Best Laid Plans
by David Whyld (2013)
Genres: Science Fiction

Your lab partner has been shot dead and you've been locked in a room, likely to face a similar fate. Your chances of escape are pretty slim as you have no weapons or means of opening the door. But, of course, you have SADI...

action: %
response: The research had been going well. Perhaps too well. Genetic cloning, DNA re-sampling, facial morphing - you name it, the Merrowvale Institute in Bizan'Toll was doing it. You're just a small cog in the big wheel that is MI but you have a house in the hills, a company car and vacation for a month every year in the Balmoras. You also get to work in the twin cities of Bizan'Toll themelves, which is worth its weight in gold. A good life, in other words. You've made plans to stay here once your research is concluded. But like all plans...

Rival companies don't appreciate the leaps and bounds MI have been making, and enemies are quick to close in. Very deadly enemies. Some people scoffed at the idea of an attack by a rival company. Scott Talbot was one. He's not scoffing now. He's face down on the floor of his lab with a bullet hole between his eyes.

You they didn't kill. You they just grabbed, frog-marched out of the lab, past the still warm body of Scott Talbot, and up several flights of stairs to here. Your cell. What they're planning on doing with you next is anyone's guess, but something tells you that you're best getting out of here before you find out.

You and SADI.

You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape. There is a door (locked) in the east wall, barring the room's only exit. There's also a window, but it's locked tight and, in any event, too small to climb out of.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: You check your inventory
response: You are carrying:
SADI (being worn)
action: You examine Sadi
response: SADI: Scenery Adjustment Device Interface. Ingenious device, bad title.

The rumour is that the guy who designed it had a girlfriend called Sadi and really wanted to name his device after her, and Scenery Adjustment Device Interface was the best he could come up with. Whether that's true or not you aren't sure.

SADI is a watch-like device currently affixed to your wrist. Probably the only reason you still have it is that people assumed it
was a watch. Operating it is simple, though caution is
advised. Early prototypes left people without arms and legs, or even a head on one occasion, but this latest version (hopefully!) is incapable of harming a human. It is able to ABSORB {any} item you can see - within reason - and then RELEASE {any} item elsewhere - again within reason.

There is an icon on the side of SADI, but it is dull and greyed out.
action: You look at the icon
response: Dull and greyed out.
action: Absorb chair
response: SADI emits a buzzing sound and the chair winks out of existence.
action: You look at Sadi
response: SADI: Scenery Adjustment Device Interface. Ingenious device, bad title.

The rumour is that the guy who designed it had a girlfriend called Sadi and really wanted to name his device after her, and Scenery Adjustment Device Interface was the best he could come up with. Whether that's true or not you aren't sure.

SADI is a watch-like device currently affixed to your wrist. Probably the only reason you still have it is that people assumed it
was a watch. Operating it is simple, though caution is
advised. Early prototypes left people without arms and legs, or even a head on one occasion, but this latest version (hopefully!) is incapable of harming a human. It is able to ABSORB {any} item you can see - within reason - and then RELEASE {any} item elsewhere - again within reason.

There is a flashing icon on the side of SADI in the shape of a chair.
action: About you
response: What's to say? You're you. Twenty-five or so, spend way too long working in labs and not enough in the open air, prefer classical music to jazz, think it might be nice to have kids one day but don't want to jeopardise your career for them, and the crowning achievement of your life so far is being allowed to come to Bizan'Toll to study the remarkable things they're doing here - but, in light of what's happened today, you're seriously wishing you'd stayed at home. Your father wanted you to be a doctor, your mother a lawyer. Both professions that don't involve men with guns trying to kill you.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a groaning sound. By the look of things, it's reached its current capacity.
action: Release chair
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the chair reappears in its original location.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone, leaving just the doorway behind.
action: You take the chair
response: Taking items isn't easy with SADI on your wrist as she tends to try and absorb or alter any items you come into contact with. It took weeks to teach her not to absorb your clothes, and any meals you eat need to be eaten quickly before she has time to affect them.

Sometimes, AI isn't all it's cracked up to be.
action: Look around
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. There's also a window, but it's locked tight and, in any event, too small to climb out of.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: Go east
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. A large wooden panel covers the east wall.

