Earth and Sky
by Paul O'Brian (2001)
Genres: Superhero

It's been almost a month since your parents disappeared. One Tuesday, they just didn't come home, and there's been no sign of them since. For the University and the rest of the town, the mystery is beginning to pall. To those people, it's as if Claire and Scott Colborn suddenly stopped existing -- strange and inexplicable, to be sure, but forgettable in the long run. But for you it's as if the ground beneath your feet stopped existing, and you've been plummeting in freefall ever since. Your brother Austin, though, has been a rock through the whole experience, handling the numbing details, the endless meetings with useless detectives, even sorting through Mom and Dad's lab in hopes of finding an answer. Now you stand outside the lab door, clutching his note, hardly daring to hope that such an answer may have arrived at long last.

action: %
response: It's been almost a month since your parents disappeared.

One Tuesday, they just didn't come home, and there's been no sign of them since. For the University and the rest of the town, the mystery is beginning to pall. To those people, it's as if Claire and Scott Colborn suddenly stopped existing -- strange and inexplicable, to be sure, but forgettable in the long run.

But for you it's as if the ground beneath your feet stopped existing, and you've been plummeting in freefall ever since. Your brother Austin, though, has been a rock through the whole experience, handling the numbing details, the endless meetings with useless detectives, even sorting through Mom and Dad's lab in hopes of finding an answer. Now you stand outside the lab door, clutching his note, hardly daring to hope that such an answer may have arrived at long last.

You stand in one of the many beige, featureless corridors of the Physics building. The hall continues west, and reaches its eastern terminus here, at the door to Mom and Dad's lab.

The lab door is closed.

A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
action: You look at what you're carrying with you
response: You are carrying:
a note
an access card
a sweatshirt (being worn)
a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
your sneakers (being worn)
action: About yourself
response: You haven't been looking your best lately, but you find it hard to care. Austin won't mind your casual clothes, though -- he understands that fashion isn't exactly topping your priorities right now.
action: You read the note
response: This note was waiting for you when you got home today. It reads:

Meet me at the lab as soon as you can. I've found some things that we need to talk about immediately.
action: You examine the card
response: This card, which doubles as your student ID, displays your name and photo, along with a barcode and a 16-digit ID number; all this information is superimposed on an aerial shot of the campus and the pretty California surf. There's a magnetic stripe on the back.
action: Look around
response: You stand in one of the many beige, featureless corridors of the Physics building. The hall continues west, and reaches its eastern terminus here, at the door to Mom and Dad's lab.

The lab door is closed.

A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
action: You unlock the door with the card
response: [swiping your access card in the reader]
The green light glows, and there is a click from inside the lab door.
action: You open the door
response: You open the lab door.
action: You go east
response: You take a deep breath, and step across the threshold into the lab.
action: You remove the pants
response: [Please press a key to continue.]

Part 1: Suit Yourself
Lab
Ever since Dad got shortlisted for the Nobel in physics and Mom's patents started making millions, the University has pretty much given them carte blanche. Consequently, this lab space is cavernous, tens of thousands of square feet, with ceilings reaching nearly five stories high. Some parts of this giant room are occupied by giant equipment, dizzyingly complex hunks of machinery at whose function you couldn't even begin to guess. Other parts are empty, save for a few tables and terminals. A ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

You look around for Austin, but he's not here. Typical. Well, knowing your perpetually late brother, he'll be along soon enough.

Amidst the general chaos of the lab, a legal pad seems to have fallen from one of the tables.

The hallway door is open.

The storage room door is open.
I beg your pardon?
action: You get the pad
response: Taken.

The lab door clicks and swings shut.
action: Examine pad
response: The first page contains a few notes scribbled in your father's familiar cryptic handwriting:

ES: Str -- OK
Imp res -- OK
E res -- ??? -- probs

SS: Flt -- OK
Fog -- OK
E -- OK

Per N, bac strange. Hi-spd? Panspermia?
Also: c T re: sightings. Could b big. Portal poss. at mtn site?

The rest of the pages are blank.
action: You examine the machinery
response: If you had a couple of days, unlimited curiosity, and several years worth of calculus and physics classes, Austin could probably explain some of this equipment to you. As it is, you prefer to be awed by its mysterious grandeur rather than the impressive feats it can no doubt perform. Luckily, Mom and Dad never pushed the science with either of you, so even though Austin ended up their prot?g? and you became a contented English major, he never got special treatment from them.
action: You go south
response: If Mom had her way, the storage room would be a neatly organized gallery of supplies, spare parts, and backup media, all efficiently arranged on the room's many metal shelving units. However, with Dad using the lab, that's not likely to happen. Oh sure, everything is on the shelves, but finding something could take the better part of a day. A door leads back north to the lab.

The storage room door is open.

A wooden chair sits in the middle of the storage room, with some bright blue fabric draped across it.
action: You examine the fabric
response: This appears to be a form-fitting bodysuit of some kind, tailored to fit a female body. It is bright blue, with cloud-patterned streaks of white. A combination cowl and mask is attached at the neck of the suit.
action: About yourself
response: You haven't been looking your best lately, but you find it hard to care. Austin won't mind your casual clothes, though -- he understands that fashion isn't exactly topping your priorities right now.
action: You examine the chair
response: An ordinary wooden chair.
action: You get the suit
response: Taken.
action: You go to the north
response: You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is closed.

The storage room door is open.
action: Go west
response: [first opening the hallway door]

You stand in one of the many beige, featureless corridors of the Physics building. The hall continues west, and reaches its eastern terminus here, at the door to Mom and Dad's lab.

The lab door is open, revealing the enormous room beyond.

A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.

You hear footsteps in the deserted hallway, and turn to see Austin walking towards you. "Hi, Em," he says when he reaches you. "I see you found my note. Thanks for coming -- sorry I'm a little late. I'm going to head into the lab, so join me there whenever you're ready." True to his word, he enters the lab, closing the door behind him.

You find yourself doing a double-take as the door shuts. Was Austin wearing a mask?
action: You go east
response: [first opening the lab door]
It seems to be locked.
action: You unlock door
response: That's what the card reader is for.
action: You put the card in the reader
response: The green light glows, and there is a click from inside the lab door.
action: Go east
response: [first opening the lab door]

You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is open.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see Austin here.

