ClubFloyd Transcript:
Earth and Sky by Paul O'Brian
As played on ifMUD on January 25, 2009

The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction.

Below is a transcript of Earth and Sky, written by Paul O'Brian. Earth and Sky was originally released as part of the 2001 IF Competition, where it took eighth place. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.

WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page.

Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | It's been almost a month since your parents disappeared.
Floyd |
Floyd | One Tuesday, they just didn't come home, and there's been no sign of
Floyd | them since. For the University and the rest of the town, the mystery
Floyd | is beginning to pall. To those people, it's as if Claire and Scott

Floyd | Colborn suddenly stopped existing -- strange and inexplicable, to be
Floyd | sure, but forgettable in the long run.
Floyd |
Floyd | But for you it's as if the ground beneath your feet stopped existing,
Floyd | and you've been plummeting in freefall ever since. Your brother
Floyd | Austin, though, has been a rock through the whole experience, handling

Floyd | the numbing details, the endless meetings with useless detectives,
Floyd | even sorting through Mom and Dad's lab in hopes of finding an answer.
Floyd | Now you stand outside the lab door, clutching his note, hardly daring
Floyd | to hope that such an answer may have arrived at long last.
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | EARTH AND SKY
Floyd | Interactive fiction by Lee Kirby
Floyd | First-time players should type INFO or read the easinfo.txt file
Floyd | 2001 IF Competition Edition -- Release 1
Floyd | Serial number 010926 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Are you sure you want to quit?

Floyd |

Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | It's been almost a month since your parents disappeared.
Floyd |
Floyd | One Tuesday, they just didn't come home, and there's been no sign of
Floyd | them since. For the University and the rest of the town, the mystery

Floyd | is beginning to pall. To those people, it's as if Claire and Scott
Floyd | Colborn suddenly stopped existing -- strange and inexplicable, to be
Floyd | sure, but forgettable in the long run.
Floyd |
Floyd | But for you it's as if the ground beneath your feet stopped existing,
Floyd | and you've been plummeting in freefall ever since. Your brother

Floyd | Austin, though, has been a rock through the whole experience, handling
Floyd | the numbing details, the endless meetings with useless detectives,
Floyd | even sorting through Mom and Dad's lab in hopes of finding an answer.
Floyd | Now you stand outside the lab door, clutching his note, hardly daring
Floyd | to hope that such an answer may have arrived at long last.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | EARTH AND SKY
Floyd | Interactive fiction by Lee Kirby
Floyd | First-time players should type INFO or read the easinfo.txt file
Floyd | 2001 IF Competition Edition -- Release 1
Floyd | Serial number 010926 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10

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

Floyd | The lab door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | EARTH AND SKY behaves like most interactive fiction, with the
Floyd | exception of its conversation system. This system is a mad scientist's

Floyd | hybrid of various techniques from other games:
Floyd |    * ASK <character> ABOUT <topic> and TELL <character> ABOUT <topic>

Floyd | are enabled, and can be used to interact with any non-player character
Floyd | (NPC).
Floyd |    * However, when an NPC addresses the player character (PC), EARTH
Floyd | AND SKY will present a list of possible replies, and ask the player to
Floyd | select one of these. (Remaining silent is always an option as well.)
Floyd |    * Finally, if the player would rather move along with the story

Floyd | than grill NPCs, the verb TALK TO <npc> is also available. Selecting
Floyd | this verb will prompt EARTH AND SKY to launch an entire dialogue
Floyd | between the PC and the NPC, each of whom will choose their words and
Floyd | topics based on what's currently happening in the game.
Floyd |

Floyd | EARTH AND SKY is designed so that it cannot be put into an unwinnable
Floyd | state.
Floyd |
Floyd | Note to PalmPilot users: For best results, play Earth And Sky with a
Floyd | 40-column-width screen. To set this under Frobnitz, access the menus
Floyd | (by tapping the menu button in the bottom left corner of the green

Floyd | lower window) then tap Options, Configure Display, and set Columns to
Floyd | 40. Then restart the game.
Floyd |
Floyd | Type CREDITS to see the acknowledgements. Thanks for playing EARTH AND
Floyd | SKY!
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a note
Floyd |   an access card

Floyd |   a sweatshirt (being worn)
Floyd |   a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
Floyd |   your sneakers (being worn)
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You haven't been looking your best lately, but you find it hard to
Floyd | care. Austin won't mind your casual clothes, though -- he understands
Floyd | that fashion isn't exactly topping your priorities right now.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | This note was waiting for you when you got home today. It reads:
Floyd |
Floyd | Emily --

Floyd |
Floyd | Meet me at the lab as soon as you can. I've found some things that we
Floyd | need to talk about immediately.
Floyd |
Floyd |                                            -- A
Floyd | >

Floyd | This card, which doubles as your student ID, displays your name and
Floyd | photo, along with a barcode and a 16-digit ID number; all this
Floyd | information is superimposed on an aerial shot of the campus and the
Floyd | pretty California surf. There's a magnetic stripe on the back.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As always, grateful acknowledgement is due to Graham Nelson for
Floyd | creating Inform and its excellent documentation, notably the fourth

Floyd | edition of the Inform Designers Manual. Thanks as well to Adam Cadre
Floyd | for his flags.h library extension.
Floyd |
Floyd | I'd also like to extend my appreciation and apologies to Richard
Floyd | Monastersky -- he wrote an article in the Oct. 19, 2000 edition of the
Floyd | Chronicle of Higher Education about West Chester University's research

Floyd | into isolating ancient bacteria, and that piece directly inspired much
Floyd | of part two. Apologies and thanks as well to Drs. Vreeland et. al. for
Floyd | the liberties I've taken with their work.
Floyd |
Floyd | Without the support of my family, this work would probably never have
Floyd | been started, let alone finished. A thousand thanks to them.

Floyd |
Floyd | EARTH AND SKY is an affectionate tribute to the creators of Marvel
Floyd | Comics, whose dazzling imaginations have illuminated my childhood and
Floyd | adulthood.
Floyd |
Floyd | And saving the best for last: extra-special thanks to David, Jenny,

Floyd | Jon, and Stephen, my outstanding cadre of betatesters. Way to save my
Floyd | skin a hundred times over, crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Outside the Lab Door

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

Floyd | A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to slide the access card.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:

Floyd |   a note
Floyd |   an access card
Floyd |   a sweatshirt (being worn)
Floyd |   a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
Floyd |   your sneakers (being worn)
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | [swiping your access card in the reader]
Floyd | The green light glows, and there is a click from inside the lab door.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You open the lab door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You take a deep breath, and step across the threshold into the lab.
Floyd |

Floyd | [Please press a key to continue.]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |                                E A R T H
Floyd |
Floyd |                                  A N D

Floyd |
Floyd |                                  S K Y
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |                          Part 1: Suit Yourself

Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | Lab
Floyd | Ever since Dad got shortlisted for the Nobel in physics and Mom's
Floyd | patents started making millions, the University has pretty much given
Floyd | them carte blanche. Consequently, this lab space is cavernous, tens of
Floyd | thousands of square feet, with ceilings reaching nearly five stories
Floyd | high. Some parts of this giant room are occupied by giant equipment,

Floyd | dizzyingly complex hunks of machinery at whose function you couldn't
Floyd | even begin to guess. Other parts are empty, save for a few tables and
Floyd | terminals. A ring of windows near the ceiling looks out on the distant
Floyd | stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and west into the
Floyd | hallway.
Floyd |

