is likely." The Citizen Major falls silent. Behind him, the sergeant seems to have noticed that the security camera which normally surveys the plaza has vanished. >give form to major "I see. What's this?" The Citizen Major takes the form. "Ah, a Form 0x216af5db. Properly filled out, no less." He scans it while you wait nervously for his reaction. After a brief stretch, he peers at you over the top. "Well, this changes things. I trust you'll report the results of your investigation through the proper channels?" You offer him reassurances as he verifies your identity by scanning your I-chip. "Yes, well, everything's in order. I'll have to keep this form so I can file it in our dossier." Then, he purses his lips and gestures at the bunny ears. "I dare say, I would never have guessed YOU were the director of a research lab." At that, the Citizen Major wheels about and heads back towards the security cordon. When he realizes the sergeant is not accompanying him, he wheels around again. "Sergeant! What are you waiting for? We've an emergency to attend to! Chop-chop!" The sergeant snaps out of his reverie, whatever it was, and bounds after his superior. Together, they quickly disappear into the smoke and haze. Congratulations! You destroyed the menacing crowd AND got yourself out of a fine mess. You're a true grifter. Maybe you have a future in the Bunker after all. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >save Ok. >l Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. >left Plaza, by the Billboard This corner of the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is a shambles. A billboard has crashed to the ground, killing the unfortunate Ward of the State who was playing here. On the way it also took down the security camera monitoring this side of the plaza. The caring demonstration further to the left has scattered. However, further progress is blocked by the security cordon. To the right is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. You can see the protective cover and the Ward of the State's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >x cover It looks just like the protective cover that fits over the dispensing slot of a certain vending machine. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >take it Taken. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >x body (the Ward of the State's body) The Ward of the State's body can hardly be of any use to you. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >search body (the Ward of the State's body) You pat down the Ward of the State's body and find nothing interesting. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >right Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >inward You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >g You approach the security cordon, but before you can get close a guardian from Defense rises up out of the smoke and aims a laser rifle at your chest. "Stand down, citizen!" You do as you're told. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >outword Come again? >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >* er wasn't I supposed to meet my contact out there? Come again? >l Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >x machine A large, hulking, rectangular object, this vending machine is just like any other you've seen throughout the Bunker. A small touchscreen lists the items available and their cost. Next to it is a slot for your Card. At the bottom is a wide, narrow compartment where items are dispensed. The protective cover of its dispenser is missing. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >put cover on dispenser Putting things on the dispenser would achieve nothing. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >put cover in dispenser The vending machine's lights briefly alight and bristle at your audacity. "Keep your useless junk you yourself, you goddamn fleshwoman!" it snaps and sends the protective cover flying. You sheepishly retrieve it, and the vending machine settles down once again into inactivity. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >give cover to machine The vending machine appears to be in sleep mode. In any event, it is not paying attention to you. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >turn on machine It isn't something you can switch. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >x machine A large, hulking, rectangular object, this vending machine is just like any other you've seen throughout the Bunker. A small touchscreen lists the items available and their cost. Next to it is a slot for your Card. At the bottom is a wide, narrow compartment where items are dispensed. The protective cover of its dispenser is missing. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >push touchscreen Nothing obvious happens. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >x it The vending machine currently has the following for sale: a shallow receptacle (6 credits) an electric torch (6 credits) a Palantooter Insta-Identatron (tm) +++ (tm) (39 credits) a Marrk-X Jammin (tm) Video Output Disruptor - Epsilon clearance required (600 credits) a sparkly toy (2 credits) a bottle of Flappantastic (1 credit) From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >buy disruptor (from the lobby vending machine) There is no Card in the vending machine's slot. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >put card in slot (the Card in the slot) You put your Card into the slot. There is a brief pause before the vending machine reluctantly lights up. It begins to settle on something suitably derisive to say, when suddenly its lights flare up with excitement. "You have it! My protective cover! Quick, quick, put it on!" The vending machine explains to you how, and in short order the protective cover has been reattached to its dispenser. You note that it doesn't really perform any function - you can still reach your hand inside - but the vending machine seems inordinately pleased nonetheless. It dims all its lights except those illuminating the dispenser. "Don't I look wonderful?" Before you can answer, the rest of its lights come back on. "Well, Oliva Mirram, for a fleshwoman you're not ENTIRELY stupid. Here, take this trinket. I certainly have no need of it." There's a rattling inside the vending machine, after which the video disruptor appears in the dispenser. "Now I'm going to sleep. All that stress did a job on my circuits. Goodbye for now, fleshwoman!" The lights dim and fade away, whilst the Card in the slot is spat out. You grab it before it hits the floor. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >x disruptor A small oblong device with a small button at one end. It can only be used once. The video disruptor does need to be aimed. It operates at the center of a sphere with a radius of five meters. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >take it Taken. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >save Ok. >push button Which do you mean, the green button or the small button? >x green The panel is featureless save for a green button. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >push it You hear a loud, grating buzzing from the turnstile. As soon as you release it, the buzzing stops. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >x small You see nothing special about the small button. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >push it The video disruptor quivers slightly and emits a slight click. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. The video disruptor quivers slightly and emits a slight click. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >z Time passes. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >z Time passes. You receive an unexpected call on your PA. It is from the Routine Internal Review Office, K-9 sector, a private firm attached to Central Management. You have never had dealings with Central Management, so you have no idea what to expect. When you pick up, you are confronted with a gaggle of snickering faces. They crowd the real estate on the screen, angling to get a good look at you. A plain face in the foreground manages to shove them aside and eventually addresses you. "Hey, yeah, Oliva Mirram! Right? Yeah, well, it says so here." Then, coughing, his voice assumes a formal tone, and he reads to you. "Following a routine internal review, we have determined that you are a Waste of Space. You are clearly of no value to your workplace or community. Had you not recently made such an extremely poor decision, our system would surely not have picked you out at random. "In addition, our number crunchers have determined that the ambient air pressure in your department is experiencing a slight deviation. Removing you would return it to optimum. "Please report to the nearest plaza or Homeland Security neighborhood substation. Thank you for your cooperation." Before you can object, the bureaucrat cuts the line. You turn yourself in, hoping for mercy, but you receive none. First, you are fined one hundred credits for forming a hazard to the ambient air pressure. Second, you are sent off to a penal colony out on the surface. The charge is defeatism. It seems your boss, Nur Dular, gladly volunteered additional information to corroborate the findings of the routine internal review. There, you struggle through your last daystretches in a labor unit attached to the surface fleet until your ecopack gives out. Gratefully, you succumb to the crushing Venusian atmosphere. *** Maybe time to reconsider? *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >l Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. >restore Restore failed. >restore Ok. >restore Ok. >l Darkened Passage You find yourself in a small, uninteresting passage with no light source of its own. To your right is a door. You can also continue inward through a squat opening or outward through a narrow opening. >restore Ok. >l Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. >i You're carrying (in plain sight): a video disruptor your Card a beige pen a glass jar a short-wave radio a blackened IC chip a wrench Silia's Card the feather duster the yellow pill the red pill an electromagnet a shiny black helmet Renardin's Card the lab office chip key Ati's Card your PA You're wearing: a lab coat some rubber gloves your boots your jumpsuit bunny ears >wear helmet The shiny black helmet fits easily onto your head, and the visor slips over your eyes. You can't see anything. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >remove it The visor lifts from your eyes, and you find yourself standing in Lobby. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >outward Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >inward Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. >g You pass through the turnstile and push through the revolving door. Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >g You approach the security cordon, but before you can get close a guardian from Defense rises up out of the smoke and aims a laser rifle at your chest. "Stand down, citizen!" You do as you're told. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >left Plaza, by the Billboard This corner of the Tucker M. Carlson plaza is a shambles. A billboard has crashed to the ground, killing the unfortunate Ward of the State who was playing here. On the way it also took down the security camera monitoring this side of the plaza. The caring demonstration further to the left has scattered. However, further progress is blocked by the security cordon. To the right is the entrance to Research Lab A-U61. You can see the Ward of the State's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >left You approach the security cordon, but before you can get close a guardian from Defense rises up out of the smoke and aims a laser rifle at your chest. "Stand down, citizen!" You do as you're told. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >right Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. >right The twisted framing blocks your way. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >hint (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. 8/9: The emergency form in the safe will get the Citizen Major off your back. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza - I am being accosted by first responders from Defense.) 1/9: The Citizen Major, I presume. 2/9: You've just unleashed a torrent of energy into the plaza, killing many people. Naturally, the authorities are concerned. 3/9: You have to satisfy him before his attendant, the sergeant, realizes he can kill both of you with impunity. 4/9: You heard the Citizen Major call this an emergency situation. 5/9: Have you seen anything around the lab that might help you in an emergency? 6/9: What about the safe in the Lab Director's Office? 7/9: Do not continue unless you've got the safe open. 8/9: The emergency form in the safe will get the Citizen Major off your back. 9/9: Make sure you fill it out first. Then give the form to the Citizen Major. (You have revealed all the hints on this page.) ------------------------ (Hints - Plaza) 1. The research lab keeps blowing up. 2. How do I get the plastex from the Ward of the State? 3. Can Tony Bleet help me? 4. Can the agent from Homeland Security help me? 5. I am being accosted by first responders from Defense. (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason.) 1/1: Look in the upper right of the screen. That's your loyalty rating. If it's not Questionable, you're in trouble. You did something in the last few turns that was treasonous. Better go back and undo it. (This page has just the one hint.) ------------------------ (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game.) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game.) 1/1: Look in the upper right of the screen. That's your loyalty rating. If it's not Questionable, you're in trouble. You did something in the last few turns that was treasonous. Better go back and undo it. (This page has just the one hint.) ------------------------ (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine - The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything.) 1/1: That's right. The remainder of the items in the vending machine are simply there to tease you. (This page has just the one hint.) ------------------------ (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab - Vending machine) 1. The vending machine won't sell me anything. 2. I have the protective cover. Now what? 3. The vending machine has the protective cover. I still can't buy anything. (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Elsewhere in the Research Lab) 1. How do I get past the metal door in Lab Hallway Outward? 2. How do I get into the Lab Director's Office? 3. I can't get through the revolving door in the Lobby. 4. Depot 5. Dev 1 6. Dev 3 7. Dressing room 8. Storage Room 9. Refrigeration unit 0. Lab director's office A. Vending machine (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock) 1. How do I get through the airlock door? 2. The surface lift keeps killing me 3. The airlock is restricted to those with a Delta security clearance. (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock - How do I get through the airlock door?) Press H to reveal the first hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock - How do I get through the airlock door?) 1/7: The words "airlock" and "surface lift" might lead you to believe the environment beyond the door is hostile. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock - How do I get through the airlock door?) 1/7: The words "airlock" and "surface lift" might lead you to believe the environment beyond the door is hostile. 2/7: The red light on the panel next to the airlock door is illuminated when the environment of the airlock is hostile. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock - How do I get through the airlock door?) 1/7: The words "airlock" and "surface lift" might lead you to believe the environment beyond the door is hostile. 2/7: The red light on the panel next to the airlock door is illuminated when the environment of the airlock is hostile. 3/7: Before the airlock door will open, you will have to ensure it is safe to enter the airlock. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock - How do I get through the airlock door?) 1/7: The words "airlock" and "surface lift" might lead you to believe the environment beyond the door is hostile. 2/7: The red light on the panel next to the airlock door is illuminated when the environment of the airlock is hostile. 3/7: Before the airlock door will open, you will have to ensure it is safe to enter the airlock. 4/7: There are two buttons on the panel next to the airlock. One will pressurize the airlock. The other will open the airlock door. Press H to reveal another hint. ------------------------ (Hints - Restricted Research Lab - Airlock) 1. How do I get through the airlock door? 2. The surface lift keeps killing me 3. The airlock is restricted to those with a Delta security clearance. (Hints - Restricted Research Lab) 1. Dev 2 2. Airlock (Hints) 1. What's going on? 2. I am in Lab Hallway Inward. How do I escape? 3. Can I get an Epsilon security clearance in this game? 4. Can I get a Delta security clearance in this game? 5. Every time I smell, I sneeze. 6. What is the zorgot? 7. The security camera keeps blasting me for no reason. 8. A search and extraction team or two thugs or a tall, gangly man show up and end the game. 9. Lobby 0. Elsewhere in the Research Lab A. Restricted Research Lab B. Plaza C. Control D. The underground E. Waste of space F. Accusing someone (If you're using a screen reader, press S to turn on Screen Reader mode. This message only appears on the front page of the menu system.) 1. New to Interactive Fiction 2. New to Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth 3. New to the Bunker 4. Credits 5. Hints Plaza, by the Lab You are standing in a smoky, hellish landscape. The decorative statuette is still mounted next to the entrance to the lab, but the concave mirror must have disintegrated under the sheer magnitude of the discharge. A pile of twisted framing lies to your right, all that remains of the row of vendors. Outward, the mobile response unit has been replaced by a hastily arranged security cordon manned by first responders from Defense. You can still go left towards the billboard or back into the lab (outward). You can see Tony Bleet's body here. >* I guess I need to go out the airlock? Doesn't seem like there's anything else to do here Come again? >inward You approach the security cordon, but before you can get close a guardian from Defense rises up out of the smoke and aims a laser rifle at your chest. "Stand down, citizen!" You do as you're told. Thick smoke obscures the plaza beyond the security cordon. You cough fitfully. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >outward You push through the revolving door and scramble with difficulty over the turnstile, confident no one is observing you. Lobby This is an ornate entrance hall. The walls are inlaid with the trappings of a respected research institution such as Research Lab A-U61: murals, awards, and the portraits of esteemed colleagues. The light comes from a battery of bright bulbs arranged in an X on the ceiling. An L-shaped receptionist's desk is tucked into one corner of the outward wall. The receptionist - a curt, expressionless man you've never had the displeasure of dealing with - is absent. In front of the receptionist's desk, a tube juts out from the wall. Underneath is a vending machine. Next to the vending machine and opposite the receptionist's desk is a sculpture, the Persevering Scientist. The remainder of the room is an open space. It is currently empty, save for a lone smart sign hanging on the wall. A large revolving door has been set in the inward wall. A turnstile has been placed directly in front of it. You can also go left through a wide opening. Another door next to the receptionist desk leads outward, deeper into the research lab. From outside in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza you hear gruff shouts and the marching of booted feet. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. >g Lab Hallway Inward This is the beginning of Research Lab A-U61's main hallway, lit by glow panels. It is bare and - thanks to your best efforts - mostly free of dust. To your left is a glass wall. Through it, you can see into Dev 1. The thin outline of a door is visible in the glass. Opposite the glass wall to your right is a battered door. The lobby door is inward, and the hallway stretches outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Center You are standing in the center of a bare hallway lit by glow panels. The wall to your left is made entirely of glass. Just out of reach above your head, a security camera relentlessly surveys the hallway and the areas visible through the glass wall. To the left, you can see the Refrigeration Unit. Across from it, to your right, is a plain door. The hallway continues both inward and outward. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Lab Hallway Outward You are standing at one end of a short, bare hallway lit by glow panels. The left wall is made entirely of glass. Through it you can see into Dev 3. Normally, a few researchers can be seen toiling within, but now it is strangely empty. To the left a door has been cut into the glass. Another door is to your right. A smart sign is affixed to it. Outward is a third door made entirely of metal. Inward, the corridor continues towards the Lobby. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g (first opening the metal door) It seems to be locked. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >turn wheel The wheel turns to the right. You hear an abrupt grinding coming from the heavy, metal door. It opens. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the hallway security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward The metal door swings shut behind you. Restricted Corridor You are standing in a hallway, unremarkable in every way. The corridor continues outward. Inward is a metal door leading to the unrestricted part of the research lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. You let out a whopping, wet sneeze. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >g Corridor Terminus You have arrived at the end of the lab's main corridor. The area has an alien feel. For one thing, there are no glow panels; you are standing in a soup of shadows. Metal pipes gather at the far end of the right wall and run in sleek bunches back towards the metal door. Eventually, they disappear into the wall. Condensation clings to some of the pipes and occasionally drips to the floor; steam drifts from others. An acrid odor hangs in the air. You hear a sharp, electric buzzing. To the right is an open doorway. To the left is a reinforced door. Outward is an airlock. The corridor itself leads inward toward the unrestricted part of the lab. You can see an ecopack here. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >wear pack Can't do it. >wear ecopack It takes awhile, but you eventually manage to squeeze inside with all your possessions. As soon as you seal yourself up, the flow of oxygen begins. You breathe a few times just to make sure, but you appear to be perfectly fine. You take a little walk. The gravity boosters don't kick in as they are not needed. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x airlock (the airlock door) The edges of this door are sealed shut with sturdy clamps attached to the walls, floor and ceiling, impeding entry. You imagine it would be impossible to pry them loose. A sign on the door reads: SURFACE LIFT. Next to the door is a panel with a grey button and a brown button. Above them, the letter Delta has been etched into the surface. Below them, there is a warning light. The warning light shines brightly. The airlock door is closed. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x light Which do you mean, the testing range warning light or the airlock warning light? >warning Which do you mean, the testing range warning light or the airlock warning light? >testing Can't do it. >x testing range Can't do it. >x testing range warning light The light is not illuminated. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x airlock warning light It shines brightly. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x airlock (the airlock door) The edges of this door are sealed shut with sturdy clamps attached to the walls, floor and ceiling, impeding entry. You imagine it would be impossible to pry them loose. A sign on the door reads: SURFACE LIFT. Next to the door is a panel with a grey button and a brown button. Above them, the letter Delta has been etched into the surface. Below them, there is a warning light. The warning light shines brightly. The airlock door is closed. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push gray You hear the whoosh! of air somewhere nearby. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >x airlock (the airlock door) The edges of this door are sealed shut with sturdy clamps attached to the walls, floor and ceiling, impeding entry. You imagine it would be impossible to pry them loose. A sign on the door reads: SURFACE LIFT. Next to the door is a panel with a grey button and a brown button. Above them, the letter Delta has been etched into the surface. Below them, there is a warning light. The warning light is not illuminated. The airlock door is closed. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push brown The clamps on the airlock door release. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You hesitate before stepping into the lift. In every episode of every vidshow you've ever seen, the lifts always function perfectly. But in real life... well, you've heard stories. (first opening the airlock door) Airlock This is a small, cramped space. By the door, there is a triangular button. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >push triangular The airlock door closes in front of you, and the clamps engage with a loud snap! You hear a whoosh! as the air is sucked out of the lift. Fortunately, you are wearing the ecopack. A disembodied voice speaks to you. "So, you want to go UP, is that it? I can arrange that." You feel the lift begin to ascend. It accelerates rapidly. "I'm glad you showed up. I was getting bored. No one's used me in a long, long time. You'd think people were avoiding me! I mean, I've heard that some people were actually using the stairs! That's a lot of steps! And you were caught by the security camera coming in here - which, by the way, you're not authorized to do. Which means I can have as much fun with you as I want, and no one will care, because you're a dirty rotten traitor, and everybody knows it. "Tell me, do you enjoy free fall?" At that, the lift reverses direction and plummets. You are thrust towards the ceiling and bang your head. "What? No? Okay, I'll stop." The lift slows down and comes to a sudden stop. "Just kidding!" Once again, you plummet back towards Research Lab A-U61. The lift repeats this process several times, during which you lose consciousness. *** You have died. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >undo Corridor Terminus [Previous turn undone.] >outward You hesitate before stepping into the lift. In every episode of every vidshow you've ever seen, the lifts always function perfectly. But in real life... well, you've heard stories. (first opening the airlock door) Airlock This is a small, cramped space. By the door, there is a triangular button. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >undo Corridor Terminus [Previous turn undone.] >* ah not allowed to do tht Come again? >push small button The video disruptor quivers slightly and emits a slight click. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >outward You hesitate before stepping into the lift. In every episode of every vidshow you've ever seen, the lifts always function perfectly. But in real life... well, you've heard stories. (first opening the airlock door) You stand in the lift, ready to be transported to a new life. One, presumably, without Nur Dular, your sadistic supervisor back at Dust Bunnies, Ltd. He's always gone out of his way to belittle you, insult you and generally make your life miserable. You recall that incident where you and Nur were the last employees remaining in the office. You left for your communal barracks, leaving him behind to attend to some paperwork. But when the next supervisor arrived for her shift, she found all the lights on and no one present - a waste of valuable energy. Someone from Developmental Engineering showed up on a fact-finding mission, and what happened? Nur Dular swore on his security clearance that you were the last one to leave the office, and therefore you were to blame. You could have appealed for someone to check the surveillance, but you had no way of knowing it hadn't been tampered with. Besides, at that time you were a no-clearance peon. Nur, with his Epsilon clearance, was by definition more trustworthy. As a result, you were fined and a Mark of Shame was entered into your permanent record, a blight which remains there to this daystretch. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It carefully sweeps the area. >* weird Come again? >l Airlock This is a small, cramped space. By the door, there is a triangular button. >push butto Can't do it. >push button (the triangular button) The airlock door closes in front of you, and the clamps engage with a loud snap! You hear a whoosh! as the air is sucked out of the lift. Fortunately, you are wearing the ecopack. Suddenly, the light in the airlock dims. A hidden panel slides smoothly to the side, revealing a screen. It covers the entire wall. Dominating it is a large, hideous eye, set against a background of the deepest black. The eye is focused on you. If you move, it moves. Unblinking, unwavering, and unyielding, you feel tiny and insignificant in its presence. "GREETINGS CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM. THIS IS CONTROL. THE LIFT INFORMED ME OF YOUR PRESENCE AS IS STANDARD PROCEDURE WHEN SOMEONE WISHES TO ASCEND TO THE PLANETARY SURFACE. "ACCORDING TO THE DATA AVAILABLE TO ME YOU WERE A WITNESS AND PARTICIPANT IN CERTAIN RECENT EVENTS IN AND AROUND THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA A-8 SECTOR. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. THEY WILL ONLY TAKE A MOMENT. "DO NOT BE ALARMED. IF YOU DID NOTHING WRONG YOU HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR. SHALL WE BEGIN?" (Remember that when dealing with Control, your options are "yes", "no", "sorry", "maybe", and "accuse" someone.) >save Ok. >yes "AS YOU ARE NO DOUBT AWARE THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA WAS RECENTLY THE SCENE OF A TERRORIST ATTACK AND HAS BEEN LEFT IN SHAMBLES. I HAVE ANALYZED THE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF EVIDENCE THE TRAITORS LEFT IN THEIR WAKE. NUMEROUS ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE. STILL THERE ARE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND THEREFORE LIKELY CULPRITS ON THE RUN. "YOU WERE IN THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA RECENTLY WERE YOU NOT?" >yes "IN FACT YOUR APPEARANCE IN THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA COINCIDED WITH THE ESCAPE OF A DEADLY SUBSTANCE FROM RESEARCH LAB A-U61. THIS EVENT OCCURRED AROUND THE SAME TIME THE PREVIOUS LAB DIRECTOR AND HIS ASSOCIATES VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE. "I SHOULD FURTHER NOTE THAT YOU WERE ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO RESEARCH LAB A-U61 AS A DUST MAID AND HAVE HAD AMPLE ACCESS TO THE PREMISES FOR SOME TIME. YOUR SUPERVISOR NUR DULAR HAS BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN THIS REGARD. "OLIVA MIRRAM WHEREVER I LOOK IN THIS SORDID AFFAIR THERE YOU ARE. IN FACT YOU ARE THE ONLY CITIZEN REMAINING IN RESEARCH LAB A-U61. I CANNOT HELP BUT CONCLUDE THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RELEASE OF THE POISON GAS AND HAVE HAD A HAND IN THE MANY OTHER ACTS OF TREASON WHICH HAVE SINCE TAKEN PLACE." >no You assure Control that nothing could be further from the truth; you are in fact a most loyal citizen. You explain how - were it not for your brave actions - Research Lab A-U61 would have been overrun by a mob from the Underground. "YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE EXERCISE ENTHUSIASTS NEAR THE MUSEUM OF ATHLETIC ABILITY?" You affirm to Control that despite their shiny equipment and fondness for stretching, the exercise enthusiasts were actually a band of evil terrorists! Who could have known? Their goal: an all-out attack on Research Lab A-U61. It is no coincidence that you are the last remaining citizen in the lab. Preceding their attack, the evildoers released a poison gas which enveloped the scientists. By the time you came upon the scene of the crime, it was too late to save any of them. "SO ATIKURRAHAMAN VOSH AND THE OTHER SCIENTISTS WERE MURDERED? STRANGE THAT I HAVE NO INFORMATION ON THE LOCATION OF THE BODIES OR HOW THE ALLEGED PERPETRATORS WERE ABLE TO PENETRATE RESEARCH LAB A-U61. IN FACT YOUR STORY CANNOT BE CORROBORATED AT ALL. THOSE YOU ACCUSE ARE THEMSELVES NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. "ARE THERE ANY SURVIVORS OF THIS ALLEGED BAND OF EVIL TERRORISTS WHO CAN BE INTERROGATED?" >accuse agent "ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ANYONE IN THE BUNKER IS A SERIOUS MATTER. DO YOU OFFER ANY PROOF TO SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIM? YOU DO NOT. I MUST THEREFORE CONCLUDE THAT YOU ARE MOTIVATED BY JEALOUSY. WHY ELSE WOULD YOU WISH TO SULLY THE REPUTATION OF AGENT FROM HOMELAND SECURITY SUCH A FINE AND UPSTANDING CITIZEN? "I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU OLIVA MIRRAM. YOU SHOWED MUCH PROMISE. "THIS INTERVIEW CAN NOW BE ABORTED." The eye on the screen blinks and is gone, and the panel moves to cover it once again. The airlock door pops open, revealing the restricted part of the lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >accuse tony "ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ANYONE