Of course, as you might imagine, not everyone can use a device
like SADI. Can you imagine the chaos if everyone was running around with their own little version of SADI, moving scenery at will and messing with the very building blocks of creation? No, you don't want to imagine what it would be like because it wouldn't be pleasant.
action: You release the door
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the door reappears in its original location. The way into your cell is once more blocked, only this time you're outside the cell.
action: You examine the panel
response: A metallic panel clinging the wall.

Everyone who can use a device like SADI is special. You have
powers. The powers are, alas, nothing very special in themselves. You can't leap tall buildings, or lift a car above your head, or cause bullets to bounce off your chin, but you can - though it doesn't always work - get a bad feeling about certain things. And it allows you to use SADI.
action: Absorb panel
response: SADI beeps and the panel vanishes. A storage room is revealed on the other side.
action: You examine the storage room
response: A storage room, previously hidden by the panel you absorbed.

Your abilities have off days. Like today. Of all the days when you could really have benefited from them - when men with guns are coming for you! - and you don't get even a twinge warning you of danger.

use SADI. If not for that, you'd still be trapped in your cell.
action: You examine the alarm
response: It looks fairly innocent, but you get the distinct impression it's anything but. Leave the building with this still working, and you'll have alarms ringing from one side of Bizan'Toll to the other. You're fairly certain you can disable it if you need to, but you can't even reach it from down here.
action: Go east
response: A small room, hidden until you removed the wooden panel in the western wall. A single shelf clings to the wall, its surface covered with dust. There is a table in the middle of the room but little else of interest. One odd thing you notice is the distinct lack of other exits - was this room sealed off at some point and simply forgotten?
action: You look at the table
response: A rickety table, which looks to be very close to simply collapsing altogether. Atop it, someone has drawn a crude map. It appears to be of the very building you're standing in right now.
action: You look at the map
response: A map of the very building you're currently trapped in. Ideally you shouldn't need a map of a building, especially one you work in every day, but the building is actually very large and it's easy to get lost. As most of the map details areas of the building that are inaccessible to you (unless you care to get shot), it's not of much use, but you see one oddity that draws your attention: namely, a jagged line drawn in the wall of the room which was originally your cell. And a symbol next to this indicating "darkness" in Bizan'Toll terms. You wonder what it means.
action: You absorb the southern wall
response: SADI emits a frustrated beeping sound. Unfortunately, everything has limits, and SADI is no exception. Walls are one of the items of scenery it generally struggles with - as a rule because walls are attached to other walls, and often have foundations in the ground, so absorbing them is not as simple as absorbing, say, a pencil.
action: Go west
response: The panel is in the way.
action: Absorb panel
response: SADI beeps and the panel vanishes. The exit to the west is now open once more.
action: Go west
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. To the east, you can see a previously hidden storage room.
action: Release panel
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the panel reappears in its original location, once more blocking off the storage room to the east.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone. You can once more see your cell to the west.
action: You go west
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. There's also a window, but it's locked tight and, in any event, too small to climb out of.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: You examine the window
response: A dust-smeared window set into the wall.
action: You release the door
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the door reappears in its original location.
action: Absorb window
response: SADI emits a beep, and the window flickers out of existence, leaving behind a hole in the wall.
action: Look around
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape. There is a door (locked) in the east wall, barring the room's only exit. There's a hole in the wall left behind by the window.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: You examine hole
response: A gaping hole in the wall, left behind when you absorbed the window. If you were hoping to escape this way, think again. The hole is far too small to climb through.
action: You look through the hole
response: You see nothing much on the other side. Just emptiness. Pity. Even with the window out of the way, there's no chance you'll be able to escape out of the hole.
action: Release window
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the window reappears in its original location.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone, leaving just the doorway behind.
action: Go east
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. A large wooden panel covers the east wall.
action: Go downward
response: The stairs continue further downwards, but there's a metal gate blocking the way. North of here is a doorway leading to the science labs, including the one you were taken from and where your colleague, Scott Talbot, was shot dead. You hear voices coming from that direction, and the sound of footsteps, but can see nothing aside from an empty corridor.
action: You release the door
response: SADI emits a buzzing sound and the door is released. By happy coincidence, it's the same size and shape as the door which originally occupied this doorway, and, as the necessary parameters have been met, your cell door takes the place of the old one.