Floyd | You look around for Austin, but he's not here. Typical. Well, knowing
Floyd | your perpetually late brother, he'll be along soon enough.
Floyd |
Floyd | Amidst the general chaos of the lab, a legal pad seems to have fallen
Floyd | from one of the tables.
Floyd |

Floyd | The hallway door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I beg your pardon?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The lab door clicks and swings shut.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The first page contains a few notes scribbled in your father's
Floyd | familiar cryptic handwriting:
Floyd |

Floyd | ES: Str -- OK
Floyd |     Imp res -- OK
Floyd |     E res -- ??? -- probs
Floyd |
Floyd | SS: Flt -- OK
Floyd |     Fog -- OK

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

Floyd | The rest of the pages are blank.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | If you had a couple of days, unlimited curiosity, and several years

Floyd | worth of calculus and physics classes, Austin could probably explain
Floyd | some of this equipment to you. As it is, you prefer to be awed by its
Floyd | mysterious grandeur rather than the impressive feats it can no doubt
Floyd | perform. Luckily, Mom and Dad never pushed the science with either of
Floyd | you, so even though Austin ended up their prot?g? and you became a
Floyd | contented English major, he never got special treatment from them.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Storage Room

Floyd | If Mom had her way, the storage room would be a neatly organized
Floyd | gallery of supplies, spare parts, and backup media, all efficiently
Floyd | arranged on the room's many metal shelving units. However, with Dad
Floyd | using the lab, that's not likely to happen. Oh sure, everything is on
Floyd | the shelves, but finding something could take the better part of a
Floyd | day. A door leads back north to the lab.

Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | A wooden chair sits in the middle of the storage room, with some
Floyd | bright blue fabric draped across it.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | This appears to be a form-fitting bodysuit of some kind, tailored to
Floyd | fit a female body. It is bright blue, with cloud-patterned streaks of
Floyd | white. A combination cowl and mask is attached at the neck of the

Floyd | suit.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You haven't been looking your best lately, but you find it hard to

Floyd | care. Austin won't mind your casual clothes, though -- he understands
Floyd | that fashion isn't exactly topping your priorities right now.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | An ordinary wooden chair.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

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

Floyd | west into the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hallway door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | [first opening the hallway door]
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside the Lab Door

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

Floyd | A card reader is mounted to the wall beside the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear footsteps in the deserted hallway, and turn to see Austin
Floyd | walking towards you. "Hi, Em," he says when he reaches you. "I see you
Floyd | found my note. Thanks for coming -- sorry I'm a little late. I'm going
Floyd | to head into the lab, so join me there whenever you're ready." True to

Floyd | his word, he enters the lab, closing the door behind him.
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself doing a double-take as the door shuts. Was Austin
Floyd | wearing a mask?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first opening the lab door]
Floyd | It seems to be locked.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's what the card reader is for.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The green light glows, and there is a click from inside the lab door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first opening the lab door]
Floyd |
Floyd | Lab
Floyd | You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment

Floyd | in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are
Floyd | a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks
Floyd | out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and
Floyd | west into the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hallway door is open.

Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Austin here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your brother has always been a bit of a fashion victim, but what he's

Floyd | wearing right now hits a new level on the sartorial freak-o-meter.
Floyd | It's a skintight grey body stocking, flecked with black and decorated
Floyd | with small orange or yellow streaks here and there. The whole thing
Floyd | snugly covers his modest frame, and a combination cowl and mask comes
Floyd | up from the back to conceal his hair and eyes.
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay."
Floyd | 2) "I'm supposed to take fashion advice from somebody dressed like
Floyd | that?"
Floyd | 3) "Hey, what's with the orders? You're not the boss of me!"
Floyd | 4) "Austin, stop being so high-handed and just tell me what's going

Floyd | on."
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin laughs. "Okay, okay," he says, "I know this must look a little
Floyd | bizarre, considering you don't really know the context. But please,

Floyd | just trust me. It won't make sense until you're wearing yours too."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Austin was never one to conform to the whims of fashion, but right now

Floyd | he's dressed much more strangely than you've ever seen him. He's
Floyd | wearing a grey jumpsuit, speckled with black and shot through with
Floyd | streaks of yellow and orange. The outfit seems to include a cowl and
Floyd | mask, which covers Austin's brown eyes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Storage Room
Floyd | If Mom had her way, the storage room would be a neatly organized
Floyd | gallery of supplies, spare parts, and backup media, all efficiently

Floyd | arranged on the room's many metal shelving units. However, with Dad
Floyd | using the lab, that's not likely to happen. Oh sure, everything is on
Floyd | the shelves, but finding something could take the better part of a
Floyd | day. A door leads back north to the lab.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.

Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a chair here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first removing the sweatshirt]
Floyd | You're not about to undress with the door open, even if the guy in the
Floyd | next room is only your brother.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't use multiple objects with that verb.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You close the storage room door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first removing the sweatshirt]
Floyd |
Floyd | [first removing the sweat pants]
Floyd |
Floyd | [first removing the sneakers]
Floyd |

Floyd | You slip into the blue bodysuit. It's not a perfect fit, but it's
Floyd | better than you'd expected, skintight in some areas and only slightly
Floyd | looser in others. The feel is warm and comfortable, and the suit
Floyd | covers almost your entire body, even your hands and feet. When you
Floyd | pull the cowl and mask on, you feel a strange tingling sensation in
Floyd | your scalp.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first opening the storage room door]
Floyd |
Floyd | Lab
Floyd | You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment
Floyd | in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are
Floyd | a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks

Floyd | out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and
Floyd | west into the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hallway door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.

Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Austin here.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh good, you're wearing it," Austin says.
Floyd |
Floyd | He shows you a notebook he's been carrying. "I found this notebook,

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

Floyd |
Floyd | He leans back against a towering piece of steel machinery, allowing
Floyd | himself to slide down it and sit on the floor. "They were working on a
Floyd | lot, Em, let me tell you -- most of it so far beyond my own scientific
Floyd | experience that it took me a long time to even grasp the point of each
Floyd | experiment. Dad's cryptic notation style didn't help much either. So

Floyd | last night, when I started checking out a piece of equipment that
Floyd | didn't seem to have any purpose at all, I figured it was just my own
Floyd | ignorance again, that I didn't know what the thing was. Then I
Floyd | stumbled on a tiny little latch, and the whole thing swung open. Em,
Floyd | it was hollow inside. And stuffed into that cavity were these suits,
Floyd | with this notebook."

Floyd |
Floyd | He opens the notebook and begins to read aloud:
Floyd |
Floyd |    Earthsuit: provides
Floyd |       * greatly enhanced strength
Floyd |       * resistance to electric shock

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

Floyd |    Skysuit: provides
Floyd |       * flight
Floyd |       * electrical discharges (blasts)
Floyd |       * fog
Floyd |
Floyd | "The rest of the pages are filled with notes and diagrams that are way

Floyd | beyond my grasp. But near as I can figure, these are the suits those
Floyd | notes talk about. I'm wearing the earthsuit, and you're wearing the
Floyd | skysuit."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "I don't understand. What's this all about?"
Floyd | 2) "Did they also make a monkeysuit? Maybe with 'greatly enhanced
Floyd | banana-eating ability'?"
Floyd | 3) "I had to wear this goofy suit just to hear you recite from a
Floyd | notebook?"
Floyd | 4) "But this is just so bizarre. You think Mom and Dad were planning

Floyd | to make us into some kind of superheroes?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Maybe not us," he says. "Your build is very similar to Mom's, and I'm
Floyd | not all that much bigger than Dad. Maybe they were planning to wear
Floyd | the suits themselves. I don't know. All I know is that mine definitely
Floyd | works, or at least the strength part does. Watch."
Floyd |

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

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

Floyd | "Remember that tingling you felt when you put own the cowl? The suits
Floyd | respond to mental commands. I bet if you decided you wanted to fly up
Floyd | to the ceiling right now, you could. Why don't you try it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The moment you think it, the ground silently drops away beneath you,
Floyd | so fast and so smoothly that it almost feels as if a wire is pulling
Floyd | you up to the ceiling. But there is no wire, and only air beneath your
Floyd | feet. You have risen...