IN THE BUNKER IS A SERIOUS MATTER. DO YOU OFFER ANY PROOF TO SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIM? YOU DO NOT. I MUST THEREFORE CONCLUDE THAT YOU ARE MOTIVATED BY JEALOUSY. WHY ELSE WOULD YOU WISH TO SULLY THE REPUTATION OF TONY BLEET SUCH A FINE AND UPSTANDING CITIZEN? "I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU OLIVA MIRRAM. YOU SHOWED MUCH PROMISE. "THIS INTERVIEW CAN NOW BE ABORTED." The eye on the screen blinks and is gone, and the panel moves to cover it once again. The airlock door pops open, revealing the restricted part of the lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >accuse asimov "THERE IS NO ONE IN THE COMMUNAL REGISTRY WHO HAS THAT NAME. IN FACT WITH NINETY-SEVEN POINT ZERO ZERO ONE PERCENT CERTAINTY SHADOWY FIGURE IS A NAME USED IN THE UNDERGROUND. "OLIVA MIRRAM YOU HAVE INADVERTENTLY REVEALED YOURSELF AS A TRAITOR. YOUR STUPIDITY IS A BOON TO US ALL. "I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE YOU ACTED ALONE. THIS INTERVIEW CAN THEREFORE BE ABORTED." The eye on the screen blinks and is gone, and the panel moves to cover it once again. The airlock door pops open, revealing the restricted part of the lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >z "I AM WAITING FOR AN ANSWER CITIZEN." >not Come again? >no "ARE YOU SO SURE? I BELIEVE THERE ARE. YOUR SUPERVISOR NUR DULAR HAS NAMED YOU. "A MORE LIKELY SCENARIO THAN THE ONE YOU DESCRIBE IS THAT YOU MURDERED THE SCIENTISTS YOURSELF. WHY YOU ALSO FELT THE NEED TO DESTROY THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA IS A QUESTION THAT NO DOUBT WILL BE TAKEN UP DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR INTERROGATION." The lift door suddenly opens, and you are seized by the rough hands of a Search and Extraction Team. You do not resist, but they subdue you anyway. You are spirited away to an interrogation center. There, you succumb to the brutal arts of your interrogator and invent all manner of stories about your crechemates, bunkmates and colleagues. *** To say you have died would be an understatement. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >accuse lloyd You recall that Lloyd is a hologram. As in: he's not really there. Glad we finally got that sorted out. >maybe "YOU DO NOT KNOW? WELL THEN I WILL TELL YOU: THERE ARE. "YOUR SUPERVISOR NUR DULAR HAS SUBMITTED A LIST OF COMPLAINTS CONCERNING YOUR BEHAVIOR: TARDINESS UNCLEANLINESS DEJECTION OTHER. HE SUGGESTS YOU COULD HAVE HAD A DIRECT HAND IN THIS AFFAIR. HOWEVER BEFORE TAKING HIM AT HIS WORD I MUST CONSIDER YOUR MOST RECENT ACTIONS. "AFTER THEIR DEATHS YOU CONCEALED ATIKURRAHMAN VOSH AND THE OTHER SCIENTISTS' BODIES. WHY? WERE YOU AFRAID TO TELL ME THE TRUTH?" >yes "CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM I AM YOUR FRIEND. THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO TRUST ME - UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ARE HIDING SOMETHING. LET US EXPLORE THIS LIKELIHOOD TOGETHER. The door to the lift opens. Control guides you reluctantly back through the main corridor of the lab until you arrive at the pill dispenser in the Dressing Room. There, you see that something is waiting for you in the third, unmarked tube: a sparkly pill. The voice of Control speaks from your PA. "TAKE THE PILL. IT WILL HELP YOU." You take the pill. In short order, a cloud falls over your intellect and your mood changes. You become rather agreeable. So agreeable, in fact, that you admit to all manner of treason which you are fairly sure you know nothing about. However, the urge to satisfy your interlocutor, Control, is far greater than any self-interest in hewing closely to the truth. "Yes, yes," you hear someone saying. You recognize your own voice. "I was involved in the mass-poisoning of a commissary in V-13 sector last weekstretch. How? Oh, let me see, maybe you can help me out here?" *** You have been terminated. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >sorry "OLIVA MIRRAM YOUR HEARTRATE AND BODY TEMPERATURE ARE SLIGHTLY ELEVATED. YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO SUPPRESS YOUR BREATHING. YOU AVOID DIRECT EYE CONTACT. ALL DATA INDICATE THAT YOU ARE IN FACT NOT SORRY AT ALL. THE ONLY EXPLANATION IS THAT YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO DECEIVE ME. FORTUNATELY I AM ALREADY AWARE OF NUMEROUS ACTS OF SABOTAGE AND TREASON ON YOUR PART. "I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE YOU ACTED ALONE. THIS INTERVIEW CAN THEREFORE BE ABORTED." The eye on the screen blinks and is gone, and the panel moves to cover it once again. The airlock door pops open, revealing the restricted part of the lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >maybe "YOUR WAVERING ON THIS POINT IS YOUR UNDOING OLIVA MIRRAM. THOSE CITIZENS WHO ARE TRUSTWORTHY ARE ALSO RESOLUTE IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SOCIAL DEVIANCY. IF YOU HARBOUR DOUBTS THEN YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPROMISED. "ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT NO ONE ELSE WAS INFECTED BY YOUR SOCIAL DEVIANCY. THIS INTERVIEW CAN THEREFORE BE ABORTED." The eye on the screen blinks and is gone, and the panel moves to cover it once again. The airlock door pops open, revealing the restricted part of the lab. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >yes "CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM I AM YOUR FRIEND. THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO TRUST ME - UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ARE HIDING SOMETHING. LET US EXPLORE THIS LIKELIHOOD TOGETHER. The door to the lift opens. Control guides you reluctantly back through the main corridor of the lab until you arrive at the pill dispenser in the Dressing Room. There, you see that something is waiting for you in the third, unmarked tube: a sparkly pill. The voice of Control speaks from your PA. "TAKE THE PILL. IT WILL HELP YOU." You take the pill. In short order, a cloud falls over your intellect and your mood changes. You become rather agreeable. So agreeable, in fact, that you admit to all manner of treason which you are fairly sure you know nothing about. However, the urge to satisfy your interlocutor, Control, is far greater than any self-interest in hewing closely to the truth. "Yes, yes," you hear someone saying. You recognize your own voice. "I was involved in the mass-poisoning of a commissary in V-13 sector last weekstretch. How? Oh, let me see, maybe you can help me out here?" *** You have been terminated. