ClubFloyd Transcript:
The Plant by Michael J. Roberts
As played on ifMUD on July 1, 2012

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 The Plant written by Michael J. Roberts. The Plant was released as part of the 1998 Interactive Fiction Competition, in which it placed third. It went on to be a Xyzzy Awards finalist for Best Individual Puzzle (for the puzzle of entering the warehouse). 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.


ToyShop & Floyditorium
#ClubFloyd Discussion


Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load plant"
Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0.
Floyd |
Floyd | tadsr - A text-only TADS 2.5.10 Interpreter.
Floyd | Copyright (c) 1993, 2006 by Michael J. Roberts.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [If you haven't played this game before, please type HELP.]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You're just starting to doze off when a jerking motion brings you back
Floyd | to alertness.  You look over to see your boss, Mr. Teeterwaller,
Floyd | struggling to steer the car onto the shoulder as the engine dies.  You
Floyd | can see that all of the dashboard lights are on as the car jerks to a
Floyd | stop.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is turning into a fine business trip.  First Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | insists on making the five-hour car trip in the middle of the night so
Floyd | the company won't have to pay for a hotel, then you spend an hour stuck
Floyd | behind a convoy of slow trucks on Teeterwaller's two-lane supposed
Floyd | short-cut, and now his aging bargain-basement car strands you out in
Floyd | the middle of nowhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller turns off the headlights and turns on the hazard lights.
Floyd | "I just had this thing in the shop," he mumbles.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | TADS Interactive Fiction by Michael J. Roberts
Floyd |
Floyd | Release 2/Special Edition
Floyd | Copyright ©1998 Michael J. Roberts.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the car
Floyd |    The Toyunchknisk Piglet was imported from Blottnya during the brief
Floyd | period between the fall of the old iron-fisted regime and the ethnic
Floyd | unrest that divided the tiny country into several even tinier countries
Floyd | whose names you can't recall, since the press lost interest several
Floyd | years ago.  The car is almost comically spartan, so it's just like your
Floyd | boss to own one.  The only amenity the dashboard offers is a glove
Floyd | compartment; no radio, no air conditioner, no console armrest, no
Floyd | cup-holders.
Floyd |    You're sitting in the rather uncomfortable passenger's seat.  The
Floyd | driver's door is closed, and your door is closed.
Floyd |    Sitting on the back seat is a jacket, a map, a Project Tyche manual,
Floyd | and a magazine.  The ignition seems to contain a car key.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | You're carrying your temporary ID card.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "oh, not the sort of plant I was thinking of"
maga says, "and was sort of regarded as a classic ten years ago but is little-spoken-of now"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x me"
Floyd | You look about the same as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "hmm"
K-Y says, "it's an mjr game"
inky says, "somehow I thought this was the tads 3 demo equivalent of ditch day drifter, but I guess not, if it's using the tads 2 tep"
inky says (to Floyd), "version"
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | TADS Interactive Fiction by Michael J. Roberts
Floyd |
Floyd | Release 2/Special Edition
Floyd | Copyright ©1998 Michael J. Roberts.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "teeterwaller, this was a really good idea"
Floyd | I don't know the word "this".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "haha - way to avoid implementing lots of stuff on the car and make it fit into the plot."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "talk to teeterwaller"
Floyd | I don't know the word "talk".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
K-Y says, "you run around a deserted place, assisted by only a TADS 2 NPC"
genericgeekgirl says, "I haven't played any of his others. Is there really a rat in "Rat in Control"? I can't tell from the description."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x teeterwaller"
Floyd | He's about five-foot-six, with graying black hair that he keeps cut in
Floyd | a short business-like style, and a neatly trimmed mustache.  He's
Floyd | wearing a dull brown slacks that are part of a suit (although he's not
Floyd | currently wearing the jacket), a beige shirt and a brown striped tie.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "I thought you were the rat"
Binder says (to Floyd), "x guide"
Floyd | I don't know the word "guide".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "punch teeterwaller"
Floyd | There's no verb in that sentence!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "x glove"
Floyd | The glove compartment is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "attack teeterwaller"
Floyd | That would not look good on your performance review.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
maga asks, "Rat in Control is mostly an experiment in non-absolute directions, no?"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x jacket"
Floyd | It's a dull brown suit jacket, matching Teeterwaller's pants.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ah"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "wear jacket"
Floyd | The jacket is too small for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x tie"
Floyd | It's a medium-width tie with brown stripes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search teeterwaller's pockets"
Floyd | "Hey!"  Teeterwaller protests, moving away from you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x manual"
Floyd | It's a stack of photocopied pages, bound with a plastic spiral.  The
Floyd | cover page reads "Project Tyche Specification" at the top, and
Floyd | "Omegatron Corporation - Copyright 1972 - Confidential" at the bottom.
Floyd | You glance through it, and find page after page of electronic diagrams
Floyd | and schematics interspersed with dense blocks of technical information
Floyd | and parts lists.  None of it is familiar to you, since you're in the
Floyd | software part of the company.
Floyd |
Floyd | It occurs to you that you should ask Mr. Teeterwaller about the project
Floyd | some time, since you're always interested in hearing stories about the
Floyd | early days at the company.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl )
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x magazine"
Floyd |    DUFON Journal
Floyd |    The Official Journal of the Discovery UFO Network
Floyd |
Floyd | The cover has a photo of a streak of light in the dusk sky above a
Floyd | wooded hilltop, with the caption The Milltown Sighting:  A New
Floyd | Re-Examination, Part III.
Floyd |
Floyd | You thumb through the magazine.  There's an article by an expert on
Floyd | official cover-ups, insisting that the government open an investigation
Floyd | into a previous investigation of an alleged cover-up.  Another article
Floyd | describes the many revelations that have come out of Blottnya since the
Floyd | break-up of the old government, including photos from Blottnya's old
Floyd | space program that show that the "face" on Mars bears an uncanny
Floyd | resemblance a famous Eastern European television star, raising the
Floyd | possibility that the ancient Martians not only were capable of space
Floyd | travel but time travel as well.
Floyd |
Floyd | The interesting thing about the journal is that they're obviously quite
Floyd | serious; it's not a supermarket tabloid.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to ggg), "OMG your eyes"
maga says, "don't you want to ask him about his br - projects"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about project"
Floyd | "I worked on that project, oh, twenty-five years ago or so.  We were
Floyd | building an embedded controller system for some industrial equipment;
Floyd | it would be quite routine today, but it had some amazing technology for
Floyd | those days.  There were a couple of parts in particular, some logic
Floyd | chips, that seemed to come out of nowhere...  without them the project
Floyd | would have been nearly impossible.  I got a copy of the old
Floyd | specification document from the corporate archives people a couple of
Floyd | months ago, because I wanted to figure out the history of those logic
Floyd | chips, but for some reason that section of the spec is missing."
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I prefer to smile with my eyes closed. You can't tell that it's fake."
Binder asks, "what, your eyes are fake?"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "get map"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd | "Excellent idea," Teeterwaller says.  The two of you unfold the map and
Floyd | inspect it.
Floyd |
Floyd | You find state route 142 on the map.  You don't know exactly how far
Floyd | you are from Bakerton, but you'd guess that it's at least fifty miles
Floyd | west, which puts you in this big empty expanse out in the valley.  The
Floyd | nearest city is Conners City, which is perhaps twenty miles east.  The
Floyd | map shows a couple of crossroads that could be a short distance to the
Floyd | east; it doesn't depict any businesses, but it's possible that one of
Floyd | the crossroads has a service station or at least someone with a phone.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look out window"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look through window"
Floyd | I don't see any window here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Worst car ever."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Which door do you mean, the driver's door, or the passenger's door?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open passenger's door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "look out windscreen"
Floyd | I don't know the word "windscreen".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "so how do we drive this thing if we can't see?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x id"
Floyd | It's your temporary employee identification card; it's just a worn
Floyd | piece of cardboard with the Omegatron logo and the word TEMPORARY
Floyd | stamped in red letters.  It's amazing how inefficient the company's
Floyd | bureaucracy is; you've worked at Omegatron for three months now, and
Floyd | you're still stuck with this temporary badge, which doesn't have the
Floyd | little magnetic stripe that opens doors, so you constantly have to call
Floyd | Security to come unlock doors for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The hazard lights click on and off in a steady rhythm.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "well, you're probably supposed to get out and walk"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn off hazard lights"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open glove"
Floyd | Opening the glove compartment reveals a garage opener.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "so maybe not being able to see is a hint"
Jacqueline asks, "Anybody played I-0?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get garage. x garage"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller notices you taking the opener.  "That isn't mine," he
Floyd | offers.  "I think it belonged to the previous owner of the car.  I've
Floyd | never been able to return it, of course, since I bought the car at an
Floyd | estate sale."
Floyd |
Floyd | (the garage opener)
Floyd | It's a small plastic box with a large button.  On the back is a small
Floyd | compartment, which is currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "turn ignition key"
Floyd | Turning the car key doesn't have any effect.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take key"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks at you sharply, wondering if you've forgotten
Floyd | whose car this is.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open compartment"
Floyd | Opening the garage opener compartment reveals a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "yeah, I played I-0. Hilarious game"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under car seat"
Floyd | I don't see any car seat here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I'm just having flashbacks, that's all."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under seat"
Floyd | Which seat do you mean, the driver's seat, the passenger's seat, or the
Floyd | back seat?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
maga says (to Floyd), "x me"
Floyd | You look about the same as always.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under passenger's seat"
Floyd | There's nothing under the passenger's seat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "heh"
phoenix says, "I don't suppose it will let us get up to those sorts of antics here"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under driver's seat"
Floyd | There's nothing under the driver's seat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under back seat"
Floyd | There's nothing under the back seat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hmpf"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "kiss teeterwaller"
Floyd | I don't know the word "kiss".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "redoing I-0 with a middle-aged middle-management guy in the lead role would be excellent"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x back seat"
Floyd | On the back seat you see a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, and a DUFON
Floyd | journal.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take jacket"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search jacket"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
maga says, "with 'the same as always' looks you're not getting any I-0, IYKWIM"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "wear jacket"
Floyd | The jacket is too small for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undress"
Floyd | I don't know the word "undress".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "I'm surprised he didn't complain about us taking his jacket"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the car
Floyd |    The Toyunchknisk Piglet was imported from Blottnya during the brief
Floyd | period between the fall of the old iron-fisted regime and the ethnic
Floyd | unrest that divided the tiny country into several even tinier countries
Floyd | whose names you can't recall, since the press lost interest several
Floyd | years ago.  The car is almost comically spartan, so it's just like your
Floyd | boss to own one.  The only amenity the dashboard offers is a glove
Floyd | compartment; no radio, no air conditioner, no console armrest, no
Floyd | cup-holders.
Floyd |    You're sitting in the rather uncomfortable passenger's seat.  The
Floyd | driver's door is open, and your door is open.
Floyd |    Sitting on the back seat is a Project Tyche manual and a DUFON
Floyd | journal.  The ignition seems to contain a car key.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I'm surprised it let us reach across him to open his door."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get manual and journal"
Floyd | Project Tyche manual:  Taken.
Floyd | DUFON journal:  Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline asks, "we looked in the glove compartment?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah. Got a garage door opener with a battery."
phoenix says, "yeah. That was where the garage opener with battery was"
Jacqueline says, "Oh right."
Binder says, "NPCs have no personal space to speak of"
phoenix says, "looks like that's all the stuff in the car"
Jacqueline says, "I just imagined that it came off the visor or something."
genericgeekgirl says, "Into the wild."
Binder says, "woo hoo lotted dry"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open trunk"
Floyd | I don't know the word "trunk".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Binder), "He didn't like us going through his pocketses."
Binder says, "er, looted"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open boot"
Floyd | I don't know the word "boot".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
maga says (to Floyd), "ask teeterweller about gold teeth"
Floyd | I don't know the word "teeterweller".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Jacqueline), "maybe they're not his pockets, he's just watching them for a friend."
genericgeekgirl says, "Haha"
genericgeekgirl asks, "Out?"
phoenix says, "yeah"
Binder says, "out"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road, near car
Floyd |    The road stretches off into the dim moonlight to the east and west.
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller's car sits in the shoulder, parked just slightly off
Floyd | the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Or maybe we're supposed to ask about work."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look under car"
Floyd | There's nothing under the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "get under car"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x car"
Floyd | The small economy car is parked in the shoulder just off the road.  The
Floyd | driver's door is open, and the passenger's door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open trunk"
Floyd | I don't know the word "trunk".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open boot"
Floyd | I don't know the word "boot".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open hood"
Floyd | I don't know the word "hood".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "kick car"
Floyd | I don't know how to attack the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x tires"
Floyd | I don't know the word "tires".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "you people with your fancy cars with 'trunks' and 'hoods'."
genericgeekgirl says, "It's just a floating metal box."
genericgeekgirl says, "No wonder it doesn't work."
Binder says, "drawn in crayon"
phoenix says, "so the map said the nearest city was east, right"
Binder says (to phoenix), "Apparently."
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x flash"
Floyd | I don't know the word "flash".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x lightning"
Floyd | I don't see any lightning here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "assuming we can read a map"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn map upside down"
Floyd | I don't know the word "upside".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ask boss about map"
Floyd | "Excellent idea," Teeterwaller says.  The two of you unfold the map and
Floyd | inspect it.
Floyd |
Floyd | You find state route 142 on the map.  You don't know exactly how far
Floyd | you are from Bakerton, but you'd guess that it's at least fifty miles
Floyd | west, which puts you in this big empty expanse out in the valley.  The
Floyd | nearest city is Conners City, which is perhaps twenty miles east.  The
Floyd | map shows a couple of crossroads that could be a short distance to the
Floyd | east; it doesn't depict any businesses, but it's possible that one of
Floyd | the crossroads has a service station or at least someone with a phone.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder asks, "crossroads that way, too, so east?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |    A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north.  The road
Floyd | continues east and west.  To the west you can just make out Mr.
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Wait, where does the driveway lead to?"
Binder says, "ooh a DRIVEWAY"
phoenix says, "dunno, but maybe we can steal a car :p"
Binder says (to Floyd), "x driveway"
Floyd | The driveway leads north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Oh noes."
Jacqueline says, "A driveway."
Binder exclaims, "it leads to north!"
Jacqueline says, "With lightning in the sky."
Jacqueline says, "This is spooky."
phoenix says, "better be careful. We might be run over by a couple of chickens in a truck."
genericgeekgirl asks, "North?"
Binder asks, "north?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    The driveway ends at a closed roll-up metal door in a large,
Floyd | windowless building to the north.  The door looks like it belongs on a
Floyd | one-car garage.  Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel
Floyd | chain, attached to which is a dog harness.  The driveway leads south,
Floyd | back to the road.
Floyd |    A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder exclaims, "north!"
genericgeekgirl exclaims, "Puppy!"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x dog"
Floyd | The dog is bigger than you are.  You don't recognize the breed; he has
Floyd | tall, pointy ears, a long muzzle, a long bushy tail, and a body like a
Floyd | bear.  His hair is light brown, with a few darker markings.  He has a
Floyd | harness around his chest, which is attached to a chain.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I saw a television program where they explained that guard dogs are
Floyd | usually trained using German commands," Teeterwaller says.  "I think
Floyd | you just have to say `aus,' which is German for `out,' to call off an
Floyd | attack."
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | You press the button.  A moment later, you hear a thunk, and the door
Floyd | starts opening.  The door slowly rolls up its tracks, and finally stops
Floyd | when fully open.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by two points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "that is a post-puppy"
phoenix says, "huh. I wasn't expecting that to actually work"
genericgeekgirl says, "Universal garage opener, apparently."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "enter garage"
Floyd | (the garage opener button)
Floyd | I don't know how to enter the garage opener button.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "haha"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The dog jumps into your path, snarling and growling, refusing to let
Floyd | you pass.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pet dog"
Floyd | The dog is acting too menacing to pet him right now.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "say aus"
Floyd | I don't understand that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says (to Floyd), "dog, aus"
Floyd | The dog rears up on his hind legs and barks angrily at you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller practically jumps into the air at the barking and runs
Floyd | back a ways further from the dog.  "I guess this must not be a German
Floyd | dog," he says.
Floyd |
Floyd | The dog gradually calms down again, and resumes his guarding posture.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "doh, sit"
Floyd | I don't know the word "doh".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says (to Floyd), "dog, out"
Floyd | The dog just snarls at you menacingly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "dog, sit"
Floyd | What do you want the huge dog to sit on?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "dog, who's a good doggie?"