Floyd |
Floyd | High Above The Lab
Floyd | You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The
Floyd | beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them,
Floyd | and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean.
Floyd | Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good

Floyd | thing you're not afraid of heights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sure enough, you can touch them. [Hey, I wouldn't lie to you.] In

Floyd | fact, as you rest your hand on one of the girders, you notice a small
Floyd | envelope taped to it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (first taking the ceiling struts)
Floyd | They're hardly portable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You open the envelope, revealing a letter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first removing it from the envelope]
Floyd |
Floyd | The letter is written in your mother's handwriting:
Floyd |

Floyd | Dear kids --
Floyd |
Floyd | If you've found this letter, something is probably very wrong. I wish
Floyd | I could explain everything to you, but that will have to wait. If Nina
Floyd | hasn't contacted you already, bring this letter to her. If we're
Floyd | missing, she can give you information that might help the search

Floyd | parties. If our deaths have been confirmed, she will serve as the
Floyd | executor of our estate, and deliver documents we've prepared for that
Floyd | circumstance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Remember that we love you both, and are very proud of you. And believe
Floyd | that we never meant to put you in danger -- for that we are deeply

Floyd | sorry.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courage,
Floyd |
Floyd | Mom + Dad
Floyd |

Floyd | Nina -- to you, she's always been "Aunt Nina", though of course she
Floyd | isn't really your blood relative. She's Mom and Dad's oldest and
Floyd | closest friend, so it makes perfect sense that they'd let her in on
Floyd | their secrets. But if she has information, why isn't she using it? And
Floyd | why hasn't she told you or Austin about any of this?
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | High Above The Lab
Floyd | You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The

Floyd | beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them,
Floyd | and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean.
Floyd | Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good
Floyd | thing you're not afraid of heights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | From here, the windows command an incredible view. To the east, the
Floyd | campus spreads out before you and the main roads reach to the horizon.
Floyd | On the other side, moonlight glimmers on the vast ocean.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As smoothly as you rose, you descend once more.
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | The hallway door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Austin here.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, it's clear that the flying functionality is operational," says
Floyd | Austin.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Now let's test out some of that suit's other capabilities. The notes
Floyd | mention a fog power -- the flying worked when you decided to fly, so

Floyd | let's see what happens when you try to fog something. Why don't we
Floyd | start by having you just think FOG? I have a hunch that will probably
Floyd | cloud up the general area."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "Sure thing."
Floyd | 2) "Oh, there's a useful superpower. 'They're getting away! Quick,
Floyd | Fog-Woman, worsen their driving conditions!'"
Floyd | 3) "Okay, but all this moisture had better not make my hair really
Floyd | frizzy."
Floyd |

Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you want those glamorous powers that
Floyd | they give women in the comic books... like shrinking, or turning
Floyd | invisible. Watch out, evildoers: it's Unobtrusive Lass!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At your mental command, fog swirls around you, billowing out and
Floyd | silently engulfing the room. Because of the size of the lab, however,
Floyd | it quickly thins into a light mist.

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

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

Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Alright, I'll give it a shot."
Floyd | 2) "Why don't you focus your thought on not being so freaking bossy?"
Floyd | 3) "Hang on, I want to try something else first."

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, we're mighty testy today, aren't we? Look, it's not like all

Floyd | this has been easy on me either, and I've been doing a lot more of the
Floyd | actual work than you have. I'm fine with that, but it doesn't mean I'm
Floyd | willing to be your personal punching bag. So do whatever you want.
Floyd | When you're interested in learning how to use the skysuit, I'll be
Floyd | waiting."
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You concentrate on fogging Austin, but nothing happens.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Interesting," muses Austin. "Apparently, the fog power only works on
Floyd | one thing at a time."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You concentrate on fogging the large wooden spool, but nothing
Floyd | happens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a letter
Floyd |   an envelope (which is open but empty)

Floyd |   a skysuit (being worn)
Floyd |   a legal pad
Floyd |   a note
Floyd |   an access card
Floyd |   a sweatshirt
Floyd |   a pair of sweat pants

Floyd |   your sneakers
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Austin takes the letter from you and reads it, his eyes widening.

Floyd |
Floyd | He gives the letter back to you. "Seems like every clue we find leaves
Floyd | us understanding less than we did before, doesn't it?" he says. "And I
Floyd | don't know about you, but I'm starting to get pretty freaked out. I
Floyd | mean, their disappearance was terrifying enough, but now these suits,
Floyd | and this stuff about us being in danger? I just don't know what to

Floyd | think, Em. Least of all about Aunt Nina. Hey, aren't you scheduled to
Floyd | assist her in lab work tomorrow morning? Maybe you could ask her about
Floyd | all this then."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "Sure."
Floyd | 2) "Oh yeah, that'll be a fun conversation. 'Howdy Aunt Nina, how are
Floyd | you? Oh, and by the way, I was wondering why you betrayed our
Floyd | family?'"
Floyd | 3) "I'll try, but Nina tends to get pretty wrapped up in her work. I
Floyd | may have to wait until after lab."

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Yeah, I've seen that in action," he laughs. "Well, at this point, the
Floyd | biggest part of the mystery is why she hasn't told us already. So I
Floyd | guess a few more hours won't kill us. I hope."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "I suppose it's of limited use when it blocks your sight as well as
Floyd | that of others, but it's an interesting ability nonetheless."
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice that the mist has pretty much dissipated.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At your mental command, fog swirls around Austin, silently engulfing
Floyd | him in a cloud of thick, grey vapor.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Verrrry funny," says the cloud. It blunders about the room for a few
Floyd | moments, finally bumping into and encompassing one of the lab's many
Floyd | tables. There is the sound of sliding papers, then a deep whoosh
Floyd | whoosh whoosh emanates from within the cloud, and you are buffeted by
Floyd | powerful waves of air. Within seconds, the cloud has cleared,

Floyd | revealing Austin waving a six-foot table as if it were an oriental
Floyd | fan.
Floyd |
Floyd | He sets the table down. "Okay, wiseass, you've made your point.
Floyd | Clearly, you can fog specific things, and even specific people. And
Floyd | I'm guessing that if you use it on somebody who can't overpower it,

Floyd | it'd probably be a pretty good weapon. I still think the spool
Floyd | would've been a better test subject, though," he says grumpily.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I think there's just one more power we have yet to test: the
Floyd | electrical blasts. Mom's notes are a little vague on this point -- it
Floyd | was probably more Dad's contribution -- but I'm betting that it works

Floyd | just like the specific fog, that you just decide what you want to
Floyd | blast and blast it. Of course, I'm not sure how much power you'll
Floyd | pack, so there's not many things in here it'd be safe to test on. How
Floyd | about we try this spool again? Either just blast it right here, or if
Floyd | you want to try it from the air, fly up to the ceiling and I'll toss
Floyd | the spool to you. I'm betting you can probably blow it to

Floyd | smithereens."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "You got it."
Floyd | 2) "Now that's more like it! KA-BLAMMO!"