Your brother has always been a bit of a fashion victim, but what he's wearing right now hits a new level on the sartorial freak-o-meter. It's a skintight grey body stocking, flecked with black and decorated with small orange or yellow streaks here and there. The whole thing snugly covers his modest frame, and a combination cowl and mask comes up from the back to conceal his hair and eyes.

"Hey," says Austin. "Thanks again for coming. Listen Emily, you're not going to believe what I've been uncovering here. But before I tell you anything more, go into the storage room and put on that suit you're holding. I'll be waiting for you here."

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay."
2) "I'm supposed to take fashion advice from somebody dressed like that?"
3) "Hey, what's with the orders? You're not the boss of me!"
4) "Austin, stop being so high-handed and just tell me what's going on."
action: 2
response: Austin laughs. "Okay, okay," he says, "I know this must look a little bizarre, considering you don't really know the context. But please, just trust me. It won't make sense until you're wearing yours too."
action: You look at Austin
response: Austin was never one to conform to the whims of fashion, but right now he's dressed much more strangely than you've ever seen him. He's wearing a grey jumpsuit, speckled with black and shot through with streaks of yellow and orange. The outfit seems to include a cowl and mask, which covers Austin's brown eyes.
action: You go south
response: If Mom had her way, the storage room would be a neatly organized gallery of supplies, spare parts, and backup media, all efficiently arranged on the room's many metal shelving units. However, with Dad using the lab, that's not likely to happen. Oh sure, everything is on the shelves, but finding something could take the better part of a day. A door leads back north to the lab.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see a chair here.
action: You wear suit
response: [first removing the sweatshirt]
You're not about to undress with the door open, even if the guy in the next room is only your brother.
action: You close the door
response: You close the storage room door.
action: You wear the suit
response: [first removing the sweatshirt]

[first removing the sweat pants]

[first removing the sneakers]

You slip into the blue bodysuit. It's not a perfect fit, but it's better than you'd expected, skintight in some areas and only slightly looser in others. The feel is warm and comfortable, and the suit covers almost your entire body, even your hands and feet. When you pull the cowl and mask on, you feel a strange tingling sensation in your scalp.
action: Go north
response: [first opening the storage room door]

You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is closed.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see Austin here.

"Oh good, you're wearing it," Austin says.

He shows you a notebook he's been carrying. "I found this notebook, along with these stylish outfits, late last night. I was checking out all the ongoing experiments in hopes of... well, I don't know what I was hoping for. All I know is that nobody seems to know what happened to Mom and Dad, and nobody can even think of any reason why they would have disappeared. So I've been combing through the lab, trying to reconstruct what they were working on at the time it happened."

He leans back against a towering piece of steel machinery, allowing himself to slide down it and sit on the floor. "They were working on a lot, Em, let me tell you -- most of it so far beyond my own scientific experience that it took me a long time to even grasp the point of each experiment. Dad's cryptic notation style didn't help much either. So last night, when I started checking out a piece of equipment that didn't seem to have any purpose at all, I figured it was just my own ignorance again, that I didn't know what the thing was. Then I stumbled on a tiny little latch, and the whole thing swung open. Em, it was hollow inside. And stuffed into that cavity were these suits, with this notebook."

He opens the notebook and begins to read aloud:

Earthsuit: provides
* greatly enhanced strength
* resistance to electric shock
* invulnerability to impact (nearly)

Must be Mom's notes, you think to yourself. Dad would've written something like "inv 2 imp (~)". Austin flips a few pages, then reads again.

Skysuit: provides
* flight
* electrical discharges (blasts)
* fog

"The rest of the pages are filled with notes and diagrams that are way beyond my grasp. But near as I can figure, these are the suits those notes talk about. I'm wearing the earthsuit, and you're wearing the skysuit."

Please select a reply:

1) "I don't understand. What's this all about?"
2) "Did they also make a monkeysuit? Maybe with 'greatly enhanced banana-eating ability'?"
3) "I had to wear this goofy suit just to hear you recite from a notebook?"
4) "But this is just so bizarre. You think Mom and Dad were planning to make us into some kind of superheroes?"
action: 4
response: "Maybe not us," he says. "Your build is very similar to Mom's, and I'm not all that much bigger than Dad. Maybe they were planning to wear the suits themselves. I don't know. All I know is that mine definitely works, or at least the strength part does. Watch."

Austin turns around to face the device he had been using as a backrest. It's some sort of steel tower, probably fifteen feet tall and two feet in diameter. He squats in front of it, embraces it, and smoothly unbends his knees, lifting the entire thing as if it were made of balsa wood.

"This thing must weigh almost a ton," he says through gritted teeth, "but I can lift it like it was a piece of furniture. It's a little awkward to keep balanced, but I can do it." As if to prove the point, he bends his knees again until the tower is in its original resting place, then turns to face you.

"Remember that tingling you felt when you put own the cowl? The suits respond to mental commands. I bet if you decided you wanted to fly up to the ceiling right now, you could. Why don't you try it?"
action: You fly
response: The moment you think it, the ground silently drops away beneath you, so fast and so smoothly that it almost feels as if a wire is pulling you up to the ceiling. But there is no wire, and only air beneath your feet. You have risen...

You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them, and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean. Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good thing you're not afraid of heights.
action: You touch the beams
response: Sure enough, you can touch them. [Hey, I wouldn't lie to you.] In fact, as you rest your hand on one of the girders, you notice a small envelope taped to it.
action: You get the envelope
response: Taken.
action: You eat beam
response: (first taking the ceiling struts)
They're hardly portable.
action: You open the envelope
response: You open the envelope, revealing a letter.
action: You read the letter
response: [first removing it from the envelope]

The letter is written in your mother's handwriting:

If you've found this letter, something is probably very wrong. I wish I could explain everything to you, but that will have to wait. If Nina hasn't contacted you already, bring this letter to her. If we're missing, she can give you information that might help the search parties. If our deaths have been confirmed, she will serve as the executor of our estate, and deliver documents we've prepared for that circumstance.