The northern corridor is now blocked off.
action: Release panel
response: SADI beeps and the panel reappears. As it is meant to be attached to something, it gravitates towards the window, covering it entirely.
action: You go to the east
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. To the east, you can see a previously hidden storage room.
action: You look at the shelf
response: A dusty shelf clinging to the wall.
action: You go to the west
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Against one wall you can see a series of marks that you hadn't noticed before. Some chemical substance, no doubt, causing them to effectively "glow in the dark".

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: Go west
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Against one wall you can see a series of marks that you hadn't noticed before. Some chemical substance, no doubt, causing them to effectively "glow in the dark".
action: You look at the marks
response: Rough scratch marks on the wall. Is something hidden away here?
action: Absorb marks
response: SADI emits a confused buzzing sound. It seems it is having trouble distinguishing between the series of marks and the wall they're on, and as a result it is unable to absorb them.
action: You absorb the wall
response: SADI emits a frustrated beeping sound. Unfortunately, everything has limits, and SADI is no exception. Walls are one of the items of scenery it generally struggles with - as a rule because walls are attached to other walls, and often have foundations in the ground, so absorbing them is not as simple as absorbing, say, a pencil.
action: Absorb chair
response: SADI emits a buzzing sound and the chair winks out of existence.
action: Release chair
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the chair appears on the floor.
action: You absorb the alarm
response: As you aim SADI at the security alarm, you experience the feeling that this is a bad, bad idea. What if the security alarm is linked to some external device? What if removing the security alarm causes that external device to sound an alert? Until you can be certain this won't happen, you daren't risk trying to absorb the security alarm.
action: Go down
response: The stairs continue further downwards, but there's a metal gate blocking the way. North of here is the door from your cell, now blocking the corridor.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone. The corridor to the north is once more visible.
action: Up
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. To the east, you can see a previously hidden storage room.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: You release door
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the door from your cell appears against the far wall.
action: You absorb the map
response: SADI emits a confused beeping sound. This is because the map is simply drawn on the table and as such it cannot be absorbed in this way.
action: Release map
response: SADI emits a confused sound. It seems there's nothing in SADI to release right now.
action: Absorb table
response: SADI emits a beep, and the table flickers out of existence. A trapdoor, previously hidden by the table, is revealed in the floor.
action: You look at the trapdoor
response: The surface is rusted and pitted with age. By the look of things, this hasn't been opened in a long, long time.
action: Release table
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the table appears in the middle of the corridor.
action: Go east
response: A small room, hidden until you removed the wooden panel in the western wall. A single shelf clings to the wall, its surface covered with dust. One odd thing you notice is the distinct lack of other exits - was this room sealed off at some point and simply forgotten? Set into the floor where the table originally stood is a trapdoor (currently closed).
action: You absorb the trapdoor
response: SADI emits a frustrated buzzing sound. It seems that it is having trouble differentiating between the trapdoor and the floor and, as such, it is unable to absorb one without absorbing the other. And as SADI is unable to absorb something as large as the floor, it cannot absorb anything.
action: You go to the west
response: You're in a corridor just outside the room formerly known as your cell. It's a short corridor with nothing much to recommend it: just 20 feet in length with a flight of stairs at the north end leading downwards and your former cell to the west. Above your head, you see a security alarm fitted to the ceiling. Below the security alarm, you can see a table. To the east, you can see a previously hidden storage room.