Floyd | 3) "My God, you mean I can actually shoot lightning with this thing?
Floyd | This is all so surreal."
Floyd | 4) "How about we test your suit's resistance to electric shock,
Floyd | instead?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin's usually confident expression collapses. "Uh, well... I have
Floyd | to say, Emily, the prospect makes me pretty nervous. I mean, it'd be
Floyd | great to find out that it works, but I'm not a hundred percent sure
Floyd | they finished building in that feature, and I don't think I'd want to
Floyd | be struck by lightning unless I was sure."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You extend your hand, and panic soaks Austin's face. "Emily, wait,
Floyd | STOP! What are you doing?"

Floyd |
Floyd | "Well," you say, "I figure: here's me with electrical powers, and
Floyd | here's you with a suit that absorbs electricity. Let's give it a try!"
Floyd |
Floyd | "But we don't know that the earthsuit's electrical protection actually
Floyd | works! I sure haven't done any tests, considering the consequences of

Floyd | those tests failing. I mean, it'd be great to find out that it works,
Floyd | but I'm not a hundred percent sure they finished building in that
Floyd | feature, and I don't think I'd want to be struck by lightning unless I
Floyd | was sure."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Now who's the bossy one?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity
Floyd | arcs between you and Austin. "Emily, no! Don't--" he says, then sees
Floyd | the buzzing, sparking current and screams in alarm. For a moment, you
Floyd | are both frozen in that tableau, and then Austin's body begins to
Floyd | convulse, his muscles spasming uncontrollably as the current races

Floyd | through them. A jolt of adrenaline hits you, but the skysuit
Floyd | interprets your muscle tension as a command to continue the lightning,
Floyd | and Austin's seizure goes on. Finally, with utmost willpower, you
Floyd | relax your muscles, and the power stops flowing. You run to Austin,
Floyd | but you know the truth even before you reach him: it's much too late.
Floyd | Your lightning has stopped his heart, and he lies lifeless on a lab

Floyd | floor that grows ever colder beneath you.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |     *** You have killed your brother ***
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Floyd | Lab
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Nothing happens. Apparently, the suit has some sort of safeguard
Floyd | against self-destruction. Guess you'll have to go back to the

Floyd | slitting-your-wrists idea.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Thick, swirling fog coalesces around you, and you find yourself...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lost in a Cloud
Floyd | A thick cloud of impenetrable mist surrounds you on all sides.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Lost in a Cloud
Floyd | A thick cloud of impenetrable mist surrounds you on all sides.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | (to yourself)
Floyd | There is no reply.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fog lifts, and you can see again.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lab

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

Floyd | The hallway door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Austin and a large wooden spool here.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity
Floyd | arcs between you and the large wooden spool. With a thundering
Floyd | KER-POW, the large wooden spool disintegrates, leaving only a smoking

Floyd | scorch mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Austin whistles. "Wow," he says. "That is one powerful blast. Looks
Floyd | like you could pretty much obliterate most any nearby object, unless
Floyd | it was well grounded and a very good conductor. Even then, it'd
Floyd | probably get pretty fried by the sheer voltage passing through it. I

Floyd | suppose it'd have less effect on very large objects -- the damage
Floyd | would probably be localized, but still significant. Basically, you
Floyd | pack quite a wallop!"
Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, I guess the suit checks out," says Austin. "We've tested every
Floyd | power mentioned in this notebook, and they all seem to work. I have no

Floyd | idea what Mom and Dad intended their original purpose to be, but
Floyd | they're not here to tell us, and the suits seem to fit us fine. So let
Floyd | me ask you this, Emily: How would you feel about using these suits to
Floyd | investigate the situation ourselves? I don't much feel like a
Floyd | superhero, but in a sense, that's what we are when we've got these
Floyd | suits on. Maybe we can explore avenues that aren't exactly open to the

Floyd | police. What do you say?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."

Floyd | 3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating
Floyd | a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to
Floyd | find us clues that the police can't find?"
Floyd | 4) "I can't be a superhero! I don't have long, flowing hair or
Floyd | gigantic breasts!"
Floyd | 5) "You can't be a superhero! You're not covered with steroid-enhanced

Floyd | bulges!"
Floyd | 6) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
Floyd | 7) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now
Floyd | can we?"
Floyd | 8) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"

Floyd | 9) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd | 10) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without
Floyd | being noticed?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin laughs. "I don't think those things are really much of an asset
Floyd | in combat, do you? I bet you could demolish any of those Pam Anderson

Floyd | types."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."

Floyd | 3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating
Floyd | a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to
Floyd | find us clues that the police can't find?"
Floyd | 4) "You can't be a superhero! You're not covered with steroid-enhanced
Floyd | bulges!"
Floyd | 5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"

Floyd | 6) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now
Floyd | can we?"
Floyd | 7) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"
Floyd | 8) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd | 9) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without

Floyd | being noticed?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |

Floyd | Austin smirks, and rolls his eyes. "Let's find Mom and Dad first, then
Floyd | I promise I'll subscribe to bodybuilding magazines and start cranking
Floyd | the anabolics. Okay?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "We can't be superheroes! We don't know a thing about investigating
Floyd | a crime! How is shooting lightning and lifting heavy things going to
Floyd | find us clues that the police can't find?"
Floyd | 4) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"

Floyd | 5) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now
Floyd | can we?"
Floyd | 6) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"
Floyd | 7) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd | 8) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without

Floyd | being noticed?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "But Emily, we already have. Without the skysuit, would we ever have
Floyd | found that note Mom left? She must have used the suit herself to get
Floyd | it up there. Anyway, it's better than just sitting around waiting for
Floyd | something to happen. Right?"
Floyd |

Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
Floyd | 4) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now

Floyd | can we?"
Floyd | 5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"
Floyd | 6) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd | 7) "We can't be superheroes! How will we wear these suits without
Floyd | being noticed?"

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Yeah, the whole 'secret identity' problem. I always thought it was a

Floyd | little silly for comicbook superheroes to hide their identities, but
Floyd | maybe we ought to do that, at least until we find Mom and Dad.
Floyd | Otherwise, there might be a lot of uncomfortable suspicions around us,
Floyd | not to mention around Mom and Dad's research."
Floyd |
Floyd | "I agree, but that doesn't answer my question," you say.

Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh, right. Actually, Mom and Dad seem to have thought of that, too. I
Floyd | tested wearing street clothes over the earthsuit before you got here;
Floyd | when enough of the suit is covered, the visible parts fade into
Floyd | transparency, and the cowl does some kind of holo-projection thing so
Floyd | that your hair and face look normal, too. It's really cool. You should

Floyd | give it a try sometime. The only problem is that you can't use the
Floyd | suit's powers when it's covered like that -- I think it uses mostly
Floyd | photoreceptors to power itself. But that's probably for the best,
Floyd | since without the cowls visible it'd just look like us doing those
Floyd | superpower things. Anyway, I hope that addresses your objection."
Floyd |

Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
Floyd | 4) "We can't be superheroes without snazzy-sounding code names, now

Floyd | can we?"
Floyd | 5) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"
Floyd | 6) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Cool code names, eh? Well, since it's an earthsuit and a skysuit that
Floyd | give us our powers, how about something that incorporates those

Floyd | elements? Like, I don't know... Earth-Man and Sky-Girl?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "First of all," you say, "why is it that you get to be a Man, and I'm
Floyd | just a Girl? Also, Earth-Man sounds like something a Star Trek alien
Floyd | would call you."
Floyd |

