The Plant
by Michael J. Roberts (1998)
Genres: Espionage
Science Fiction

You're on a business trip with your boss, driving down a deserted highway in the middle of nowhere, when the car breaks down. You set off on foot seeking help, but you soon find yourself in the middle of a shocking conspiracy in a dangerous industrial complex. Can you penetrate the decades-old cover-up and reveal the secrets that might forever change the world?

action: %
response: You're just starting to doze off when a jerking motion brings you back to alertness. You look over to see your boss, Mr. Teeterwaller, struggling to steer the car onto the shoulder as the engine dies. You can see that all of the dashboard lights are on as the car jerks to a stop.

This is turning into a fine business trip. First Mr. Teeterwaller insists on making the five-hour car trip in the middle of the night so the company won't have to pay for a hotel, then you spend an hour stuck behind a convoy of slow trucks on Teeterwaller's two-lane supposed short-cut, and now his aging bargain-basement car strands you out in the middle of nowhere.

Teeterwaller turns off the headlights and turns on the hazard lights. "I just had this thing in the shop," he mumbles.

Copyright ©1998 Michael J. Roberts.

The Toyunchknisk Piglet was imported from Blottnya during the brief period between the fall of the old iron-fisted regime and the ethnic unrest that divided the tiny country into several even tinier countries whose names you can't recall, since the press lost interest several years ago. The car is almost comically spartan, so it's just like your boss to own one. The only amenity the dashboard offers is a glove compartment; no radio, no air conditioner, no console armrest, no cup-holders.
You're sitting in the rather uncomfortable passenger's seat. The driver's door is closed, and your door is closed.
Sitting on the back seat is a jacket, a map, a Project Tyche manual, and a magazine. The ignition seems to contain a car key.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

You're carrying your temporary ID card.
action: About you
response: You look about the same as always.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
action: You look at Teeterwaller
response: He's about five-foot-six, with graying black hair that he keeps cut in a short business-like style, and a neatly trimmed mustache. He's wearing a dull brown slacks that are part of a suit (although he's not currently wearing the jacket), a beige shirt and a brown striped tie.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You check your inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You look at the glove
response: The glove compartment is closed.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
action: You attack Teeterwaller
response: That would not look good on your performance review.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You examine the jacket
response: It's a dull brown suit jacket, matching Teeterwaller's pants.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
action: You wear the jacket
response: The jacket is too small for you.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
action: You look at the tie
response: It's a medium-width tie with brown stripes.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You search the teeterwaller's pockets
response: "Hey!" Teeterwaller protests, moving away from you.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine the manual
response: It's a stack of photocopied pages, bound with a plastic spiral. The cover page reads "Project Tyche Specification" at the top, and "Omegatron Corporation - Copyright 1972 - Confidential" at the bottom. You glance through it, and find page after page of electronic diagrams and schematics interspersed with dense blocks of technical information and parts lists. None of it is familiar to you, since you're in the software part of the company.

It occurs to you that you should ask Mr. Teeterwaller about the project some time, since you're always interested in hearing stories about the early days at the company.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: Examine magazine
response: The cover has a photo of a streak of light in the dusk sky above a wooded hilltop, with the caption The Milltown Sighting: A New Re-Examination, Part III.

You thumb through the magazine. There's an article by an expert on official cover-ups, insisting that the government open an investigation into a previous investigation of an alleged cover-up. Another article describes the many revelations that have come out of Blottnya since the break-up of the old government, including photos from Blottnya's old space program that show that the "face" on Mars bears an uncanny resemblance a famous Eastern European television star, raising the possibility that the ancient Martians not only were capable of space travel but time travel as well.

The interesting thing about the journal is that they're obviously quite serious; it's not a supermarket tabloid.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You ask Teeterwaller about Project
response: "I worked on that project, oh, twenty-five years ago or so. We were building an embedded controller system for some industrial equipment; it would be quite routine today, but it had some amazing technology for those days. There were a couple of parts in particular, some logic chips, that seemed to come out of nowhere... without them the project would have been nearly impossible. I got a copy of the old specification document from the corporate archives people a couple of months ago, because I wanted to figure out the history of those logic chips, but for some reason that section of the spec is missing."

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You get the map
response: Taken.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine it
response: "Excellent idea," Teeterwaller says. The two of you unfold the map and inspect it.

You find state route 142 on the map. You don't know exactly how far you are from Bakerton, but you'd guess that it's at least fifty miles west, which puts you in this big empty expanse out in the valley. The nearest city is Conners City, which is perhaps twenty miles east. The map shows a couple of crossroads that could be a short distance to the east; it doesn't depict any businesses, but it's possible that one of the crossroads has a service station or at least someone with a phone.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You open the door
response: Which door do you mean, the driver's door, or the passenger's door?
action: You open the passenger's door
response: Opened.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
action: You examine the iD
response: It's your temporary employee identification card; it's just a worn piece of cardboard with the Omegatron logo and the word TEMPORARY stamped in red letters. It's amazing how inefficient the company's bureaucracy is; you've worked at Omegatron for three months now, and you're still stuck with this temporary badge, which doesn't have the little magnetic stripe that opens doors, so you constantly have to call Security to come unlock doors for you.

The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Open glove
response: Opening the glove compartment reveals a garage opener.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You look at the garage
response: Taken.

Teeterwaller notices you taking the opener. "That isn't mine," he offers. "I think it belonged to the previous owner of the car. I've never been able to return it, of course, since I bought the car at an estate sale."

(the garage opener)
It's a small plastic box with a large button. On the back is a small compartment, which is currently closed.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You turn ignition key
response: Turning the car key doesn't have any effect.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You take key
response: Mr. Teeterwaller looks at you sharply, wondering if you've forgotten whose car this is.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You open compartment
response: Opening the garage opener compartment reveals a battery.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look under the seat
response: Which seat do you mean, the driver's seat, the passenger's seat, or the back seat?
action: About yourself
response: You look about the same as always.
action: You look under the passenger's seat
response: There's nothing under the passenger's seat.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You look under the driver's seat
response: There's nothing under the driver's seat.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You look under the back seat
response: There's nothing under the back seat.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look at the back seat
response: On the back seat you see a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, and a DUFON journal.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You take the jacket
response: Taken.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You wear the jacket
response: The jacket is too small for you.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: The Toyunchknisk Piglet was imported from Blottnya during the brief period between the fall of the old iron-fisted regime and the ethnic unrest that divided the tiny country into several even tinier countries whose names you can't recall, since the press lost interest several years ago. The car is almost comically spartan, so it's just like your boss to own one. The only amenity the dashboard offers is a glove compartment; no radio, no air conditioner, no console armrest, no cup-holders.
You're sitting in the rather uncomfortable passenger's seat. The driver's door is open, and your door is open.
Sitting on the back seat is a Project Tyche manual and a DUFON
journal. The ignition seems to contain a car key.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You get manual and the journal
response: Project Tyche manual: Taken.
DUFON journal: Taken.
action: Go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Road, near car
The road stretches off into the dim moonlight to the east and west.
Mr. Teeterwaller's car sits in the shoulder, parked just slightly off the road.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You examine the car
response: The small economy car is parked in the shoulder just off the road. The driver's door is open, and the passenger's door is open.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You ask the boss about the map
response: "Excellent idea," Teeterwaller says. The two of you unfold the map and inspect it.

You find state route 142 on the map. You don't know exactly how far you are from Bakerton, but you'd guess that it's at least fifty miles west, which puts you in this big empty expanse out in the valley. The nearest city is Conners City, which is perhaps twenty miles east. The map shows a couple of crossroads that could be a short distance to the east; it doesn't depict any businesses, but it's possible that one of the crossroads has a service station or at least someone with a phone.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north. The road continues east and west. To the west you can just make out Mr. Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The driveway ends at a closed roll-up metal door in a large,
windowless building to the north. The door looks like it belongs on a one-car garage. Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel chain, attached to which is a dog harness. The driveway leads south, back to the road.
A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You look at the dog
response: The dog is bigger than you are. You don't recognize the breed; he has tall, pointy ears, a long muzzle, a long bushy tail, and a body like a bear. His hair is light brown, with a few darker markings. He has a harness around his chest, which is attached to a chain.

"I saw a television program where they explained that guard dogs are usually trained using German commands," Teeterwaller says. "I think you just have to say `aus,' which is German for `out,' to call off an attack."

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You press the button
response: You press the button. A moment later, you hear a thunk, and the door starts opening. The door slowly rolls up its tracks, and finally stops when fully open.
action: You enter garage
response: (the garage opener button)
I don't know how to enter the garage opener button.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You go to the north
response: The dog jumps into your path, snarling and growling, refusing to let you pass.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: Pet dog
response: The dog is acting too menacing to pet him right now.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: Aus
response: The dog rears up on his hind legs and barks angrily at you.

Teeterwaller practically jumps into the air at the barking and runs back a ways further from the dog. "I guess this must not be a German dog," he says.

The dog gradually calms down again, and resumes his guarding posture.
action: You ask Dog,  to go outside
response: The dog just snarls at you menacingly.
action: You sit
response: What do you want the huge dog to sit on?
action: Down
response: The dog just snarls at you menacingly.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine the chain
response: It's about ten feet long and made of heavy steel links. One end is bolted to the wall of the building; at the other end is a clip, which is attached to the dog harness.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You unclip the chain
response: The dog tenses up as you approach and snarls menacingly. You decide to keep at a safe distance.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You look at the harness
response: The harness goes around a dog's chest. Even though it's meant for a dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear. At the top of the harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or leash; it's currently attached to the chain.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You look at ring
response: The harness goes around a dog's chest. Even though it's meant for a dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear. At the top of the harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or leash; it's currently attached to the chain.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You eat Teeterwaller
response: The dog just snarls at you menacingly.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, and a DUFON journal. The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: You throw jacket at the dog
response: You miss.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
deep ditch. Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to prevent vehicles from running into the ditch. You can't see anything through the darkness to the west, but to the east you can see some dimly flashing lights.
action: You go to the east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A set of wooden barricades, painted with orange stripes and topped
with flashing orange lights, stand blocking the road to the east to vehicles, and "Detour" signs point to the intersecting road leading south. Beyond the signs, trucks and construction machinery sit idle on the road, presumably awaiting the return of workers in the morning.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: You get the lights
response: You can't have the barricade.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You examine the ditch
response: It's a deep ditch, running north and south under the road.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Search ditch
response: You find nothing of interest.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You examine the rail
response: The guard rails are heavily dented from years of collisions. At the right end of the rail on the north side of the road, you notice a narrow foot path leading northeast.
action: Go northeast
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
the west. The road lies to the south.
action: You examine ditch
response: The ditch runs north and south alongside the path. The banks are steep here.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You enter ditch
response: The bank is too steep to climb down here.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: You go to the north
response: The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the ditch's bank. You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; without something to light the way, though, it would be too dangerous.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You look at the terrace
response: It's just wide enough to accommodate the path.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You take the battery
response: Behind the battery, you find a diagram showing the proper way to install the battery, and a bank of tiny switches.

Taken.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You look at the water
response: The ditch runs north and south.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You examine the switches
response: Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other. On the side of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7. Currently, the switches are in the following positions: 55567562. Just above the switches, someone has written "55567562".

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You examine diagram
response: The diagram shows the correct way to install the battery.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go to the north
response: You can't go that way.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go south
response: The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of the bank.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
action: Look around
response: A set of wooden barricades, painted with orange stripes and topped
with flashing orange lights, stand blocking the road to the east to vehicles, and "Detour" signs point to the intersecting road leading south. Beyond the signs, trucks and construction machinery sit idle on the road, presumably awaiting the return of workers in the morning. Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You look at the machinery
response: The barricades block vehicle travel to the east, and direct traffic along the road to the south.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.