Floyd | I don't know the word "who's".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "dog, halt"
Floyd | I don't know the word "halt".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "dog, down"
Floyd | The dog just snarls at you menacingly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "dog, sit down"
Floyd | What do you want the huge dog to sit on?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "dog, haus"
Floyd | I don't know the word "haus".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x chain"
Floyd | It's about ten feet long and made of heavy steel links.  One end is
Floyd | bolted to the wall of the building; at the other end is a clip, which
Floyd | is attached to the dog harness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "unclip chain"
Floyd | The dog tenses up as you approach and snarls menacingly.  You decide to
Floyd | keep at a safe distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x harness"
Floyd | The harness goes around a dog's chest.  Even though it's meant for a
Floyd | dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear.  At the top of the
Floyd | harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or
Floyd | leash; it's currently attached to the chain.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x ring"
Floyd | The harness goes around a dog's chest.  Even though it's meant for a
Floyd | dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear.  At the top of the
Floyd | harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or
Floyd | leash; it's currently attached to the chain.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "dog, eat teeterwaller"
Floyd | The dog just snarls at you menacingly.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "feed boss to dog"
Floyd | I don't know the word "feed".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix p
Binder says, "ha"
Binder says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, and a DUFON journal.  The garage opener
Floyd | compartment seems to contain a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "show jacket to dog"
Floyd | The huge dog isn't impressed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "throw jacket at dog"
Floyd | You miss.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    The driveway ends at an open roll-up metal door in a large,
Floyd | windowless building to the north.  The door looks like it belongs on a
Floyd | one-car garage.  Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel
Floyd | chain, attached to which is a dog harness.  The driveway leads south,
Floyd | back to the road.
Floyd |    A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "brandish rolled up journal"
Floyd | I don't know the word "brandish".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Perhaps there is a raw steak around here somewhere."
phoenix says, "yeah, explore some more I guess"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "East?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |    The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
Floyd | deep ditch.  Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to
Floyd | prevent vehicles from running into the ditch.  You can't see anything
Floyd | through the darkness to the west, but to the east you can see some
Floyd | dimly flashing lights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Detour
Floyd |    A set of wooden barricades, painted with orange stripes and topped
Floyd | with flashing orange lights, stand blocking the road to the east to
Floyd | vehicles, and "Detour" signs point to the intersecting road leading
Floyd | south.  Beyond the signs, trucks and construction machinery sit idle on
Floyd | the road, presumably awaiting the return of workers in the morning.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get lights"
Floyd | You can't have the barricade.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Can we look in the ditch? (Back west)"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x ditch"
Floyd | It's a deep ditch, running north and south under the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search ditch"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Oh, all right."
Binder says (to Floyd), "x rail"
Floyd | The guard rails are heavily dented from years of collisions.  At the
Floyd | right end of the rail on the north side of the road, you notice a
Floyd | narrow foot path leading northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ooh"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |    The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
Floyd | the west.  The road lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Nice."
Binder says (to Floyd), "x ditch"
Floyd | The ditch runs north and south alongside the path.  The banks are steep
Floyd | here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x banks"
Floyd | I don't see any banks here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "enter ditch"
Floyd | The bank is too steep to climb down here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut
Floyd | into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path in ditch
Floyd |    The path occupies a narrow ledge just above the stagnant water of
Floyd | the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the
Floyd | ditch's bank.  You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge
Floyd | hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; without something to
Floyd | light the way, though, it would be too dangerous.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I guess we need a flashlight."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x terrace"
Floyd | It's just wide enough to accommodate the path.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take battery"
Floyd | Behind the battery, you find a diagram showing the proper way to
Floyd | install the battery, and a bank of tiny switches.
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Oh."
Binder says (to Floyd), "x water"
Floyd | The ditch runs north and south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I figured we'd find an empty flashlight."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x switches"
Floyd | Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other.  On the side
Floyd | of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each
Floyd | switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7.  Currently, the switches are
Floyd | in the following positions:  55567562.  Just above the switches,
Floyd | someone has written "55567562".
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "So, we can hack into any and every garage in the area?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x diagram"
Floyd | The diagram shows the correct way to install the battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "given enough time"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "install battery wrong"
Floyd | I don't know the word "wrong".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "this suggests it's the code to that specific garage, actually"
genericgeekgirl asks, "Back to the road and east some more?"
Binder says, "sure"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of
Floyd | the bank.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Maybe the estate sale was for that house."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Detour
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Detour
Floyd |    A set of wooden barricades, painted with orange stripes and topped
Floyd | with flashing orange lights, stand blocking the road to the east to
Floyd | vehicles, and "Detour" signs point to the intersecting road leading
Floyd | south.  Beyond the signs, trucks and construction machinery sit idle on
Floyd | the road, presumably awaiting the return of workers in the morning.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "it would be just like Mr Teeterwaller to not mention that"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x barricades"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x machinery"
Floyd | The barricades block vehicle travel to the east, and direct traffic
Floyd | along the road to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | You can't see much detail from here, but all of the equipment looks
Floyd | idle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "vehicles, but maybe we can walk east"
genericgeekgirl says, "Or we might find a service station down a cross road."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road runs north and south.  To the north, you can just make out
Floyd | the dim lights of the detour barricades.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air.  The road
Floyd | continues into the darkness to the north.  To the south, distant lights
Floyd | glow weakly through the fog.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x fog"
Floyd | It's a thin fog, not dense enough to obscure nearby objects very much,
Floyd | but it gives the night air a damp chill.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "x fog"
Floyd | It's a thin fog, not dense enough to obscure nearby objects very much,
Floyd | but it gives the night air a damp chill.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "shiver"
Floyd | I don't know the word "shiver".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |    The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex
Floyd | sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south.  A tall chain-link
Floyd | fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding
Floyd | section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the
Floyd | road.  Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of
Floyd | the road.  The road continues into the darkness to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That's curious," Teeterwaller mumbles.  "Why would they set up a
Floyd | detour that just comes to a dead end?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "x lights"
Floyd | The complex must be a chemical factory, or an oil refinery, or perhaps
Floyd | a power plant.  Towering smokestacks and fat vertical tanks are wrapped
Floyd | in a thick tangle of pipes, which run up the towers, between
Floyd | smokestacks, alongside each other, grouped together in wide sets of
Floyd | parallel cylinders for hundreds of yards and then suddenly parting
Floyd | ways, bending abruptly up, down, around one other, joining new groups
Floyd | for a while then bending away again.  Atop the towers are flashing
Floyd | lights to warn off aircraft, dozens of lights slowly flashing to their
Floyd | own rhythm, twinkling sometimes with their neighbors and often on their
Floyd | own.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "ooh. A plant"
genericgeekgirl says, "Heh"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open gate"
Floyd | The gate is securely closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "I was thinking of the green sort of plant"
Binder says (to Floyd), "x fense"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | I don't know the word "fense".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | "Click."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "x fence"
Floyd | The fence is huge, easily twenty feet high, and topped with loops of
Floyd | razor wire.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Floyd), "x path"
Floyd | It's not much of a path; just a narrow band along the fence where no
Floyd | vegetation is growing.  One path leads east, and another leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x gate"
Floyd | The gate is merely a separate section of the fence that slides across
Floyd | the road. It's currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I was thinking of the sort of plant that's a spy."
phoenix says, "that would be clever if both of those were involved in this adventure too"
Binder says, "I was thinking of the sort of plant that's a thief; a Robber Plant."
genericgeekgirl says, "Me, too. Since it's listed as "espionage" on idfb."
phoenix says, "I bet we have to deal with the outside areas first before we can get in, but no harm looking around"
Jacqueline asks (of Binder), "Are you sure you weren't thinking of Robert Plant?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |    The terrain is clear for a few feet outside the perimeter of the
Floyd | fence, creating this path.  The road is just to the west, and the
Floyd | enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south.  The terrain
Floyd | slopes up to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd |    The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some
Floyd | distance to the west.  Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here,
Floyd | making it too difficult to travel further to the east.  The elevation
Floyd | gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation.  The
Floyd | sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the
Floyd | path leads west along the fence.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the direction of the plant, you hear three short, low-pitched
Floyd | electronic beeps, distant and echoing but still loud, then a deep male
Floyd | voice, broadcast through a public address system in the plant.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Section blue, section green, clear sector S, stand by stations.
Floyd | Section black, target approaching, commence operation."
Floyd |
Floyd | From the road to the north, faint lights come into view, moving down
Floyd | the road toward the gate.  The lights come closer and you see that
Floyd | several large vehicles are approaching.
Floyd |
Floyd | The gate in the fence starts slowly sliding open.  A group of men
Floyd | wearing dark jumpsuits and black helmets and carrying machine guns trot
Floyd | out through the gate; some take up positions along the shoulder of the
Floyd | road, others run out into the underbrush alongside the road.  The men
Floyd | keep pouring out of the gate until at least a couple hundred have
Floyd | emerged.
Floyd |
Floyd | The first few of the approaching vehicles rumble to a stop near the
Floyd | gate.  You can now see that the vehicles are large semi trucks, painted
Floyd | a uniform white, without any markings you can see.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says (to Jacqueline), "I am now."
Jacqueline says, "heh"
genericgeekgirl says, "Maybe one of these nice gentlemen will call a tow truck for us."
phoenix says, "I don't suppose those guys will lend us a phone or something."
Jacqueline says (to ggg), "hahaha"
phoenix asks, "why do we keep thinking the same thing?"
Binder says, "run at them screaming so that they know we're okay to talk to"
genericgeekgirl says, "> brandish weapon"
Jacqueline says, "Let's just steal one of their vehicles. I'm sure they won't miss one of them."
phoenix says, "should we wait and see what happens"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search bushes"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The last of the trucks rolls to a stop up the road; you count eight
Floyd | trucks.  Some of the armed men start moving in groups towards the
Floyd | trucks, while others remain crouched along the sides of the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller crouches behind the bushes, watching the road
Floyd | intently.  "Get down!  Get down!"  he whispers at you urgently.  You
Floyd | move to conceal yourself a little better.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "hide in bush"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "hide in bushes"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I think we're auto-hiding."
phoenix says, "yeah"
phoenix says, "just wait I suppose."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | One by one, the truck drivers emerge from their cabs, holding their
Floyd | arms up while the armed men lead them away from the trucks, towards the
Floyd | plant gate.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fourth truck in line suddenly lurches forward, pulls out of the
Floyd | line, and starts picking up speed, sending everyone on the road
Floyd | scrambling to get out of its way.  Gunfire immediately erupts from the
Floyd | men flanking the road, and the truck is engulfed in a shower of sparks
Floyd | and flying metal.  The cab of the truck suddenly lurches sideways; half
Floyd | a moment later a deafening boom sounds.  The truck rolls off the road
Floyd | and stops as the engine compartment bursts into flames; two figures
Floyd | jump out of the cab and flee in opposite directions.
Floyd |
Floyd | More gunfire from up the road.  Soldiers in full battle gear have come
Floyd | storming out of the backs of two of the trucks and are scrambling
Floyd | around the trucks looking for cover, and trying to fire back through
Floyd | the hailstorm of bullets coming from the sides of the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "... what part of the world are we in"
Binder says, "the cool part"
Jacqueline says, "snrk"
Binder says, "it's where they shot the A-Team"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The gunfire starts to trail off.  Soon the soldiers seem to be the only
Floyd | ones firing; they quickly notice this and stop firing, looking warily
Floyd | around.
Floyd |
Floyd | A deep rumbling sound draws your attention to the plant gate, where you
Floyd | see a tank come rolling out onto the road.  The tank rumbles to a stop
Floyd | just past the first truck.  The tank's turret swings slowly around
Floyd | until the protruding cylinder of its cannon is pointed at one of the
Floyd | trucks the soldiers are using for cover.  Almost in unison, the
Floyd | soldiers around the truck bolt from their positions and scatter across
Floyd | the road; only a moment later, flames shoot out of the tank's cannon
Floyd | and the truck explodes in a huge fireball.
Floyd |
Floyd | The attackers waste no time rounding up the scattered soldiers, and the
Floyd | remaining soldiers quickly surrender and are marching toward the plant
Floyd | gate with their hands in the air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I thought we were in, like, Nebraska, but I'm thinking otherwise now."
genericgeekgirl says, "We should have brought the dog."
TheXenographer arrives, ready to play with the toys. Jacqueline says, "I got the impression the dog didn't like us very much."
genericgeekgirl says, "But maybe he'd like them even less."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The last of the soldiers march into the plant, a large contingent of
Floyd | their attackers escorting them at gunpoint.  A few dozen of the armed
Floyd | men continue patrolling around the edges of the road, but most are
Floyd | heading back towards the gate.
Floyd |
Floyd | Electronic beeps echo from the direction of the plant, followed by a
Floyd | voice on the PA system.  "Section blue, section green, all clear.
Floyd | Section white, initiate containment procedures."
Floyd |
Floyd | From up the road, several vehicles that look like road construction
Floyd | equipment--dump trucks,bulldozers,and the like--roll toward the
Floyd | wreckage.  At the same time, a few dozen people wearing blue hard hats
Floyd | and tool belts, making them look like construction workers, walk out of
Floyd | the complex's gate and start heading purposefully toward the trucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Binder says, "wow, they sure seem to have their act together"
phoenix says, "it's like this happens here on a regular basis"
TheXenographer asks, "What are we playing?"
phoenix says, "The Plant"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The trucks that are still intact start moving into the plant, one by
Floyd | one, as the bulldozers clear a path through the wreckage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I bet they're trucks full of flashlights, all the flashlights in the world, and we need one."
genericgeekgirl says, "Which is why we can't just RUN AWAY."
Jacqueline snickers.
phoenix says (to Floyd), "a"
Floyd | An article must be followed by a noun.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The construction workers continue clearing the wreckage out of the
Floyd | road.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Did you see that?"  Teeterwaller says, talking very quietly.  "What
Floyd | could that have been about?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "panic"
Floyd | I don't know the word "panic".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "xyzzy"
Floyd | Poof!  In a cloud of orange smoke, you're magically transported to...
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd |    The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some
Floyd | distance to the west.  Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here,
Floyd | making it too difficult to travel further to the east.  The elevation
Floyd | gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation.  The
Floyd | sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the
Floyd | path leads west along the fence.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Okay, it wasn't that magical.)
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The construction workers continue to clear the wreckage from the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Look," Teeterwaller says, "I know this is going to sound a little
Floyd | strange, but I think we should try and find out what's going on here.
Floyd | I think we need to get inside there," he says, indicating the
Floyd | industrial complex beyond the fence. "I think this could be really
Floyd | important."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "lol"
Floyd | I don't know the word "lol".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "hee hee"
Jacqueline says, "Seems like we'd be able to see things, albeit briefly, with all this lightning."
genericgeekgirl asks, "No. Stupid boss. Where is your sense of self-preservation?"
phoenix says, "Bet he knows more than he's letting on"
Binder says, "like a boss"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Teeterwaller stops you.  "Let's stay here for a moment," he whispers.
Floyd | "We need to figure out what's going on before we walk into the middle
Floyd | of this."
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The construction workers clear the last of the wreckage from the road.
Floyd | The construction equipment and workers withdraw into the complex,
Floyd | leaving only a few of the armed men still out on the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I could really use your help getting in there," Teeterwaller says.  "I
Floyd | know it could be dangerous, so if you don't want to join me, if you
Floyd | just want to return to the car and wait for help, I'll understand.  But
Floyd | I'm not sure I can do it alone."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Are we really sure the car is dead?"
genericgeekgirl says, "> knock boss out with rock, steal keys"
Jacqueline asks, "Didn't he have conspiracy theory magazines in his car?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about plant"
Floyd | "All I can tell is that it looks like a chemical plant."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear the rumbling of approaching trucks, this time from the
Floyd | complex.  Out of the gate comes a large, white truck, exactly like the
Floyd | ones that arrived before the fighting.  The truck accelerates up the
Floyd | road to the north.  Another truck follows, then another, until the
Floyd | trucks number eight.  These obviously aren't the original eight,
Floyd | though, since several of those were badly damaged in the fighting.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I used to fancy myself something of an amateur sleuth," Teeterwaller
Floyd | tells you, looking a little sheepish and little smug at the same time.
Floyd | "This will give me a chance to get back in practice."
Floyd |
Floyd | The trucks travel away to the north until they're out of sight.  The
Floyd | remaining men on the road withdraw into the complex, and the gate
Floyd | slides shut.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Also, why did he just happen to have the right garage door opener?"
phoenix says, "that's what I was wondeirng earlier."
genericgeekgirl says, "Maaaaagic."
phoenix says, "of course he has nooooo info about this plant whatsoever."
Jacqueline says, "I told you that's the house where the estate sale was.... (though I'm not sure you guys are buying this)"
phoenix says, "but wants to sneak into a place guarded by a small army"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You start back towards the road, staying alert for anyone who might
Floyd | still be patrolling.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "we didn't check the west side"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |    The path ends abruptly to the west with a wall of tall, thorny
Floyd | bushes growing out of a deep ditch.  The road is just to the east, and
Floyd | the plant complex is on the other side of the fence to the south.