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

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

Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
Floyd | 4) "I can't be a superhero! I'm in horrible shape! I probably couldn't
Floyd | even run around the block!"
Floyd | 5) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Heh. I know what you mean. Still, with these suits, it's not like we
Floyd | really need to be in good shape. You can fly wherever you want to go,
Floyd | and this suit keeps me strong enough to run or jump or whatever

Floyd | without getting particularly winded. It probably wouldn't hurt us to
Floyd | start working out a little more, but it's not like we have to be
Floyd | Olympic athletes before we can use these suits."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "I can't be a superhero! I'm scared to death of fighting!"
Floyd | 4) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin turns serious. "Well me too, of course. Certainly we'll have an

Floyd | advantage over anybody we want to take on, but I have no illusions
Floyd | that it won't be dangerous. I'm scared, too. But I guess I just think
Floyd | that if we can find Mom and Dad, it'll be worth the risk."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |

Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."
Floyd | 3) "We can't be superheroes! What if we get hurt?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "What if Mom and Dad are already hurt?" retorts Austin. "Anything that
Floyd | happens to us couldn't be any worse than the fears I know we've both

Floyd | had about them. Don't we owe it to them to take that risk?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Okay, you've convinced me. Let's do it."
Floyd | 2) "No. I'm sorry, but I just think it's a bad idea."

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin looks crestfallen, but reaches out to pat you on the shoulder.

Floyd | "Okay, Em. I understand, I really do. Why don't you just leave the
Floyd | suit here and head on home? I'll meet up with you tomorrow. Also, I'd
Floyd | appreciate it if you'd still talk to Aunt Nina tomorrow, and let me
Floyd | know what you find out. Sleep well, Emily."
Floyd |

Floyd | [Please press a key to continue.]
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |                                     E A R T H
Floyd |
Floyd |                                       A N D
Floyd |
Floyd |                                       S K Y
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |                          Part 2: Shake, Rattle, and Roar
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | It's hard to imagine how Nina Icolari ever became friends with your
Floyd | parents. Where they are serious and straightforward, even to the point
Floyd | of stuffiness, she's fun-loving and mischievous. Mom and Dad are night
Floyd | owls, while Nina works best early in the morning. Your parents drink
Floyd | Coke, she drinks Pepsi, and so on. But all those differences vanish
Floyd | inside the lab, where your goofy Aunt Nina suddenly metamorphoses into

Floyd | a world-class biologist, a driven scientist doing some of the most
Floyd | cutting-edge research in the field. When she's working, it's almost
Floyd | impossible to distract her with anything else, which makes your task
Floyd | today a difficult one...
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd | Observation Booth
Floyd | This small chamber is an adjunct to the materials handling room,
Floyd | designed to allow observation and some degree of remote control over
Floyd | the equipment in that room. On the north wall is the long, rectangular
Floyd | pane of thick glass that separates the two rooms, and below that is a

Floyd | control panel. Opposite the edges of this large window, on the south
Floyd | side of the room, a couple of tall window-slats let in the sunlight.
Floyd | To the west is the door out to the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a letter

Floyd |   a buzzer
Floyd |   an access card
Floyd |   your sneakers (being worn)
Floyd |   a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
Floyd |   a sweatshirt (being worn)
Floyd |   a legal pad

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | I'm not sure what "her" refers to.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Observation Booth
Floyd | This small chamber is an adjunct to the materials handling room,
Floyd | designed to allow observation and some degree of remote control over

Floyd | the equipment in that room. On the north wall is the long, rectangular
Floyd | pane of thick glass that separates the two rooms, and below that is a
Floyd | control panel. Opposite the edges of this large window, on the south
Floyd | side of the room, a couple of tall window-slats let in the sunlight.
Floyd | To the west is the door out to the hallway.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | Austin invented this gizmo. It's a plastic device, about the size and
Floyd | shape of a pencil, with a button on one end. When you push that
Floyd | button, the buzzer sends a signal to Austin, and the button flashes

Floyd | until he acknowledges the message. Then he'll come running to find
Floyd | you, following the buzzer's GPS signal. He asked you to take the
Floyd | buzzer this morning so that you could notify him immediately after you
Floyd | talk to Aunt Nina about the letter, or in case anything unusual comes
Floyd | up.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | This control panel rivals an airplane cockpit for complexity, and Aunt
Floyd | Nina hasn't trained you on a whole lot of its functions. The only
Floyd | controls you really know are a horizontal lever, a vertical lever, and

Floyd | a pale green switch. There is also a speaker and microphone built into
Floyd | the control panel so that people in the two rooms can talk to each
Floyd | other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The horizontal lever controls the containment chamber where samples
Floyd | are kept before transfer. Pulling the lever opens the chamber, and
Floyd | pushing it closes the chamber.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The vertical lever activates the security door for the materials
Floyd | handling room. If you pull it, a thick plate of lead alloy slides over
Floyd | the outside of the door, serving both as warning and protection for

Floyd | anyone outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Austin invented this gizmo. It's a plastic device, about the size and

Floyd | shape of a pencil, with a button on one end. When you push that
Floyd | button, the buzzer sends a signal to Austin, and the button flashes
Floyd | until he acknowledges the message. Then he'll come running to find
Floyd | you, following the buzzer's GPS signal. He asked you to take the
Floyd | buzzer this morning so that you could notify him immediately after you
Floyd | talk to Aunt Nina about the letter, or in case anything unusual comes

Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Once a sealed container has been placed within the transfer chamber,

Floyd | the pale green switch activates a sterile transfer to the desired
Floyd | receptacle. The switch is currently in the OFF position.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of the double-doors to the materials handling room opens, and in
Floyd | strides Aunt Nina. She's looking as beautiful as ever today, even with
Floyd | her dark hair pulled back into a severe bun.

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

Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "I'm fine, thanks."
Floyd | 2) "Actually, I'm kind of reeling. Can I talk to you about it?"
Floyd | 3) "I'm over here, Aunt Nina. That's the containment chamber you're
Floyd | talking to."

Floyd | 4) "Aunt Nina, I want to talk to you about this letter I found. It
Floyd | says you know something about Mom and Dad's disappearance."
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Good, good, I'm glad to hear it," says Aunt Nina distractedly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | "Aunt Nina, I really need to talk to you about something," you
Floyd | venture.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Can it wait, please? Finishing this procedure is my top priority
Floyd | today, then we can talk."
Floyd |

Floyd | "Well, I'd rather not wait..."
Floyd |
Floyd | "I need to ask you to wait today, Emily. Thanks for understanding."
Floyd |
Floyd | "But Aunt Nina, I found a letter from Mom last night saying that you
Floyd | have information about where Mom and Dad are!"