You can't see much detail from here, but all of the equipment looks idle.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road runs north and south. To the north, you can just make out
the dim lights of the detour barricades.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air. The road continues into the darkness to the north. To the south, distant lights glow weakly through the fog.
action: You look at the fog
response: It's a thin fog, not dense enough to obscure nearby objects very much, but it gives the night air a damp chill.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south. A tall chain-link fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the road. Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of the road. The road continues into the darkness to the north.

"That's curious," Teeterwaller mumbles. "Why would they set up a detour that just comes to a dead end?"
action: You examine the lights
response: The complex must be a chemical factory, or an oil refinery, or perhaps a power plant. Towering smokestacks and fat vertical tanks are wrapped in a thick tangle of pipes, which run up the towers, between smokestacks, alongside each other, grouped together in wide sets of parallel cylinders for hundreds of yards and then suddenly parting ways, bending abruptly up, down, around one other, joining new groups for a while then bending away again. Atop the towers are flashing lights to warn off aircraft, dozens of lights slowly flashing to their own rhythm, twinkling sometimes with their neighbors and often on their own.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You open gate
response: The gate is securely closed.
action: You press button
response: I don't know the word "fense".

"Click."

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the fence
response: The fence is huge, easily twenty feet high, and topped with loops of razor wire.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine path
response: It's not much of a path; just a narrow band along the fence where no vegetation is growing. One path leads east, and another leads west.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You look at the gate
response: The gate is merely a separate section of the fence that slides across the road. It's currently closed.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You go to the east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

fence, creating this path. The road is just to the west, and the enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south. The terrain slopes up to the east.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some distance to the west. Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here, making it too difficult to travel further to the east. The elevation gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation. The sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the path leads west along the fence.

From the direction of the plant, you hear three short, low-pitched electronic beeps, distant and echoing but still loud, then a deep male voice, broadcast through a public address system in the plant.

"Section blue, section green, clear sector S, stand by stations. Section black, target approaching, commence operation."

From the road to the north, faint lights come into view, moving down the road toward the gate. The lights come closer and you see that several large vehicles are approaching.

The gate in the fence starts slowly sliding open. A group of men wearing dark jumpsuits and black helmets and carrying machine guns trot out through the gate; some take up positions along the shoulder of the road, others run out into the underbrush alongside the road. The men keep pouring out of the gate until at least a couple hundred have emerged.

The first few of the approaching vehicles rumble to a stop near the gate. You can now see that the vehicles are large semi trucks, painted a uniform white, without any markings you can see.
action: You search the bushes
response: You find nothing of interest.

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The last of the trucks rolls to a stop up the road; you count eight trucks. Some of the armed men start moving in groups towards the trucks, while others remain crouched along the sides of the road.

Mr. Teeterwaller crouches behind the bushes, watching the road intently. "Get down! Get down!" he whispers at you urgently. You move to conceal yourself a little better.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

One by one, the truck drivers emerge from their cabs, holding their arms up while the armed men lead them away from the trucks, towards the plant gate.

The fourth truck in line suddenly lurches forward, pulls out of the line, and starts picking up speed, sending everyone on the road scrambling to get out of its way. Gunfire immediately erupts from the men flanking the road, and the truck is engulfed in a shower of sparks and flying metal. The cab of the truck suddenly lurches sideways; half a moment later a deafening boom sounds. The truck rolls off the road and stops as the engine compartment bursts into flames; two figures jump out of the cab and flee in opposite directions.

More gunfire from up the road. Soldiers in full battle gear have come storming out of the backs of two of the trucks and are scrambling around the trucks looking for cover, and trying to fire back through the hailstorm of bullets coming from the sides of the road.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The gunfire starts to trail off. Soon the soldiers seem to be the only ones firing; they quickly notice this and stop firing, looking warily around.

A deep rumbling sound draws your attention to the plant gate, where you see a tank come rolling out onto the road. The tank rumbles to a stop just past the first truck. The tank's turret swings slowly around until the protruding cylinder of its cannon is pointed at one of the trucks the soldiers are using for cover. Almost in unison, the soldiers around the truck bolt from their positions and scatter across the road; only a moment later, flames shoot out of the tank's cannon and the truck explodes in a huge fireball.

The attackers waste no time rounding up the scattered soldiers, and the remaining soldiers quickly surrender and are marching toward the plant gate with their hands in the air.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The last of the soldiers march into the plant, a large contingent of their attackers escorting them at gunpoint. A few dozen of the armed men continue patrolling around the edges of the road, but most are heading back towards the gate.

Electronic beeps echo from the direction of the plant, followed by a voice on the PA system. "Section blue, section green, all clear. Section white, initiate containment procedures."

From up the road, several vehicles that look like road construction equipment--dump trucks,bulldozers,and the like--roll toward the wreckage. At the same time, a few dozen people wearing blue hard hats and tool belts, making them look like construction workers, walk out of the complex's gate and start heading purposefully toward the trucks.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes...

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The trucks that are still intact start moving into the plant, one by one, as the bulldozers clear a path through the wreckage.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The construction workers continue clearing the wreckage out of the road.

"Did you see that?" Teeterwaller says, talking very quietly. "What could that have been about?"
action: Xyzzy
response: Poof! In a cloud of orange smoke, you're magically transported to...

The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some distance to the west. Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here, making it too difficult to travel further to the east. The elevation gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation. The sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the path leads west along the fence.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

(Okay, it wasn't that magical.)

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The construction workers continue to clear the wreckage from the road.

"Look," Teeterwaller says, "I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I think we should try and find out what's going on here.
I think we need to get inside there," he says, indicating the industrial complex beyond the fence. "I think this could be really important."
action: You go west
response: Teeterwaller stops you. "Let's stay here for a moment," he whispers. "We need to figure out what's going on before we walk into the middle of this."

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

The construction workers clear the last of the wreckage from the road. The construction equipment and workers withdraw into the complex, leaving only a few of the armed men still out on the road.

"I could really use your help getting in there," Teeterwaller says. "I know it could be dangerous, so if you don't want to join me, if you just want to return to the car and wait for help, I'll understand. But I'm not sure I can do it alone."
action: You ask Teeterwaller about the plant
response: "All I can tell is that it looks like a chemical plant."

Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.

You hear the rumbling of approaching trucks, this time from the complex. Out of the gate comes a large, white truck, exactly like the ones that arrived before the fighting. The truck accelerates up the road to the north. Another truck follows, then another, until the trucks number eight. These obviously aren't the original eight, though, since several of those were badly damaged in the fighting.

"I used to fancy myself something of an amateur sleuth," Teeterwaller tells you, looking a little sheepish and little smug at the same time. "This will give me a chance to get back in practice."

The trucks travel away to the north until they're out of sight. The remaining men on the road withdraw into the complex, and the gate slides shut.
action: You go west
response: You start back towards the road, staying alert for anyone who might still be patrolling.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path ends abruptly to the west with a wall of tall, thorny
bushes growing out of a deep ditch. The road is just to the east, and the plant complex is on the other side of the fence to the south.
A metal framework under the fence inside the ditch is visible
through the bushes.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You look at the framework
response: The framework is inside the ditch, under the fence, so you can't easily see the whole thing through the bushes. Two vertical rails, one on each side of the ditch, are connected at the top by a crossbar. A winch is in the center of the crossbar, and a pair of cables lead down from the winch.
action: You search the bushes
response: You find nothing of interest.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Down
response: The bushes are too thick.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The main road leads east and west here. A smaller intersecting road leads south.

"Isn't this where the detour was?" Teeterwaller mumbles to himself.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go to the east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The brush alongside the road is crushed against the ground, and deep tracks from heavy machinery are pressed into the soil. The road continues east and west; you can see only darkness in either direction.
action: You examine tracks
response: The tracks are from several different types of trucks or tractors; they're wide and deep, clearly from heavy equipment. They don't lead anywhere, but just meander on and off the road for a stretch, as though the equipment was turning around at this spot.

You notice a flashlight partially hidden by some of the flattened brush. You reach down and pick up the flashlight.
action: You turn on flashlight
response: You switch on the flashlight.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You turn off the flashlight
response: You switch off the flashlight.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west. It's too dark to see much in
either direction.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A small, dilapidated building is just north of the road, which continues east and west. In the darkness, you can just barely make out a sign by the side of the road.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You examine the sign
response: Milltown   51 mi
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This one-room schoolhouse has clearly been out of use for many
years. A chalkboard is on one wall, and a single desk remains. Exits lead north and south.
action: You look at chalkboard
response: The blackboard is chipped and warped with age.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine the desk
response: It's the type that combines a desk and a chair into one unit. The top of the desk can be opened to get at a storage area. The top is currently closed.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You open the desk
response: Opening the desk reveals a book.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You read the book
response: Taken.



It seems to be an elementary Blottnian textbook, for learning Blottnian as a foreign language. Despite its age ("copyright 1967, The Horton, Merfin Company, New York"), it's still intact. It has chapters numbered 1 through 5 that you can read.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You read 1
response: Inshna Hojdzunshchk!

Welcome to your introductory Blottnian course! In this book, we will learn not only how to speak and write the Blottnian language, but much about the rich history and colorful culture of the nation of Blottnya.

(The chapter goes on at length about how to use the textbook and accompanying audio tapes; a quick scan of the chapter reveals little of note.)

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You read 3
response: This chapter discusses the culture of Blottnya. You scan a few of the passages.

A picture of a dog, which looks very much like the guard dog you encountered earlier, is accompanied by a caption:

Years ago, herders used the Blottnian Moose Dog to help control their herds. Centuries of careful breeding have made the Moose Dog extremely intelligent and hard-working. Today, the same herding instinct that once served moose herders now serves Blottnian government security police, who use the Moose Dog to help control the cheerful citizens. Blottnya even trains Moose Dogs for service abroad; guard dogs are the country's second largest export.

Teeterwaller reads the book over your shoulder. "I've never heard of anyone in this country studying Blottnian before," he says.
action: You ask Teeterwaller about the blottnya
response: "I went there on a business trip once," he says. "That was years ago, back when they had a government. It was a little scary--they had undercover police following us around everywhere, and you could hear them listening in on the phone. I wouldn't want to go back."
action: You read 5
response: This is a chapter on culture, focusing on how children in Blottnya are raised. For example, it points out that parents in Blottnya are very fond of using reverse psychology, always telling children just the opposite of what they want them to do. Apparently this practice applies to road signs as well, making driving in Blottnya extremely confusing for foreigners.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This school yard must always have been a modest playground at best,
but is now little more than a dirt patch overgrown with weeds. The schoolhouse building is to the south.
You see a hand pump here.
action: You look at the pump
response: Taken.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.

It's a small hand-operated pump, probably for inflating basketballs or something similar.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You go to the east
response: Teeterwaller stops you. "Look at the sign!" he says, flustered. "We can't walk twenty-five miles. We'll miss our meeting!"
action: You go to the west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.
action: Azdrupu
response: The dog stands up on his hind legs for a few moments, then resumes his guarding posture.
action: Yijtgu
response: The dog sits down for a moment, then resumes his guarding posture.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: Wurtru
response: The dog suddenly becomes very friendly. He wags his tale and whines at you happily.