Floyd |    A metal framework under the fence inside the ditch is visible
Floyd | through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "I hope we get to steal the tank later."
phoenix says, "there's the ditch again"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x framework"
Floyd | The framework is inside the ditch, under the fence, so you can't easily
Floyd | see the whole thing through the bushes.  Two vertical rails, one on
Floyd | each side of the ditch, are connected at the top by a crossbar.  A
Floyd | winch is in the center of the crossbar, and a pair of cables lead down
Floyd | from the winch.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search bushes"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "down"
Floyd | The bushes are too thick.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "so we need to find a light to get in there via the path we found earlier"
genericgeekgirl says, "Probably, yeah."
phoenix says, "Probably have to explore the rest of the outside area"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection
Floyd |    The main road leads east and west here.  A smaller intersecting road
Floyd | leads south.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Isn't this where the detour was?"  Teeterwaller mumbles to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "why yes, it was"
genericgeekgirl says, "Heh."
phoenix says, "Not suspicious at all"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The brush alongside the road is crushed against the ground, and deep
Floyd | tracks from heavy machinery are pressed into the soil.  The road
Floyd | continues east and west; you can see only darkness in either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x tracks"
Floyd | The tracks are from several different types of trucks or tractors;
Floyd | they're wide and deep, clearly from heavy equipment.  They don't lead
Floyd | anywhere, but just meander on and off the road for a stretch, as though
Floyd | the equipment was turning around at this spot.
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice a flashlight partially hidden by some of the flattened
Floyd | brush.  You reach down and pick up the flashlight.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Woo"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn on flashlight"
Floyd | You switch on the flashlight.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn off flashlight"
Floyd | You switch off the flashlight.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road continues east and west.  It's too dark to see much in
Floyd | either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    A small, dilapidated building is just north of the road, which
Floyd | continues east and west.  In the darkness, you can just barely make out
Floyd | a sign by the side of the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x sign"
Floyd | Conners City       25 mi
Floyd | Knighting  37 mi
Floyd | Milltown   51 mi
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Schoolhouse
Floyd |    This one-room schoolhouse has clearly been out of use for many
Floyd | years.  A chalkboard is on one wall, and a single desk remains.  Exits
Floyd | lead north and south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x chalkboard"
Floyd | The blackboard is chipped and warped with age.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x desk"
Floyd | It's the type that combines a desk and a chair into one unit.  The top
Floyd | of the desk can be opened to get at a storage area.  The top is
Floyd | currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open desk"
Floyd | Opening the desk reveals a book.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get book. read book"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd |    Blottnisq Ninshta
Floyd |    Blottnian Today
Floyd |
Floyd | It seems to be an elementary Blottnian textbook, for learning Blottnian
Floyd | as a foreign language.  Despite its age ("copyright 1967, The Horton,
Floyd | Merfin Company, New York"), it's still intact.  It has chapters
Floyd | numbered 1 through 5 that you can read.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "read 1"
Floyd | Inshna Hojdzunshchk!
Floyd |
Floyd | Welcome to your introductory Blottnian course!  In this book, we will
Floyd | learn not only how to speak and write the Blottnian language, but much
Floyd | about the rich history and colorful culture of the nation of Blottnya.
Floyd |
Floyd | (The chapter goes on at length about how to use the textbook and
Floyd | accompanying audio tapes; a quick scan of the chapter reveals little of
Floyd | note.)
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "read 2"
Floyd | This chapter covers some basic vocabulary.
Floyd |
Floyd | Common conversational verbs:
Floyd |    azdrupiq -- to sit
Floyd |    yijtgiq -- to stand
Floyd |    pozhbriq -- to open
Floyd |    oxviq -- to close
Floyd |    lloyriq -- to speak
Floyd |    chdraliq -- to be silent
Floyd |    wurtriq -- to attack
Floyd |    shchrudiq -- to befriend
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Maybe the dog is Blottnian."
phoenix says, "ya"
Jacqueline asks, "The dog speaks Blottnian, whaddyawanna bet?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "read 3"
Floyd | This chapter discusses the culture of Blottnya.  You scan a few of the
Floyd | passages.
Floyd |
Floyd | A picture of a dog, which looks very much like the guard dog you
Floyd | encountered earlier, is accompanied by a caption:
Floyd |
Floyd | Years ago, herders used the Blottnian Moose Dog to help control their
Floyd | herds.  Centuries of careful breeding have made the Moose Dog extremely
Floyd | intelligent and hard-working.  Today, the same herding instinct that
Floyd | once served moose herders now serves Blottnian government security
Floyd | police, who use the Moose Dog to help control the cheerful citizens.
Floyd | Blottnya even trains Moose Dogs for service abroad; guard dogs are the
Floyd | country's second largest export.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller reads the book over your shoulder.  "I've never heard of
Floyd | anyone in this country studying Blottnian before," he says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Timing."
genericgeekgirl says, "Moose Dog."
phoenix asks, "teeterwaller about blottnya"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterewaller about blottnya"
Floyd | I don't know the word "teeterewaller".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about blottnya"
Floyd | "I went there on a business trip once," he says.  "That was years ago,
Floyd | back when they had a government.  It was a little scary--they had
Floyd | undercover police following us around everywhere, and you could hear
Floyd | them listening in on the phone.  I wouldn't want to go back."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "read 4"
Floyd | This chapter is about the convoluted grammar of Blottnian, which is
Floyd | considerably more complicated than any language you've studied.  You
Floyd | find a verb conjugation table for regular "-iq" verbs; they seem to use
Floyd | "to open" as the example:
Floyd |
Floyd | First-person singular, prideful:  pozhbroq
Floyd | First-person singular, shameful:  pozhbronsh
Floyd | First-person singular, uncertain:  pozhbrioo
Floyd | First-person singular, emphatic:  pozhbrim
Floyd |
Floyd | Second-person singular, complimentary:  pozhbras
Floyd | Second-person singular, accusatory:  pozhbrazim
Floyd | Second-person singular, commanding:  pozhbru
Floyd |
Floyd | It goes on and on like that for forty-five different cases.  And that's
Floyd | just the present tense.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Neat"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "read 5"
Floyd | This is a chapter on culture, focusing on how children in Blottnya are
Floyd | raised.  For example, it points out that parents in Blottnya are very
Floyd | fond of using reverse psychology, always telling children just the
Floyd | opposite of what they want them to do.  Apparently this practice
Floyd | applies to road signs as well, making driving in Blottnya extremely
Floyd | confusing for foreigners.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Does that work on dogs, too?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | School yard
Floyd |    This school yard must always have been a modest playground at best,
Floyd | but is now little more than a dirt patch overgrown with weeds.  The
Floyd | schoolhouse building is to the south.
Floyd |    You see a hand pump here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I still have a Robert Plant song stuck in my head."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get pump. x pump"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's a small hand-operated pump, probably for inflating basketballs or
Floyd | something similar.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Just keeping everyone updated."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Schoolhouse
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Teeterwaller stops you.  "Look at the sign!"  he says, flustered.  "We
Floyd | can't walk twenty-five miles.  We'll miss our meeting!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "just making sure there's nothing that way"
phoenix says, "So, this guy is worried about misisng the meeting, and sneaking into the plant apparently won't make us miss the meeting :)"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Priorities."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "dog, azdrupru"
Floyd | I don't know the word "azdrupru".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "dog, azdrupu"
Floyd | The dog stands up on his hind legs for a few moments, then resumes his
Floyd | guarding posture.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "dog, yijtgu"
Floyd | The dog sits down for a moment, then resumes his guarding posture.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "dog, wurtru"
Floyd | The dog suddenly becomes very friendly.  He wags his tale and whines at
Floyd | you happily.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Whatever you said, it worked!"  Teeterwaller exclaims.  He cautiously
Floyd | approaches the dog and pets him, getting lots of licking and
Floyd | tail-wagging in return.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "(Attack)"
inky says, "I hope there is a big scene with a moose at the end of this game"
Jacqueline says, "Nice"
genericgeekgirl says, "Hehe"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "remove clip"
Floyd | The chain is securely bolted to the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "unclip harness"
Floyd | You unfasten the chain from the harness.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Can we make the dog attack Teeterwaller?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Run free, little doggie."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "get dog"
Floyd | You can't have the huge dog.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "get chain"
Floyd | The chain is securely bolted to the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "get harness"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf16"
Floyd | The dog stands still for you to remove the harness, and happily romps
Floyd | around once it's off.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x harness"
Floyd | The harness goes around a dog's chest.  Even though it's meant for a
Floyd | dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear.  At the top of the
Floyd | harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or
Floyd | leash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "dog, shchrudu"
Floyd | The dog looks at you curiously, but seems to decide he'd rather stay
Floyd | friends.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I can only imagine."
genericgeekgirl says, "Aw. Nice puppy."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Building
Floyd |    This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams
Floyd | supporting the roof high above.  A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights
Floyd | suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the
Floyd | air.
Floyd |    Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
Floyd | separated by just enough space to form aisles.  On each desk is a
Floyd | ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine
Floyd | of some kind.  Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously
Floyd | balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering
Floyd | papers across the floor.
Floyd |    A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
Floyd | building.  The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of
Floyd | desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Floyd | Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the
Floyd | workbench.
Floyd |    Sitting on the workbench is a small plastic device and a looseleaf
Floyd | page.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x device"
Floyd | The device appears to be a portable hand-held scanner of some kind.
Floyd | The boxy plastic body is mounted on top of a pistol grip with a
Floyd | trigger; at the front of the body is a little red window, and on top is
Floyd | an electronic display.  Clearly, you are meant to hold the scanner by
Floyd | the grip, point it at an object to be scanned, and pull the trigger.
Floyd | The display is currently dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x page"
Floyd | Which page do you mean, the Project Tyche manual, or the looseleaf
Floyd | page?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x looseleaf"
Floyd | Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page
Floyd | bar code?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x looseleaf page"
Floyd | It's an 8½-by-11 page with holes punched in the margin; it must have
Floyd | fallen out of a three-ring binder.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x bar code"
Floyd | Which bar code do you mean, the black box bar code, or the looseleaf
Floyd | page bar code?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take all"
Floyd | portable hand-held scanner:  Taken.
Floyd | looseleaf page:  Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "lol"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yay, accidental spoilers."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x looseleaf page bar code"
Floyd | The bar code consists of a series of vertical bars of varying
Floyd | thickness, with the number 20300273 written just below the bars in
Floyd | computer-style block numerals.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "scan him"
Floyd | (with the portable hand-held scanner)
Floyd | You can't reach that from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "read looseleaf page"
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Rebate Processing Manual -- Program Details
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | ITEM:  Gazette SonarTrack Razor 3-Pack
Floyd |
Floyd | REBATE AMOUNT:  $2.15
Floyd |
Floyd | UPC:  20300273
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | IMPORTANT:  Verify all UPC bar-code symbols with scanner.
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a bar code, of the same type that you see on packages in
Floyd | the supermarket, with the number 20300273 written in computer-style
Floyd | block numerals just below the vertical bars.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Aw, that sort of scanner."
phoenix says, "potential code for the door opener"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x sacks"
Floyd | About ten large burlap sacks are piled haphazardly beside the
Floyd | workbench.  They're all filled to overflowing with envelopes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x envelopes"
Floyd | There are far too many envelopes for a thorough examination, but you
Floyd | pick a few at random, and find that they're all addressed to different
Floyd | products' rebate offers:  Healthy Concern Low-Fat Crème Brûlée Frozen
Floyd | Dessert $1.51 Rebate Offer, Gazette SonarTrac Razor 3-Pack $2.15
Floyd | Mail-In Rebate Offer, Sergeant Sweet's Peanut Butter Sweet with
Floyd | Chocolaty Chips and Macadamia Nuts 44 Ounce Breakfast Cereal $3.77
Floyd | Rebate Offer, ToxiCola 24-Pack $1.01 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Mrs.
Floyd | Palfrey's Olde-Tyme Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones
Floyd | $2.35 Rebate Offer, Blowiger's Very Fine Teas $0.90 Rebate Offer,
Floyd | Shane's No-Spill Men's 100% Cotton Briefs $2.80 Mail-In Rebate Offer,
Floyd | and many more.  Even though each envelope is for a different product's
Floyd | rebate offer, they all have the same address:  PO Box 2004, Conners
Floyd | City.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I see."
genericgeekgirl | Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones
phoenix says (to Floyd), "scan looseleaf bar code"
Floyd | (with the portable hand-held scanner)
Floyd | You point the scanner at the bar code and pull the trigger.
Floyd | Pencil-thin lines of red light vibrate across the bar code for a few
Floyd | moments, then the scanner emits a short bip, and the display lights up
Floyd | to show:  2.15.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search envelopes"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
inky says, "it's the ol' "apply for a million rebates and use the money to fund your world-domination activities" trick"
genericgeekgirl asks, "I think it's more that this is the rebate processing center?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Or he stole someone's mail."
phoenix says, "must be the proessing centre if it has the code reader"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get looseleaf"
Floyd | Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page
Floyd | bar code?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get looseleaf page"
Floyd | You already have the looseleaf page!
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x desks"
Floyd | The desks are arranged in closely-spaced rows stretching off in all
Floyd | directions. Each of the desks has a huge heap of papers on one side,
Floyd | and a small machine on the other.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "teeterwaller, shut up"
Floyd | I don't know the word "shut".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x machine"
Floyd | The machines look a little like typewriters, but they have strange
Floyd | keyboards, and the paper-feeding mechanisms don't look like they're for
Floyd | paper.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Those are card punch three-three-five's," Teeterwaller says, sounding
Floyd | surprised.  It takes you a moment to figure out what he means, then you
Floyd | realize he's talking about a model number, something like Card Punch
Floyd | 335~.  "I haven't seen one of these in years," he says.  You're afraid
Floyd | he's going to go off on one of his tangents about the good old days of
Floyd | computing when real programmers had to key in the operating system in
Floyd | binary with their toes, but he just looks fondly at the machines.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x stacks"
Floyd | I don't know the word "stacks".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x stacks"
Floyd | I don't know the word "stacks".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x piles"
Floyd | The piles look random; they're composed of papers of all sizes and
Floyd | colors.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "search piles"
Floyd | They're too far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Building
Floyd |    This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams
Floyd | supporting the roof high above.  A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights
Floyd | suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the
Floyd | air.
Floyd |    Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
Floyd | separated by just enough space to form aisles.  On each desk is a
Floyd | ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine
Floyd | of some kind.  Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously
Floyd | balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering
Floyd | papers across the floor.
Floyd |    A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
Floyd | building.  The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of
Floyd | desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Floyd | Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the
Floyd | workbench.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x papers"
Floyd | The piles look random; they're composed of papers of all sizes and
Floyd | colors.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x workbench"
Floyd | The workbench is very wide, and dominates the entire open area near the
Floyd | door.  On closer inspection, you see that it's not merely a workbench,
Floyd | but is actually a machine of some kind.  In the center of surface of
Floyd | the workbench is a rectangular depression, about the size of a
Floyd | coffee-table book and about four inches deep, lined at the bottom with
Floyd | little gears and wheels; it's currently empty.  Sticking out of the
Floyd | front of the workbench, roughly under the top depression, is a metal
Floyd | basket, of roughly the same dimensions as the depression, placed in
Floyd | front of a chute coming out of the workbench; the basket contains a
Floyd | deck of punched cards.
Floyd |
Floyd | On top of the workbench, near the depression, is a knob that looks like
Floyd | the channel dial on a really old television; the knob can be set to
Floyd | values from 0 to 7, and is currently set to 0.  Next to the knob is a
Floyd | black push-button.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's nothing on the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cards"
Floyd | The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far
Floyd | too many to examine individually.  Each card has numerous neat little
Floyd | square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of
Floyd | numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
Floyd | The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits;
Floyd | the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two
Floyd | more digits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the
Floyd | first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular
Floyd | number of that group in the deck.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take cards"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x depression"
Floyd | There's nothing in the depression.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "it just said there were thousands of cards. Did we really take them all?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x knob"
Floyd | The knob looks like the mechanical channel dials on old televisions.
Floyd | It can be set to positions numbered from 0 to 7; it's currently set to
Floyd | 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Yup"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight, a
Floyd | Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held
Floyd | scanner, a looseleaf page, and a deck of punched cards.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put basket in depression"
Floyd | You can't put the basket anywhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take basket"
Floyd | You can't have the basket.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x deck"
Floyd | The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far
Floyd | too many to examine individually.  Each card has numerous neat little
Floyd | square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of
Floyd | numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
Floyd | The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits;
Floyd | the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two
Floyd | more digits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the
Floyd | first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular
Floyd | number of that group in the deck.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put cards in depression"
Floyd | Done.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "cf17"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "look up 20300273 in deck"
Floyd | The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where
Floyd | 20300273 should be.  You find a card that looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |    20300273        2.15
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the black push-button)
Floyd | The machine inside the workbench grinds into action.  Waves of motion
Floyd | start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they
Floyd | all vibrate rapidly.  The machinery makes more and more noise until the
Floyd | whole workbench is vibrating wildly.  Suddenly, the cards start
Floyd | disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire
Floyd | deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and
Floyd | clunks at irregular intervals--clunk...  whir...