Remember that we love you both, and are very proud of you. And believe that we never meant to put you in danger -- for that we are deeply sorry.

Courage,

Mom + Dad

Nina -- to you, she's always been "Aunt Nina", though of course she isn't really your blood relative. She's Mom and Dad's oldest and closest friend, so it makes perfect sense that they'd let her in on their secrets. But if she has information, why isn't she using it? And why hasn't she told you or Austin about any of this?
action: You look around
response: You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them, and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean. Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good thing you're not afraid of heights.
action: You look through the window
response: From here, the windows command an incredible view. To the east, the campus spreads out before you and the main roads reach to the horizon. On the other side, moonlight glimmers on the vast ocean.
action: Go downwards
response: As smoothly as you rose, you descend once more.

You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is closed.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see Austin here.

"Well, it's clear that the flying functionality is operational," says Austin.

"Now let's test out some of that suit's other capabilities. The notes mention a fog power -- the flying worked when you decided to fly, so let's see what happens when you try to fog something. Why don't we start by having you just think FOG? I have a hunch that will probably cloud up the general area."

Please select a reply:

1) "Sure thing."
2) "Oh, there's a useful superpower. 'They're getting away! Quick, Fog-Woman, worsen their driving conditions!'"
3) "Okay, but all this moisture had better not make my hair really frizzy."
action: 2
response: Austin rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you want those glamorous powers that they give women in the comic books... like shrinking, or turning invisible. Watch out, evildoers: it's Unobtrusive Lass!"
action: Fog
response: At your mental command, fog swirls around you, billowing out and silently engulfing the room. Because of the size of the lab, however, it quickly thins into a light mist.

"Excellent!" says Austin. "Looks like the suit can generate a limited amount of fog when you just give the basic mental command. It's not enough to do much in this room, but it might be quite handy in a more confined space."

Austin walks to a corner of the lab, retrieving a huge wooden spool that probably once held some of the cables powering Mom and Dad's various big machines. He carries it casually, in one hand, the way you might carry a cup of coffee. He then sets it down in front of you, saying, "Perhaps the suit allows you to fog specific objects as well. Why don't you focus your thought on fogging this spool?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Alright, I'll give it a shot."
2) "Why don't you focus your thought on not being so freaking bossy?" 3) "Hang on, I want to try something else first."
action: 2
response: "Well, we're mighty testy today, aren't we? Look, it's not like all this has been easy on me either, and I've been doing a lot more of the actual work than you have. I'm fine with that, but it doesn't mean I'm willing to be your personal punching bag. So do whatever you want. When you're interested in learning how to use the skysuit, I'll be waiting."
action: Fog austin
response: You concentrate on fogging Austin, but nothing happens.

"Interesting," muses Austin. "Apparently, the fog power only works on one thing at a time."
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a letter
an envelope (which is open but empty)
a skysuit (being worn)
a legal pad
a note
an access card
a sweatshirt
a pair of sweat pants
your sneakers
action: You tell Austin about the the letter
response: Austin takes the letter from you and reads it, his eyes widening.

He gives the letter back to you. "Seems like every clue we find leaves us understanding less than we did before, doesn't it?" he says. "And I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get pretty freaked out. I mean, their disappearance was terrifying enough, but now these suits, and this stuff about us being in danger? I just don't know what to think, Em. Least of all about Aunt Nina. Hey, aren't you scheduled to assist her in lab work tomorrow morning? Maybe you could ask her about all this then."

Please select a reply:

1) "Sure."
2) "Oh yeah, that'll be a fun conversation. 'Howdy Aunt Nina, how are you? Oh, and by the way, I was wondering why you betrayed our family?'"
3) "I'll try, but Nina tends to get pretty wrapped up in her work. I may have to wait until after lab."
action: 3
response: "Yeah, I've seen that in action," he laughs. "Well, at this point, the biggest part of the mystery is why she hasn't told us already. So I guess a few more hours won't kill us. I hope."
action: You ask him about the fog
response: "I suppose it's of limited use when it blocks your sight as well as that of others, but it's an interesting ability nonetheless."

You notice that the mist has pretty much dissipated.
action: Fog austin
response: At your mental command, fog swirls around Austin, silently engulfing him in a cloud of thick, grey vapor.

"Verrrry funny," says the cloud. It blunders about the room for a few moments, finally bumping into and encompassing one of the lab's many tables. There is the sound of sliding papers, then a deep whoosh whoosh whoosh emanates from within the cloud, and you are buffeted by powerful waves of air. Within seconds, the cloud has cleared, revealing Austin waving a six-foot table as if it were an oriental fan.

He sets the table down. "Okay, wiseass, you've made your point. Clearly, you can fog specific things, and even specific people. And I'm guessing that if you use it on somebody who can't overpower it, it'd probably be a pretty good weapon. I still think the spool would've been a better test subject, though," he says grumpily.

"I think there's just one more power we have yet to test: the electrical blasts. Mom's notes are a little vague on this point -- it was probably more Dad's contribution -- but I'm betting that it works just like the specific fog, that you just decide what you want to blast and blast it. Of course, I'm not sure how much power you'll pack, so there's not many things in here it'd be safe to test on. How about we try this spool again? Either just blast it right here, or if you want to try it from the air, fly up to the ceiling and I'll toss the spool to you. I'm betting you can probably blow it to smithereens."

Please select a reply:

1) "You got it."
2) "Now that's more like it! KA-BLAMMO!"
3) "My God, you mean I can actually shoot lightning with this thing? This is all so surreal."
4) "How about we test your suit's resistance to electric shock, instead?"
action: 4
response: Austin's usually confident expression collapses. "Uh, well... I have to say, Emily, the prospect makes me pretty nervous. I mean, it'd be great to find out that it works, but I'm not a hundred percent sure they finished building in that feature, and I don't think I'd want to be struck by lightning unless I was sure."
action: Blast austin
response: You extend your hand, and panic soaks Austin's face. "Emily, wait, STOP! What are you doing?"

"Well," you say, "I figure: here's me with electrical powers, and here's you with a suit that absorbs electricity. Let's give it a try!"