Floyd |
Floyd | "I don't have time to write you a recommendation letter right now,
Floyd | Emily. Let's talk about it after the transfer," she says, her eyes on
Floyd | the transfer chamber controls.
Floyd |
Floyd | "No, Aunt Nina, I said--"

Floyd |
Floyd | "Emily, please!"
Floyd |
Floyd | You lapse into silence rather than continue the fruitless
Floyd | conversation.
Floyd |

Floyd | This is really very odd. Aunt Nina is always a little out of it when
Floyd | she's focused on a procedure, but you've never seen her quite this out
Floyd | of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Aunt Nina walks over to the containment chamber and starts inspecting
Floyd | it, talking to you all the time. You recognize this behavior -- you

Floyd | and Austin call it her Lecture Mode, and once it starts rolling, it's
Floyd | about as easy to stop as a speeding train.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So, as I'm sure you remember, Emily, these experiments deal with
Floyd | bacteria that I'm convinced are at least 250 million years old. These
Floyd | guys were around millions of years before the first dinosaurs evolved,

Floyd | back when all the continents were in one smushed-together landmass
Floyd | called Pangaea. The bacteria have been trapped in a deposit of salt
Floyd | crystals since that time, and today's procedure is the next step in
Floyd | extracting the bacteria so that we can study them."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't blast anything until you put the skysuit back on.
Floyd |
Floyd | "People have found living bacteria trapped in salt before," continues
Floyd | Aunt Nina, "but their reports have been rejected because they couldn't

Floyd | prove that the microbes weren't actually contaminants from the lab.
Floyd | This time, though, we've taken extraordinary precautions -- everything
Floyd | has been in a sterile environment from the outset, and we've washed
Floyd | the salt crystals with both caustic bleach and acid. Then once the
Floyd | crystals are in the transfer chamber, we'll use sterilized equipment
Floyd | to drill inside them."

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's clearly pointless to even try talking to Aunt Nina right now.
Floyd |
Floyd | Aunt Nina walks over to the transfer chamber and starts typing on the

Floyd | attached keyboard, double-checking the programming of its internal
Floyd | equipment. "The bacteria actually live in tiny pockets of brine inside
Floyd | the crystals, so we'll extract that fluid and add some nutrients to
Floyd | see what grows. I think they've been able to survive this long because
Floyd | they were in a spore state, essentially shut down. But preliminary
Floyd | testing indicates that once these bacteria leave the spore state, they

Floyd | may be able to multiply astonishingly quickly."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Once a sealed container has been placed within the transfer chamber,

Floyd | the pale green switch activates a sterile transfer to the desired
Floyd | receptacle. The switch is currently in the OFF position.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Of course, there is a danger that the radiation emitted by nearby
Floyd | rocks might have damaged the DNA of this bacteria sometime during its
Floyd | 250 million year journey, but without a metric for comparison, it may

Floyd | be hard to tell. In any case, it certainly raises interesting
Floyd | questions about the limits of life. Knowing that bacteria can survive
Floyd | for this long in such an unforgiving environment has even begun to
Floyd | make me wonder whether it's possible that they can hop from one planet
Floyd | to another -- who knows, perhaps these microbes have an
Floyd | extraterrestrial origin?"

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

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

Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Activating security door."
Floyd | 2) "Um... how do I do that again?"
Floyd | 3) "Would you please stop talking for just a minute so I can ask you
Floyd | something?"

Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | Aunt Nina gets up from the transfer chamber and starts leafing

Floyd | intensely through one of the notebooks she brought in with her. She
Floyd | doesn't answer you.
Floyd |
Floyd | A prickling feeling is creeping up the back of your skull. Something
Floyd | is definitely wrong with Aunt Nina.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You hear a hum of servos, followed by a resonant thump. The red bulb
Floyd | lights up, indicating that the security door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Excellent," says Aunt Nina. She sets the notebook down and walks over
Floyd | to the containment chamber. "Now open the containment chamber,

Floyd | please."
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Opening containment chamber."
Floyd | 2) "That's the horizontal lever, right?"

Floyd | 3) "That's the pale green switch, right?"
Floyd | 4) "That's the chartreuse trackball, right?"
Floyd | 5) "It really doesn't matter what I say, does it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Right, that's right," mumbles Aunt Nina, running a finger over one of
Floyd | her written calculations.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You don't want to raise the security door in the middle of an

Floyd | experiment!
Floyd |
Floyd | "It's the horizontal lever. Did I say that? I can't remember. Well,
Floyd | that's what it is."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | With a hydraulic hiss, the containment chamber slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Aunt Nina's eyes light up as the containment chamber reveals its

Floyd | prize. She reaches in to retrieve it, a circular steel platter sealed
Floyd | by a glass dome. Beneath that hemisphere of glass sits a milky
Floyd | crystal, about the size of both your fists held together.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gingerly, she steps away and turns to face the transfer chamber, her
Floyd | eyes never leaving the crystal. She takes one step towards the

Floyd | transfer chamber, then stops.
Floyd |
Floyd | She lifts her head as if listening for something, a confused look on
Floyd | her face. Then you hear it, too.
Floyd |
Floyd | THRUMM

Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds almost like distant thunder, but also wrong, and even as
Floyd | this thought reaches you, the walls are swaying and the ground bucking
Floyd | like ocean waves.
Floyd |
Floyd | "EARTHQUAKE!" you manage to shout, looking over at Aunt Nina. She is

Floyd | gripping the platter tightly, her face consumed by utter panic. Then a
Floyd | particularly violent tremor throws her from her feet, the glass dome
Floyd | shattering next to her face. Finally, with a tremendous KER-CHUNK, a
Floyd | piece of equipment falls between you and Aunt Nina, blocking your view
Floyd | of her as the tremors subside.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The button begins flashing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The view through the window is blocked by a huge rectangle of black
Floyd | metal.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now you hear a new sound, a deep animal growl. It's quiet at first,

Floyd | but quickly crescendos into a mind-shatteringly loud
Floyd | RRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRR!
Floyd |
Floyd | Then with a FA-FOOOOM! the ground is shaking again. The equipment that
Floyd | was blocking the large window falls onto its face, and you can see the
Floyd | materials handling room again. Except Aunt Nina isn't there. What's

Floyd | there is a monstrous leg the size of a redwood tree.
Floyd |
Floyd | And here you'd thought this day couldn't get any worse.
Floyd |

Floyd | [Please press a key to continue.]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |                                     E A R T H
Floyd |
Floyd |                                       A N D

Floyd |
Floyd |                                       S K Y
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |                               Part 3: Monster Mash

Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd | Observation Booth
Floyd | The earthquake has left its mark on the observation booth. A hole
Floyd | large enough to walk through has opened in the east wall, and a long
Floyd | crack has appeared in the large window pane to the north. The control
Floyd | panel beneath it seems relatively unscathed, as does the hallway door
Floyd | on the west side of the room.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | All you can see from here is the monster's leg, but that's more than
Floyd | enough to terrify you. It's green, and appears to be covered by thick,

Floyd | spiky shell plates. Even the toenails are obscenely huge and
Floyd | terrifying, five-foot cones tapering to lethally sharp points.
Floyd |
Floyd | Breathlessly, Austin arrives in the observation booth, wearing the
Floyd | earthsuit. "Emily, thank goodness you're OK," he says, hugging you.
Floyd |

Floyd | "Thanks for buzzing me," he says. "I got suited up and came as soon as
Floyd | I got the message. What the hell is that thing?"
Floyd |
Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "I wish I knew -- Aunt Nina was transferring the salt crystal to

Floyd | the containment chamber when the quake happened. After the dust
Floyd | settled, this thing suddenly appeared!"
Floyd | 2) "Would you believe... a really bad case of the prehistoric flu?"
Floyd | 3) "What does it look like? It's a freaking huge green monster!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait, she had the crystal in her hands when the quake happened?" You
Floyd | nod.
Floyd |

Floyd | "Aha," says Austin, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. "Then
Floyd | I'll bet it cracked open next to her face, she inhaled those microbes,
Floyd | and here we have the results.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So if we can kill the bacteria, we might get rid of the monster and
Floyd | get Aunt Nina back at the same time!" concludes Austin. "Well, I'm no

Floyd | microbiologist, but I've spent enough time in the lab with Aunt Nina
Floyd | that I may be able to whip up some kind of rapid antibiotic. But I'll
Floyd | need to use the equipment in Aunt Nina's lab. In the meantime, find a
Floyd | way to stop tall, green, and ugly from wrecking the campus -- knock
Floyd | her out if you can. I'm not sure we'll be able to medicate her while
Floyd | she's still conscious."