"Whatever you said, it worked!" Teeterwaller exclaims. He cautiously approaches the dog and pets him, getting lots of licking and tail-wagging in return.
action: You remove the clip
response: The chain is securely bolted to the wall.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You unclip the harness
response: You unfasten the chain from the harness.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You get the chain
response: The chain is securely bolted to the wall.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: You examine harness
response: The harness goes around a dog's chest. Even though it's meant for a dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear. At the top of the harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or leash.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Shchrudu
response: The dog looks at you curiously, but seems to decide he'd rather stay friends.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams supporting the roof high above. A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the air.
Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
separated by just enough space to form aisles. On each desk is a ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine of some kind. Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering papers across the floor.
A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
building. The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the workbench.
Sitting on the workbench is a small plastic device and a looseleaf page.
action: You examine the device
response: The device appears to be a portable hand-held scanner of some kind.
The boxy plastic body is mounted on top of a pistol grip with a trigger; at the front of the body is a little red window, and on top is an electronic display. Clearly, you are meant to hold the scanner by the grip, point it at an object to be scanned, and pull the trigger. The display is currently dark.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You look at the page
response: Which page do you mean, the Project Tyche manual, or the looseleaf page?
action: You examine the looseleaf
response: Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page bar code?
action: You examine the looseleaf page
response: It's an 8½-by-11 page with holes punched in the margin; it must have fallen out of a three-ring binder.
action: You examine the bar code
response: Which bar code do you mean, the black box bar code, or the looseleaf page bar code?
action: You take all
response: portable hand-held scanner: Taken.
looseleaf page: Taken.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the looseleaf page bar code
response: The bar code consists of a series of vertical bars of varying thickness, with the number 20300273 written just below the bars in computer-style block numerals.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You scan him
response: (with the portable hand-held scanner)
You can't reach that from here.
action: You read the looseleaf page
response: ITEM: Gazette SonarTrack Razor 3-Pack

REBATE AMOUNT: $2.15

UPC: 20300273

IMPORTANT: Verify all UPC bar-code symbols with scanner.

Below this is a bar code, of the same type that you see on packages in the supermarket, with the number 20300273 written in computer-style block numerals just below the vertical bars.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You look at the sacks
response: About ten large burlap sacks are piled haphazardly beside the workbench. They're all filled to overflowing with envelopes.
action: You examine the envelopes
response: There are far too many envelopes for a thorough examination, but you pick a few at random, and find that they're all addressed to different products' rebate offers: Healthy Concern Low-Fat Crème Brûlée Frozen Dessert $1.51 Rebate Offer, Gazette SonarTrac Razor 3-Pack $2.15 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Sergeant Sweet's Peanut Butter Sweet with Chocolaty Chips and Macadamia Nuts 44 Ounce Breakfast Cereal $3.77 Rebate Offer, ToxiCola 24-Pack $1.01 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Mrs. Palfrey's Olde-Tyme Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones $2.35 Rebate Offer, Blowiger's Very Fine Teas $0.90 Rebate Offer, Shane's No-Spill Men's 100% Cotton Briefs $2.80 Mail-In Rebate Offer, and many more. Even though each envelope is for a different product's rebate offer, they all have the same address: PO Box 2004, Conners City.
action: You scan the looseleaf bar code
response: (with the portable hand-held scanner)
You point the scanner at the bar code and pull the trigger.
Pencil-thin lines of red light vibrate across the bar code for a few moments, then the scanner emits a short bip, and the display lights up to show: 2.15.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Search envelopes
response: You find nothing of interest.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You get the looseleaf
response: Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page bar code?
action: You get the looseleaf page
response: You already have the looseleaf page!

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You examine the desks
response: The desks are arranged in closely-spaced rows stretching off in all directions. Each of the desks has a huge heap of papers on one side, and a small machine on the other.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the machine
response: The machines look a little like typewriters, but they have strange keyboards, and the paper-feeding mechanisms don't look like they're for paper.

"Those are card punch three-three-five's," Teeterwaller says, sounding surprised. It takes you a moment to figure out what he means, then you realize he's talking about a model number, something like Card Punch 335~. "I haven't seen one of these in years," he says. You're afraid he's going to go off on one of his tangents about the good old days of computing when real programmers had to key in the operating system in binary with their toes, but he just looks fondly at the machines.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the piles
response: The piles look random; they're composed of papers of all sizes and colors.
action: Search piles
response: They're too far away.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: Look around
response: This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams supporting the roof high above. A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the air.
Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
separated by just enough space to form aisles. On each desk is a ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine of some kind. Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering papers across the floor.
A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
building. The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the workbench.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look at the workbench
response: The workbench is very wide, and dominates the entire open area near the door. On closer inspection, you see that it's not merely a workbench, but is actually a machine of some kind. In the center of surface of the workbench is a rectangular depression, about the size of a coffee-table book and about four inches deep, lined at the bottom with little gears and wheels; it's currently empty. Sticking out of the front of the workbench, roughly under the top depression, is a metal basket, of roughly the same dimensions as the depression, placed in front of a chute coming out of the workbench; the basket contains a deck of punched cards.

On top of the workbench, near the depression, is a knob that looks like the channel dial on a really old television; the knob can be set to values from 0 to 7, and is currently set to 0. Next to the knob is a black push-button.

There's nothing on the workbench.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the cards
response: The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.

Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You take the cards
response: Taken.
action: You look at the knob
response: The knob looks like the mechanical channel dials on old televisions.
It can be set to positions numbered from 0 to 7; it's currently set to 0.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight, a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, and a deck of punched cards.
action: You examine the deck
response: The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.

Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You put the cards in the depression
response: Done.
action: You look up 20300273 in the deck
response: The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 20300273 should be. You find a card that looks like this:

20300273        2.15
action: You press the button
response: (the black push-button)
The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.

The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...

Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.

The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You look at the cards
response: The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.

Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
action: You put the cards in the depression
response: Done.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You press the button
response: (the black push-button)
The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.

The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...

Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.

The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You look at the cards
response: The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.

Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the second group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
action: You turn the knob to 2
response: Okay, it's now turned to 2.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You put the cards in the depression
response: Done.
action: You look at the cards
response: The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.

Glancing through the deck, you can detect no apparent ordering; they're just randomly arranged in the deck, which would make it next to impossible to find a particular number in the deck.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You press button
response: Done.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.

There are words after your command that I couldn't use.
action: You examine the switches
response: Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other. On the side of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7. Currently, the switches are in the following positions: 55567562. Just above the switches, someone has written "55567562".
action: You press the button
response: (the black push-button)
The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.

The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...

Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.

The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
action: You look up 55567562 in the deck
response: The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 55567562 should be. You find a card that looks like this:

55567562        2.57

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: 57 in the envelopes
response: You can't look up anything in the envelopes.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You look up 12345678 in the deck
response: Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where 12345678 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You look up 12345670 in the deck
response: Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where 12345670 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You look at the envelopes
response: There are far too many envelopes for a thorough examination, but you pick a few at random, and find that they're all addressed to different products' rebate offers: Healthy Concern Low-Fat Crème Brûlée Frozen Dessert $1.51 Rebate Offer, Gazette SonarTrac Razor 3-Pack $2.15 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Sergeant Sweet's Peanut Butter Sweet with Chocolaty Chips and Macadamia Nuts 44 Ounce Breakfast Cereal $3.77 Rebate Offer, ToxiCola 24-Pack $1.01 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Mrs. Palfrey's Olde-Tyme Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones $2.35 Rebate Offer, Blowiger's Very Fine Teas $0.90 Rebate Offer, Shane's No-Spill Men's 100% Cotton Briefs $2.80 Mail-In Rebate Offer, and many more. Even though each envelope is for a different product's rebate offer, they all have the same address: PO Box 2004, Conners City.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You turn the dial to 1
response: Okay, it's now turned to 1.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You press the button
response: (the black push-button)
The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.

The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...

Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.

The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
action: 77 in the deck
response: The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 3.77 should be. You find a card that looks like this:

41531454        3.77
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
action: Pet Dog
response: The dog wags his tail at you happily, and returns to his puttering around.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go northeast
response: It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in this darkness.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go to the northeast
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: Look around
response: The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
the west. The road lies to the south.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go north
response: The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
action: Go south
response: The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of the bank.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Road, near car

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: You go to the west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west. To the east you can just make out Teeterwaller's car. It's too dark to see much to the west, although you remember from having driven this stretch that there's nothing for a long ways.
action: You go west
response: Teeterwaller stops you. "We just came from this direction," he says. "There's nothing this way for at least twenty miles."

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Road, near car
The road stretches off into the dim moonlight to the east and west.
Mr. Teeterwaller's car sits in the shoulder, parked just slightly off the road.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north. The road continues east and west. To the west you can just make out Mr. Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
action: Go northeast
response: It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in this darkness.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
deep ditch. Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads northeast from the end of the north rail. In the darkness, you can't see far down the road in either direction.
action: Go north
response: The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the ditch's bank. You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; without something to light the way, though, it would be too dangerous.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You turn on the flashlight
response: You switch on the flashlight.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go southwest
response: It's difficult, but since you have enough light to see what you're doing, you manage to make your way further along the ledge.

"Wait for me!" your boss cries from behind. You shine the light back for him, and he nervously negotiates the narrow ledge.

The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road. The path is wide
and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and south.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path continues north and south along the ditch. To the north,
you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch. To the south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Ditch, north of fence
The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high. A chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.
action: You look at the gate
response: The gate is made of vertical steel bars, spaced about six inches apart. Rails at either side guide the gate so that it can slide up and down, and a pair of cables attached to the top of the gate are connected to a winch high above. The gate is immersed in the water and covers the full width of the ditch; it completely blocks travel to the south.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the cables
response: The cables connect the gate to a winch above the gate.
action: Down
response: You can't go that way.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You press the button
response: "Click."

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You look at the garage
response: (the garage opener button)
You presumably push the button to transmit a radio signal to open a garage door somewhere.
action: You examine the switches
response: Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other. On the side of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7. Currently, the switches are in the following positions: 55567562. Just above the switches, someone has written "55567562".

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Search gate
response: You find nothing of interest.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You go east
response: The bank is too steep to climb.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: You examine the winch
response: It's high above; you can't see any detail from here.
action: You examine the rails
response: The rails guide the gate so that it can move up and down.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You open gate
response: You brace yourself and pull the bars as hard as you can, but the gate is much too heavy to move.
action: You set the switches to 20300273
response: You carefully manipulate the tiny switches into the new positions.
action: You press the button
response: "Click."

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, and a looseleaf page.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You throw the harness at the winch
response: It's too far away.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You climb the cables
response: It's too far away.
action: You look at the rails
response: The rails guide the gate so that it can move up and down.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go south
response: The gate is blocking the way.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path continues north and south along the ditch. To the north,
you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch. To the south, you see some faint lights in the distance.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road. The path is wide
and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and south.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the ditch's bank. You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; you may be able to find your way with something to light the way.
action: Go south
response: The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of the bank.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
the west. The road lies to the south.
action: You go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
deep ditch. Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads northeast from the end of the north rail. In the darkness, you can't see far down the road in either direction.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The main road leads east and west here. A smaller intersecting road leads south.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road runs north and south. In both directions, you can see
nothing but darkness.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south. A tall chain-link fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the road. Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of the road. The road continues into the darkness to the north.
action: You look at the gate
response: The gate is merely a separate section of the fence that slides across the road. It's currently closed.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

fence, creating this path. The road is just to the west, and the enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south. The terrain slopes up to the east.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some distance to the west. Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here, making it too difficult to travel further to the east. The elevation gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation. The sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the path leads west along the fence.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

fence, creating this path. The road is just to the west, and the enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south. The terrain slopes up to the east.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south. A tall chain-link fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the road. Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of the road. The road continues into the darkness to the north.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path ends abruptly to the west with a wall of tall, thorny
bushes growing out of a deep ditch. The road is just to the east, and the plant complex is on the other side of the fence to the south.
A metal framework under the fence inside the ditch is visible
through the bushes.
action: You look at the framework
response: The framework is inside the ditch, under the fence, so you can't easily see the whole thing through the bushes. Two vertical rails, one on each side of the ditch, are connected at the top by a crossbar. A winch is in the center of the crossbar, and a pair of cables lead down from the winch.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look at the winch
response: It looks like a heavy-duty winch capable of lifting an extremely large load.