Floyd | bang-bang-bang-clunk...  whir...  clunk-bang...  clunk...  bang-bang...
Floyd | whir...
Floyd |
Floyd | Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed
Floyd | and lining up neatly in the basket.  It only takes a few seconds before
Floyd | the entire deck has been reassembled.
Floyd |
Floyd | The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch
Floyd | and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the
Floyd | workbench.  The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "What exactly just happened?"
phoenix asks, "it's a sorting machine?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cards"
Floyd | The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far
Floyd | too many to examine individually.  Each card has numerous neat little
Floyd | square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of
Floyd | numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
Floyd | The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits;
Floyd | the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two
Floyd | more digits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the
Floyd | first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular
Floyd | number of that group in the deck.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn knob to 1"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "The question is, what is it good for"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put cards in depression"
Floyd | Done.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the black push-button)
Floyd | The machine inside the workbench grinds into action.  Waves of motion
Floyd | start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they
Floyd | all vibrate rapidly.  The machinery makes more and more noise until the
Floyd | whole workbench is vibrating wildly.  Suddenly, the cards start
Floyd | disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire
Floyd | deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and
Floyd | clunks at irregular intervals--clunk...  whir...
Floyd | bang-bang-bang-clunk...  whir...  clunk-bang...  clunk...  bang-bang...
Floyd | whir...
Floyd |
Floyd | Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed
Floyd | and lining up neatly in the basket.  It only takes a few seconds before
Floyd | the entire deck has been reassembled.
Floyd |
Floyd | The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch
Floyd | and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the
Floyd | workbench.  The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cards"
Floyd | The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far
Floyd | too many to examine individually.  Each card has numerous neat little
Floyd | square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of
Floyd | numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
Floyd | The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits;
Floyd | the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two
Floyd | more digits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the
Floyd | second group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular
Floyd | number of that group in the deck.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hm."
genericgeekgirl says, "0-7, 7 digits."
genericgeekgirl says, "Uh, I mean, 8 digits :)"
genericgeekgirl says, "I can count."
phoenix asks, "0 sorted by that first group, 1 sorted by the second group (price), what's 2 do?"
genericgeekgirl says, "2 sorts by the 3rd digit and so on."
phoenix says, "it says second *group* not second digit"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn knob to 2"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 2.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put cards in depression"
Floyd | Done.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the black push-button)
Floyd | The machine inside the workbench grinds into action.  Waves of motion
Floyd | start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they
Floyd | all vibrate rapidly.  The machinery makes more and more noise until the
Floyd | whole workbench is vibrating wildly.  Suddenly, the cards start
Floyd | disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire
Floyd | deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and
Floyd | clunks at irregular intervals--clunk...  whir...
Floyd | bang-bang-bang-clunk...  whir...  clunk-bang...  clunk...  bang-bang...
Floyd | whir...
Floyd |
Floyd | Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed
Floyd | and lining up neatly in the basket.  It only takes a few seconds before
Floyd | the entire deck has been reassembled.
Floyd |
Floyd | The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch
Floyd | and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the
Floyd | workbench.  The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cards"
Floyd | The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far
Floyd | too many to examine individually.  Each card has numerous neat little
Floyd | square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of
Floyd | numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
Floyd | The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits;
Floyd | the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two
Floyd | more digits.
Floyd |
Floyd | Glancing through the deck, you can detect no apparent ordering; they're
Floyd | just randomly arranged in the deck, which would make it next to
Floyd | impossible to find a particular number in the deck.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hm, ok."
genericgeekgirl says, "I thought 0-7 meant 1-8."
djfletch asks, "oh, how about looking up the number from the opener?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put cards in depression. turn knob to 0. press button"
Floyd | Done.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | There are words after your command that I couldn't use.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x switches"
Floyd | Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other.  On the side
Floyd | of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each
Floyd | switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7.  Currently, the switches are
Floyd | in the following positions:  55567562.  Just above the switches,
Floyd | someone has written "55567562".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn knob to 0"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the black push-button)
Floyd | The machine inside the workbench grinds into action.  Waves of motion
Floyd | start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they
Floyd | all vibrate rapidly.  The machinery makes more and more noise until the
Floyd | whole workbench is vibrating wildly.  Suddenly, the cards start
Floyd | disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire
Floyd | deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and
Floyd | clunks at irregular intervals--clunk...  whir...
Floyd | bang-bang-bang-clunk...  whir...  clunk-bang...  clunk...  bang-bang...
Floyd | whir...
Floyd |
Floyd | Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed
Floyd | and lining up neatly in the basket.  It only takes a few seconds before
Floyd | the entire deck has been reassembled.
Floyd |
Floyd | The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch
Floyd | and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the
Floyd | workbench.  The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "look up 55567562 in deck"
Floyd | The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where
Floyd | 55567562 should be.  You find a card that looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |    55567562        2.57
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Well, it's a computer."
Jacqueline says, "Sorry, was away."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "look up 2.57 in envelopes"
Floyd | You can't look up anything in the envelopes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys. Jacqueline says, "And will be away again for a sec, as my feet are cold and I require socks."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "look up 12345678 in deck"
Floyd | Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where
Floyd | 12345678 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "it sorts the cards so we can look things up in them"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "look up 12345670 in deck"
Floyd | Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where
Floyd | 12345670 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
nm says, "yeah, you and Canada are having a nice cool day"
djfletch says, "so it might mean something that 55567562 exists, but I don't know what good it is to know that it corresponds to 2.57"
inky has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x envelopes"
Floyd | There are far too many envelopes for a thorough examination, but you
Floyd | pick a few at random, and find that they're all addressed to different
Floyd | products' rebate offers:  Healthy Concern Low-Fat Crème Brûlée Frozen
Floyd | Dessert $1.51 Rebate Offer, Gazette SonarTrac Razor 3-Pack $2.15
Floyd | Mail-In Rebate Offer, Sergeant Sweet's Peanut Butter Sweet with
Floyd | Chocolaty Chips and Macadamia Nuts 44 Ounce Breakfast Cereal $3.77
Floyd | Rebate Offer, ToxiCola 24-Pack $1.01 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Mrs.
Floyd | Palfrey's Olde-Tyme Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones
Floyd | $2.35 Rebate Offer, Blowiger's Very Fine Teas $0.90 Rebate Offer,
Floyd | Shane's No-Spill Men's 100% Cotton Briefs $2.80 Mail-In Rebate Offer,
Floyd | and many more.  Even though each envelope is for a different product's
Floyd | rebate offer, they all have the same address:  PO Box 2004, Conners
Floyd | City.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "no 2.57 there"
genericgeekgirl says, "We have a flashlight. We should go explore some more."
djfletch says, "Yes, try the ditch I suppose."
genericgeekgirl asks, "Also the cards started sorted by the first number, so maybe we want the second before we go?"
djfletch asks, "Hmm, should we be looking up all those prices from the envelopes?"
phoenix says, "tried that"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put cards in depression"
Floyd | Done.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn dial to 1"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "oh, no we didn't"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the black push-button)
Floyd | The machine inside the workbench grinds into action.  Waves of motion
Floyd | start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they
Floyd | all vibrate rapidly.  The machinery makes more and more noise until the
Floyd | whole workbench is vibrating wildly.  Suddenly, the cards start
Floyd | disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire
Floyd | deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and
Floyd | clunks at irregular intervals--clunk...  whir...
Floyd | bang-bang-bang-clunk...  whir...  clunk-bang...  clunk...  bang-bang...
Floyd | whir...
Floyd |
Floyd | Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed
Floyd | and lining up neatly in the basket.  It only takes a few seconds before
Floyd | the entire deck has been reassembled.
Floyd |
Floyd | The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch
Floyd | and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the
Floyd | workbench.  The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "look up 3.77 in deck"
Floyd | The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 3.77
Floyd | should be.  You find a card that looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |    41531454        3.77
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Onward?"
phoenix says, "I suppose we might find an item that clues us into the envelope list that tells us to look this up in the deck and put the code in. Yeah, let's move on"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pet dog"
Floyd | The dog wags his tail at you happily, and returns to his puttering
Floyd | around.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in
Floyd | this darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "did we check west of start?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Path
Floyd |    The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
Floyd | the west.  The road lies to the south.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Oh, no. We haven't."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut
Floyd | into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path in ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Wrong way"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of
Floyd | the bank.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road, near car
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road continues east and west.  To the east you can just make out
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car.  It's too dark to see much to the west, although
Floyd | you remember from having driven this stretch that there's nothing for a
Floyd | long ways.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Teeterwaller stops you.  "We just came from this direction," he says.
Floyd | "There's nothing this way for at least twenty miles."
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ok."
phoenix says, "Oh."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "verbose on"
Floyd | I don't understand that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Meh"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "verbose"
Floyd | Okay, now in VERBOSE mode.
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road continues east and west.  To the east you can just make out
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car.  It's too dark to see much to the west, although
Floyd | you remember from having driven this stretch that there's nothing for a
Floyd | long ways.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road, near car
Floyd |    The road stretches off into the dim moonlight to the east and west.
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller's car sits in the shoulder, parked just slightly off
Floyd | the road.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |    A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north.  The road
Floyd | continues east and west.  To the west you can just make out Mr.
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in
Floyd | this darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |    The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
Floyd | deep ditch.  Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to
Floyd | prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads
Floyd | northeast from the end of the north rail.  In the darkness, you can't
Floyd | see far down the road in either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |    The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
Floyd | the west.  The road lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut
Floyd | into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path in ditch
Floyd |    The path occupies a narrow ledge just above the stagnant water of
Floyd | the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the
Floyd | ditch's bank.  You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge
Floyd | hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; without something to
Floyd | light the way, though, it would be too dangerous.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn on flashlight"
Floyd | You switch on the flashlight.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "SW?"
phoenix says, "sw"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | It's difficult, but since you have enough light to see what you're
Floyd | doing, you manage to make your way further along the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait for me!"  your boss cries from behind.  You shine the light back
Floyd | for him, and he nervously negotiates the narrow ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tunnel
Floyd |    The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road.  The path is wide
Floyd | and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path near ditch
Floyd |    The path continues north and south along the ditch.  To the north,
Floyd | you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch.  To the
Floyd | south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ditch, north of fence
Floyd |    The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high.  A
Floyd | chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below
Floyd | which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the
Floyd | full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x gate"
Floyd | The gate is made of vertical steel bars, spaced about six inches apart.
Floyd | Rails at either side guide the gate so that it can slide up and down,
Floyd | and a pair of cables attached to the top of the gate are connected to a
Floyd | winch high above.  The gate is immersed in the water and covers the
Floyd | full width of the ditch; it completely blocks travel to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cables"
Floyd | The cables connect the gate to a winch above the gate.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x ditch"
Floyd | The ditch runs north and south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "down"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | "Click."
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x garage"
Floyd | (the garage opener button)
Floyd | You presumably push the button to transmit a radio signal to open a
Floyd | garage door somewhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x switches"
Floyd | Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other.  On the side
Floyd | of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each
Floyd | switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7.  Currently, the switches are
Floyd | in the following positions:  55567562.  Just above the switches,
Floyd | someone has written "55567562".
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "search gate"
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | The bank is too steep to climb.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You don't have any desire to wade into the stagnant water.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x winch"
Floyd | It's high above; you can't see any detail from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x rails"
Floyd | The rails guide the gate so that it can move up and down.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open gate"
Floyd | You brace yourself and pull the bars as hard as you can, but the gate
Floyd | is much too heavy to move.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "set switches to 20300273"
Floyd | You carefully manipulate the tiny switches into the new positions.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | "Click."
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "What was that number?"
phoenix says, "the barcode from the loose paper"
genericgeekgirl says, "Ah"
phoenix says, "i'm guessing this IS the way to open the gate but we have to figure out how the numbers conect"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight
Floyd | (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a
Floyd | portable hand-held scanner, and a looseleaf page.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "There may be a barcode to read somewhere. We have the scanner."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "throw harness at winch"
Floyd | It's too far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "We could try all the ones we can find I suppose. You'd think there would be a clue though."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "climb cables"
Floyd | It's too far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Let's go look at the other side of the gate."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x rails"
Floyd | The rails guide the gate so that it can move up and down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "how?"
genericgeekgirl says, "We saw it earlier from the compound."
phoenix says, "ah yeah, it was described as a metal framework that we could'nt reach"
genericgeekgirl says, "Well, there might be clues over there in any case."
phoenix says, "why not."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | The gate is blocking the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path near ditch
Floyd |    The path continues north and south along the ditch.  To the north,
Floyd | you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch.  To the
Floyd | south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tunnel
Floyd |    The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road.  The path is wide
Floyd | and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path in ditch
Floyd |    The path occupies a narrow ledge just above the stagnant water of
Floyd | the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the
Floyd | ditch's bank.  You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge
Floyd | hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; you may be able to
Floyd | find your way with something to light the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline asks, "We still don't have a clear sense of what we're doing though, do we?"
phoenix says, "well, we're supposed to get in the plant, which we are guessing involves going through the gate in the ditch"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | The path ascends a terrace cut into the ditch's bank back to the top of
Floyd | the bank.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |    The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
Floyd | the west.  The road lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |    The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
Floyd | deep ditch.  Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to
Floyd | prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads
Floyd | northeast from the end of the north rail.  In the darkness, you can't
Floyd | see far down the road in either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection
Floyd |    The main road leads east and west here.  A smaller intersecting road
Floyd | leads south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road runs north and south.  In both directions, you can see
Floyd | nothing but darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air.  The road
Floyd | continues into the darkness to the north.  To the south, distant lights
Floyd | glow weakly through the fog.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |    The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex
Floyd | sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south.  A tall chain-link
Floyd | fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding
Floyd | section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the
Floyd | road.  Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of
Floyd | the road.  The road continues into the darkness to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x gate"
Floyd | The gate is merely a separate section of the fence that slides across
Floyd | the road. It's currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Ellison says, "oh, is this MJR's The Plant? I figured you guys were doing Cover Comp games or something"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |    The terrain is clear for a few feet outside the perimeter of the
Floyd | fence, creating this path.  The road is just to the west, and the
Floyd | enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south.  The terrain
Floyd | slopes up to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "yeah"
Ellison says, "I never got anywhere in this"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd |    The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some
Floyd | distance to the west.  Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here,
Floyd | making it too difficult to travel further to the east.  The elevation
Floyd | gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation.  The
Floyd | sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the
Floyd | path leads west along the fence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |    The terrain is clear for a few feet outside the perimeter of the
Floyd | fence, creating this path.  The road is just to the west, and the
Floyd | enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south.  The terrain
Floyd | slopes up to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |    The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex
Floyd | sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south.  A tall chain-link
Floyd | fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding
Floyd | section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the
Floyd | road.  Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of
Floyd | the road.  The road continues into the darkness to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path outside fence
Floyd |    The path ends abruptly to the west with a wall of tall, thorny
Floyd | bushes growing out of a deep ditch.  The road is just to the east, and
Floyd | the plant complex is on the other side of the fence to the south.
Floyd |    A metal framework under the fence inside the ditch is visible
Floyd | through the bushes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x framework"
Floyd | The framework is inside the ditch, under the fence, so you can't easily
Floyd | see the whole thing through the bushes.  Two vertical rails, one on
Floyd | each side of the ditch, are connected at the top by a crossbar.  A
Floyd | winch is in the center of the crossbar, and a pair of cables lead down
Floyd | from the winch.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x winch"
Floyd | It looks like a heavy-duty winch capable of lifting an extremely large
Floyd | load.
Floyd |
Floyd | Next to the winch is a small black box.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x box"
Floyd | You shine the flashlight on the black box, which gives you enough light
Floyd | to make out some detail.  Several wires run from the box to the winch,
Floyd | and a short antenna sticks up out of the top of the box.  On the side
Floyd | of the box is a white adhesive label with what looks like a bar code
Floyd | printed on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "scan bar code"
Floyd | (with the portable hand-held scanner)
Floyd | Which bar code do you mean, the looseleaf page bar code, or the black
Floyd | box bar code?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "oho"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "scan black box bar code"
Floyd | (with the portable hand-held scanner)
Floyd | You point the scanner at the bar code and pull the trigger.
Floyd | Pencil-thin lines of red light vibrate across the bar code for a few
Floyd | moments, then the scanner emits a short bip, and the display lights up
Floyd | to show:  4.71.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by one point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look up 4.71"
Floyd | What do you want to look up it in?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look up 4.71 in cards"
Floyd | I don't see any cards here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight
Floyd | (providing light), a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a
Floyd | portable hand-held scanner, and a looseleaf page.