Floyd |
Floyd | Austin thrusts something into your hands. "You'll probably need this,"
Floyd | he says. "I know you said you didn't want to, but I really can't see
Floyd | any other way. I'll be back as soon as I can!"
Floyd |
Floyd | With that, Austin sprints out through the hole in the wall, and you

Floyd | see him leaping over the biology building, heading towards Aunt Nina's
Floyd | lab on the other side of the building.
Floyd |
Floyd | Looks like it's up to you now.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a skysuit

Floyd |   a letter
Floyd |   a buzzer
Floyd |   an access card
Floyd |   your sneakers (being worn)
Floyd |   a pair of sweat pants (being worn)
Floyd |   a sweatshirt (being worn)

Floyd |   a legal pad
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [first removing the sweatshirt]
Floyd |
Floyd | [first removing the sweat pants]
Floyd |
Floyd | [first removing the sneakers]
Floyd |

Floyd | You get back into the skysuit. Again, you feel the tingling in your
Floyd | scalp as you don the cowl.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Observation Booth
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You take off the sweat pants.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're in the midst of changing clothes.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | [first removing the sweatshirt]
Floyd |
Floyd | [first removing the sneakers]
Floyd |
Floyd | You get back into the skysuit. Again, you feel the tingling in your

Floyd | scalp as you don the cowl.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The ceiling is low enough that all you could do is hover a foot or so
Floyd | above the ground, so you don't bother.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | The ceiling is low enough that all you could do is hover a foot or so
Floyd | above the ground, so you don't bother.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Observation Booth
Floyd | The earthquake has left its mark on the observation booth. A hole

Floyd | large enough to walk through has opened in the east wall, and a long
Floyd | crack has appeared in the large window pane to the north. The control
Floyd | panel beneath it seems relatively unscathed, as does the hallway door
Floyd | on the west side of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the window. There is now a large
Floyd | black scorch mark on the window.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | A long crack has appeared in the glass, but it still holds. What you
Floyd | can see through the glass makes you wish the view was still blocked.
Floyd | The window is also marred by scorch marks from your electrical blast.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the window. There is now another

Floyd | large black scorch mark on the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Outside the Biology Building
Floyd | The campus biology building is a masterpiece of design, but it's just
Floyd | been made significantly less beautiful by the earthquake that's
Floyd | knocked a hole in its east wall. Then again, having a colossal green
Floyd | beast with one foot planted in the building won't win it a spread in

Floyd | Architectural Digest either.
Floyd |
Floyd | The monster tries to remove its foot from the biology building, but
Floyd | the hole is much too small.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The ground drops away as you soar upwards.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the Monster's Knees
Floyd | You are at the monster's knees, and you're starting to get a sense of

Floyd | what it must be like to be an insect. The massive legs dominate the
Floyd | landscape like twin towers, one rising out of a hole in the bio
Floyd | building's roof while the other decimates the sidewalk with stomps and
Floyd | scratches.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The power crackles in your fingertips, and then a giant spark leaps
Floyd | between you and the monster's legs, with a thunderous KER-POW! The
Floyd | creature makes an unnerving high-pitched shriek as the bolt connects
Floyd | with its thigh.

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

Floyd | Within moments, fog is swirling around you, but those moments are all
Floyd | the monster needs.
Floyd |
Floyd | WHAMMO! You twist to avoid the claws, but the flat of the monster's
Floyd | hand slams into you with unbelievable force. Your suit seems to absorb

Floyd | some of the impact by slowing your trajectory, but you're still sent
Floyd | flying into the library, landing with a crash that nearly knocks you
Floyd | silly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At the Monster's Knees

Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | [Can't "undo" twice in succession. Sorry!]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At the Monster's Knees
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Outside the Biology Building
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You start to flee from the scene, but hesitate. Aunt Nina is still
Floyd | missing. The creature is wreaking havoc. You and Austin may be the
Floyd | only ones who stand a chance of stopping it. Can you really abdicate
Floyd | that responsibility?
Floyd |
Floyd | Another parked car crumples beneath the beast's stamping foot; this is

Floyd | sure to be a black day in the history of auto and building insurance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The ground drops away as you soar upwards.
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The power crackles in your fingertips, and then a giant spark leaps
Floyd | between you and the monster's legs, with a thunderous KER-POW! The

Floyd | creature makes an unnerving high-pitched shriek as the bolt connects
Floyd | with its thigh.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've got the monster's attention now, and its huge claw is hurtling
Floyd | towards you!
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the Monster's Belly

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

Floyd | The behemoth misses you, but that only seems to make it more
Floyd | determined. Another claw is coming at you like the Mortality Express.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster. The creature recoils
Floyd | slightly, squealing with surprise.
Floyd |
Floyd | WHAMMO! You twist to avoid the claws, but the flat of the monster's
Floyd | hand slams into you with unbelievable force. Your suit seems to absorb

Floyd | some of the impact by slowing your trajectory, but you're still sent
Floyd | flying into the library, landing with a crash that nearly knocks you
Floyd | silly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

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

Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | You have found yourself on the roof of the library. The heating and
Floyd | air-conditioning ducts have buckled and broken from the force of the
Floyd | quake, and the tarpaper beneath you feels hot and slippery.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Girding yourself for battle once more, you fly back to the scene of
Floyd | the rampage.

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

Floyd | scratches.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've got the monster's attention now, and its huge claw is hurtling
Floyd | towards you!
Floyd |
Floyd | It looks like your blasts are affecting the creature -- its swipes are

Floyd | becoming more furious, and its howls more tinged with pain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | Thanks to your fancy flying, you've managed to avoid getting swatted,
Floyd | but there's no time to celebrate, because another claw is coming
Floyd | towards you!
Floyd |
Floyd | The monster tries to remove its foot from the biology building, but

Floyd | the hole is much too small.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At your mental command, fog swirls around the monster. However, the

Floyd | creature is so mind-staggeringly large that by the time the fog covers
Floyd | his length, it has thinned into wisps of vapor that blow away at the
Floyd | monster's next roar.
Floyd |
Floyd | WHAMMO! This time you're too slow to avoid the claw, and pain razors
Floyd | through you as the point penetrates your calf. As you sail towards the

Floyd | library, you notice that the suit has sealed itself over the wound and
Floyd | applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Then you're slamming into the
Floyd | roof, and everything goes black for just a moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't take much more of this.
Floyd |

Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of the Library

Floyd | Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |

Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | Everything is fading in and out, and you can't seem to focus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your vision is swimming, and you're too dazed to do anything but lie
Floyd | still for a moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | You shake your head to clear out the last few cobwebs, and your vision
Floyd | snaps back into focus.
Floyd |

Floyd | Roof of the Library
Floyd | You have found yourself on the roof of the library. The heating and
Floyd | air-conditioning ducts have buckled and broken from the force of the
Floyd | quake, and the tarpaper beneath you feels hot and slippery.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Girding yourself for battle once more, you fly back to the scene of
Floyd | the rampage.
Floyd |

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

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

Floyd | You soar higher, up to the monster's midsection.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the Monster's Belly
Floyd | Floating in the air, eye level with the belly of the beast, it's hard
Floyd | not to imagine that belly containing the remains of anybody foolish

Floyd | enough to aggravate this creature. The monster's head looms menacingly
Floyd | above you, and its spiky legs descend like barbed towers to the
Floyd | ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | The behemoth misses you, but that only seems to make it more
Floyd | determined. Another claw is coming at you like the Mortality Express.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Wind streaming through your hair, you zoom upwards.
Floyd |

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

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

Floyd | At your mental command, fog swirls around the monster's eyes, silently
Floyd | engulfing them in thick, grey vapor. The creature squeals in confusion
Floyd | as it loses its sight.