Next to the winch is a small black box.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Examine box
response: You shine the flashlight on the black box, which gives you enough light to make out some detail. Several wires run from the box to the winch, and a short antenna sticks up out of the top of the box. On the side of the box is a white adhesive label with what looks like a bar code printed on it.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You scan the bar code
response: (with the portable hand-held scanner)
Which bar code do you mean, the looseleaf page bar code, or the black box bar code?
action: You scan the black box bar code
response: (with the portable hand-held scanner)
You point the scanner at the bar code and pull the trigger.
Pencil-thin lines of red light vibrate across the bar code for a few moments, then the scanner emits a short bip, and the display lights up to show: 4.71.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: 71
response: What do you want to look up it in?
action: You check what you're carrying
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, and a looseleaf page.

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go north
response: You can't go that way.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You go to the east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south. A tall chain-link fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the road. Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of the road. The road continues into the darkness to the north.
action: You go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air. The road continues into the darkness to the north. To the south, distant lights glow weakly through the fog.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road runs north and south. In both directions, you can see
nothing but darkness.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The main road leads east and west here. A smaller intersecting road leads south.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
deep ditch. Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads northeast from the end of the north rail. In the darkness, you can't see far down the road in either direction.
action: Go north
response: It's too dangerous to jump into the ditch from here.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north. The road continues east and west. To the west you can just make out Mr. Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The driveway ends at an open roll-up metal door in a large,
windowless building to the north. The door looks like it belongs on a one-car garage. Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel chain. The driveway leads south, back to the road.
A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams supporting the roof high above. A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the air.
Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
separated by just enough space to form aisles. On each desk is a ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine of some kind. Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering papers across the floor.
A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
building. The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the workbench.
action: You take the cards
response: Taken.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: 71
response: (in the deck of punched cards)
The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 4.71 should be. You find a card that looks like this:

42325515        4.71

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You set switches to 42325515
response: You carefully manipulate the tiny switches into the new positions.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You go to the east
response: It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in this darkness, even with the flashlight.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
deep ditch. Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads northeast from the end of the north rail. In the darkness, you can't see far down the road in either direction.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
action: Go north
response: The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the ditch's bank. You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; you may be able to find your way with something to light the way.
action: Go southwest
response: It's difficult, but since you have enough light to see what you're doing, you manage to make your way further along the ledge.

"Wait for me!" your boss cries from behind. You shine the light back for him, and he nervously negotiates the narrow ledge.

The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road. The path is wide
and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and south.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path continues north and south along the ditch. To the north,
you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch. To the south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Ditch, north of fence
The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high. A chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.
action: You go south
response: The gate is blocking the way.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You press the button
response: "Click."

A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The path continues north and south along the ditch. To the north,
you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch. To the south, you see some faint lights in the distance.

In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
action: You put the battery in the opener
response: You install the battery, making sure to align it in the correct direction according to the diagram.

Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Ditch, north of fence
The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high. A chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.

A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
action: You press the button
response: From above, you hear the winch make a loud humming noise. The cables become tense, then the gate starts slowly rising. It lifts up out of the water, then continues sliding up the rails for a few feet. When it reaches the top of the rails, it stops, and the winch becomes silent.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go south
response: You have to bend down slightly to move past the gate. Mr. Teeterwaller cautiously joins you, looking up to make sure the gate isn't going to come crashing down on him as he passes underneath. As you cross under the fence, the ditch changes to a concrete-lined canal.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Vertical concrete walls line this deep canal. A chain-link fence crosses over the top of the canal above; under the fence, a steel gate hangs several feet above the water, allowing passage through a low opening under the gate. To the south, the canal stops at a concrete wall perforated by an array of pipes.
A ladder is set into the west wall.

"Wonderful job!" Teeterwaller says excitedly. "We're inside the complex! Now we just need to find the trucks."
action: You look at the pipes
response: The pipes vary in size; most are about a foot in diameter, but many are only a few inches and a few are two feet wide. The pipes all open into the canal, and most are dripping slightly.

Something deep inside a large rusty pipe catches your eye.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You look at rusty
response: The pipe is over two feet in diameter and is very rusty, whereas most of the other pipes look clean and new. You can see something inside the pipe, but you can't tell what it is from here; it's too far inside the pipe for you to reach it.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You put harness in pipe
response: You don't want to put anything into the pipe; it would just get all covered with slime.
action: You hit the pipe
response: Which pipe do you mean, the array of pipes, or the rusty pipe?
action: You hit rusty
response: I don't know how to attack the rusty pipe.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You ask Teeterwaller about the trucks
response: "You probably know as much as I do."

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Rusty
response: I don't know how to enter the rusty pipe.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: You kick rusty
response: I don't know how to attack the rusty pipe.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: Go upwards
response: You cautiously climb up the rungs. It's quite a ways up and you feel a little anxious about the height, but you reach the top and peer over the edge to see if there are any guards about. You can't see anyone, so you pull yourself over the edge.

You motion to Teeterwaller to join you. He nervously climbs the ladder, looking down several times.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.
action: Go west
response: You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway through one revolution around the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.
action: You take the hats
response: yellow hard-hat: That's on the other side of the grating.
white hard-hat: That's on the other side of the grating.
action: Go up
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up. This landing
is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the ground, and on the east side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
A large wheel is in the center of the door.
Through the grating below, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat on the stairs one level down.
action: You examine the wheel
response: It's a big metal wheel, about a foot in diameter, in the middle of the door.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Turn wheel
response: The wheel is hard to move, but you manage to turn it a couple of revolutions clockwise, where it stops. A hissing sound escapes from the door for a few moments, then fades away.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You open the door
response: As soon as you start to move the door, a thick, acrid vapor oozes out of the opening, and your eyes and lungs start burning. You quickly shut the door again.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go down
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You examine grating
response: Which grating do you mean, the top grating, or the bottom grating?
action: You examine top grating
response: The grating is the bottom of the stairs one level above. Through the grating, you can see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You open the grating
response: (the top grating)
It's too far away.
action: You go downward
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.
action: You examine the grating
response: It's a sturdy metal grating covering a shaft around the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You open the grating
response: It's firmly fixed in place.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You go to the southwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
action: You look at the enclosure
response: The enclosure is about seven feet tall and open on one side to provide access to the equipment within. A gray fire hose is coiled up neatly on a giant reel. In addition, the enclosure contains a newer gas mask and an older gas mask.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You get the masks
response: newer gas mask: Mr. Teeterwaller picks up the older gas mask. "Good idea," he says. "This could come in handy."

Taken.
older gas mask: Mr. Teeterwaller is carrying the older gas mask and won't let you have it.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You get the hose
response: You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple of feet. The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows you to unreel the hose.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You examine hose
response: (the coiled fire hose)
The hose is neatly coiled on a giant reel (except for the last few feet, which you're holding); next to the coil is a valve with a brass control wheel. The hose ends in a nozzle, attached to which is a lever.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Turn wheel
response: You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops. You can hear water rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: Go northeast
response: You carefully pull the fire hose along with you. The reel unwinds, letting out the hose for you.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.
The fire hose stretches along the ground through the opening to the southwest.
action: You go west
response: You won't be able to drag the hose up the stairs; it would get stuck wrapping around the tower wall.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Go east
response: Teeterwaller looks down into the canal. "I don't think the hose will make it over the edge without some help," he says. "I'll stay up here and guide it over the edge for you." He situates himself at the top of the ladder as you start to climb down.

Vertical concrete walls line this deep canal. A chain-link fence crosses over the top of the canal above; under the fence, a steel gate hangs several feet above the water, allowing passage through a low opening under the gate. To the south, the canal stops at a concrete wall perforated by an array of pipes.
A ladder is set into the west wall.
The fire hose stretches up the wall of the canal to the top of the ladder.
action: You put the hose in rusty
response: You shove the fire hose nozzle into the pipe. You still have to hold the hose to keep it from retracting.
action: You pull the lever
response: You pull the lever, and water immediately starts gushing through the nozzle and into the pipe. The pipe quickly fills up, and the water starts shooting back out. You release the lever and jump out of the way as the water pours out of the pipe. A deflated silver balloon falls out of the pipe, carried by the force of the water.
action: You take the balloon
response: Taken.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: You examine the pump
response: It's a small hand-operated pump, probably for inflating basketballs or something similar.
action: You examine the balloon
response: It's an ordinary balloon, made of shiny silver plastic. It's currently fully deflated.
action: Go upwards
response: You cautiously climb up the rungs. It's quite a ways up and you feel a little anxious about the height, but you reach the top.

The fire hose retracts as you go.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.
The fire hose stretches along the ground through the opening to the southwest.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go southeast
response: You can't get the hose around the bend--there are too many pipes at odd angles.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You drop the hose
response: As soon as you let go of the hose, it slides away to the southeast as the reel winds the hose back onto the coil.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You go southeast
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The pipes are just barely far enough apart here for you to squeeze through to the northwest, but this is otherwise a dead end.
A space between some pipes to the east affords a peephole view of a large courtyard.

"Look!" Mr. Teeterwaller says, pointing through the opening in the pipes.

Through the opening, you can see several trucks parked in the courtyard--the same trucks that you saw hijacked.

Two people, wearing baggy white whole-body suits with hoods and gas masks, emerge from the back of one of the trucks, walking backwards, carrying something. They continue out down a ramp at the back of the truck; two more people dressed the same way come into view, also helping to carry the object, which you can now see is a large shiny silver crate. Two more people come out of the truck, then another two carrying the trailing end of the crate. The eight slowly make their way down the ramp with the obviously heavy cargo.

You wonder what they could be removing from the trucks that requires such elaborate protective clothing. You look at Teeterwaller. He's watching intently, but, strangely, does not seem surprised by what he's seeing.

Another space-suited worker emerges from the truck, slowly waving a wand attached by a cord to a box that makes intermittent ticking sounds.

You feel a chill as you realize that the cargo must be radioactive.

The group and their load disappear behind the truck, and the clicking of the Geiger counter recedes into inaudibility.

Teeterwaller continues watching for a few moments. "Interesting," he finally says.
action: Look around
response: The pipes are just barely far enough apart here for you to squeeze through to the northwest, but this is otherwise a dead end.
A space between some pipes to the east affords a peephole view of a large courtyard.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You go to the northwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You go to the southwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
action: You go southeast
response: You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again. Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much more. To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other openings large enough to travel through. The dense wall of pipes to the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
action: You examine the gap
response: The gap is about six inches high and a little wider. Beyond the gap, there appears to be a large open area with a glass floor.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: You look in the gap
response: The gap is about six inches high and a little wider. Beyond the gap, there appears to be a large open area with a glass floor.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
action: You examine the cage
response: The cage isn't the kind that's meant to keep someone from getting out; it's simply a metal floor about three feet by eight feet with a loose framework of metal poles forming the edges of a box; a cable attached at the top of the framework holds the whole thing a few inches off the ground.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the cage
response: The cage isn't the kind that's meant to keep someone from getting out; it's simply a metal floor about three feet by eight feet with a loose framework of metal poles forming the edges of a box; a cable attached at the top of the framework holds the whole thing a few inches off the ground.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You enter the cage
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and about ten feet from the west edge.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet east of the
cage.
action: You read the note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You examine the note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You look at the glass
response: The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square and a hundred feet on a side. It looks as though a huge chamber is below the glass.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: Up
response: You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway through one revolution around the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: Up
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up. This landing
is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the ground, and on the east side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
A large wheel is in the center of the door.
Through the grating below, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat on the stairs one level down.
action: You wear the mask
response: (the newer gas mask)
Okay, you're now wearing the newer gas mask.

Mr. Teeterwaller puts his gas mask on as well.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.

Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door. Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You go to the west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is open),
and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower, suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous yellow-green liquid ten feet below. A green, misty vapor swirls up from the surface of the liquid.