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Damnit."
genericgeekgirl says, "I left them in the basket."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Outside Complex
Floyd |    The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex
Floyd | sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south.  A tall chain-link
Floyd | fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding
Floyd | section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the
Floyd | road.  Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of
Floyd | the road.  The road continues into the darkness to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air.  The road
Floyd | continues into the darkness to the north.  To the south, distant lights
Floyd | glow weakly through the fog.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road
Floyd |    The road runs north and south.  In both directions, you can see
Floyd | nothing but darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection
Floyd |    The main road leads east and west here.  A smaller intersecting road
Floyd | leads south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |    The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
Floyd | deep ditch.  Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to
Floyd | prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads
Floyd | northeast from the end of the north rail.  In the darkness, you can't
Floyd | see far down the road in either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | It's too dangerous to jump into the ditch from here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |    A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north.  The road
Floyd | continues east and west.  To the west you can just make out Mr.
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    The driveway ends at an open roll-up metal door in a large,
Floyd | windowless building to the north.  The door looks like it belongs on a
Floyd | one-car garage.  Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel
Floyd | chain.  The driveway leads south, back to the road.
Floyd |    A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Building
Floyd |    This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams
Floyd | supporting the roof high above.  A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights
Floyd | suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the
Floyd | air.
Floyd |    Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
Floyd | separated by just enough space to form aisles.  On each desk is a
Floyd | ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine
Floyd | of some kind.  Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously
Floyd | balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering
Floyd | papers across the floor.
Floyd |    A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
Floyd | building.  The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of
Floyd | desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
Floyd | Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the
Floyd | workbench.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take cards"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look up 4.71"
Floyd | (in the deck of punched cards)
Floyd | The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 4.71
Floyd | should be.  You find a card that looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |    42325515        4.71
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "set switches to 42325515"
Floyd | You carefully manipulate the tiny switches into the new positions.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Shall we?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Driveway
Floyd |    The driveway ends at an open roll-up metal door in a large,
Floyd | windowless building to the north.  The door looks like it belongs on a
Floyd | one-car garage.  Bolted to the side of the building is a heavy steel
Floyd | chain.  The driveway leads south, back to the road.
Floyd |    A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in
Floyd | this darkness, even with the flashlight.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at driveway
Floyd |    A gravel driveway leads away from the road to the north.  The road
Floyd | continues east and west.  To the west you can just make out Mr.
Floyd | Teeterwaller's car; it's too dark to see much to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Road at ditch
Floyd |    The road continues east and west, rising slightly as it crosses a
Floyd | deep ditch.  Metal guard rails run alongside the road on both sides to
Floyd | prevent vehicles from running into the ditch; a narrow foot path leads
Floyd | northeast from the end of the north rail.  In the darkness, you can't
Floyd | see far down the road in either direction.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path
Floyd |    The path runs north and south alongside a deep ditch, which is to
Floyd | the west.  The road lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The path veers toward the ditch, then slopes down along a terrace cut
Floyd | into the ditch's bank until it reaches the bottom of the ditch.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path in ditch
Floyd |    The path occupies a narrow ledge just above the stagnant water of
Floyd | the ditch. The path to the south climbs a narrow terrace cut into the
Floyd | ditch's bank.  You can't go any further north, but the tenuous ledge
Floyd | hugging the bank to the southwest looks passable; you may be able to
Floyd | find your way with something to light the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | It's difficult, but since you have enough light to see what you're
Floyd | doing, you manage to make your way further along the ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait for me!"  your boss cries from behind.  You shine the light back
Floyd | for him, and he nervously negotiates the narrow ledge.
Floyd |
Floyd | Tunnel
Floyd |    The ditch passes through a tunnel under the road.  The path is wide
Floyd | and straight here, continuing alongside the ditch to the north and
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path near ditch
Floyd |    The path continues north and south along the ditch.  To the north,
Floyd | you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch.  To the
Floyd | south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ditch, north of fence
Floyd |    The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high.  A
Floyd | chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below
Floyd | which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the
Floyd | full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pree button"
Floyd | I don't know the word "pree".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | The gate is blocking the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | "Click."
Floyd |
Floyd | A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "try the top side?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Path near ditch
Floyd |    The path continues north and south along the ditch.  To the north,
Floyd | you can just barely make out the road crossing over the ditch.  To the
Floyd | south, you see some faint lights in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put battery in opener"
Floyd | You install the battery, making sure to align it in the correct
Floyd | direction according to the diagram.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ditch, north of fence
Floyd |    The ditch is deep here--the banks are perhaps twenty feet high.  A
Floyd | chain-link fence runs above the top of the ditch to the south, below
Floyd | which is a gate made of closely-spaced steel bars; the gate covers the
Floyd | full width of the ditch, and blocks travel to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | From above, you hear the winch make a loud humming noise.  The cables
Floyd | become tense, then the gate starts slowly rising.  It lifts up out of
Floyd | the water, then continues sliding up the rails for a few feet.  When it
Floyd | reaches the top of the rails, it stops, and the winch becomes silent.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by five points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Oh we took the battery out? LOL"
genericgeekgirl says, "You can't get to the switches with the battery in."
phoenix says, "makes sense"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf18"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "score"
Floyd | Your score is 20 of a possible 100, in 297 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as an
Floyd | up-and-coming go-getter.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Use the FULL SCORE command to display a detailed list of the points
Floyd | you've earned.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "heh"
phoenix says, "well I wouldn't have assumed the switches were installed underneat teh battery"
phoenix says, "So. Someone put that sticker on the black box in order to give us the code to get in. Hmmmmm."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | You have to bend down slightly to move past the gate.  Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | cautiously joins you, looking up to make sure the gate isn't going to
Floyd | come crashing down on him as he passes underneath.  As you cross under
Floyd | the fence, the ditch changes to a concrete-lined canal.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Canal near gate
Floyd |    Vertical concrete walls line this deep canal.  A chain-link fence
Floyd | crosses over the top of the canal above; under the fence, a steel gate
Floyd | hangs several feet above the water, allowing passage through a low
Floyd | opening under the gate.  To the south, the canal stops at a concrete
Floyd | wall perforated by an array of pipes.
Floyd |    A ladder is set into the west wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wonderful job!"  Teeterwaller says excitedly.  "We're inside the
Floyd | complex!  Now we just need to find the trucks."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x pipes"
Floyd | The pipes vary in size; most are about a foot in diameter, but many are
Floyd | only a few inches and a few are two feet wide.  The pipes all open into
Floyd | the canal, and most are dripping slightly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Something deep inside a large rusty pipe catches your eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x rusty"
Floyd | The pipe is over two feet in diameter and is very rusty, whereas most
Floyd | of the other pipes look clean and new.  You can see something inside
Floyd | the pipe, but you can't tell what it is from here; it's too far inside
Floyd | the pipe for you to reach it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put harness in pipe"
Floyd | You don't want to put anything into the pipe; it would just get all
Floyd | covered with slime.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "hit pipe"
Floyd | Which pipe do you mean, the array of pipes, or the rusty pipe?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "hit rusty"
Floyd | I don't know how to attack the rusty pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about trucks"
Floyd | "You probably know as much as I do."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "enter pipe"
Floyd | Which pipe do you mean, the array of pipes, or the rusty pipe?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "rusty"
Floyd | I don't know how to enter the rusty pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "kick rusty"
Floyd | I don't know how to attack the rusty pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "maybe some machinery flushes it out"
phoenix asks, "move on?"
djfletch says, "yup"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You cautiously climb up the rungs.  It's quite a ways up and you feel a
Floyd | little anxious about the height, but you reach the top and peer over
Floyd | the edge to see if there are any guards about.  You can't see anyone,
Floyd | so you pull yourself over the edge.
Floyd |
Floyd | You motion to Teeterwaller to join you.  He nervously climbs the
Floyd | ladder, looking down several times.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway
Floyd | through one revolution around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |    Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up,
Floyd | you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take hats"
Floyd | yellow hard-hat:  That's on the other side of the grating.
Floyd | white hard-hat:  That's on the other side of the grating.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up.  This landing
Floyd | is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the
Floyd | ground, and on the east side of the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
Floyd | A large wheel is in the center of the door.
Floyd |    Through the grating below, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white
Floyd | hard-hat on the stairs one level down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x wheel"
Floyd | It's a big metal wheel, about a foot in diameter, in the middle of the
Floyd | door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | The wheel is hard to move, but you manage to turn it a couple of
Floyd | revolutions clockwise, where it stops.  A hissing sound escapes from
Floyd | the door for a few moments, then fades away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hm."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | As soon as you start to move the door, a thick, acrid vapor oozes out
Floyd | of the opening, and your eyes and lungs start burning.  You quickly
Floyd | shut the door again.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hats"
Floyd | yellow hard-hat:  That's on the other side of the grating.
Floyd | white hard-hat:  That's on the other side of the grating.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Ok, the status of the hats is a bit confusing"
djfletch says, "Yes, it sounds like we just walked past them on the stairs."
genericgeekgirl asks, "Is there a gas mask somewhere?"
phoenix says, "unless it is some sort of double helix staircase"
djfletch says, "wacky"
phoenix says, "since we went from level 2 to 4"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |    Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up,
Floyd | you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x grating"
Floyd | Which grating do you mean, the top grating, or the bottom grating?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x top grating"
Floyd | The grating is the bottom of the stairs one level above.  Through the
Floyd | grating, you can see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open grating"
Floyd | (the top grating)
Floyd | It's too far away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "that's rather strange"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah, I guess it must be two staircases."
genericgeekgirl says, "Very odd, though."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x grating"
Floyd | It's a sturdy metal grating covering a shaft around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "but it doesn't really say so here"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "open grating"
Floyd | It's firmly fixed in place.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "let's see if we can find a mask ro something then"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x south"
Floyd | I don't see any south here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look south"
Floyd | I don't see any south here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x passage"
Floyd | I don't know the word "passage".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Oh fine."
genericgeekgirl asks, "South?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x enclosure"
Floyd | The enclosure is about seven feet tall and open on one side to provide
Floyd | access to the equipment within.  A gray fire hose is coiled up neatly
Floyd | on a giant reel. In addition, the enclosure contains a newer gas mask
Floyd | and an older gas mask.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get masks"
Floyd | newer gas mask:  Mr. Teeterwaller picks up the older gas mask.  "Good
Floyd | idea," he says.  "This could come in handy."
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | older gas mask:  Mr. Teeterwaller is carrying the older gas mask and
Floyd | won't let you have it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Yay"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple
Floyd | of feet.  The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows
Floyd | you to unreel the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x hose"
Floyd | (the coiled fire hose)
Floyd | The hose is neatly coiled on a giant reel (except for the last few
Floyd | feet, which you're holding); next to the coil is a valve with a brass
Floyd | control wheel.  The hose ends in a nozzle, attached to which is a
Floyd | lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops.  You can hear water
Floyd | rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "maybe we can use this to flush whatever it was out of the rusty pipe"
genericgeekgirl says, "Ok"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | You carefully pull the fire hose along with you.  The reel unwinds,
Floyd | letting out the hose for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches along the ground through the opening to the
Floyd | southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "but we'd need to find the inlet, I guess"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You won't be able to drag the hose up the stairs; it would get stuck
Floyd | wrapping around the tower wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks down into the canal.  "I don't think the hose will
Floyd | make it over the edge without some help," he says.  "I'll stay up here
Floyd | and guide it over the edge for you."  He situates himself at the top of
Floyd | the ladder as you start to climb down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Canal near gate
Floyd |    Vertical concrete walls line this deep canal.  A chain-link fence
Floyd | crosses over the top of the canal above; under the fence, a steel gate
Floyd | hangs several feet above the water, allowing passage through a low
Floyd | opening under the gate.  To the south, the canal stops at a concrete
Floyd | wall perforated by an array of pipes.
Floyd |    A ladder is set into the west wall.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches up the wall of the canal to the top of the
Floyd | ladder.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put hose in rusty"
Floyd | You shove the fire hose nozzle into the pipe.  You still have to hold
Floyd | the hose to keep it from retracting.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever, and water immediately starts gushing through the
Floyd | nozzle and into the pipe.  The pipe quickly fills up, and the water
Floyd | starts shooting back out.  You release the lever and jump out of the
Floyd | way as the water pours out of the pipe.  A deflated silver balloon
Floyd | falls out of the pipe, carried by the force of the water.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take balloon"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x pump"
Floyd | It's a small hand-operated pump, probably for inflating basketballs or
Floyd | something similar.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "No inlet finding needed, cool"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x balloon"
Floyd | It's an ordinary balloon, made of shiny silver plastic.  It's currently
Floyd | fully deflated.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Also we have masks now, so back upstairs?"
genericgeekgirl asks, "Or explore first?"
phoenix says, "let's have a quick look around, I don't think there should be too many locations"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You cautiously climb up the rungs.  It's quite a ways up and you feel a
Floyd | little anxious about the height, but you reach the top.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fire hose retracts as you go.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches along the ground through the opening to the
Floyd | southwest.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | You can't get the hose around the bend--there are too many pipes at odd
Floyd | angles.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "drop hose"
Floyd | As soon as you let go of the hose, it slides away to the southeast as
Floyd | the reel winds the hose back onto the coil.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Narrow passage
Floyd |    The pipes are just barely far enough apart here for you to squeeze
Floyd | through to the northwest, but this is otherwise a dead end.
Floyd |    A space between some pipes to the east affords a peephole view of a
Floyd | large courtyard.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Look!"  Mr. Teeterwaller says, pointing through the opening in the
Floyd | pipes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the opening, you can see several trucks parked in the
Floyd | courtyard--the same trucks that you saw hijacked.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two people, wearing baggy white whole-body suits with hoods and gas
Floyd | masks, emerge from the back of one of the trucks, walking backwards,
Floyd | carrying something.  They continue out down a ramp at the back of the
Floyd | truck; two more people dressed the same way come into view, also
Floyd | helping to carry the object, which you can now see is a large shiny
Floyd | silver crate.  Two more people come out of the truck, then another two
Floyd | carrying the trailing end of the crate.  The eight slowly make their
Floyd | way down the ramp with the obviously heavy cargo.
Floyd |
Floyd | You wonder what they could be removing from the trucks that requires
Floyd | such elaborate protective clothing.  You look at Teeterwaller.  He's
Floyd | watching intently, but, strangely, does not seem surprised by what he's
Floyd | seeing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another space-suited worker emerges from the truck, slowly waving a
Floyd | wand attached by a cord to a box that makes intermittent ticking
Floyd | sounds.
Floyd |
Floyd | You feel a chill as you realize that the cargo must be radioactive.
Floyd |
Floyd | The group and their load disappear behind the truck, and the clicking
Floyd | of the Geiger counter recedes into inaudibility.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller continues watching for a few moments.  "Interesting," he
Floyd | finally says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Yes. Interesting."
genericgeekgirl says, "Run. Away."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Narrow passage
Floyd |    The pipes are just barely far enough apart here for you to squeeze
Floyd | through to the northwest, but this is otherwise a dead end.
Floyd |    A space between some pipes to the east affords a peephole view of a
Floyd | large courtyard.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about nukes"
Floyd | I don't know the word "nukes".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the
Floyd | ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again.  Mr.
Floyd | Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead end
Floyd |    This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much
Floyd | more.  To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other
Floyd | openings large enough to travel through.  The dense wall of pipes to
Floyd | the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x gap"
Floyd | The gap is about six inches high and a little wider.  Beyond the gap,
Floyd | there appears to be a large open area with a glass floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hm."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look in gap"
Floyd | The gap is about six inches high and a little wider.  Beyond the gap,
Floyd | there appears to be a large open area with a glass floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "so, that was some sort of convoy transporting nuclear material and the plant guys set up the detour to hijack it"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "It just keeps going."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x cage"
Floyd | The cage isn't the kind that's meant to keep someone from getting out;
Floyd | it's simply a metal floor about three feet by eight feet with a loose
Floyd | framework of metal poles forming the edges of a box; a cable attached
Floyd | at the top of the framework holds the whole thing a few inches off the
Floyd | ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cage"
Floyd | The cage isn't the kind that's meant to keep someone from getting out;
Floyd | it's simply a metal floor about three feet by eight feet with a loose
Floyd | framework of metal poles forming the edges of a box; a cable attached
Floyd | at the top of the framework holds the whole thing a few inches off the
Floyd | ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Cool"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet east of the
Floyd | cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "read note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x glass"
Floyd | The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square
Floyd | and a hundred feet on a side.  It looks as though a huge chamber is
Floyd | below the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "It might be difficult to get back from this area, so gas mask first?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Also, SW later."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "up"
Floyd | You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway
Floyd | through one revolution around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |    Sitting above you, on top of the grating of the stairs one level up,
Floyd | you see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "up"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up.  This landing
Floyd | is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the
Floyd | ground, and on the east side of the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
Floyd | A large wheel is in the center of the door.
Floyd |    Through the grating below, you see a yellow hard-hat and a white
Floyd | hard-hat on the stairs one level down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "up"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "wear mask"
Floyd | (the newer gas mask)
Floyd | Okay, you're now wearing the newer gas mask.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller puts his gas mask on as well.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door.