Floyd |
Floyd | The creature is flying into a frenzy, clutching its eyes with one hand
Floyd | and lashing out randomly with the other. Its feet stomp in fury,
Floyd | leveling trees and cars. Better take this beast down, and fast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster. The blast strikes home
Floyd | between two armor-plates, and the creature screams in pain and rage.
Floyd |

Floyd | The beast reels back for a moment, temporarily stunned by the
Floyd | cumulative electrical power you've directed at it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster. The bolt hits thick
Floyd | green hide, creating an impressive scorch mark but failing to do much
Floyd | actual damage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The monster is thrashing about wildly in its blindness, and your
Floyd | lightning bolt misses its eyes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The beast's claws dig deep furrows in the concrete sidewalks.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster. You make the mistake of

Floyd | looking directly at the lightning, and are blinded for a moment. When
Floyd | your vision clears, the monster seems to be bleeding slightly where
Floyd | you hit it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The creature picks up a stray car and throws it in your general
Floyd | direction. The car misses you, but slams into the side of the library,

Floyd | shaking that building's walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | The monster is wounded now in several places, and a sickly smoke
Floyd | drifts upward from the cauterized spots beneath its armor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster's head. The beast emits a
Floyd | keening wail and clutches the side of its head in torment.
Floyd |

Floyd | The creature picks up a stray car and throws it in your general
Floyd | direction. The car misses you, but slams into the side of the library,
Floyd | shaking that building's walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fog lifts, and the monster's eyes are visible again.
Floyd |

Floyd | The thing is stomping, swinging its arms, and bleating despair at its
Floyd | inability to stop the pain. It reminds you of nothing so much as a
Floyd | boxer, badly beaten and on the ropes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another parked car crumples beneath the beast's stamping foot; this is
Floyd | sure to be a black day in the history of auto and building insurance.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | At your mental command, fog swirls around the monster's eyes, silently
Floyd | engulfing them in thick, grey vapor. The creature squeals in confusion

Floyd | as it loses its sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | The creature is flying into a frenzy, clutching its eyes with one hand
Floyd | and lashing out randomly with the other. Its feet stomp in fury,
Floyd | leveling trees and cars. Better take this beast down, and fast.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue
Floyd | electricity arcs between you and the monster's head. The beast emits a
Floyd | keening wail and clutches the side of its head in torment.
Floyd |
Floyd | The monster screams its frustration at not being able to find and
Floyd | crush you.

Floyd |
Floyd | The creature is swaying now, its voice ragged. Deadly claws still
Floyd | search for you, but you get the sense that the beast can't last much
Floyd | longer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | KER-POW! Your blast strikes the monster, and its head rocks back. It
Floyd | staggers, drops to one knee (crushing half the gymnasium in the
Floyd | process). Finally, with a long, foghorn groan, it falls forward,
Floyd | landing with its face planted in the football field.

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

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

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

Floyd | throw the balloon at its mouth."
Floyd |
Floyd | Without waiting for you to respond, he walks around to the creature's
Floyd | brow, slips his fingers underneath, and heaves. "URRGH! Hurry, Emily!
Floyd | This head is even heavier than it looks!"
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | That's plainly inedible.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hurry!" says Austin. "It's slipping!"

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The liquid-filled balloon sails into the creature's mouth, causing the
Floyd | beast to swallow reflexively. When the mouth opens again, the

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

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

Floyd |
Floyd | She embraces you and your brother in a fierce hug. "Oh Austin, Emily!"
Floyd | she cries. "I remember now! On the same day that Claire and Scott
Floyd | disappeared these... things found me in my lab. They did something to
Floyd | my brain -- wiped out my memory, put all my focus on the experiment.
Floyd | But whatever happened to me just now must have broken their mental

Floyd | constraints." You show her the letter, and she scans it, nodding.
Floyd | "Yes, yes! It's true -- I do have information that I know can help you
Floyd | find your parents. Oh Emily, I'm so sorry I couldn't give it to you
Floyd | before now!"
Floyd |
Floyd | You look over at Austin, and he nods. "You'll have plenty of time to

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

Floyd | What happened here? Who are you?"
Floyd |
Floyd | You smile. "Call us Earth and Sky," you say, and then take to the air,
Floyd | flying home faster than any news copter can follow.
Floyd |
Floyd |

Floyd |     *** You have saved the day ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Watch for Episode 2 of EARTH AND SKY, coming in 2002 to an IF archive
Floyd | near you!
Floyd |

Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Floyd | On The Fifty Yard Line
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Austin's muscles are shaking with exertion. "Emily, I can't hold on
Floyd | much longer!"

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |

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

Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The monster groans again, and Austin has to scramble into a new
Floyd | position as the great head begins to stir. "Emily!" he shouts
Floyd | desperately.
Floyd |

Floyd | >

Floyd | You rear back to blast the creature once again, but then you remember
Floyd | that Austin is holding it -- what if his suit's shock resistance isn't
Floyd | up to par?

Floyd |
Floyd | A mammoth eye flicks open, regarding you with vague hatred.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | With unexpected speed, the creature snaps its head up, and closes its
Floyd | immense mouth on you! Looks like you're delivering the antibiotic
Floyd | after all, but you probably won't survive the trip.
Floyd |

Floyd |
Floyd |     *** You are a pill ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game or QUIT?

Floyd | >

Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | High Above The Lab
Floyd | You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The
Floyd | beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them,
Floyd | and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean.

Floyd | Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good
Floyd | thing you're not afraid of heights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | As smoothly as you rose, you descend once more.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lab
Floyd | You are in Mom and Dad's lab. As usual, the majority of the equipment
Floyd | in this enormous space is more or less a mystery to you. Also here are
Floyd | a few tables and terminals; a ring of windows near the ceiling looks

Floyd | out on the distant stars. Doors lead south into the storage room and
Floyd | west into the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hallway door is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The storage room door is open.

Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Austin here.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, it's clear that the flying functionality is operational," says
Floyd | Austin.
Floyd |

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

Floyd | Please select a reply:
Floyd |
Floyd | 1) "Sure thing."
Floyd | 2) "Oh, there's a useful superpower. 'They're getting away! Quick,
Floyd | Fog-Woman, worsen their driving conditions!'"
Floyd | 3) "Okay, but all this moisture had better not make my hair really

Floyd | frizzy."
Floyd |
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >>

Floyd | High Above The Lab
Floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | High Above The Lab
Floyd | You are hovering in the air, several stories above the lab floor. The
Floyd | beams and girders of the ceiling are so close you could touch them,
Floyd | and the windows display a magnificent view of the campus and ocean.
Floyd | Far below, Austin looks up at you from amid a sea of equipment. Good

Floyd | thing you're not afraid of heights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The ceiling is braced by a pattern of struts and beams, all made of

Floyd | steel and painted an industrial maroon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The ceiling is braced by a pattern of struts and beams, all made of

Floyd | steel and painted an industrial maroon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The equipment is just as baffling from the top-down view.
Floyd |
Floyd | >