A rickety wooden chair sits on the floor.
action: Absorb table
response: SADI emits a beep, and the table flickers out of existence.
action: Release table
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the table appears in the middle of the room.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone.
action: Go west
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Against one wall you can see a series of marks that you hadn't noticed before. Some chemical substance, no doubt, causing them to effectively "glow in the dark". There is a table in the middle of the cell.
action: Look around
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape. There is a door (locked) in the east wall, barring the room's only exit. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Against one wall you can see a series of marks that you hadn't noticed before. Some chemical substance, no doubt, causing them to effectively "glow in the dark". There is a table in the middle of the cell.
action: Absorb panel
response: SADI emits a beep, and the panel flickers out of existence, allowing you to see the window once more.
action: Look around
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape. There is a door (locked) in the east wall, barring the room's only exit. There's also a window, but it's locked tight and, in any event, too small to climb out of. There is a table in the middle of the cell.
action: Release panel
response: SADI beeps and the panel reappears. As it is meant to be attached to something, it gravitates towards the window, covering it entirely.
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone, leaving just the doorway behind.
action: Absorb shelf
response: SADI emits a beep, and the shelf flickers out of existence.
action: You release shelf
response: SADI emits a whistling sound, and the shelf appears and attaches itself to the nearest wall.
action: You enter the chair
response: You get onto the chair.
action: You stand on chair
response: But you're already on the chair.
action: You examine the alarm
response: It looks fairly innocent, but you get the distinct impression it's anything but. Leave the building with this still working, and you'll have alarms ringing from one side of Bizan'Toll to the other. You're fairly certain you can disable it, however. The design looks pretty straightforward.
action: You disable alarm
response: You haven't had much call to disable security alarms, but this one is of very basic design and it doesn't more than a minute or two to figure it out.

All done. One security alarm that will never cause you trouble again.
action: Go north
response: (first getting off the chair)
You can't go that way.
action: Go north
response: As you start through the doorway, you hear the unmistakeable crackle of gunfire from that direction and someone cries out in pain. There are other shots followed by silence.

On second thoughts, you'd better not head that way.
action: You examine the gate
response: A sturdy metal gate, currently locked. The stairs continue past it, but the gate itself prevents any further passage that way.
action: You go east
response: A small room, hidden until you removed the wooden panel in the western wall. One odd thing you notice is the distinct lack of other exits - was this room sealed off at some point and simply forgotten? Set into the floor where the table originally stood is a trapdoor (currently closed).
action: Absorb door
response: SADI emits a beep, and the door flickers once then is gone.
action: You release the door
response: SADI emits a buzzing sound and the door is released. By happy coincidence, it's the same size and shape as the door which originally occupied this doorway, and, as the necessary parameters have been met, your cell door takes the place of the old one.

The northern corridor is now blocked off.
action: You go north
response: The door from your cell is in the way.
action: You go to the west
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Against one wall you can see a series of marks that you hadn't noticed before. Some chemical substance, no doubt, causing them to effectively "glow in the dark". There is a table in the middle of the cell and a shelf hanging on the nearest wall.
action: Touch marks
response: The moment you touch the marks, there is a grinding noise from the wall and a previously hidden crawlspace opens up. A way out!
action: You describe your surroundings
response: You don't like to think of this as your cell, but that's essentially what it is: a small room, pretty much devoid of decoration, a place secure enough for you to be locked in without any obvious means of escape... unless, of course, you happen to have used a certain ingenious device to absorb the previously locked door in the east wall. The window is now blocked by the panel and the room is much darker as a result. Set into one wall you can see a crawlspace. There is a table in the middle of the cell and a shelf hanging on the nearest wall.
action: You enter the crawlspace
response: Knowing this is your best bet of getting out of here, you enter the crawlspace. It's cramped, and this does wonders for your age old dread of being in enclosed spaces, but you don't want to end up shot dead the way Scott Talbot was so you grit your teeth and keep on crawling.

You find the crawlspace sloping sharply downwards. A decision is called for. Go ahead or turn back?

Actually, it's not a decision at all. Turning back means returning to your cell, and that might well end with your death. Going ahead at least gives you a chance of getting out of this in one piece.

So you take a deep breath, cross your fingers for luck, and keep crawling.

As the crawlspace slopes down more and more sharply, you find yourself beginning to slide forward. You try to grab hold of the sides in an attempt to slow yourself down. No use.

With a cry, you fall...

And land, hopefully unhurt, in an alley near Piedmont Square in
the centre of the twin cities of Bizan'Toll. What happens next to you and SADI will have to wait, however, as you've now reached the limits of this IntroComp entry.