Floyd | Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | East end of catwalk
Floyd |    A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is open),
Floyd | and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower,
Floyd | suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous
Floyd | yellow-green liquid ten feet below.  A green, misty vapor swirls up
Floyd | from the surface of the liquid.
Floyd |
Floyd | The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I hope we're not trapped."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Center of catwalk
Floyd |    This is roughly the center of the catwalk, which extends east and
Floyd | west.  A pair of cables, suspended from above, are attached to the
Floyd | catwalk here to provide support.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West end of catwalk
Floyd |    The catwalk reaches the west wall of the tower here, and extends
Floyd | into the center of the tower to the east.  A door is set into the west
Floyd | wall; it's currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | The door won't budge; it seems to be locked from the outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x door"
Floyd | The closed door is about four feet tall and rounded at the corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "We've saved, but I guess it was awhile back."
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah"
phoenix says, "I doubt the door would lock itself"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push door"
Floyd | Pushing the rounded metal door doesn't do anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull door"
Floyd | Pulling the rounded metal door doesn't have any effect.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "doesn't look like we can do much with this other door, though"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Center of catwalk
Floyd |    This is roughly the center of the catwalk, which extends east and
Floyd | west.  A pair of cables, suspended from above, are attached to the
Floyd | catwalk here to provide support.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x cables"
Floyd | The cables extend to the domed roof of the tower above, and are
Floyd | attached to the catwalk here to support its weight.  At the top of the
Floyd | cables, you can just make out what looks like an access hatch in the
Floyd | roof.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "climb cables"
Floyd | "I think I'll wait here," Mr. Teeterwaller says nervously.
Floyd |
Floyd | You take a deep breath and grasp the cable, giving it a tug to make
Floyd | sure it's as firmly attached as it appears to be.  Taking care not to
Floyd | look down at the bubbling cauldron of who-knows-what below, you start
Floyd | ascending the cable.  It's as hard as you expect, but you manage to
Floyd | climb the twenty feet to the roof of the dome.
Floyd |
Floyd | Under the roof, on a cable
Floyd |    The cable is attached to a hook bolted to the roof of the dome.
Floyd | Within reach is a round access hatch, currently closed, in the roof of
Floyd | the dome.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open hatch"
Floyd | It won't budge.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x hatch"
Floyd | It's a round door about two feet in diameter, with a wheel in the
Floyd | center.  It's currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You can't seem to turn it with just one hand, and there's no way you
Floyd | can let go of the cable with both hands without something to keep you
Floyd | from falling.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "wear harness"
Floyd | Okay, you're now wearing the dog harness.  Tightening the harness
Floyd | securely around your chest, you can't help but feel a little silly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "attach harness to hook"
Floyd | You slip the harness's ring onto the cable hook.  The hook and harness
Floyd | seem easily able to support your weight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You cautiously let go of the cable, letting your weight shift to the
Floyd | harness.  The harness easily holds you in place, letting you take hold
Floyd | of the wheel.  The wheel is hard to move, but you manage to turn it a
Floyd | couple of revolutions clockwise, where it stops.  A hissing sound
Floyd | escapes from the door for a few moments, then fades away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "nice"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You start to leave, but the harness instantly jerks you to a stop.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "remove harness"
Floyd | Okay, you're no longer wearing the dog harness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You start to leave, but the harness instantly jerks you to a stop.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Gah"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "unclip harness"
Floyd | You slip the ring off the hook
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You grab onto the edge of the access hatch and pull yourself through
Floyd | the opening and out onto the roof of the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of tower
Floyd |    This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all
Floyd | directions.  The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome.  An
Floyd | access hatch is at the top; it's precariously propped up and open, and
Floyd | wisps of green vapor drift out.  Handholds set into the roof form a
Floyd | ladder down the west side of the dome.
Floyd |    The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
Floyd | north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the
Floyd | distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear frightened muttering from the hatch.  Mr. Teeterwaller's head
Floyd | appears in the opening.  You reach down and help him up onto the roof.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good job getting that hatch open," Teeterwaller tells you.  "That
Floyd | never would have occurred to me."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Nice."
phoenix asks, "Oh now he's climbing it??"
Jacqueline says, "It never would have occurred to me to take that harness in the first place."
Jacqueline says, "But, y'know, IF >TAKE ALL and all that."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | The precariously-balanced hatch slams shut as you leave.
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb down the handholds, following the curved dome as it becomes
Floyd | steeper and finally vertical.  The handholds continue down the side of
Floyd | the tower to a landing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
Floyd | the other landings, is on the west side of the tower.  Handholds set
Floyd | into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of
Floyd | the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall.  In the
Floyd | center of the door is a wheel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Ok, that would be the west door we couldn't open"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | You follow the stairs halfway around the tower to the next landing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, three stories up
Floyd |    This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
Floyd | side of the tower.  The stairs continue wrapping around the tower,
Floyd | allowing you to travel up or down.
Floyd |    You see a yellow hard-hat and a white hard-hat here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "so it is a double stair"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hats"
Floyd | yellow hard-hat:  Mr. Teeterwaller picks up the white hard-hat.  "Good
Floyd | idea," he says.  "This could come in handy."
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | white hard-hat:  Mr. Teeterwaller is carrying the white hard-hat and
Floyd | won't let you have it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, one story up
Floyd |    This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
Floyd | of the tower.  The stairs continue up and down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | As the stairway winds around to the west side of the tower, it passes
Floyd | through an opening in the grating surrounding the tower and descends
Floyd | into the shaft below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Underground, in shaft
Floyd |    Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
Floyd | The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface,
Floyd | but the shaft continues far below.  A metal grating completely covers
Floyd | the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
Floyd |    A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "So in order to go 1 level down to the basement, you have to climb the tower, go through the toxic tower, then climb down the other tower"
phoenix says, "Bet the workers in this plant have fun"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Narrow passage
Floyd |    This low, narrow tunnel was probably never intended as a walkway;
Floyd | it's more like a ventilation shaft than a corridor.  The tunnel becomes
Floyd | an aluminum duct to the west, and several small vents connect through
Floyd | the north and south walls. The passage opens into a larger area to the
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x vents"
Floyd | The vents are circular and vary in size from a few inches to a foot in
Floyd | diameter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Air duct
Floyd |    This aluminum air duct is just large enough to crawl through here,
Floyd | but splits into several smaller ducts to the west, none of which are
Floyd | large enough to permit further passage.  The duct widens to the east.
Floyd | A vent cover, two feet on a side, is over an opening in the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x ducts"
Floyd | There are six smaller ducts, all too small to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open cover"
Floyd | You swing the vent cover down and out, leaving the opening uncovered.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear some voices from the room below, but you can't make out what
Floyd | they're saying.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "danger time"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "listen to voices"
Floyd | I don't know the word "listen".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf19"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "wear hat"
Floyd | (the yellow hard-hat)
Floyd | Okay, you're now wearing the yellow hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller puts his hard-hat on as well.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | Several workers wearing isolation suits and gas masks, together
Floyd | carrying a large silver crate the size of a refrigerator, walk into
Floyd | view in the room below.  They put the crate on the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x crate"
Floyd | The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal.  It's about the size of
Floyd | a refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |
Floyd | One of the workers visible below walks slowly around the silver crate,
Floyd | scanning the crate with a hand-held device.  He makes two circuits of
Floyd | the crate, then clips the device to his belt and takes off his mask.
Floyd | After a few moments, the other workers all remove their masks as well.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the opening in the floor, you see the workers file out of the
Floyd | room to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "shall we?"
djfletch says, "yes, go for it"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | The floor is a hundred feet below.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "oh ok"
phoenix says, "... oh"
Jacqueline says, "eep"
phoenix says, "you know, the game could have told us that earlier"
Jacqueline says, "heh"
phoenix says, "I guess we go back up"
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look u"
Floyd | I don't understand that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light),
Floyd | a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held
Floyd | scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask
Floyd | (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
Floyd | The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Can we float down on a silver balloon?"
Jacqueline asks, "Nothing to use the harness with, right?"
phoenix says, "didn't look like it"
phoenix exclaims, "The balloon thing really ought not to work but feel free to try!"
djfletch says, "Maybe we could detach the hose and use that."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon"
Floyd | (with your lips)
Floyd | You'd have a hard time fitting the balloon under your gas mask.  If you
Floyd | want to inflate the balloon with the pump, though, just say so.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon with pump"
Floyd | You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the
Floyd | balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball.  Once the
Floyd | balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from
Floyd | escaping.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x balloon"
Floyd | It's an ordinary balloon, made of shiny silver plastic.  It's currently
Floyd | fully inflated, and the opening is knotted to keep the air from
Floyd | escaping.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "attach harness to balloon"
Floyd | You see no way to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "jump"
Floyd | Wheeee!
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | The floor is a hundred feet below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "I guess we access it through the glass roo"
djfletch says, "Probably."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "deflate balloon"
Floyd | You carefully untie the knot and let the air escape.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "and this is just another viewing area to watch the plot unfold"
djfletch says, "Maybe the balloon is an oxygen supply for somewhere."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Narrow passage
Floyd |    This low, narrow tunnel was probably never intended as a walkway;
Floyd | it's more like a ventilation shaft than a corridor.  The tunnel becomes
Floyd | an aluminum duct to the west, and several small vents connect through
Floyd | the north and south walls. The passage opens into a larger area to the
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Underground, in shaft
Floyd |    Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
Floyd | The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface,
Floyd | but the shaft continues far below.  A metal grating completely covers
Floyd | the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
Floyd |    A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Following the stairs around the tower, you cross through an opening in
Floyd | the grating and emerge into the night air.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, one story up
Floyd |    This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
Floyd | of the tower.  The stairs continue up and down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, three stories up
Floyd |    This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
Floyd | side of the tower.  The stairs continue wrapping around the tower,
Floyd | allowing you to travel up or down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | The stairs only make half a turn around the tower before you encounter
Floyd | another landing, this time on the west side of the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
Floyd | the other landings, is on the west side of the tower.  Handholds set
Floyd | into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of
Floyd | the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall.  In the
Floyd | center of the door is a wheel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | The wheel is hard to move, but you manage to turn it a couple of
Floyd | revolutions clockwise, where it stops.  A hissing sound escapes from
Floyd | the door for a few moments, then fades away.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door.
Floyd | Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West end of catwalk
Floyd |    The catwalk reaches the west wall of the tower here, and extends
Floyd | into the center of the tower to the east.  A door is set into the west
Floyd | wall; it's currently open.
Floyd |
Floyd | The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Center of catwalk
Floyd |    This is roughly the center of the catwalk, which extends east and
Floyd | west.  A pair of cables, suspended from above, are attached to the
Floyd | catwalk here to provide support.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | East end of catwalk
Floyd |    A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is closed),
Floyd | and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower,
Floyd | suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous
Floyd | yellow-green liquid ten feet below.  A green, misty vapor swirls up
Floyd | from the surface of the liquid.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | (Opening the rounded metal door)
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up.  This landing
Floyd | is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the
Floyd | ground, and on the east side of the tower.
Floyd |    An open rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west; a
Floyd | viscous green vapor wafts out of the door.  A large wheel is in the
Floyd | center of the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | As you start down the stairs, you notice that the door swings shut.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West edge of glass
Floyd |    This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass
Floyd | panels covering the ground to the east.  A wall of pipes parallels the
Floyd | edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except
Floyd | to the northeast.  Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "This was the bit we hadn't explored before"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x door"
Floyd | The elevator has a sliding metal door, which is closed, and a round
Floyd | button just to the right of the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the elevator button)
Floyd | Nothing happens.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x pipes"
Floyd | The pipes are broken here only by a passage to the northeast and by the
Floyd | elevator to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | The door is controlled automatically by the elevator; you can't open it
Floyd | manually.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "if it's a hundred feet it might take a while to arrive"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Or maybe it's just not coming"
djfletch says, "Possibly we use the window cleaning cage."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet east of the
Floyd | cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Also, can we walk on the glass?"
phoenix says, "We could try that"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | You'd fall through the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "ok"
phoenix asks, "oh come on, glass pannels this wide can't support our weight?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet east of the
Floyd | cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x levers"
Floyd | left lever:  The lever is standing straight up; it looks like you could
Floyd | push it or pull it.
Floyd | right lever:  The lever is standing straight up; it looks like you
Floyd | could push it or pull it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "the note talked about water..."
phoenix says, "wonder if we can get the fire hose on here"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple
Floyd | of feet.  The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows
Floyd | you to unreel the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | You carefully pull the fire hose along with you.  The reel unwinds,
Floyd | letting out the hose for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
djfletch says, "Maybe we just need to move the cage to the place the note said."
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches along the ground to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | You carefully pull the fire hose along with you.  The reel unwinds,
Floyd | letting out the hose for you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches off to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is at the north edge of the glass, and about thirty-five
Floyd | feet from the west edge of the glass.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches off to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fire hose suddenly snags on a pipe and refuses to go any further.
Floyd | You scramble to keep your hold on the hose, but the cage's motor is too
Floyd | strong and forces you to let go.  The nozzle luckily doesn't break the
Floyd | glass, but skitters away as the coil retracts the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about
Floyd | sixty feet east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever,
Floyd | and a spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide
Floyd | swings, the cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is at the north edge of the glass, and about sixty feet
Floyd | from the west edge of the glass.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x gap"
Floyd | It's a small gap, about six inches high, in the pipes to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "search gap"
Floyd | It's a small gap, about six inches high, in the pipes to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "oh, do we have to feed the hose through this gap?"
phoenix says, "we dropped it though"
djfletch says, "I mean, as a shorter route for it."
djfletch says, "So feed it from the other side."
phoenix says, "hmm, maybe"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
djfletch says, "But see where else the cage can go first."
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "that makes sense"
phoenix says, "Let's see if we can reach the hatch"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet north of the
Floyd | cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "All these randomized every_turn bits that our boss does, like looking through his pockets and being lost in thought and telling us stories of the office or things he's seen on TV felt okay outside, but seem quite silly inside the plant."
phoenix says, "Yeah"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and
Floyd | fifty feet north of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about seventy-five feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about seventy-five feet from the
Floyd | north edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and
Floyd | seventy-five feet north of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Ok, the grid showed 5x5, but from what I've moved this looks a bit like a 4x4"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x glass"
Floyd | The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square
Floyd | and a hundred feet on a side.  It looks as though a huge chamber is
Floyd | below the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "if it's 100 feet square we need to be about 50/50"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about thirty-five feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about twenty-five feet east and
Floyd | fifty feet north of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A small gap in the pipes is visible about fifty feet north of the
Floyd | cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "this is about as close to the centre as I can get it atm"
phoenix says, "50 by 60"
djfletch says, "Maybe it's close enough."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | The cage is fifty feet from the edge of the glass.  You can't walk on
Floyd | the glass, since it would not support your weight.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "but we don't see the hatch"
phoenix says, "I guess it might be enough to flood the hatch"
djfletch says, "hmm"
phoenix says, "And cause trouble below that way"
phoenix says, "let's try your idea with the hose"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it back over solid ground.
Floyd | You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position;
Floyd | after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new
Floyd | location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple
Floyd | of feet.  The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows
Floyd | you to unreel the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the
Floyd | ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again.  You
Floyd | pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl
Floyd | under the pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead end
Floyd |    This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much
Floyd | more.  To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other
Floyd | openings large enough to travel through.  The dense wall of pipes to
Floyd | the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put hose in gap"
Floyd | You shove the nozzle into the gap.  It's a tight squeeze, but it fits
Floyd | through.  The lever on the side of the nozzle catches slightly on the
Floyd | pipes, holding the nozzle in place as you let go of the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Nice"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
Floyd | to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
Floyd | hose sticking out through the pipes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The nozzle of the fire hose is sticking through a gap in the pipes
Floyd | about fifty feet east of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the nozzle, and pull it through the hole in the pipes.