"But we don't know that the earthsuit's electrical protection actually works! I sure haven't done any tests, considering the consequences of those tests failing. I mean, it'd be great to find out that it works, but I'm not a hundred percent sure they finished building in that feature, and I don't think I'd want to be struck by lightning unless I was sure."
action: You pussy
response: "Now who's the bossy one?"
action: Blast austin
response: You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and Austin. "Emily, no! Don't--" he says, then sees the buzzing, sparking current and screams in alarm. For a moment, you are both frozen in that tableau, and then Austin's body begins to convulse, his muscles spasming uncontrollably as the current races through them. A jolt of adrenaline hits you, but the skysuit interprets your muscle tension as a command to continue the lightning, and Austin's seizure goes on. Finally, with utmost willpower, you relax your muscles, and the power stops flowing. You run to Austin, but you know the truth even before you reach him: it's much too late. Your lightning has stopped his heart, and he lies lifeless on a lab floor that grows ever colder beneath you.
action: You blast yourself
response: Nothing happens. Apparently, the suit has some sort of safeguard against self-destruction. Guess you'll have to go back to the slitting-your-wrists idea.
action: You fog yourself
response: Thick, swirling fog coalesces around you, and you find yourself...

A thick cloud of impenetrable mist surrounds you on all sides.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes.
action: You say 'excuse yourself'
response: A thick cloud of impenetrable mist surrounds you on all sides.

(to yourself)
There is no reply.

The fog lifts, and you can see again.

You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is closed.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see Austin and a large wooden spool here.
action: Blast spool
response: You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the large wooden spool. With a thundering KER-POW, the large wooden spool disintegrates, leaving only a smoking scorch mark.

Austin whistles. "Wow," he says. "That is one powerful blast. Looks like you could pretty much obliterate most any nearby object, unless it was well grounded and a very good conductor. Even then, it'd probably get pretty fried by the sheer voltage passing through it. I suppose it'd have less effect on very large objects -- the damage would probably be localized, but still significant. Basically, you pack quite a wallop!"

"Well, I guess the suit checks out," says Austin. "We've tested every power mentioned in this notebook, and they all seem to work. I have no idea what Mom and Dad intended their original purpose to be, but they're not here to tell us, and the suits seem to fit us fine. So let me ask you this, Emily: How would you feel about using these suits to investigate the situation ourselves? I don't much feel like a superhero, but in a sense, that's what we are when we've got these suits on. Maybe we can explore avenues that aren't exactly open to the police. What do you say?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to find us clues that the police can't find?"
4) "I can't be a superhero! I don't have long, flowing hair or gigantic breasts!"
5) "You can't be a superhero! You're not covered with steroid-enhanced bulges!"
6) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
7) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now can we?"
8) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
9) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
10) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without being noticed?"
action: 4
response: Austin laughs. "I don't think those things are really much of an asset in combat, do you? I bet you could demolish any of those Pam Anderson types."

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to find us clues that the police can't find?"
4) "You can't be a superhero! You're not covered with steroid-enhanced bulges!"
5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
6) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now can we?"
7) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
8) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
9) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without being noticed?"
action: 4
response: Austin smirks, and rolls his eyes. "Let's find Mom and Dad first, then I promise I'll subscribe to bodybuilding magazines and start cranking the anabolics. Okay?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to find us clues that the police can't find?"
4) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
5) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now can we?"
6) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
7) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
8) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without being noticed?"
action: 3
response: "But Emily, we already have. Without the skysuit, would we ever have found that note Mom left? She must have used the suit herself to get it up there. Anyway, it's better than just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Right?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
4) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now can we?"
5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
6) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
7) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without being noticed?"
action: 7
response: "Yeah, the whole 'secret identity' problem. I always thought it was a little silly for comicbook superheroes to hide their identities, but maybe we ought to do that, at least until we find Mom and Dad. Otherwise, there might be a lot of uncomfortable suspicions around us, not to mention around Mom and Dad's research."

"I agree, but that doesn't answer my question," you say.

"Oh, right. Actually, Mom and Dad seem to have thought of that, too. I tested wearing street clothes over the earthsuit before you got here; when enough of the suit is covered, the visible parts fade into transparency, and the cowl does some kind of holo-projection thing so that your hair and face look normal, too. It's really cool. You should give it a try sometime. The only problem is that you can't use the suit's powers when it's covered like that -- I think it uses mostly photoreceptors to power itself. But that's probably for the best, since without the cowls visible it'd just look like us doing those superpower things. Anyway, I hope that addresses your objection."

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
4) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now can we?"
5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
6) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
action: 4
response: "Cool code names, eh? Well, since it's an earthsuit and a skysuit that give us our powers, how about something that incorporates those elements? Like, I don't know... Earth-Man and Sky-Girl?"

"First of all," you say, "why is it that you get to be a Man, and I'm just a Girl? Also, Earth-Man sounds like something a Star Trek alien would call you."

"Okay, fine. What's your idea?"

"I think rather than try to sound like cheesy comic book superheroes by appending things like 'Man' or 'Lass' or 'Captain' or whatever, we ought to keep it short and elegant. How about just Earth and Sky?"

"Earth and Sky. I have to admit, those do sound pretty cool. Okay, Earth and Sky it is. So now that we have our cool code names, will you help me investigate this disappearance?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
4) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't even run around the block!"
5) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
action: 4
response: "Heh. I know what you mean. Still, with these suits, it's not like we really need to be in good shape. You can fly wherever you want to go, and this suit keeps me strong enough to run or jump or whatever without getting particularly winded. It probably wouldn't hurt us to start working out a little more, but it's not like we have to be Olympic athletes before we can use these suits."

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
4) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
action: 3
response: Austin turns serious. "Well me too, of course. Certainly we'll have an advantage over anybody we want to take on, but I have no illusions that it won't be dangerous. I'm scared, too. But I guess I just think that if we can find Mom and Dad, it'll be worth the risk."

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
3) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
action: 3
response: "What if Mom and Dad are already hurt?" retorts Austin. "Anything that happens to us couldn't be any worse than the fears I know we've both had about them. Don't we owe it to them to take that risk?"