The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is roughly the center of the catwalk, which extends east and
west. A pair of cables, suspended from above, are attached to the catwalk here to provide support.
action: You go to the west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The catwalk reaches the west wall of the tower here, and extends
into the center of the tower to the east. A door is set into the west wall; it's currently closed.
action: You open the door
response: The door won't budge; it seems to be locked from the outside.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You look at the door
response: The closed door is about four feet tall and rounded at the corners.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You pull the door
response: Pulling the rounded metal door doesn't have any effect.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look at the cables
response: The cables extend to the domed roof of the tower above, and are attached to the catwalk here to support its weight. At the top of the cables, you can just make out what looks like an access hatch in the roof.
action: You climb the cables
response: "I think I'll wait here," Mr. Teeterwaller says nervously.

You take a deep breath and grasp the cable, giving it a tug to make sure it's as firmly attached as it appears to be. Taking care not to look down at the bubbling cauldron of who-knows-what below, you start ascending the cable. It's as hard as you expect, but you manage to climb the twenty feet to the roof of the dome.

Under the roof, on a cable
The cable is attached to a hook bolted to the roof of the dome.
Within reach is a round access hatch, currently closed, in the roof of the dome.
action: You examine the hatch
response: It's a round door about two feet in diameter, with a wheel in the center. It's currently closed.
action: You wear harness
response: Okay, you're now wearing the dog harness. Tightening the harness securely around your chest, you can't help but feel a little silly.
action: You attach the harness to the hook
response: You slip the harness's ring onto the cable hook. The hook and harness seem easily able to support your weight.
action: Turn wheel
response: You cautiously let go of the cable, letting your weight shift to the harness. The harness easily holds you in place, letting you take hold of the wheel. The wheel is hard to move, but you manage to turn it a couple of revolutions clockwise, where it stops. A hissing sound escapes from the door for a few moments, then fades away.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.
action: Go up
response: You start to leave, but the harness instantly jerks you to a stop.
action: Go upwards
response: You grab onto the edge of the access hatch and pull yourself through the opening and out onto the roof of the tower.

This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all directions. The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome. An access hatch is at the top; it's precariously propped up and open, and wisps of green vapor drift out. Handholds set into the roof form a ladder down the west side of the dome.
The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.

You hear frightened muttering from the hatch. Mr. Teeterwaller's head appears in the opening. You reach down and help him up onto the roof.

"Good job getting that hatch open," Teeterwaller tells you. "That never would have occurred to me."
action: Go west
response: The precariously-balanced hatch slams shut as you leave.

You climb down the handholds, following the curved dome as it becomes steeper and finally vertical. The handholds continue down the side of the tower to a landing.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
the other landings, is on the west side of the tower. Handholds set into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall. In the
center of the door is a wheel.
action: Go down
response: You follow the stairs halfway around the tower to the next landing.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, three stories up
This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
side of the tower. The stairs continue wrapping around the tower, allowing you to travel up or down.
You see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat here.
action: You get the hats
response: yellow hard-hat: Mr. Teeterwaller picks up the white hard-hat. "Good idea," he says. "This could come in handy."

Taken.
white hard-hat: Mr. Teeterwaller is carrying the white hard-hat and won't let you have it.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: Go down
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, one story up
This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
of the tower. The stairs continue up and down.
action: Go downwards
response: As the stairway winds around to the west side of the tower, it passes through an opening in the grating surrounding the tower and descends into the shaft below.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Underground, in shaft
Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface, but the shaft continues far below. A metal grating completely covers the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This low, narrow tunnel was probably never intended as a walkway;
it's more like a ventilation shaft than a corridor. The tunnel becomes an aluminum duct to the west, and several small vents connect through the north and south walls. The passage opens into a larger area to the east.
action: You look at the vents
response: The vents are circular and vary in size from a few inches to a foot in diameter.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This aluminum air duct is just large enough to crawl through here,
but splits into several smaller ducts to the west, none of which are large enough to permit further passage. The duct widens to the east.
A vent cover, two feet on a side, is over an opening in the floor.
action: You examine the ducts
response: There are six smaller ducts, all too small to enter.
action: You open the cover
response: You swing the vent cover down and out, leaving the opening uncovered.

You hear some voices from the room below, but you can't make out what they're saying.
action: You wear the hat
response: (the yellow hard-hat)
Okay, you're now wearing the yellow hard-hat.

Mr. Teeterwaller puts his hard-hat on as well.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.

Several workers wearing isolation suits and gas masks, together carrying a large silver crate the size of a refrigerator, walk into view in the room below. They put the crate on the floor.
action: You look at the crate
response: The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal. It's about the size of a refrigerator sitting on its back.

One of the workers visible below walks slowly around the silver crate, scanning the crate with a hand-held device. He makes two circuits of the crate, then clips the device to his belt and takes off his mask. After a few moments, the other workers all remove their masks as well.
action: You wait awhile
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.

Through the opening in the floor, you see the workers file out of the room to the south.
action: Go downward
response: The floor is a hundred feet below.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Inflate balloon
response: (with your lips)
You'd have a hard time fitting the balloon under your gas mask. If you want to inflate the balloon with the pump, though, just say so.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You inflate the balloon with the pump
response: You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball. Once the balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from escaping.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You examine the balloon
response: It's an ordinary balloon, made of shiny silver plastic. It's currently fully inflated, and the opening is knotted to keep the air from escaping.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You jump
response: Wheeee!

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go downward
response: The floor is a hundred feet below.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go south
response: You can't go that way.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Underground, in shaft
Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface, but the shaft continues far below. A metal grating completely covers the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
action: Go up
response: Following the stairs around the tower, you cross through an opening in the grating and emerge into the night air.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, one story up
This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
of the tower. The stairs continue up and down.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: Go upward
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, three stories up
This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
side of the tower. The stairs continue wrapping around the tower, allowing you to travel up or down.
action: Go up
response: The stairs only make half a turn around the tower before you encounter another landing, this time on the west side of the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
the other landings, is on the west side of the tower. Handholds set into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall. In the
center of the door is a wheel.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.

Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door. Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The catwalk reaches the west wall of the tower here, and extends
into the center of the tower to the east. A door is set into the west wall; it's currently open.

The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is closed),
and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower, suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous yellow-green liquid ten feet below. A green, misty vapor swirls up from the surface of the liquid.
action: You go east
response: (Opening the rounded metal door)
Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up. This landing
is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the ground, and on the east side of the tower.
An open rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west; a viscous green vapor wafts out of the door. A large wheel is in the center of the door.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: Go downwards
response: As you start down the stairs, you notice that the door swings shut.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
action: You go downward
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: Go southwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: Go southwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass panels covering the ground to the east. A wall of pipes parallels the edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except to the northeast. Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
action: You examine the door
response: The elevator has a sliding metal door, which is closed, and a round button just to the right of the door.
action: You press button
response: (the elevator button)
Nothing happens.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the pipes
response: The pipes are broken here only by a passage to the northeast and by the elevator to the west.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You open the door
response: The door is controlled automatically by the elevator; you can't open it manually.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You go northeast
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
action: You go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: Go south
response: You'd fall through the glass.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You examine the levers
response: left lever: The lever is standing straight up; it looks like you could push it or pull it.
right lever: The lever is standing straight up; it looks like you could push it or pull it.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You get hose
response: You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple of feet. The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows you to unreel the hose.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: You go to the south
response: You carefully pull the fire hose along with you. The reel unwinds, letting out the hose for you.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
The fire hose stretches along the ground to the north.
action: You enter the cage
response: You carefully pull the fire hose along with you. The reel unwinds, letting out the hose for you.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and about ten feet from the west edge.
The fire hose stretches off to the north.
action: Look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is at the north edge of the glass, and about thirty-five
feet from the west edge of the glass.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
The fire hose stretches off to the north.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is at the north edge of the glass, and about sixty feet
from the west edge of the glass.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You examine the gap
response: It's a small gap, about six inches high, in the pipes to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: Search gap
response: It's a small gap, about six inches high, in the pipes to the north.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You examine the note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet north of the
cage.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and fifty feet north of the cage.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: You look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about seventy-five feet from the north edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and seventy-five feet north of the cage.
action: You look at the glass
response: The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square and a hundred feet on a side. It looks as though a huge chamber is below the glass.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You examine note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and fifty feet north of the cage.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet north of the
cage.
action: You go outside
response: The cage is fifty feet from the edge of the glass. You can't walk on the glass, since it would not support your weight.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it back over solid ground. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.
action: You go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
action: You get the hose
response: You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple of feet. The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows you to unreel the hose.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go southeast
response: You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again. You pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl under the pipe.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much more. To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other openings large enough to travel through. The dense wall of pipes to the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: You put the hose in the gap
response: You shove the nozzle into the gap. It's a tight squeeze, but it fits through. The lever on the side of the nozzle catches slightly on the pipes, holding the nozzle in place as you let go of the hose.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go northwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
to the southeast.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
hose sticking out through the pipes.
action: You enter the cage
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and about ten feet from the west edge.
The nozzle of the fire hose is sticking through a gap in the pipes about fifty feet east of the cage.
action: You get the hose
response: You take hold of the nozzle, and pull it through the hole in the pipes. The hose is under tension, but you have no trouble holding on to it.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You pull the hose lever
response: You pull the lever, and water immediately starts gushing through the nozzle at such pressure that you can't control where the hose is pointing. The water sprays all over, and makes a mess of the glass.

You let go of the lever, and the water stops spraying as a spring pulls the lever back to its normal position.
action: You look at note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: You look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
The fire hose stretches off through a gap in the pipes to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You examine the hose
response: At the end of the hose is a nozzle and a lever.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You examine the nozzle
response: The nozzle directs the flow of water from the hose. A lever is attached to the nozzle.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: You attach the hose to the harness
response: There's no obvious way to do that.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look around
response: The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
The fire hose stretches off through a gap in the pipes to the north.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as the cage moves.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as the cage moves.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as the cage moves.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.

The fire hose suddenly snags on a pipe and refuses to go any further. You scramble to keep your hold on the hose, but the cage's motor is too strong and forces you to let go. The nozzle luckily doesn't break the glass, but skitters away as the coil retracts the hose.

The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and ten feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You pull left
response: Nothing seems to happen. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You go north
response: You can't go that way.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You examine station
response: The enclosure is about seven feet tall and open on one side to provide access to the equipment within. A gray fire hose is coiled up neatly on a giant reel.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Examine reel
response: The hose is neatly coiled on a giant reel; next to the coil is a valve with a brass control wheel. The hose ends in a nozzle, attached to which is a lever.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You examine the valve
response: The valve is big, obviously meant to control a substantial flow of water. At the top is a brass control wheel.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You examine the control wheel
response: The valve is big, obviously meant to control a substantial flow of water. At the top is a brass control wheel.
action: You turn it
response: You turn the wheel clockwise until it stops. The hose gradually depressurizes.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Turn wheel
response: You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops. You can hear water rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Turn wheel
response: You turn the wheel clockwise until it stops. The hose gradually depressurizes.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You stand on the hose
response: I don't know how to stand on the coiled fire hose.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You put the balloon on nozzle
response: There's no good surface on the fire hose nozzle.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: You put the hose in the balloon
response: You can't put the coiled fire hose anywhere.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.
action: You inflate the balloon with the hose
response: I don't know how to inflate anything with the coiled fire hose.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You get the hose
response: You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple of feet. The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows you to unreel the hose.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You go to the southeast
response: You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again. You pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl under the pipe.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much more. To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other openings large enough to travel through. The dense wall of pipes to the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: You stand on the hose
response: I don't know how to stand on the end of the fire hose.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You look at the lever
response: The lever is attached to the nozzle.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You examine the nozzle
response: The nozzle directs the flow of water from the hose. A lever is attached to the nozzle.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You pull the lever
response: Nothing happens. You let go of the lever, and a spring pulls it back to its normal position.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: You go northwest
response: The hose retracts as you travel back toward the reel.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
action: Go southeast
response: You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again. You pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl under the pipe.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much more. To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other openings large enough to travel through. The dense wall of pipes to the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.
action: You put the hose in the gap
response: You shove the nozzle into the gap. It's a tight squeeze, but it fits through. The lever on the side of the nozzle catches slightly on the pipes, holding the nozzle in place as you let go of the hose.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: Go northwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
to the southeast.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
action: Go south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
hose sticking out through the pipes.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You examine the note
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You examine diagram
response: To: Window washing crew
From: Cleaning crew manager
Subject: Water in atrium

The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc. We have determined that the source of the water is the window washing crew.

Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT open this while the glass is still wet.

Thank you for your cooperation.

J. Stimms
Cleaning crew manager

Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
action: You pull right
response: Nothing seems to happen. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You pull right
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about eighty-five feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.
action: You pull right
response: Nothing seems to happen. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Exit
response: The pipes are too close to the edge of the glass here--there's no place to stand except on the glass, which you'd fall through. You need to go about twenty-five feet west to get back to solid ground.
action: You pull left
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it back over solid ground. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
action: Leave
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
hose sticking out through the pipes.
action: Turn wheel
response: You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops. You can hear water rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You get the hose
response: You take hold of the nozzle, and pull it through the hole in the pipes. The hose is under tension, but you have no trouble holding on to it.
action: You examine the glass
response: The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square and a hundred feet on a side. It looks as though a huge chamber is below the glass.

The glass pane directly outside the cage is different from all of the others; it has a handle and hinges, and can clearly be opened.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You open the glass
response: You carefully lean out, grasp the handle, and give it a good pull. The cage sways slightly as you pull. The glass sticks for a moment, but then pops free, and you tilt up the panel until it's sitting straight up, where it locks into position.
action: Down
response: You can't walk on the glass, since it wouldn't support your weight, and you can't enter the hatch, since the floor is a hundred feet below.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a short distance to the west.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You put the hose in the glass
response: You feed the fire hose down through the opening, gradually pulling hose off the reel in the distance. The weight of the hose hanging down into the opening eventually starts doing most of the work of pulling more down. Finally, after a tremendous length of hose has disappeared into the chamber below, the hose seems to reach the floor.

You carefully let go of the hose, letting it drape over the edge of the opening.
action: Down
response: If you want to climb down the hose, just say so.

Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You climb down the hose
response: You have a sudden chill looking at the hose disappearing into the darkness below.

Teeterwaller gulps. "B-b-b-be careful," he stutters. "I'll wait here until you reach the bottom, to make sure we don't put too much weight on the hose."

Slowly, you maneuver yourself over to the edge nearest the opening, and lean out of the cage, holding on to the pole with both hands. It's only a foot or two to the hose, but somehow it feels like you're about to try jumping over a canyon.

You realize you've been holding your breath, and force yourself to exhale. You jerk one hand out and grab at the hose, slipping at first but finally getting a good grip on it. You carefully swing one leg out onto the framework supporting the windows, then the other, taking care not to put any weight on the glass.

With nothing left to do, you let go of the cage with your other hand and grab at the hose. The framework is obviously sturdy enough to support you if it can support all of this glass, you keep telling yourself, but you can feel it flexing under you.

Having successfully negotiated the chasm between the cage and the hose, you feel much less panicked, and start descending the hose. It's a nice rough material and easy to grip as you climb down.

The descent takes less time than you would have thought, given the amount of hose you had to feed down through the hatch. You reach the floor, and rest a moment to let the adrenaline wear off.

as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree decorations through the glass. An elevator is to the west, and passages lead north and southeast.
A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just reaching the floor.

After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes sliding down the hose at high speed, and crashes into the floor. He collects himself off the floor and spends a few moments brushing off dust.

"What a novel idea," Teeterwaller tells you. "I wondered what you were thinking, dragging that hose everywhere."
action: You climb up the hose
response: Climbing hundreds of feet up a fire hose might seem like a daunting task to some people. It's a good thing you've been working out.

"I'll follow you after you get to the top," Teeterwaller says.

You laboriously climb the hose. It seems a lot further going up than it did coming down.

You reach the top and are relieved to find the cage parked next to the opening in the glass. You grab a pole and drag yourself onto the platform.

The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
The glass pane roughly in the center of the glass has been tilted
up, creating an opening in the glass. A fire hose stretches between a gap in the pipes to the north and the open panel.

After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes climbing up the hose, panting and exhausted. You help him into the cage.
action: You examine the towers
response: The lights twinkle through the glass.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go west
response: You'll have to open the elevator first.
action: You open the elevator
response: The door is controlled automatically by the elevator; you can't open it manually.
action: You examine the elevator
response: The elevator has a sliding metal door, which is closed, and a round button just to the right of the door.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You press the button
response: (the elevator button)
The elevator door slides open.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP. The knob is currently pulled out. The door is open.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

You can feel the elevator start moving.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.
action: You describe your surroundings
response: This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP. The knob is currently pushed in. The door is open.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass panels covering the ground to the east. A wall of pipes parallels the edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except to the northeast. Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
action: Go inside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP. The knob is currently pushed in. The door is open.

The elevator door slides closed.
action: You pull knob
response: You pull the knob all the way out. You feel the elevator lurch to a stop.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree decorations through the glass. An elevator is to the west, and passages lead north and southeast.
A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just reaching the floor.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction project. A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction workers are demolishing parts of the hallway. The hallway opens to the south, and continues north past the contruction.
action: You go to the north
response: The foreman waves you by. You carefully navigate through the construction debris, following the hallway as it turns a corner and continues west.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway. A sliding metal door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled "Observation Room," leads west.
action: Go north
response: You'll have to open the sliding metal door first.
action: You open the door
response: Which door do you mean, the sliding metal door, or the white door?
action: You open the sliding metal door
response: You can't manage to move it at all.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You open the white door
response: Opened.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You go west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The lighting in this room is muted, presumably to reduce glare on
the window that covers the north wall. On the other side of the window is a huge chamber, a hundred feet high and twice as wide; pieces of electronic equipment are scattered throughout the area, and a workbench is in the center of the room. Near the workbench is a silver crate the size of a refrigerator lying on its back. A woman, whom you take to be a scientist because of her white lab coat, and a technician, wearing a blue jump-suit, are working with the equipment. A white door leads east.

Through the glass, you see the scientist walk to the silver crate. She does something you can't see to the side of the crate, and the top slowly swings open. The woman reaches inside and removes a black disk, about the size of a half-dollar coin. She holds it up and looks at it, then closes the crate's lid.
action: Examine crate
response: The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal. It's about the size of a refrigerator sitting on its back.

Through the glass, you see the scientist walk to the workbench near the center of the room and carefully place the black disk on a stand on the workbench. The technician pulls a cart carrying an electronic device over to the workbench, and attaches a pair of electrodes from the device to the stand, on opposite sides of the disk.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.

A woman's voice issues from a hidden speaker; you realize it's the scientist in the lab, talking to the technician. "Okay, we'll start at low voltages and work our way up. Ready?"

The technician carries a hand-held meter to the lab bench, points it at the stand, and nods to the scientist.

"Here we go, then. One percent." She makes some adjustments to the electronic device. You can't be sure, but it looks like the disk glows faintly for a moment.

"Negative point zero zero three gee," the technician says.
action: You wait a while
response: Time passes...

The scientist's voice is audible through a hidden speaker: "Two percent." She adjusts the electronic device, and you again see a faint, momentary glow from the disk.

"Negative point zero one gee," the technician says.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

"Five percent," the scientist says. She adjusts the electronic device, and you see a clear blue glow from the disk; the glow fades after a few moments.

"Negative point zero eight gee," the technician says.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.

You hear a warbling sound through the hidden speakers. The scientist reaches into the pocket of her lab coat and takes out a cellular phone. "Yes?" She listens to the phone. "Affirmative. We've just started, but the anti-gravity effect is confirmed." She listens some more. "I understand. We're on our way."

She turns to the technician. "They're ready to start the omicron beam again and they need us to monitor the scattering. Leave everything set up here and we'll resume this when we're done with the beam test."

The two walk briskly to the door and leave the lab.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway. A sliding metal door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled "Observation Room," leads west.
action: You look at the sliding door
response: The door is closed and is labeled "LAB 7--RESTRICTED." A small slot, about the right size to accept a credit card, is next to the door.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You put the ithe d in the slot
response: You slip your ID card into the slot; it's a good fit, but nothing seems to happen, so you pull it back out.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You go east
response: You follow the hallway as it turns a corner and continues south, then carefully make your way through a huge pile of construction debris littering the hallway.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction project. A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction workers are demolishing parts of the hallway. The hallway opens to the south, and continues north past the contruction.
action: You wear the hat
response: (First taking the white hard-hat)
You're not wearing the white hard-hat.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree decorations through the glass. An elevator is to the west, and passages lead north and southeast.
A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just reaching the floor.
action: You go southeast
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique appearance. A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
action: You go west
response: (Opening the west door)
Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

to ceiling. A door leads east; above the door is a small air vent which is blowing a steady stream of fresh air.
action: You look at the crates
response: The crates are neatly stacked from floor to ceiling. The crates all look alike; you see no markings that distinguish one from another.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Search crates
response: The crates are all closed.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You look at the vent
response: It's a small vent, only a few inches high; it's blowing fresh air.
action: You open the vent
response: The vent is firmly closed.
action: You climb the crate
response: I don't know how to climb the crates.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique appearance. A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
action: You go south
response: (Opening the south door)
Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
the north. A cabinet occupies one wall. Opposite the cabinet is a large air vent, below which is a lever.
action: You examine the cabinet
response: The cabinet occupies the entire wall; it's closed.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You open the cabinet
response: Opened.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You examine the cabinet
response: The cabinet occupies the entire wall; it's open, but is empty.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look at the vent
response: The vent is mounted near the top of the wall; it's about three feet square.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You examine the lever
response: The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right. The left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled." The lever is currently at the left limit of its travel.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You open the vent
response: It's firmly fixed in place.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You pull the lever
response: You pull the lever all the way right. The vent starts drawing in air.
action: You pull the lever
response: You pull the lever all the way left. The vent stops drawing in air.
action: You climb the cabinet
response: I don't know how to climb the cabinet.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You look behind the cabinet
response: There's nothing behind the cabinet.

Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
action: Go east
response: You'll have to open the east door first.
action: You open east
response: You start to open the door, but then you hear a voice from the other side. Since you wouldn't want to have to explain why you're here, you decide to keep a low profile for now.
action: You touch door
response: I beg your pardon?

(the east door)
Touching the east door doesn't seem to have any effect.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Go south
response: I beg your pardon?

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
the north. A cabinet occupies one wall. Opposite the cabinet is a large air vent, below which is a lever.
action: You inflate the balloon with the pump
response: You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball. Once the balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from escaping.
action: You look at the lever
response: The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right. The left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled." The lever is currently at the left limit of its travel.
action: You put the balloon in the vent
response: You can't put anything into the air vent.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You deflate the balloon
response: You carefully untie the knot and let the air escape.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You throw the balloon in the vent
response: You can't put anything into the air vent.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You throw the balloon
response: It would be simpler to just drop it.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You inflate the balloon with the pump
response: You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball. Once the balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from escaping.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You release the balloon
response: I don't know how to release the silver balloon.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You drop the balloon
response: Dropped.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You get the balloon
response: Taken.
action: You press the button
response: (the elevator button)
The elevator door slides open.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: You go inside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP. The knob is currently pushed in. The door is open.
action: You press upper
response: The button lights up.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.