Floyd | The hose is under tension, but you have no trouble holding on to it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push hose lever"
Floyd | Pushing the fire hose lever doesn't do anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x hose"
Floyd | At the end of the hose is a nozzle and a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "squeeze hose lever"
Floyd | I don't know the word "squeeze".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull hose lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever, and water immediately starts gushing through the
Floyd | nozzle at such pressure that you can't control where the hose is
Floyd | pointing.  The water sprays all over, and makes a mess of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | You let go of the lever, and the water stops spraying as a spring pulls
Floyd | the lever back to its normal position.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x hatch"
Floyd | I don't see any hatch here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches off through a gap in the pipes to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "point hose west"
Floyd | There are words after your command I couldn't use.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "maybe we can lower the pressure a bit"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | I don't see any wheel here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x hose"
Floyd | At the end of the hose is a nozzle and a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn nozzle"
Floyd | Turning the fire hose nozzle doesn't have any effect.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x nozzle"
Floyd | The nozzle directs the flow of water from the hose.  A lever is
Floyd | attached to the nozzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "or not"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "attach hose to harness"
Floyd | There's no obvious way to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "was there any control at the other end of the hose?"
phoenix says, "A wheel, but I got the impression it was on/off"
djfletch says, "hmm"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "aim hose"
Floyd | I don't know the word "aim".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "point hose"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "One thing is, we haven't actually seen the hatch"
djfletch says, "yeah, seems odd that we can't see it from here."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches off through a gap in the pipes to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "also a bit odd that we can't get to 50' 50'"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "attach hose to pole"
Floyd | There's no obvious way to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "wrap hose around pole"
Floyd | I don't know the word "wrap".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "coil hose around pole"
Floyd | There's no verb in that sentence!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Hmph"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull hose lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever, and water immediately starts gushing through the
Floyd | nozzle at such pressure that you can't control where the hose is
Floyd | pointing.  The water sprays all over, and makes a mess of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | You let go of the lever, and the water stops spraying as a spring pulls
Floyd | the lever back to its normal position.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "hmm, in one description it says the glass is "hundreds of feet""
phoenix says, "we have to be on the right track here"
djfletch says, "But I thought it said 100 somewhere too."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about seventy-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fire hose suddenly snags on a pipe and refuses to go any further.
Floyd | You scramble to keep your hold on the hose, but the cage's motor is too
Floyd | strong and forces you to let go.  The nozzle luckily doesn't break the
Floyd | glass, but skitters away as the coil retracts the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | The cage travels about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging
Floyd | over the glass, about fifty feet south of the north edge, and ten feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "yeah. It's oddly enough a 4x4"
phoenix says, "Which is strange because the note showed a 5x5 grid"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and thirty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | I don't see any hose here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it back over solid ground.
Floyd | You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position;
Floyd | after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new
Floyd | location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West edge of glass
Floyd |    This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass
Floyd | panels covering the ground to the east.  A wall of pipes parallels the
Floyd | edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except
Floyd | to the northeast.  Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Possibly that means we need to point the hose in a diagonal direction?"
phoenix says, "it didn't let us point the hose though"
phoenix says, "we can move to (0,25,50,75) / (10,35,60,85)"
djfletch says, "True. I'm still thinking the thing about not being able to control where the water goes is relevant somehow."
phoenix says, "yeah, it sounds like a hint"
djfletch says, "But maybe we just change the pressure somehow and then it just works."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x station"
Floyd | The enclosure is about seven feet tall and open on one side to provide
Floyd | access to the equipment within.  A gray fire hose is coiled up neatly
Floyd | on a giant reel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x reel"
Floyd | The hose is neatly coiled on a giant reel; next to the coil is a valve
Floyd | with a brass control wheel.  The hose ends in a nozzle, attached to
Floyd | which is a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "valve"
Floyd | There's no verb in that sentence!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x valve"
Floyd | The valve is big, obviously meant to control a substantial flow of
Floyd | water.  At the top is a brass control wheel.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "control wheel"
Floyd | There's no verb in that sentence!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x control wheel"
Floyd | The valve is big, obviously meant to control a substantial flow of
Floyd | water.  At the top is a brass control wheel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn it"
Floyd | You turn the wheel clockwise until it stops.  The hose gradually
Floyd | depressurizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel halfway"
Floyd | I don't know the word "halfway".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "turn wheel partly"
Floyd | I don't know the word "partly".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "No luck with that"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops.  You can hear water
Floyd | rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You turn the wheel clockwise until it stops.  The hose gradually
Floyd | depressurizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light),
Floyd | a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held
Floyd | scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask
Floyd | (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
Floyd | The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "stand on hose"
Floyd | I don't know how to stand on the coiled fire hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "another possibility is that it's not 50/60 as we think"
phoenix says, "feeling the need for a bit of a hint here :p"
Jacqueline says, "Ask Mr. Teeterwaller. He's been a very helpful supervisor thus far."
phoenix says, "Lol"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put balloon on hose"
Floyd | There's no good surface on the coiled fire hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put balloon on nozzle"
Floyd | There's no good surface on the fire hose nozzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put hose in balloon"
Floyd | You can't put the coiled fire hose anywhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon with hose"
Floyd | I don't know how to inflate anything with the coiled fire hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the end of the fire hose, and unreel the hose a couple
Floyd | of feet.  The reel remains under tension as you pull it, but it allows
Floyd | you to unreel the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the
Floyd | ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again.  You
Floyd | pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl
Floyd | under the pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead end
Floyd |    This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much
Floyd | more.  To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other
Floyd | openings large enough to travel through.  The dense wall of pipes to
Floyd | the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "stand on hose"
Floyd | I don't know how to stand on the end of the fire hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x lever"
Floyd | The lever is attached to the nozzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x nozzle"
Floyd | The nozzle directs the flow of water from the hose.  A lever is
Floyd | attached to the nozzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "pull lever"
Floyd | Nothing happens.  You let go of the lever, and a spring pulls it back
Floyd | to its normal position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "ah it's turned off"
phoenix says, "afk a bit, good luck with this"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | The hose retracts as you travel back toward the reel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | You have to crawl underneath a large pipe about three feet above the
Floyd | ground, but once you're past the pipe, you're able to stand again.  You
Floyd | pull the hose along with you, carefully holding onto it as you crawl
Floyd | under the pipe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead end
Floyd |    This opening in the pipes is large enough to stand in, but not much
Floyd | more.  To the northwest is a low crawl-way, but there are no other
Floyd | openings large enough to travel through.  The dense wall of pipes to
Floyd | the south is, however, broken in one spot by a six-inch gap.
Floyd |    The fire hose stretches through the crawl-way to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put hose in gap"
Floyd | You shove the nozzle into the gap.  It's a tight squeeze, but it fits
Floyd | through.  The lever on the side of the nozzle catches slightly on the
Floyd | pipes, holding the nozzle in place as you let go of the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
Floyd | to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
Floyd | hose sticking out through the pipes.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push cage"
Floyd | The cage is very heavy; you can manage to make it swing a little, but
Floyd | that's about all.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "get in cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The nozzle of the fire hose is sticking through a gap in the pipes
Floyd | about fifty feet east of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x diagram"
Floyd | Memo
Floyd |
Floyd | To:  Window washing crew
Floyd | From:  Cleaning crew manager
Floyd | Subject:  Water in atrium
Floyd |
Floyd | The cleaning crew has been complaining for several weeks about water
Floyd | collecting on the atrium floor, making cleanup more difficult, etc.  We
Floyd | have determined that the source of the water is the window washing
Floyd | crew.
Floyd |
Floyd | Please take note of the access hatch (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW) and DO NOT
Floyd | open this while the glass is still wet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thank you for your cooperation.
Floyd |
Floyd | J.  Stimms
Floyd | Cleaning crew manager
Floyd |
Floyd | Below this is a hand-drawn diagram showing a five-by-five grid of
Floyd | squares, with the square in the center emphatically circled.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about seventy-five feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet east of
Floyd | the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl attempts to catch up.
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it
Floyd | to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually
Floyd | settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "We think we have to flood the atrium hatch somehow."
djfletch says, "But we don't know exactly where it is."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the north.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about eighty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull right"
Floyd | Nothing seems to happen.  You release the lever, and a spring returns
Floyd | it to the upright position.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | The pipes are too close to the edge of the glass here--there's no place
Floyd | to stand except on the glass, which you'd fall through.  You need to go
Floyd | about twenty-five feet west to get back to solid ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the west.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it back over solid ground.
Floyd | You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the upright position;
Floyd | after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles into its new
Floyd | location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
Floyd | hose sticking out through the pipes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "bbiab, gotta get some eats."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
Floyd | to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "turn wheel"
Floyd | You turn the wheel counterclockwise until it stops.  You can hear water
Floyd | rush through the valve for a few moments as the hose pressurizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    About fifty feet to the east, you can see the nozzle of the fire
Floyd | hose sticking out through the pipes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "in"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The nozzle of the fire hose is sticking through a gap in the pipes
Floyd | about fifty feet east of the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "get hose"
Floyd | You take hold of the nozzle, and pull it through the hole in the pipes.
Floyd | The hose is under tension, but you have no trouble holding on to it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | You manage to hold on to the fire hose, which drags along the ground as
Floyd | the cage moves.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x glass"
Floyd | The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square
Floyd | and a hundred feet on a side.  It looks as though a huge chamber is
Floyd | below the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | The glass pane directly outside the cage is different from all of the
Floyd | others; it has a handle and hinges, and can clearly be opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open glass"
Floyd | You carefully lean out, grasp the handle, and give it a good pull.  The
Floyd | cage sways slightly as you pull.  The glass sticks for a moment, but
Floyd | then pops free, and you tilt up the panel until it's sitting straight
Floyd | up, where it locks into position.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "aha"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "down"
Floyd | You can't walk on the glass, since it wouldn't support your weight, and
Floyd | you can't enter the hatch, since the floor is a hundred feet below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and strikes the ground a
Floyd | short distance to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put hose in glass"
Floyd | You feed the fire hose down through the opening, gradually pulling hose
Floyd | off the reel in the distance.  The weight of the hose hanging down into
Floyd | the opening eventually starts doing most of the work of pulling more
Floyd | down.  Finally, after a tremendous length of hose has disappeared into
Floyd | the chamber below, the hose seems to reach the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | You carefully let go of the hose, letting it drape over the edge of the
Floyd | opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Down?"
djfletch says, "ok"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "down"
Floyd | If you want to climb down the hose, just say so.
Floyd |
Floyd | Lightning flashes across the sky directly above.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb down hose"
Floyd | You have a sudden chill looking at the hose disappearing into the
Floyd | darkness below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller gulps.  "B-b-b-be careful," he stutters.  "I'll wait here
Floyd | until you reach the bottom, to make sure we don't put too much weight
Floyd | on the hose."
Floyd |
Floyd | Slowly, you maneuver yourself over to the edge nearest the opening, and
Floyd | lean out of the cage, holding on to the pole with both hands.  It's
Floyd | only a foot or two to the hose, but somehow it feels like you're about
Floyd | to try jumping over a canyon.
Floyd |
Floyd | You realize you've been holding your breath, and force yourself to
Floyd | exhale.  You jerk one hand out and grab at the hose, slipping at first
Floyd | but finally getting a good grip on it.  You carefully swing one leg out
Floyd | onto the framework supporting the windows, then the other, taking care
Floyd | not to put any weight on the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | With nothing left to do, you let go of the cage with your other hand
Floyd | and grab at the hose.  The framework is obviously sturdy enough to
Floyd | support you if it can support all of this glass, you keep telling
Floyd | yourself, but you can feel it flexing under you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Having successfully negotiated the chasm between the cage and the hose,
Floyd | you feel much less panicked, and start descending the hose.  It's a
Floyd | nice rough material and easy to grip as you climb down.
Floyd |
Floyd | The descent takes less time than you would have thought, given the
Floyd | amount of hose you had to feed down through the hatch.  You reach the
Floyd | floor, and rest a moment to let the adrenaline wear off.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes sliding down the hose at
Floyd | high speed, and crashes into the floor.  He collects himself off the
Floyd | floor and spends a few moments brushing off dust.
Floyd |
Floyd | "What a novel idea," Teeterwaller tells you.  "I wondered what you were
Floyd | thinking, dragging that hose everywhere."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "cf20"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb up hose"
Floyd | Climbing hundreds of feet up a fire hose might seem like a daunting
Floyd | task to some people.  It's a good thing you've been working out.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'll follow you after you get to the top," Teeterwaller says.
Floyd |
Floyd | You laboriously climb the hose.  It seems a lot further going up than
Floyd | it did coming down.
Floyd |
Floyd | You reach the top and are relieved to find the cage parked next to the
Floyd | opening in the glass.  You grab a pole and drag yourself onto the
Floyd | platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is hanging over the glass, about fifty feet from the north
Floyd | edge, and about sixty feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The glass pane roughly in the center of the glass has been tilted
Floyd | up, creating an opening in the glass.  A fire hose stretches between a
Floyd | gap in the pipes to the north and the open panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes climbing up the hose,
Floyd | panting and exhausted.  You help him into the cage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ok, good."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x towers"
Floyd | The lights twinkle through the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You'll have to open the elevator first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "open elevator"
Floyd | The door is controlled automatically by the elevator; you can't open it
Floyd | manually.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x elevator"
Floyd | The elevator has a sliding metal door, which is closed, and a round
Floyd | button just to the right of the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the elevator button)
Floyd | The elevator door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Elevator
Floyd |    This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a
Floyd | control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR
Floyd | OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP.
Floyd | The knob is currently pulled out.  The door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push knob"
Floyd | You push the knob all the way in.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push upper"
Floyd | The button lights up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | The elevator door slides closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator start moving.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Elevator
Floyd |    This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a
Floyd | control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR
Floyd | OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP.
Floyd | The knob is currently pushed in.  The door is open.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West edge of glass
Floyd |    This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass
Floyd | panels covering the ground to the east.  A wall of pipes parallels the
Floyd | edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except
Floyd | to the northeast.  Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "in"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Elevator
Floyd |    This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a
Floyd | control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR
Floyd | OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP.
Floyd | The knob is currently pushed in.  The door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | The elevator door slides closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push lower"
Floyd | The button lights up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator start moving.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull knob"
Floyd | You pull the knob all the way out.  You feel the elevator lurch to a
Floyd | stop.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "I wonder if there's a reason we can stop it halfway."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push knob"
Floyd | You push the knob all the way in.  You feel the elevator begin moving
Floyd | again.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Dunno"
djfletch says, "Anyway, might as well explore."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Construction area
Floyd |    This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction
Floyd | project.  A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction
Floyd | workers are demolishing parts of the hallway.  The hallway opens to the
Floyd | south, and continues north past the contruction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The foreman waves you by.  You carefully navigate through the
Floyd | construction debris, following the hallway as it turns a corner and
Floyd | continues west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hallway
Floyd |    This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway.  A sliding metal
Floyd | door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled
Floyd | "Observation Room," leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Ooh. Lab?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | You'll have to open the sliding metal door first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Which door do you mean, the sliding metal door, or the white door?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open sliding metal door"
Floyd | You can't manage to move it at all.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Boo."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open white door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Observation room
Floyd |    The lighting in this room is muted, presumably to reduce glare on
Floyd | the window that covers the north wall.  On the other side of the window
Floyd | is a huge chamber, a hundred feet high and twice as wide; pieces of
Floyd | electronic equipment are scattered throughout the area, and a workbench
Floyd | is in the center of the room.  Near the workbench is a silver crate the
Floyd | size of a refrigerator lying on its back.  A woman, whom you take to be
Floyd | a scientist because of her white lab coat, and a technician, wearing a
Floyd | blue jump-suit, are working with the equipment.  A white door leads
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the glass, you see the scientist walk to the silver crate.  She
Floyd | does something you can't see to the side of the crate, and the top
Floyd | slowly swings open.  The woman reaches inside and removes a black disk,
Floyd | about the size of a half-dollar coin.  She holds it up and looks at it,
Floyd | then closes the crate's lid.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Okay, you guys rocked a lot while I was away. Go you."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x crate"
Floyd | The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal.  It's about the size of
Floyd | a refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the glass, you see the scientist walk to the workbench near the
Floyd | center of the room and carefully place the black disk on a stand on the
Floyd | workbench.  The technician pulls a cart carrying an electronic device
Floyd | over to the workbench, and attaches a pair of electrodes from the
Floyd | device to the stand, on opposite sides of the disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "back too"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman's voice issues from a hidden speaker; you realize it's the
Floyd | scientist in the lab, talking to the technician.  "Okay, we'll start at
Floyd | low voltages and work our way up.  Ready?"
Floyd |
Floyd | The technician carries a hand-held meter to the lab bench, points it at
Floyd | the stand, and nods to the scientist.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Here we go, then.  One percent."  She makes some adjustments to the
Floyd | electronic device.  You can't be sure, but it looks like the disk glows
Floyd | faintly for a moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Negative point zero zero three gee," the technician says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "oh SERIOUSLY the solution was "x glass"?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yup"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The scientist's voice is audible through a hidden speaker:  "Two
Floyd | percent."  She adjusts the electronic device, and you again see a
Floyd | faint, momentary glow from the disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Negative point zero one gee," the technician says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "Five percent," the scientist says.  She adjusts the electronic device,
Floyd | and you see a clear blue glow from the disk; the glow fades after a few
Floyd | moments.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Negative point zero eight gee," the technician says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a warbling sound through the hidden speakers.  The scientist
Floyd | reaches into the pocket of her lab coat and takes out a cellular phone.
Floyd | "Yes?"  She listens to the phone.  "Affirmative.  We've just started,
Floyd | but the anti-gravity effect is confirmed."  She listens some more.  "I
Floyd | understand.  We're on our way."