Please select a reply:

1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
action: 2
response: Austin looks crestfallen, but reaches out to pat you on the shoulder. "Okay, Em. I understand, I really do. Why don't you just leave the suit here and head on home? I'll meet up with you tomorrow. Also, I'd appreciate it if you'd still talk to Aunt Nina tomorrow, and let me know what you find out. Sleep well, Emily."

Part 2: Shake, Rattle, and Roar

It's hard to imagine how Nina Icolari ever became friends with your parents. Where they are serious and straightforward, even to the point of stuffiness, she's fun-loving and mischievous. Mom and Dad are night owls, while Nina works best early in the morning. Your parents drink Coke, she drinks Pepsi, and so on. But all those differences vanish inside the lab, where your goofy Aunt Nina suddenly metamorphoses into a world-class biologist, a driven scientist doing some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. When she's working, it's almost impossible to distract her with anything else, which makes your task today a difficult one...

This small chamber is an adjunct to the materials handling room, designed to allow observation and some degree of remote control over the equipment in that room. On the north wall is the long, rectangular pane of thick glass that separates the two rooms, and below that is a control panel. Opposite the edges of this large window, on the south side of the room, a couple of tall window-slats let in the sunlight. To the west is the door out to the hallway.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
a letter
a buzzer
an access card
your sneakers (being worn)
a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
a sweatshirt (being worn)
a legal pad
action: Describe the surroundings
response: This small chamber is an adjunct to the materials handling room, designed to allow observation and some degree of remote control over the equipment in that room. On the north wall is the long, rectangular pane of thick glass that separates the two rooms, and below that is a control panel. Opposite the edges of this large window, on the south side of the room, a couple of tall window-slats let in the sunlight. To the west is the door out to the hallway.
action: You examine the buzzer
response: Austin invented this gizmo. It's a plastic device, about the size and shape of a pencil, with a button on one end. When you push that button, the buzzer sends a signal to Austin, and the button flashes until he acknowledges the message. Then he'll come running to find you, following the buzzer's GPS signal. He asked you to take the buzzer this morning so that you could notify him immediately after you talk to Aunt Nina about the letter, or in case anything unusual comes up.
action: You examine the panel
response: This control panel rivals an airplane cockpit for complexity, and Aunt Nina hasn't trained you on a whole lot of its functions. The only controls you really know are a horizontal lever, a vertical lever, and a pale green switch. There is also a speaker and microphone built into the control panel so that people in the two rooms can talk to each other.
action: You look at horizontal
response: The horizontal lever controls the containment chamber where samples are kept before transfer. Pulling the lever opens the chamber, and pushing it closes the chamber.
action: You look at vertical
response: The vertical lever activates the security door for the materials handling room. If you pull it, a thick plate of lead alloy slides over the outside of the door, serving both as warning and protection for anyone outside.
action: You examine the pale green
response: Once a sealed container has been placed within the transfer chamber, the pale green switch activates a sterile transfer to the desired receptacle. The switch is currently in the OFF position.

One of the double-doors to the materials handling room opens, and in strides Aunt Nina. She's looking as beautiful as ever today, even with her dark hair pulled back into a severe bun.

"Hi Emily," she says, her voice sounding tinny through the control panel speakers. Her attention is focused on the containment chamber, and you get the sense that she's only barely aware of your presence. "How are you today?"

Please select a reply:

1) "I'm fine, thanks."
2) "Actually, I'm kind of reeling. Can I talk to you about it?"
3) "I'm over here, Aunt Nina. That's the containment chamber you're talking to."
4) "Aunt Nina, I want to talk to you about this letter I found. It says you know something about Mom and Dad's disappearance."
action: 2
response: "Good, good, I'm glad to hear it," says Aunt Nina distractedly.
action: You talk to Nina
response: "Aunt Nina, I really need to talk to you about something," you venture.

"Can it wait, please? Finishing this procedure is my top priority today, then we can talk."

"Well, I'd rather not wait..."

"I need to ask you to wait today, Emily. Thanks for understanding."

"But Aunt Nina, I found a letter from Mom last night saying that you have information about where Mom and Dad are!"

"I don't have time to write you a recommendation letter right now, Emily. Let's talk about it after the transfer," she says, her eyes on the transfer chamber controls.

"No, Aunt Nina, I said--"

"Emily, please!"

You lapse into silence rather than continue the fruitless conversation.

This is really very odd. Aunt Nina is always a little out of it when she's focused on a procedure, but you've never seen her quite this out of it.

Aunt Nina walks over to the containment chamber and starts inspecting it, talking to you all the time. You recognize this behavior -- you and Austin call it her Lecture Mode, and once it starts rolling, it's about as easy to stop as a speeding train.

"So, as I'm sure you remember, Emily, these experiments deal with bacteria that I'm convinced are at least 250 million years old. These guys were around millions of years before the first dinosaurs evolved, back when all the continents were in one smushed-together landmass called Pangaea. The bacteria have been trapped in a deposit of salt crystals since that time, and today's procedure is the next step in extracting the bacteria so that we can study them."
action: Blast nina
response: You can't blast anything until you put the skysuit back on.

"People have found living bacteria trapped in salt before," continues Aunt Nina, "but their reports have been rejected because they couldn't prove that the microbes weren't actually contaminants from the lab. This time, though, we've taken extraordinary precautions -- everything has been in a sterile environment from the outset, and we've washed the salt crystals with both caustic bleach and acid. Then once the crystals are in the transfer chamber, we'll use sterilized equipment to drill inside them."
action: You talk to Nina
response: It's clearly pointless to even try talking to Aunt Nina right now.

Aunt Nina walks over to the transfer chamber and starts typing on the attached keyboard, double-checking the programming of its internal equipment. "The bacteria actually live in tiny pockets of brine inside the crystals, so we'll extract that fluid and add some nutrients to see what grows. I think they've been able to survive this long because they were in a spore state, essentially shut down. But preliminary testing indicates that once these bacteria leave the spore state, they may be able to multiply astonishingly quickly."
action: You examine the switch
response: Once a sealed container has been placed within the transfer chamber, the pale green switch activates a sterile transfer to the desired receptacle. The switch is currently in the OFF position.