The elevator door slides closed.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

You can feel the elevator start moving.
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go outside
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass panels covering the ground to the east. A wall of pipes parallels the edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except to the northeast. Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: You go to the north-east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Roughly in the center of the glass, one of the panes has been tilted up, creating an opening in the glass.
A fire hose is sticking through the pipes about fifty feet to the
east; the hose stretches across the glass and disappears down through the access hatch.
action: Go upwards
response: You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway through one revolution around the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
action: Go up
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up. This landing
is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the ground, and on the east side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
A large wheel is in the center of the door.
action: Inventory
response: You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask (being worn), a yellow hard-hat (being worn), and a silver balloon.
The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
action: You open the door
response: Opened.

Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door. Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You go to the west
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is open),
and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower, suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous yellow-green liquid ten feet below. A green, misty vapor swirls up from the surface of the liquid.

The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
action: Pump balloon
response: It's already as inflated as it can be.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You deflate the balloon
response: You carefully untie the knot and let the air escape.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: Pump balloon
response: (with your lips)
You'd have a hard time fitting the balloon under your gas mask. If you want to inflate the balloon with the pump, though, just say so.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You inflate the balloon with the pump
response: You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the balloon, filling the balloon with the toxic green gas. Once the balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the fumes from escaping.
action: You go to the east
response: (Opening the rounded metal door)
Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up. This landing
is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the ground, and on the east side of the tower.
An open rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west; a viscous green vapor wafts out of the door. A large wheel is in the center of the door.
action: Go downwards
response: As you start down the stairs, you notice that the door swings shut.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, two stories up
A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which continue up and down. The canal is visible in the distance below, and the tower looms overhead.
action: You go downward
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal. A tall fence topped with razor wire is to the north.
Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
they form walls. Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the southeast and southwest. To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway encircling the tower leads up. The ground is replaced by a metal grating for the ten feet around the tower.
action: Go southwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with a brightly-lit red sign:

An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads south. You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to the southeast.
A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
to the southeast.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the east. The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of the glass. A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the glass.
A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Roughly in the center of the glass, one of the panes has been tilted up, creating an opening in the glass.
A fire hose is sticking through the pipes about fifty feet to the
east; the hose stretches across the glass and disappears down through the access hatch.
action: Down
response: You can't go that way.

A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You enter the cage
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor. Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers. A few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and about ten feet from the west edge.
The glass pane roughly in the center of the glass has been tilted
up, creating an opening in the glass. A fire hose stretches between a gap in the pipes to the north and the open panel.

A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
action: Keep going
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of the west edge of the glass. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You examine the glass
response: The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square and a hundred feet on a side. It looks as though a huge chamber is below the glass.

A glass panel about fifty feet south of here is tilted up, creating an opening. A fire hose, stretching from a gap in the pipes to the north, hangs down through the opening.
action: You climb down the hose
response: The cage must be closer to the opening for you to climb down the hose.
action: Continue
response: With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south. The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.

The glass pane just outside the cage has been tilted up, creating an opening the glass. A fire hose stretches between a gap in the pipes and the open panel.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You climb down the hose
response: You carefully maneuver yourself over to the hose, and start lowering yourself down its length. You reach the floor after a brief descent.

as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree decorations through the glass. An elevator is to the west, and passages lead north and southeast.
A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just reaching the floor.

After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes sliding down the hose at high speed, and crashes into the floor. He collects himself off the floor and spends a few moments brushing off dust.
action: You go to the south
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
the north. A cabinet occupies one wall. Opposite the cabinet is a large air vent, below which is a lever.
action: You examine the lever
response: The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right. The left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled." The lever is currently at the right limit of its travel.

Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
action: You deflate the balloon
response: You carefully untie the knot, allowing the green gas to escape. Your gas mask protects you as the toxic vapors swirl around you. The green gas is quickly drawn into the vent; a few moments later, from the hall, you hear loud coughing and yelling. Down the hall, one of the doors bursts open, and two men and a woman run out into the hall, holding their hands over their mouths. They run off down the hall.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This long, narrow chamber might better be called a corridor than a room. The north and south walls are lined with file drawers from floor to ceiling; there must be thousands of drawers. A door lies to the west; a small vent is over the door.
You see a briefcase and a red ID card here.

Teeterwaller has a look of awe on his face. "This is amazing," he says. "I never thought they'd just file everything away like this."
He picks up the briefcase. "This is perfect."

He starts opening drawers and going through files.
action: You take the ithe d.
response: Taken.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over. "Very interesting," he mutters, putting the files in his briefcase.
action: You examine the briefcase
response: The briefcase is closed.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over. "Amazing," he mutters, putting the files in his briefcase.
action: You open the briefcase
response: I beg your pardon?

Mr. Teeterwaller won't let you.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over. "This is astonishing," he says. "I've been looking for this type of information for years, but all I've ever been able to find is the vaguest of hints, just bits and pieces. This is everything I've been looking for, all in one place."
action: You ask Teeterwaller about the files
response: "I've been trying to find this sort of information for years, but all I've been able to find before are bits and pieces."

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over. "This is it! Look!" he says excitedly, showing you the file. It's marked "Omegatron Corp. (Project `Tyche')" and is dated in 1970. He flips through the file for you; it contains electronic diagrams and technical data, none of which makes sense to you but clearly is important to Teeterwaller.

"I don't know if I ever told you about Project Tyche," he says. "I worked on it around twenty-five years ago. We were building an embedded controller system for some industrial equipment. Part of the project involved these logic chips that seemed almost magical at the time. They were far ahead of anything we'd seen. I started wondering about them recently, so I asked our corporate archives people for a copy of the specification document for the project. I got the spec, but the parts about the logic chips were missing. Well, this is the missing section. Plus, it has information about how these people," he looks around the room at the file drawers, "whoever it is who's keeping these records, planted this information with our project."
action: You ask Teeterwaller about the car
response: "It's always been very reliable," he says defensively. "I know people make all sorts of jokes about what a terrible car it is, but I've had very good luck with it."

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
action: You look around
response: This long, narrow chamber might better be called a corridor than a room. The north and south walls are lined with file drawers from floor to ceiling; there must be thousands of drawers. A door lies to the west; a small vent is over the door.
Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
action: You open the drawers
response: You pick a drawer at random and open it. The drawer is loaded with files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "Microprocessor Transfer Study" and look through it.

The rapid pace of transfers over the past five years has clearly strained several absorption factors and is not producing the benefits that accrued in prior stages. The original recipients bear partial responsibility through their dubious practices, but fundamentally we have simply transferred technology too rapidly. The schedule adjustments we have initiated should stabilize the market within two years and restore full profitability.

Teeterwaller snatches the file. "This one looks important," he says as he stuffs the file into his briefcase.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
action: Keep going
response: You pick a drawer at random and open it. The drawer is loaded with files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "Embargo Schedule - Medical" and look through it.

Agreements with Mercer & Co., Pfalk Laboratories, Seth and Gurney, Milnes renewed through FY 2015. All below listed substances are embargoed to all parties through contract expiration, pending timely receipt of annual suppression fees as negotiated.

NN 373 AS1 (wide spectrum influenza antiviral)
A901/902 PF (macular regenerative)
X-6080114 (bacteriophage - BUT NOTE use as car wax approved for 1999, see Schedule - Automotive, Cleaning & Cosmetic)

...and a long list of similar entries follows.

Teeterwaller snatches the file. "This one looks extremely interesting," he says as he stuffs the file into his briefcase.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
action: You keep going
response: You pick a drawer at random and open it. The drawer is loaded with files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "MB-7" and look through it.

This file contains numerous technical diagrams of a jet airliner, including everything from the passenger compartment floor plan to the parts list for the fan blades in the engine.

Teeterwaller snatches the file. "This one looks curious," he says as he stuffs the file into his briefcase.

Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
action: Go west
response: "We must come back here," Teeterwaller says, stuffing a few last files into his briefcase as he follows you out of the room. "There's much more I want to see here."

The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique appearance. A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
action: You go northwest
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree decorations through the glass. An elevator is to the west, and passages lead north and southeast.
A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just reaching the floor.
action: Go west
response: You'll have to open the elevator first.
action: You go to the north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction project. A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction workers are demolishing parts of the hallway. The hallway opens to the south, and continues north past the contruction.
action: Go west
response: You can't go that way.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You go to the north
response: The foreman waves you by. You carefully navigate through the construction debris, following the hallway as it turns a corner and continues west.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway. A sliding metal door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled "Observation Room," leads west.
action: You put the red ithe d in the slot
response: You slip the red ID card into the slot; it's a good fit. A soft beep emanates from the slot, and the metal door slides open.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: Go north
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is a cavernous room, a hundred feet tall and twice as wide.
Pieces of electronic equipment are scattered throughout the chamber.
In the center of the room is a workbench, on which is a plastic stand; a pair of electrodes are connected to the stand, and the electrodes are connected with wires to an electronic device on a cart next to the workbench. Near the workbench is a silver crate, the size of a refrigerator sitting on its back.
An air vent is visible in the center of the ceiling. A glass window
in the south wall looks out into an observation room.
A sliding metal door leads south.
Sitting on the plastic stand is a black disk.

The metal door slides closed.
action: You examine the disk
response: It's about the size of a half-dollar coin, and is made of a dull black material.
action: You take the disk
response: A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice echoes through the room: "Intruder alert, laboratory seven. Section black, commence procedure one one delta."

Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
They see you and start motioning to one another.

Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards. "Uh, oh..."

Taken.

Guards run in and out of the observation room.
action: Examine crate
response: The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal. It's about the size of a refrigerator sitting on its back.
action: Open crate
response: There's no obvious way to open the crate. You can find no latches, buttons, catches, or other mechanisms, and there's not even a visible seam anywhere.
action: You look at the device
response: Which device do you mean, the portable hand-held scanner, or the electronic device?
action: You look at electronic
response: Which electronic do you mean, the equipment, or the electronic device?
action: You examine the electronic device
response: The device is about the same size and shape as a video recorder, but the case is unpainted metal and the only obvious controls are a dial and a red button.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You examine the dial
response: The dial can be turned to settings numbered from 1 to 100. It's currently set to 5.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You press the red button
response: A spark jumps across the electrodes. The disk glows faintly for a moment, then returns to normal.
action: You turn the dial to 100
response: Okay, it's now turned to 100.

A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice echoes through the room: "Intruder alert, laboratory seven. Section black, commence procedure one one delta."

Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
They see you and start motioning to one another.

Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards. "Uh, oh..."

The guards make threatening gestures at you through the window.
action: You attach the electrodes to the disk
response: There's no obvious way to do that.

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: You examine the electrodes
response: The electrodes are connected to the device on the cart, and the ends are attached to opposite sides of the stand.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You put the disk on the stand
response: The black disk is already on the plastic stand!

Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
action: Examine crate
response: The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal. It's about the size of a refrigerator sitting on its back.

Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
action: You open it
response: There's no obvious way to open the crate. You can find no latches, buttons, catches, or other mechanisms, and there's not even a visible seam anywhere.

Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
action: You knock on the crate
response: I don't know how to knock the silver crate.

Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
action: You turn the dial to 100
response: Okay, it's now turned to 100.

A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice echoes through the room: "Intruder alert, laboratory seven. Section black, commence procedure one one delta."

Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
They see you and start motioning to one another.

Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards. "Uh, oh..."

The guards in the observation room bang on the glass.
action: You press the button
response: (the red button)
Darkness suddenly falls over the room as all of the lights go out; a second later, the electrodes blaze with a blinding flash of white light and make a loud pop like a balloon bursting. The spark fades, and the disk glows with an intense but ghostly blue light.

You suddenly feel like you're tumbling sideways, and it feels like something is pulling your feet and your head in opposite directions. You reach out for something to hold, but find nothing in reach.

Just as you think you're going to hit the ground, you realize that the floor is twenty feet away and getting further. You're falling, but somehow you're falling toward the ceiling. The room is spinning rapidly, and you see that Mr. Teeterwaller is falling alongside you, his eyes closed and his arms flailing wildly; beside him the brightly-glowing disk is serenly floating in mid-air.