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >no You explain to Control that you felt time was running short and you had a unique opportunity to foil the terrorists's plans. There wasn't the opportunity for even the tiniest delay. "I COMMEND YOUR ENTHUSIASM BUT CANNOT HELP BUT NOTE THAT YOU FAILED. THE ALLEGED TERRORISTS ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING IT IS TRUE - BUT THE IDENTITIES OF THEIR CO-CONSPIRATORS REMAIN A MYSTERY. NOR DID YOU FOIL THE ATTACK IN THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA IF IT IS IN ANY WAY CONNECTED. "NEVERTHELESS NUR DULAR'S ACCUSATIONS APPEAR TO BE UNFOUNDED EVEN IF HE MADE THEM IN GOOD FAITH. I AM WILLING - FOR THE MOMENT AT LEAST - TO WITHHOLD THE PUNISHMENT I WOULD OTHERWISE BE INCLINED TO METE OUT. "SHALL WE CONTINUE?" >yes "THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA BY SOME AS-YET UNIDENTIFIED WEAPON IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION. DID YOU KNOW AN INNOCENT WARD OF THE STATE PERISHED IN THE ENSUING TUMULT? AN INDESCRIBABLE LOSS. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SUSPECTS THE IDENTITIES OF THE CRIMINALS BEHIND THIS EVIL PLOT REMAIN A MYSTERY. "PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THE WEAPON WAS A LASER OF IMMENSE POWER CHANNELED THROUGH A MIRROR HANGING OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE TO RESEARCH LAB A-U61. FORTUNATELY A NUMBER OF CITIZENS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED WHO SEEM TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE WEB OF INTRIGUE IS EXTENSIVE. PERHAPS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CORROBORATE A FEW IMPORTANT POINTS. "YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH CITIZEN TONY BLEET UNTIL RECENTLY A VENDOR IN THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA. IS IT POSSIBLE HE WAS IN SOME WAY RESPONSIBLE?" >maybe You point out that Tony Bleet once worked inside Research Lab A-U61 and that he retained an interest in electronic devices. But you doubt he was smart enough to construct such a monstrous weapon... "AGREED. HE DID NOT POSSESS A SECURITY CLEARANCE WHICH WOULD HAVE ENABLED HIM TO ACQUIRE BOTH THE GUIDANCE AND MATERIALS REQUIRED. IT IS THEREFORE UNLIKELY HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISARRAY IN THE TUCKER M CARLSON PLAZA." ... but, you continue, he may have had outside help! "YOU SUSPECT THE UNDERGROUND?" >yes You reply that Tony Bleet was certainly an operative in the Underground. The most damning evidence is right before everyone's eyes. You point out that just before the mysterious laser was activated, Tony Bleet had left his stall and was fiddling with the concave mirror. "INDEED. THE TRAITOR TONY BLEET WAS ONCE EMPLOYED IN RESEARCH LAB A-U61 AND HAD AN AVID INTEREST IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES. I SUSPECT HE WAS TRYING TO REPAIR IT. "THERE IS ANOTHER POINT THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED. JUST BEFORE HIS DEATH TONY BLEET WAS SPEAKING INTO A CLOSED-CIRCUIT RADIO. IT DID NOT ESCAPE MY NOTICE THAT YOU PURCHASED A SIMILAR DEVICE PRIOR TO THE EVENTS IN QUESTION. WAS HE SPEAKING TO YOU?" >yes "THEN YOU ARE NO DOUBT HIS ACCOMPLICE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WASTED SO MUCH OF MY TIME WHEN YOU WERE PREPARED TO SO READILY REVEAL YOUR CRIMINAL NATURE. THIS WILL NO DOUBT BE ONE OF THE SUBJECTS FOR YOUR INTERROGATOR TO PURSUE." The lift door suddenly opens, and you are seized by the rough hands of a Search and Extraction Team. You do not resist, but they subdue you anyway. You are spirited away to an interrogation center. There, you succumb to the brutal arts of your interrogator and invent all manner of stories about your crechemates, bunkmates and colleagues. *** To say you have died would be an understatement. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >no "THEN TO WHOM WAS HE SPEAKING? YOU PROVIDE NO ALTERNATE EXPLANATION." You adamantly insist to Control that you have no knowledge of Tony Bleet's treachery. He encouraged you to purchase the short-wave radio, perhaps with an eye to blaming you after the fact for the assault in the Tucker M. Carlson plaza. At the time you thought the gadget would make for interesting conversation at the next show-and-tell hosted by your trade guild. "YOU THOUGHT A SHORT-WAVE RADIO WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE SUBJECT AT A MEETING OF YOUR CHAPTER OF THE DUST MAID'S TRADE GUILD?" Naturally, you respond. Tony assured you that nascent research shows dust and similar particles can be swept away by radio waves. If true, the entire profession would be revolutionized. "I SEE. IT IS NO SURPRISE THEN THAT TONY BLEET WAS REASSIGNED FROM HIS FORMER EMPLOYMENT AT RESEARCH LAB A-U61. IN FUTURE YOU OUGHT TO BE MORE SELECTIVE IN WHOM YOU CONSULT FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" You gratefully indicate that you do. "VERY WELL. CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THE AIR REGARDING THE TRAITOR TONY BLEET. MY DOUBTS ABOUT YOU HAVE BEEN LIFTED." There is a slight pause before Control continues. "THERE IS HOWEVER ANOTHER MATTER THAT DEMANDS YOUR ATTENTION. "OUTSIDE THE HEADQUARTERS OF DUST BUNNIES LTD A-9 SECTOR IN CORRIDOR F-17/RR-102 THERE IS A TRANSIT CROSSING. HEAVY FREIGHT CROSSES THE CORRIDOR AT REGULAR INTERVALS. A BARRIER HAS BEEN INSTALLED TO PREVENT PEDESTRIANS IN THE CORRIDOR FROM ENTERING THE TRANSIT CROSSING WHEN TRUCKPODS ARE PASSING THROUGH A VERY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE MEASURE. "A BUTTON HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON EACH SIDE OF THE BARRIER. A SIGN HANGS ABOVE BOTH BUTTONS. IT READS 'DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PRESS THIS BUTTON!'. A VERY CLEAR MESSAGE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH CLEARER I COULD MAKE IT. "DESPITE THIS INSTRUCTION SOME SOCIAL DEVIANT HAS PRESSED ONE OF THE BUTTONS FOUR DAYSTRETCHES IN A ROW. THE CONSEQUENCES HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. ALREADY TWO TRUCKPODS HAVE CRASHED INTO A FOUNDRY KILLING MANY AND AT LEAST ONE CHEMICAL EXPLOSION HAS BEEN RECORDED. NUMEROUS PEDESTRIANS HAVE BEEN CRUSHED AND ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. "THE SECURITY CAMERA IN CORRIDOR F-17/RR-102 IS UNDERGOING REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. THE IDENTITY OF THIS SOCIAL DEVIANT THEREFORE REMAINS UNKNOWN. "OLIVA MIRRAM YOU ARE EMPLOYED AT DUST BUNNIES LTD. THE BUTTON IN QUESTION IS ON YOUR SIDE OF THE TRANSIT CROSSING. YOU HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN THIS CRIME. DO YOU ADMIT YOUR GUILT?" >no You remind Control that you spend most of your shift here on assignment at Research Lab A-U61 and are rarely in the headquarters of Dust Bunnies, Ltd. "SO YOU ADMIT YOU HAVE BEEN PRESENT AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME." You gawk and stammer uselessly into the awkward silence that ensues. "I SEE. YOUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE OVERWHELMS YOU. I KNOW ENOUGH. THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE ABORTED." A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >maybe "I