"Of course, there is a danger that the radiation emitted by nearby rocks might have damaged the DNA of this bacteria sometime during its 250 million year journey, but without a metric for comparison, it may be hard to tell. In any case, it certainly raises interesting questions about the limits of life. Knowing that bacteria can survive for this long in such an unforgiving environment has even begun to make me wonder whether it's possible that they can hop from one planet to another -- who knows, perhaps these microbes have an extraterrestrial origin?"
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

Aunt Nina is still staring at the transfer chamber screen and typing furiously. She says, "Alright Emily, let's get started. Please close the security door so that we can safely open the containment chamber."

Please select a reply:

1) "Activating security door."
2) "Um... how do I do that again?"
3) "Would you please stop talking for just a minute so I can ask you something?"
action: 3
response: Aunt Nina gets up from the transfer chamber and starts leafing intensely through one of the notebooks she brought in with her. She doesn't answer you.

A prickling feeling is creeping up the back of your skull. Something is definitely wrong with Aunt Nina.
action: You pull vertical
response: You hear a hum of servos, followed by a resonant thump. The red bulb lights up, indicating that the security door is closed.

"Excellent," says Aunt Nina. She sets the notebook down and walks over to the containment chamber. "Now open the containment chamber, please."

Please select a reply:

1) "Opening containment chamber."
2) "That's the horizontal lever, right?"
3) "That's the pale green switch, right?"
4) "That's the chartreuse trackball, right?"
5) "It really doesn't matter what I say, does it?"
action: 5
response: "Right, that's right," mumbles Aunt Nina, running a finger over one of her written calculations.
action: You pull horizontal
response: With a hydraulic hiss, the containment chamber slides open.

Aunt Nina's eyes light up as the containment chamber reveals its prize. She reaches in to retrieve it, a circular steel platter sealed by a glass dome. Beneath that hemisphere of glass sits a milky crystal, about the size of both your fists held together.

Gingerly, she steps away and turns to face the transfer chamber, her eyes never leaving the crystal. She takes one step towards the transfer chamber, then stops.

She lifts her head as if listening for something, a confused look on her face. Then you hear it, too.

It sounds almost like distant thunder, but also wrong, and even as this thought reaches you, the walls are swaying and the ground bucking like ocean waves.

"EARTHQUAKE!" you manage to shout, looking over at Aunt Nina. She is gripping the platter tightly, her face consumed by utter panic. Then a particularly violent tremor throws her from her feet, the glass dome shattering next to her face. Finally, with a tremendous KER-CHUNK, a piece of equipment falls between you and Aunt Nina, blocking your view of her as the tremors subside.
action: You examine Nina
response: The view through the window is blocked by a huge rectangle of black metal.

Now you hear a new sound, a deep animal growl. It's quiet at first, but quickly crescendos into a mind-shatteringly loud RRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRR!

Then with a FA-FOOOOM! the ground is shaking again. The equipment that was blocking the large window falls onto its face, and you can see the materials handling room again. Except Aunt Nina isn't there. What's there is a monstrous leg the size of a redwood tree.

And here you'd thought this day couldn't get any worse.
action: You look at the leg
response: [Please press a key to continue.]

Part 3: Monster Mash
action: You press the green
response: The earthquake has left its mark on the observation booth. A hole large enough to walk through has opened in the east wall, and a long crack has appeared in the large window pane to the north. The control panel beneath it seems relatively unscathed, as does the hallway door on the west side of the room.
action: You examine the leg
response: All you can see from here is the monster's leg, but that's more than enough to terrify you. It's green, and appears to be covered by thick, spiky shell plates. Even the toenails are obscenely huge and terrifying, five-foot cones tapering to lethally sharp points.

Breathlessly, Austin arrives in the observation booth, wearing the earthsuit. "Emily, thank goodness you're OK," he says, hugging you.

"Thanks for buzzing me," he says. "I got suited up and came as soon as I got the message. What the hell is that thing?"

Please select a reply:

1) "I wish I knew -- Aunt Nina was transferring the salt crystal to the containment chamber when the quake happened. After the dust settled, this thing suddenly appeared!"
2) "Would you believe... a really bad case of the prehistoric flu?"
3) "What does it look like? It's a freaking huge green monster!"
action: 1
response: "Wait, she had the crystal in her hands when the quake happened?" You nod.

"Aha," says Austin, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. "Then I'll bet it cracked open next to her face, she inhaled those microbes, and here we have the results.

"So if we can kill the bacteria, we might get rid of the monster and get Aunt Nina back at the same time!" concludes Austin. "Well, I'm no microbiologist, but I've spent enough time in the lab with Aunt Nina that I may be able to whip up some kind of rapid antibiotic. But I'll need to use the equipment in Aunt Nina's lab. In the meantime, find a way to stop tall, green, and ugly from wrecking the campus -- knock her out if you can. I'm not sure we'll be able to medicate her while she's still conscious."

Austin thrusts something into your hands. "You'll probably need this," he says. "I know you said you didn't want to, but I really can't see any other way. I'll be back as soon as I can!"

With that, Austin sprints out through the hole in the wall, and you see him leaping over the biology building, heading towards Aunt Nina's lab on the other side of the building.

Looks like it's up to you now.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a skysuit
a letter
a buzzer
an access card
your sneakers (being worn)
a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
a sweatshirt (being worn)
a legal pad
action: You wear the suit
response: [first removing the sweatshirt]

[first removing the sweat pants]

[first removing the sneakers]

You get back into the skysuit. Again, you feel the tingling in your scalp as you don the cowl.
action: You remove the pants
response: You take off the sweat pants.
action: About you
response: You're in the midst of changing clothes.
action: You wear the suit
response: [first removing the sweatshirt]

[first removing the sneakers]

You get back into the skysuit. Again, you feel the tingling in your scalp as you don the cowl.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: The earthquake has left its mark on the observation booth. A hole large enough to walk through has opened in the east wall, and a long crack has appeared in the large window pane to the north. The control panel beneath it seems relatively unscathed, as does the hallway door on the west side of the room.
action: Blast crack
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the window. There is now a large black scorch mark on the window.
action: You look at the window
response: A long crack has appeared in the glass, but it still holds. What you can see through the glass makes you wish the view was still blocked. The window is also marred by scorch marks from your electrical blast.
action: Blast window
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the window. There is now another large black scorch mark on the window.
action: You go east
response: The campus biology building is a masterpiece of design, but it's just been made significantly less beautiful by the earthquake that's knocked a hole in its east wall. Then again, having a colossal green beast with one foot planted in the building won't win it a spread in Architectural Digest either.