You keep falling upwards for several seconds, moving directly toward a large air vent on the ceiling. You draw closer and closer to the vent, and you brace yourself for impact. In a moment the vent is only a few feet away, but now you can see that you're not moving very quickly after all, and you easily maneuver yourself into the opening.

Teeterwaller crashes into the ceiling just outside the vent, but you manage to grab his arm and help him through the opening.

You find yourself in a large air duct. The disk floats up through the opening; its glow gradually fades, and as it does, you, Teeterwaller, and the disk settle to the floor of the duct. Gravity returns to normal.

This aluminum air duct is just large enough to crawl through here,
but splits into several smaller ducts to the west, none of which are large enough to permit further passage. The duct widens to the east. In the floor is a square opening, two feet on a side, whose cover has been swung out and down; a cavernous chamber below is visible through the opening.
You see a black disk here.

Through the opening, you see the door to the lab slide open, and dozens of guards rush into the lab, looking up at you from the floor far below.
action: You get the disk
response: Taken.

Through the opening, you see the guards in the lab watching you.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: You take the disk
response: You already have the black disk!

The guards in the lab rush around busily, several keeping a close watch on you.

Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
action: Go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This low, narrow tunnel was probably never intended as a walkway;
it's more like a ventilation shaft than a corridor. The tunnel becomes an aluminum duct to the west, and several small vents connect through the north and south walls. The passage opens into a larger area to the east.
action: You go east
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Underground, in shaft
Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface, but the shaft continues far below. A metal grating completely covers the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
action: Go upward
response: Following the stairs around the tower, you cross through an opening in the grating and emerge into the night air.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, one story up
This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
of the tower. The stairs continue up and down.
Several guards are watching you through the grating of the landing
one level up.

The guards watch you through the stairs.
action: You look at the guards
response: The guards are watching you through the grating of the stairs.

The guards watch you through the stairs.

Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
action: Go up
response: Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, three stories up
This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
side of the tower. The stairs continue wrapping around the tower, allowing you to travel up or down.
Several guards are watching you through the grating of the landings above and below.

The guards watch you through the stairs.
action: Go up
response: The stairs only make half a turn around the tower before you encounter another landing, this time on the west side of the tower.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

Landing, four stories up
The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
the other landings, is on the west side of the tower. Handholds set into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of the tower.
A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall. In the
center of the door is a wheel.
action: Go up
response: As you start up the ladder, the door bursts open and guards start pouring out onto the landing. You climb the ladder as quickly as you can.

Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.

This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all directions. The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome. An access hatch is at the top; it's closed. Handholds set into the roof form a ladder down the west side of the dome.
The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.

Guards take up positions at the top of the stairs below the dome, but for some reason do not follow you up the ladder.
action: You open hatch
response: Opened.

Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door. Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.

Someone starts climbing the ladder from below. For a moment you think it's one of the guards, but as the figure draws closer, you see that it's a tall, gray-haired man in a business suit. He reaches the top of the ladder and walks toward you and Teeterwaller, his hands open, presumably to show he's not carrying a weapon. His jacket flaps in the breeze; he reaches down to button it.

"When I was a boy," the man says in a deep, gravelly voice, "my family lived in a small town in Arizona. One day I rode my bike out into the desert, as I often did, in search of dinosaur fossils or Indian relics. After several hours I was still empty-handed and had mostly forgotten what I had set out to find anyway, so with the sun nearing the horizon I started heading home, when a glint in the eastern sky caught my eye."
action: You look at the Man
response: He's a tall, athletic-looking man with gray hair. His dark business suit is fluttering in the strong wind.

The gray-haired man continues. "I watched as the glint turned into a streak, and the streak turned into a fireball, all in the course of a few heartbeats. The sight transfixed me and I barely recognized that I was directly in the path of whatever was falling from the sky, but some instinct made me dive under a nearby boulder, only an instant before the ground shattered from the impact. I hid under my rock as debris rained down."
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

The man continues speaking to you. "My fear soon turned to curiosity and before long I made my way to the crash site. I expected a meteorite, which I pictured as some kind of red glowing sphere with miniature moon craters. What I found was obviously not a meteorite, not even anything natural. But it wasn't anything man-made either. It was the size of a small airplane, but had no wings; its shape was complex and irregular; and it was made of a dull gray material that looked like wet clay."
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

"The wreckage was in a few large pieces, but some small bits were scattered around, and I pocketed a few as souvenirs. I was about to start looking at the larger pieces, when a group of airplanes came over the horizon and made for the crash site. Something made me return to my bicycle and pedal away as fast as I could. I took refuge behind some rocks up a hill half a mile away and watched as the planes disgorged men and machines by parachute."
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

"I stayed for some time watching the men load the pieces of the fallen object onto trucks. Nightfall forced me to abandon my hideout and go home, and when I returned the next day I could find nothing left of the crash; the crater had been filled and even the fragments of rock scattered hundreds of yards away had been swept into the sand."
action: You wait a while
response: Time passes...

"I spent years looking at the fragments I had kept from the crash without recognizing their true nature. A series of chance discoveries, however, led me to realize that the object that crashed was not some experimental military craft, as I had long imagined, and that indeed it was not even of this Earth."
action: You wait for a while
response: Time passes...

"My souvenirs were in fact products of a highly advanced technology, far beyond what was thought possible when I found them and beyond even what is commonly believed possible today, and having discovered a few of their secrets I quickly learned more. I realized at once the commercial potential of my discoveries and set about finding practical applications. You see around you here a small facet of the enterprise that we have built, dedicated to the steady improvement of our society and the world through the carefully controlled introduction of this technology."
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

"I did not know until many years after the crash the fate of the rest of the object. As our company grew, we began to have the resources necessary to cultivate relationships inside the government, and we eventually learned where the pieces recovered from the crash were being studied. We have monitored the progress of the government's studies carefully, and it has been a source of constant frustration for us that these studies have not only been almost completely unproductive, but what little they have gleaned has been hidden behind a veil of military secrecy and national security."
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

"We have for many years known that the government is incapable of putting this technology to proper use, and that we must take control of it for the good of mankind. Unfortunately, even our resources have proven insufficient to correct this problem, at least until now. When we learned that the crash artifacts were to be relocated to a new facility, we saw our chance to intervene, taking what is rightfully and morally ours."

A lightning bolt strikes one of the nearby towers.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

Teeterwaller, who up to now has been silently listening to the gray-haired man, speaks to him. "`Rightfully and morally' yours," he scoffs. "You're just as bad as the government, hiding this technology for decades. You're worse, in fact, the way you dole it out a little at a time to maximize your profit at everyone else's expense."

The gray-haired man shakes his head slightly. "Profit isn't our motive," he says. "It is society's readiness to absorb change that dictates the rate of our disclosures. If we were to reveal all we knew at one time, the world would plunge into chaos."

"You'll never get away with this," Teeterwaller says. "You actually think the government won't figure out who stole the artifacts?"

"The government will never even suspect they were taken," the gray-haired man responds dismissively. "We replaced the originals with inert duplicates. The fools have never been able to learn anything from the originals anyway; they'll labor for fifty more fruitless years, then shrug, pack the whole mess off to a warehouse in Illinois, and move on to their next assignments."

Thunder rumbles from the sky overhead.
action: You wait
response: Time passes...

The gray-haired man continues. "You have something that belongs to us," he says. "As you can plainly see, there is nowhere for you to go. Despite your weak bargaining position, we can afford to be generous, so I would like to offer both of you positions as Vice Presidents in one of our many exciting subsidiary or affiliated corporations. All you have to do is give me the disk."

A few bright flashes of lightning light the sky directly overhead.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

The gray-haired man looks at you expectantly.

Static electricity crackles through the sky overhead.
action: You throw the disk
response: You throw the disk. Teeterwaller and the gray-haired man follow the disk with their eyes as it arcs into the night sky and disappears into the distance.

"I'm disappointed that we couldn't reach an agreement," the gray-haired man says. He motions to the guards, who come up onto the roof and arrest you.

The guards take you to their security office, and later turn you over to the local police, who arrest you on trespassing charges. You and Teeterwaller tell your fantastic story of hijacked trucks and floating anti-gravity disks, but the police just ignore you.

After a night in the local jail, the police release you, explaining that the company that owns the plant is not pressing charges. In town, you and Teeterwaller find a mechanic to fix the car. You return home, having missed your meeting. Life returns to normal.

In the months that follow, the subject of that strange night seems to become taboo, and you and Teeterwaller never again discuss it. Eventually, Teeterwaller leaves the company; you hear later that he's working for one of those UFO magazines, writing bitter diatribes about government conspiracies and military cover-ups.

You often wonder what might have happened if you had escaped with the odd little black disk, but you feel fortunate enough to have made it through the experience unscathed.
action: You give the disk to the Man
response: "Thank you," he says, taking the disk. He shakes your hand, "Welcome aboard, Mr. Vice President," he says, then turns to Teeterwaller and welcomes him.

As promised, you are immediately appointed a Vice President at AmCaustiCo, a maker of caustic chemical speciality products, and given a plush corner office overlooking a pleasant little woods a safe distance from the smoke-belching factories whose maintenance schedule you are assigned to oversee.

You find your compensation much more than comfortable and your duties agreeably undemanding, leaving you plenty of time to practice your golf and "network" with other top executives at the country club, trading stock tips and dirty jokes. Years later, looking back, you know you made a good career decision that strange night, but you can't help wondering from time to time what might have happened if you'd somehow escaped with the odd little black disk. It's an idle thought, though; you'd just have ended up like Teeterwaller, writing bitter diatribes for some little conspiracy-minded UFO magazine.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

The gray-haired man watches you expectantly. "The perks are very nice for Vice Presidents," he says.

Your hair feels like it's standing on end from the static charge in the air.
action: Wait
response: Time passes...

The gray-haired man looks at you expectantly.

Thunder roars overhead. Lightning flashes from cloud to cloud in the sky above you. Suddenly, a tongue of lightning cuts through the air directly in front of you, striking the center of the dome.

Somehow, the lightning bolt stays where it is, dancing a little around the top of the dome but continuing to discharge electricity.
action: You put the disk in the lightning
response: You carefully hold out the disk, and very slowly move your hand toward the lightning bolt. Your skin tingles with electricity as you get closer, and your hair starts to stand on end.

A tiny tendril of brilliant white light leaps out from the lightning bolt and touches the disk. You feel a jab and jerk your hand back, but you see that the disk is glowing with an intense blue light, and you start to feel light-headed and disoriented. Teeterwaller grabs your arm, and the two of you rapidly ascend into the sky. The gray haired man reaches his hand out toward you and shouts something, but you're already too far away to hear what he's saying.

The wind picks up speed and changes direction several times as you climb, and you start drifting to the north. Soon the lights of the plant are behind you, and you're over open ground. Silence falls as your own motion matches the wind speed and you move along at the same rate as the surrounding air.

"I can't believe we made it out of there alive!" Teeterwaller says. "This is an amazing find," he says, indicating the disk.

You start descending again, and you see that you're headed for the road--in fact, you can see Teeterwaller's car, right where you left it. The disk's glow fades, and you settle gently to the ground near the car.

Headlights approach from down the road. They draw nearer, and the vehicle starts slowing down and pulling over behind Teeterwaller's car. You almost make a run for it, when you see that the vehicle is a van from a local television station. A young woman in a smart blue dress gets out from the passenger side, and a man in a flannel shirt carrying a video camera follows.

"Excuse me," the woman says as she approaches you. "We've had some reports of strange electrical activity in the sky around here, and I wondered if either of you have seen anything interesting tonight."

Teeterwaller smiles at you. "Yes," he says. "As a matter of fact we have."