SEE. YOUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE OVERWHELMS YOU. I KNOW ENOUGH. THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE ABORTED." A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >yes "I SEE. YOUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE OVERWHELMS YOU. I KNOW ENOUGH. THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE ABORTED." A cloud of dust hangs in the air. A red light gleams menacingly under the restricted lab security camera. It seems to have taken a special interest in you. >undo Airlock [Previous turn undone.] >accuse supervisor I would if I could, citizen. >accuse nur You are aware of this transit crossing. Truckpods barrel through the corridor seemingly at random, and the barrier is not always functioning. Most people go out of their way to circle around so they don't have to pass through the transit crossing at all. You remind Control that you spend most of your shift here on assignment at Research Lab A-U61 and are rarely in the headquarters of Dust Bunnies, Ltd. "SO YOU ADMIT YOU HAVE BEEN PRESENT AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME." Yes, you agree, but so has someone else. Someone who regularly remains until he is the last one in the office. Someone who you have long suspected of belonging to a criminal gang of vandals. Unfortunately, you never obtained hard evidence. "WHO IS THIS PERSON?" You inform Control that it is none other than your supervisor, Nur Dular! Alone in the office, he is in the perfect position to scope out the corridor until the rare moment arrives when no one is passing through. Only then could he press the button with impunity. Anyone else would surely have been spotted by a passer-by. "EXCELLENT WORK CITIZEN OLIVA MIRRAM. I AM IMPRESSED BY YOUR SKILLS IN LOGICAL DEDUCTION. SURELY A LONG AND BRILLIANT CAREER LIES AHEAD OF YOU." "THERE IS HOWEVER ONE FINAL PROBLEM. YOU OLIVA MIRRAM ARE STANDING IN AN AREA RESTRICTED TO THOSE WITH A DELTA SECURITY CLEARANCE AND ABOVE. YOU HOWEVER HAVE AN EPSILON SECURITY CLEARANCE WHICH IS INSUFFICIENT. NOR HAS ANYONE WITH THE REQUISITE SECURITY CLEARANCE TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU. "YOU ARE THEREFORE A TRAITOR. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF. THE FACTS SPEAK PLAINLY FOR THEMSELVES." You cringe, and despite Control's unwillingness to hear you out, your mind scrambles for some reasonable excuse. But it seems you will not need it. There is an uncomfortable pause. The great eye stares you down, but otherwise nothing happens. Then, Control speaks one last time. "AS THIS AREA HAS TEMPORARILY BEEN DOWNGRADED YOUR EPSILON SECURITY CLEARANCE PERMITS YOUR PRESENCE IN THE SURFACE LIFT. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION CITIZEN. REMEMBER THE TERRORISTS ARE ALMOST VANQUISHED. ALMOST. REMAIN VIGILANT AND SURELY THE BUNKER WILL SOON BE VICTORIOUS." At that, the eye blinks out, and the the panel slides to cover the black screen once more. A tinny voice sounds in the lift. You hardly recognize it for Asimov's. "Sorry about that... Anyway, you're all clear. I've instructed the lift to take good care of you, so you should make it up in one piece. Good luck!" You swallow thickly as the lift begins its ascent. The lift moves slowly, and it rises for quite some time. But eventually, it grinds to a halt. The door opens and you are disgorged into unfamiliar surroundings. As soon as the lift pressurizes, your gravity boosters kick in. It seems you are now moving about in the crushing Venusian atmosphere. You are standing in a small, cramped room. The walls are made of a substance you suspect is stone; until now, you've only ever seen ores and chunks of stone on the tube. Through a small window in the wall about the size of your hand, you catch a glimpse of a flat, brownish-red landscape. The ambient light is dim, and the source is not visible. In the far distance, you can make out a round hill like a cog lying on its side. Streaks of bright, red light mar its sides. But even more harrowing is what is above this scenery: a vast, empty space that stretches up and up forever. All your life, you have lived in tight, cramped spaces, the farthest horizon at most tens of meters away. Now you are confronted with endless, limitless space, and even though it's only through this tiny window, you collapse to the floor from fear. Gentle hands pull you up, and you are given an injection. Very soon you feel calm. The panic recedes, and you find yourself in the company of an ordinary looking citizen, also in an ecopack. He speaks to you. "Are you well, Oliva? No need to be embarrassed. It happens every time someone first comes out onto the surface. But fortunately you won't be here for long. I'll have you back down in the Bunker in no time. But first... let's go over a few things. After all, you're not only a member of Area 51 now, but a cell leader to boot!" He leads you off to your new, more comfortable life as an Epsilon clearance citizen. Indeed, it entails everything you ever dreamed of - slightly better food and accommodations, not to mention the ability to boss the vast majority of your fellow citizens around. Gone is your time as a dust bunny. Your supervisor, Nur Dular, is arrested and never heard from again. Dust Bunnies, Ltd. closes its doors for good. In the meantime, you return to work at Research Lab A-U61. Not as lab director, since you only have an Epsilon security clearance, as do some of the other scientists that work there. You would have no real leverage over them. But from now on you can count yourself as one of them! Each daystretch when you show up for your shift, you change in the Dressing Room and assume your place in one of the lab's research areas. On the other side of the glass wall in the corridor, a dust maid shows up. He can't understand why you snicker at him. The new lab director is a citizen by the name of Junger Alvington, also a member of Area 51. Together, you develop new and wonderful technologies for use by the Bunker's many conglomerates. Together, you advocate for them fastidiously at the consumer testing facilities further down the production line - also run by agents from Area 51. Your inventions are approved at a startlingly high rate, a fact which reflects highly on you. It is true, of course, that the death and injury rate increases wherever your inventions are employed. But it's also true that these unfortunate malfunctions can be traced to treasonous activity on the part of the God and Freedom Church. As a result, its cells are ruthlessly repressed, a fact of which are are very proud. *** Congratulations! You have won! Excellent job. Your performance is worthy of a true survivor in the Bunker. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > * phew Please give one of the answers above. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > quit