The monster tries to remove its foot from the biology building, but the hole is much too small.
action: You fly
response: The ground drops away as you soar upwards.

You are at the monster's knees, and you're starting to get a sense of what it must be like to be an insect. The massive legs dominate the landscape like twin towers, one rising out of a hole in the bio building's roof while the other decimates the sidewalk with stomps and scratches.
action: Blast knees
response: The power crackles in your fingertips, and then a giant spark leaps between you and the monster's legs, with a thunderous KER-POW! The creature makes an unnerving high-pitched shriek as the bolt connects with its thigh.

You've got the monster's attention now, and its huge claw is hurtling towards you!
action: You fog yourself
response: Within moments, fog is swirling around you, but those moments are all the monster needs.

WHAMMO! You twist to avoid the claws, but the flat of the monster's hand slams into you with unbelievable force. Your suit seems to absorb some of the impact by slowing your trajectory, but you're still sent flying into the library, landing with a crash that nearly knocks you silly.

Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
action: You go east
response: You start to flee from the scene, but hesitate. Aunt Nina is still missing. The creature is wreaking havoc. You and Austin may be the only ones who stand a chance of stopping it. Can you really abdicate that responsibility?

Another parked car crumples beneath the beast's stamping foot; this is sure to be a black day in the history of auto and building insurance.
action: Up
response: You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.

Floating in the air, eye level with the belly of the beast, it's hard not to imagine that belly containing the remains of anybody foolish enough to aggravate this creature. The monster's head looms menacingly above you, and its spiky legs descend like barbed towers to the ground.

The behemoth misses you, but that only seems to make it more determined. Another claw is coming at you like the Mortality Express.
action: Blast claw
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster. The creature recoils slightly, squealing with surprise.

WHAMMO! You twist to avoid the claws, but the flat of the monster's hand slams into you with unbelievable force. Your suit seems to absorb some of the impact by slowing your trajectory, but you're still sent flying into the library, landing with a crash that nearly knocks you silly.

Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
action: You look around
response: You shake your head to clear out the last few cobwebs, and your vision snaps back into focus.

You have found yourself on the roof of the library. The heating and air-conditioning ducts have buckled and broken from the force of the quake, and the tarpaper beneath you feels hot and slippery.
action: You ascend
response: Girding yourself for battle once more, you fly back to the scene of the rampage.

You are at the monster's knees, and you're starting to get a sense of what it must be like to be an insect. The massive legs dominate the landscape like twin towers, one rising out of a hole in the bio building's roof while the other decimates the sidewalk with stomps and scratches.

You've got the monster's attention now, and its huge claw is hurtling towards you!

It looks like your blasts are affecting the creature -- its swipes are becoming more furious, and its howls more tinged with pain.
action: Up
response: You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.

Floating in the air, eye level with the belly of the beast, it's hard not to imagine that belly containing the remains of anybody foolish enough to aggravate this creature. The monster's head looms menacingly above you, and its spiky legs descend like barbed towers to the ground.

Thanks to your fancy flying, you've managed to avoid getting swatted, but there's no time to celebrate, because another claw is coming towards you!

The monster tries to remove its foot from the biology building, but the hole is much too small.
action: Fog monster
response: At your mental command, fog swirls around the monster. However, the creature is so mind-staggeringly large that by the time the fog covers his length, it has thinned into wisps of vapor that blow away at the monster's next roar.

WHAMMO! This time you're too slow to avoid the claw, and pain razors through you as the point penetrates your calf. As you sail towards the library, you notice that the suit has sealed itself over the wound and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Then you're slamming into the roof, and everything goes black for just a moment.

You can't take much more of this.

Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
action: You shake head
response: Your vision is swimming, and you're too dazed to do anything but lie still for a moment.

You shake your head to clear out the last few cobwebs, and your vision snaps back into focus.

You have found yourself on the roof of the library. The heating and air-conditioning ducts have buckled and broken from the force of the quake, and the tarpaper beneath you feels hot and slippery.
action: Up
response: Girding yourself for battle once more, you fly back to the scene of the rampage.

You are at the monster's knees, and you're starting to get a sense of what it must be like to be an insect. The massive legs dominate the landscape like twin towers, one rising out of a hole in the bio building's roof while the other decimates the sidewalk with stomps and scratches.

You've got the monster's attention now, and its huge claw is hurtling towards you!
action: Up
response: You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.

Floating in the air, eye level with the belly of the beast, it's hard not to imagine that belly containing the remains of anybody foolish enough to aggravate this creature. The monster's head looms menacingly above you, and its spiky legs descend like barbed towers to the ground.

The behemoth misses you, but that only seems to make it more determined. Another claw is coming at you like the Mortality Express.
action: Up
response: Wind streaming through your hair, you zoom upwards.

The creature's close-set yellow eyes burn with anger as you hover in front of its face. From here, the thing's fetid breath washes over you like a tidal wave of swamp gas, and its roars are louder than jet engines. The ground seems very far below you now.

Thanks to your fancy flying, you've managed to avoid getting swatted, but there's no time to celebrate, because another claw is coming towards you!
action: Fog eyes
response: At your mental command, fog swirls around the monster's eyes, silently engulfing them in thick, grey vapor. The creature squeals in confusion as it loses its sight.

The creature is flying into a frenzy, clutching its eyes with one hand and lashing out randomly with the other. Its feet stomp in fury, leveling trees and cars. Better take this beast down, and fast.
action: Blast monster
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster. The blast strikes home between two armor-plates, and the creature screams in pain and rage.

The beast reels back for a moment, temporarily stunned by the cumulative electrical power you've directed at it.
action: Blast monster
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster. The bolt hits thick green hide, creating an impressive scorch mark but failing to do much actual damage.
action: Blast eyes
response: The monster is thrashing about wildly in its blindness, and your lightning bolt misses its eyes.

The beast's claws dig deep furrows in the concrete sidewalks.
action: Blast claws
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster. You make the mistake of looking directly at the lightning, and are blinded for a moment. When your vision clears, the monster seems to be bleeding slightly where you hit it.

The creature picks up a stray car and throws it in your general direction. The car misses you, but slams into the side of the library, shaking that building's walls.

The monster is wounded now in several places, and a sickly smoke drifts upward from the cauterized spots beneath its armor.
action: Blast face
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster's head. The beast emits a keening wail and clutches the side of its head in torment.

The creature picks up a stray car and throws it in your general direction. The car misses you, but slams into the side of the library, shaking that building's walls.

The fog lifts, and the monster's eyes are visible again.

The thing is stomping, swinging its arms, and bleating despair at its inability to stop the pain. It reminds you of nothing so much as a boxer, badly beaten and on the ropes.

Another parked car crumples beneath the beast's stamping foot; this is sure to be a black day in the history of auto and building insurance.
action: Blast face
response: KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity arcs between you and the monster's head. The beast emits a keening wail and clutches the side of its head in torment.

The monster screams its frustration at not being able to find and crush you.

The creature is swaying now, its voice ragged. Deadly claws still search for you, but you get the sense that the beast can't last much longer.
action: Continue
response: KER-POW! Your blast strikes the monster, and its head rocks back. It staggers, drops to one knee (crushing half the gymnasium in the process). Finally, with a long, foghorn groan, it falls forward, landing with its face planted in the football field.

The creature lies motionless. Suddenly, a streak of grey appears, arcing over the stadium wall -- it's Austin! He lands by the creature's head, and motions for you to join him. Relief singing through your veins, you alight on the field next to your brother.

You are standing on the fifty-yard line of the University stadium, or at least what's left of it after the colossal green monster fell headlong onto the field. Something tells you that your student fees may be going towards an Astroturf installation some time soon.

You can see the monster's head and Austin here.

Austin hands you a liquid-filled balloon. "That's got the supercharged antibiotic inside. It's not the world's finest delivery system, but it was the best I could improvise on short notice. The monster will have to ingest it, so it looks like I'll need to lift the head while you throw the balloon at its mouth."

Without waiting for you to respond, he walks around to the creature's brow, slips his fingers underneath, and heaves. "URRGH! Hurry, Emily! This head is even heavier than it looks!"
action: You eat the balloon
response: That's plainly inedible.

"Hurry!" says Austin. "It's slipping!"
action: You put the balloon in the mouth
response: The liquid-filled balloon sails into the creature's mouth, causing the beast to swallow reflexively. When the mouth opens again, the liquid-filled balloon is gone.

Seeing that the creature has swallowed its medicine, Austin steps back from the head, which drops with an earthshaking CRASH! You both watch the creature intently, as it lifts its head to regard you, not with anger now, but with puzzlement.

And then you notice: the creature is shrinking. Its skin thins, wrinkles, deepens from its greenish cast to the rich brown of Aunt Nina's skin. Soon it is only a dazed Aunt Nina before you, naked and shivering. You quickly retrieve your sweatshirt and pants, and Austin helps you put the clothes onto her.

She embraces you and your brother in a fierce hug. "Oh Austin, Emily!" she cries. "I remember now! On the same day that Claire and Scott disappeared these... things found me in my lab. They did something to my brain -- wiped out my memory, put all my focus on the experiment. But whatever happened to me just now must have broken their mental constraints." You show her the letter, and she scans it, nodding. "Yes, yes! It's true -- I do have information that I know can help you find your parents. Oh Emily, I'm so sorry I couldn't give it to you before now!"

You look over at Austin, and he nods. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to us, Aunt Nina, but what you need right now is rest," he says. Then he gathers her into his powerful arms, and leaps over the stadium wall, heading for home. You're about to fly after him, when you catch sight of a reporter and a camera operator, scrambling through the rubble towards you. "Miss! Wait -- miss!" the reporter shouts, thrusting a microphone into your face. "Can you give us a statement? What happened here? Who are you?"

You smile. "Call us Earth and Sky," you say, and then take to the air, flying home faster than any news copter can follow.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes.

Austin's muscles are shaking with exertion. "Emily, I can't hold on much longer!"
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

"I'm losing it!" cries Austin, and steps back from the head, which drops with an earthshaking CRASH! The creature groans, and Austin shoots a look of pure frustration at you. "Come on, Emily! I can't hold the head up and deliver the antibiotic! Your part isn't difficult, so do it, before this thing wakes up again!" He bends his knees, grips the monster's brow, and hauls the enormous head up again.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes.

The monster groans again, and Austin has to scramble into a new position as the great head begins to stir. "Emily!" he shouts desperately.
action: Blast monster
response: You rear back to blast the creature once again, but then you remember that Austin is holding it -- what if his suit's shock resistance isn't up to par?

A mammoth eye flicks open, regarding you with vague hatred.
action: Wait
response: Time passes.

With unexpected speed, the creature snaps its head up, and closes its immense mouth on you! Looks like you're delivering the antibiotic after all, but you probably won't survive the trip.
action: You look around
response: You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them, and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean. Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good thing you're not afraid of heights.
action: Go downwards
response: As smoothly as you rose, you descend once more.

You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the hallway.

The hallway door is closed.

The storage room door is open.

You can also see Austin here.

"Well, it's clear that the flying functionality is operational," says Austin.

"Now let's test out some of that suit's other capabilities. The notes mention a fog power -- the flying worked when you decided to fly, so let's see what happens when you try to fog something. Why don't we start by having you just think FOG? I have a hunch that will probably cloud up the general area."

Please select a reply:

1) "Sure thing."
2) "Oh, there's a useful superpower. 'They're getting away! Quick, Fog-Woman, worsen their driving conditions!'"
3) "Okay, but all this moisture had better not make my hair really frizzy."
action: You examine the beams
response: The ceiling is braced by a pattern of struts and beams, all made of steel and painted an industrial maroon.
action: You look at equipment
response: The equipment is just as baffling from the top-down view.