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns to the technician.  "They're ready to start the omicron beam
Floyd | again and they need us to monitor the scattering.  Leave everything set
Floyd | up here and we'll resume this when we're done with the beam test."
Floyd |
Floyd | The two walk briskly to the door and leave the lab.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Conveeenient"
genericgeekgirl says, "Hehe"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hallway
Floyd |    This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway.  A sliding metal
Floyd | door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled
Floyd | "Observation Room," leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x sliding door"
Floyd | The door is closed and is labeled "LAB 7--RESTRICTED."  A small slot,
Floyd | about the right size to accept a credit card, is next to the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "I guess we need an ID card."
Jacqueline says, "We have one, but not the kind we need, I suspect."
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put id in slot"
Floyd | You slip your ID card into the slot; it's a good fit, but nothing seems
Floyd | to happen, so you pull it back out.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "well, it does fit so I suppose we might end up stickign something on it"
genericgeekgirl says, "Cards are generally about the same size and thickness, yes."
genericgeekgirl asks, "s, se?"
djfletch says, "ok"
phoenix asks, "think it's just e/w here?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | You follow the hallway as it turns a corner and continues south, then
Floyd | carefully make your way through a huge pile of construction debris
Floyd | littering the hallway.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Construction area
Floyd |    This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction
Floyd | project.  A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction
Floyd | workers are demolishing parts of the hallway.  The hallway opens to the
Floyd | south, and continues north past the contruction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ah"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "wear hat"
Floyd | (First taking the white hard-hat)
Floyd | You're not wearing the white hard-hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light),
Floyd | a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held
Floyd | scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask
Floyd | (being worn), a silver balloon, and a yellow hard-hat (being worn).
Floyd | The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Ok."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x blueprint"
Floyd | The foreman won't let you get a very good look at it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Try NE from the atrium?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "sorry, SE"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "funny how no one seems to care about the fire hose hanging down from the ceiling"
genericgeekgirl says, "Happens all the time. Turns out to be the only entrance ;)"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | (Opening the west door)
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Storage room
Floyd |    This room is almost filled with stacks of wooden crates from floor
Floyd | to ceiling.  A door leads east; above the door is a small air vent
Floyd | which is blowing a steady stream of fresh air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "As the only room without a sign on it."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x crates"
Floyd | The crates are neatly stacked from floor to ceiling.  The crates all
Floyd | look alike; you see no markings that distinguish one from another.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "search crates"
Floyd | The crates are all closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb crates"
Floyd | I don't know how to climb the crates.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x vent"
Floyd | It's a small vent, only a few inches high; it's blowing fresh air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open vent"
Floyd | The vent is firmly closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open crate"
Floyd | The crates are packed in so tightly that you couldn't easily move one
Floyd | without disturbing all of them.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "look behind crates"
Floyd | There's nothing behind the crates.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "climb crate"
Floyd | I don't know how to climb the crates.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix asks, "check other room?"
djfletch says, "yeah"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | (Opening the south door)
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maintenance room
Floyd |    This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
Floyd | the north.  A cabinet occupies one wall.  Opposite the cabinet is a
Floyd | large air vent, below which is a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cabinet"
Floyd | The cabinet occupies the entire wall; it's closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "ooh a LARGE air vent"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open cabinet"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x cabinet"
Floyd | The cabinet occupies the entire wall; it's open, but is empty.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x vent"
Floyd | The vent is mounted near the top of the wall; it's about three feet
Floyd | square.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x lever"
Floyd | The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right.  The
Floyd | left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled."
Floyd | The lever is currently at the left limit of its travel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open vent"
Floyd | It's firmly fixed in place.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pull lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever all the way right.  The vent starts drawing in air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pull lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever all the way left.  The vent stops drawing in air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
jenrexrode says, "vent hint"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb cabinet"
Floyd | I don't know how to climb the cabinet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW arrives, ready to play with the toys. djfletch says, "I bet we can send the balloon through the vent."
djfletch says, "I'm not sure why though."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "look behind cabinet"
Floyd | There's nothing behind the cabinet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV
Floyd | show, "Shadow Man."  You never liked the show very much--too much silly
Floyd | conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Check the other room?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | You'll have to open the east door first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open east"
Floyd | You start to open the door, but then you hear a voice from the other
Floyd | side.  Since you wouldn't want to have to explain why you're here, you
Floyd | decide to keep a low profile for now.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "listen at east door"
Floyd | I don't know the word "listen".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "listen"
Floyd | I don't know the word "listen".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Try listen TO, not AT."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), ""
Floyd | I beg your pardon?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "it doesn't know the word listen"
DavidW says, "oh right."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch door"
Floyd | (the east door)
Floyd | Touching the east door doesn't seem to have any effect.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), ""
Floyd | I beg your pardon?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I am not sure why it's doing that, sorry."
djfletch says, "OK, I'm going to see if the balloon goes in the vent."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maintenance room
Floyd |    This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
Floyd | the north.  A cabinet occupies one wall.  Opposite the cabinet is a
Floyd | large air vent, below which is a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon with pump"
Floyd | You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the
Floyd | balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball.  Once the
Floyd | balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from
Floyd | escaping.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put balloon in vent"
Floyd | You can't put anything into the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x lever"
Floyd | The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right.  The
Floyd | left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled."
Floyd | The lever is currently at the left limit of its travel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "push lever"
Floyd | You pull the lever all the way right.  The vent starts drawing in air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "i was thinking the deflated balloon might fit into the vent"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put balloon in vent"
Floyd | You can't put anything into the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "deflate balloon"
Floyd | You carefully untie the knot and let the air escape.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "but"
genericgeekgirl asks, "Toxic gas?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put balloon in vent"
Floyd | You can't put anything into the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "throw balloon in vent"
Floyd | You can't put anything into the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "throw balloon"
Floyd | It would be simpler to just drop it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon with pump"
Floyd | You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the
Floyd | balloon, expanding the silver plastic into an oblong ball.  Once the
Floyd | balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the air from
Floyd | escaping.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "release balloon"
Floyd | I don't know how to release the silver balloon.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "drop balloon"
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Like, if we filled it with the toxic gas and then deflated it into the vent."
Jacqueline says, "evil"
phoenix says, "haha"
Jacqueline says, "evil"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "get balloon"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "Could be."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl asks, "Up to the tower?"
djfletch says, "Worth a go."
genericgeekgirl asks, "Did we try going northeast from the upper level?"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You'll have to open the elevator first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the elevator button)
Floyd | The elevator door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "That's back where we were - I think it's just an alternative route back."
phoenix says, "Shortcut"
genericgeekgirl asks, "Back to where?"
djfletch says, "Above the glass."
phoenix says, "top level, to avoid dealing with the hose and cage"
genericgeekgirl says, "Ah."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "in"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Elevator
Floyd |    This elevator has a sliding door to the east, next to which is a
Floyd | control panel, with buttons labeled UPPER LEVEL, LOWER LEVEL, DOOR
Floyd | OPEN, and DOOR CLOSE, plus a red knob labeled PUSH TO RUN/PULL TO STOP.
Floyd | The knob is currently pushed in.  The door is open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "push knob"
Floyd | It's already pushed all the way in.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press upper"
Floyd | The button lights up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The elevator door slides closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator start moving.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the elevator come to a stop, and the door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | West edge of glass
Floyd |    This is a narrow walkway along the west edge of an array of glass
Floyd | panels covering the ground to the east.  A wall of pipes parallels the
Floyd | edge of the glass a few feet back from the edge, blocking travel except
Floyd | to the northeast.  Midway along the wall of pipes is an elevator door.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    Roughly in the center of the glass, one of the panes has been tilted
Floyd | up, creating an opening in the glass.
Floyd |    A fire hose is sticking through the pipes about fifty feet to the
Floyd | east; the hose stretches across the glass and disappears down through
Floyd | the access hatch.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
Floyd | to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | You cross the grating, and climb the gentle slope of the stairway
Floyd | through one revolution around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up.  This landing
Floyd | is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the
Floyd | ground, and on the east side of the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west.
Floyd | A large wheel is in the center of the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd | You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a
Floyd | Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a flashlight (providing light),
Floyd | a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held
Floyd | scanner, a looseleaf page, a deck of punched cards, a newer gas mask
Floyd | (being worn), a yellow hard-hat (being worn), and a silver balloon.
Floyd | The garage opener compartment seems to contain a battery.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "open door"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door.
Floyd | Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | East end of catwalk
Floyd |    A catwalk starts at the rounded door to the east (which is open),
Floyd | and extends west toward the center of the cylinder of the tower,
Floyd | suspended by cables over a churning, bubbling sea of viscous
Floyd | yellow-green liquid ten feet below.  A green, misty vapor swirls up
Floyd | from the surface of the liquid.
Floyd |
Floyd | The rounded metal door swings shut with a dull thud.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "fill balloon with pump"
Floyd | I don't know the word "fill".
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pump balloon"
Floyd | It's already as inflated as it can be.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "deflate balloon"
Floyd | You carefully untie the knot and let the air escape.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "pump balloon"
Floyd | (with your lips)
Floyd | You'd have a hard time fitting the balloon under your gas mask.  If you
Floyd | want to inflate the balloon with the pump, though, just say so.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "inflate balloon with pump"
Floyd | You put the hand pump into the balloon's opening and pump up the
Floyd | balloon, filling the balloon with the toxic green gas.  Once the
Floyd | balloon is inflated, you tie a knot in the opening to keep the fumes
Floyd | from escaping.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "nice"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | (Opening the rounded metal door)
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs end at this landing, and go no further up.  This landing
Floyd | is nearly at the top of the tower, around four stories above the
Floyd | ground, and on the east side of the tower.
Floyd |    An open rounded metal door is set into the tower wall to the west; a
Floyd | viscous green vapor wafts out of the door.  A large wheel is in the
Floyd | center of the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | As you start down the stairs, you notice that the door swings shut.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, two stories up
Floyd |    A short landing, about two stories above the ground on the east side
Floyd | of the tower, interrupts the steady spiral of the stairs, which
Floyd | continue up and down.  The canal is visible in the distance below, and
Floyd | the tower looms overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Bank of canal
Floyd |    A deep, concrete-lined canal is to the east; metal rungs are set
Floyd | into the wall, forming a ladder down into the canal.  A tall fence
Floyd | topped with razor wire is to the north.
Floyd |    Pipes and conduits are everywhere, packed so tightly together that
Floyd | they form walls.  Narrow openings in the pipes allow travel to the
Floyd | southeast and southwest.  To the west, a cylindrical tower rises up out
Floyd | of the pipes and looms several stories overhead; a spiral stairway
Floyd | encircling the tower leads up.  The ground is replaced by a metal
Floyd | grating for the ten feet around the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Nice."
Jacqueline says, "Evil, but nice."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Safety station
Floyd |    The forest of pipes opens up a little here into a large clear area.
Floyd | In the center of the clearing stands a tall metal enclosure topped with
Floyd | a brightly-lit red sign:
Floyd |
Floyd |      SAFETY STATION
Floyd |
Floyd | An opening in the pipes leads northeast, and another passage leads
Floyd | south.  You may also be able to squeeze through a narrow crawl-way to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose stretches out of the enclosure and through the crawl-way
Floyd | to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | North edge of glass
Floyd |    The ground to the south is covered with a huge array of glass
Floyd | panels, stretching hundreds of feet to the south and as far to the
Floyd | east.  The pipes that are everywhere in this compound bend around the
Floyd | sea of glass leaving the area above open to the sky; white cylindrical
Floyd | towers rising up above the pipes are scattered around the perimeter of
Floyd | the glass.  A passage through the pipes opens to the north, and the
Floyd | pipes leave enough space for a walkway southwest along the edge of the
Floyd | glass.
Floyd |    A metal cage, suspended a few inches off the ground by a cable
Floyd | hanging from a beam overhead, is just this side of the glass.
Floyd |    Roughly in the center of the glass, one of the panes has been tilted
Floyd | up, creating an opening in the glass.
Floyd |    A fire hose is sticking through the pipes about fifty feet to the
Floyd | east; the hose stretches across the glass and disappears down through
Floyd | the access hatch.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "down"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "enter cage"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the cage
Floyd |    The cage is a simple framework of poles connected to a metal floor.
Floyd | Attached to one of the poles, about midway up, is a pair of levers.  A
Floyd | few inches above the levers, a yellow note is taped to the pole.
Floyd |    The cage is above solid ground, at the north edge of the glass, and
Floyd | about ten feet from the west edge.
Floyd |    The glass pane roughly in the center of the glass has been tilted
Floyd | up, creating an opening in the glass.  A fire hose stretches between a
Floyd | gap in the pipes to the north and the open panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt rips through the sky nearby to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "push left"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about thirty-five feet
Floyd | east of the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a
Floyd | spring returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the
Floyd | cage gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt flashes through the sky a short distance to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "g"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the east.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it about sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge of the glass.  You release the lever, and a spring
Floyd | returns it to the upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage
Floyd | gradually settles into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x glass"
Floyd | The glass looks like a giant window set into the ground, roughly square
Floyd | and a hundred feet on a side.  It looks as though a huge chamber is
Floyd | below the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | A glass panel about fifty feet south of here is tilted up, creating an
Floyd | opening. A fire hose, stretching from a gap in the pipes to the north,
Floyd | hangs down through the opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb down hose"
Floyd | The cage must be closer to the opening for you to climb down the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Oh, wrong way."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "push right"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about twenty-five feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of
Floyd | the west edge. You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "g"
Floyd | With a lurch, the cage starts moving to the south.  The cage travels
Floyd | about twenty-five feet, then stops, leaving it hanging over the glass,
Floyd | about fifty feet south of the north edge, and sixty feet east of the
Floyd | west edge.  You release the lever, and a spring returns it to the
Floyd | upright position; after a few wide swings, the cage gradually settles
Floyd | into its new location.
Floyd |
Floyd | The glass pane just outside the cage has been tilted up, creating an
Floyd | opening the glass.  A fire hose stretches between a gap in the pipes
Floyd | and the open panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "climb down hose"
Floyd | You carefully maneuver yourself over to the hose, and start lowering
Floyd | yourself down its length.  You reach the floor after a brief descent.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | After a few minutes, Mr. Teeterwaller comes sliding down the hose at
Floyd | high speed, and crashes into the floor.  He collects himself off the
Floyd | floor and spends a few moments brushing off dust.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maintenance room
Floyd |    This is a small, musty-smelling room whose only exit is the door to
Floyd | the north.  A cabinet occupies one wall.  Opposite the cabinet is a
Floyd | large air vent, below which is a lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x lever"
Floyd | The lever is mounted below the vent, and moves left and right.  The
Floyd | left end is labeled "Outside," and the right end is labeled "Recycled."
Floyd | The lever is currently at the right limit of its travel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "deflate balloon"
Floyd | You carefully untie the knot, allowing the green gas to escape.  Your
Floyd | gas mask protects you as the toxic vapors swirl around you.  The green
Floyd | gas is quickly drawn into the vent; a few moments later, from the hall,
Floyd | you hear loud coughing and yelling.  Down the hall, one of the doors
Floyd | bursts open, and two men and a woman run out into the hall, holding
Floyd | their hands over their mouths.  They run off down the hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Hee."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Records room
Floyd |    This long, narrow chamber might better be called a corridor than a
Floyd | room.  The north and south walls are lined with file drawers from floor
Floyd | to ceiling; there must be thousands of drawers.  A door lies to the
Floyd | west; a small vent is over the door.
Floyd |    You see a briefcase and a red ID card here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller has a look of awe on his face.  "This is amazing," he
Floyd | says.  "I never thought they'd just file everything away like this."
Floyd | He picks up the briefcase.  "This is perfect."
Floyd |
Floyd | He starts opening drawers and going through files.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says, "Excellent."
genericgeekgirl says, "Nobody got hurt. It's fine."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "score"
Floyd | Your score is 60 of a possible 100, in 694 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as the
Floyd | next junior executive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "our boss who isn't suspicious at all"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take id"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over.  "Very interesting," he mutters, putting the files
Floyd | in his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x briefcase"
Floyd | The briefcase is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over.  "Amazing," he mutters, putting the files in his
Floyd | briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), ""
Floyd | I beg your pardon?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Grr."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open briefcase"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller won't let you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over.  "This is astonishing," he says.  "I've been looking
Floyd | for this type of information for years, but all I've ever been able to
Floyd | find is the vaguest of hints, just bits and pieces.  This is everything
Floyd | I've been looking for, all in one place."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about files"
Floyd | "I've been trying to find this sort of information for years, but all
Floyd | I've been able to find before are bits and pieces."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over.  "This is it!  Look!"  he says excitedly, showing
Floyd | you the file.  It's marked "Omegatron Corp. (Project `Tyche')" and is
Floyd | dated in 1970.  He flips through the file for you; it contains
Floyd | electronic diagrams and technical data, none of which makes sense to
Floyd | you but clearly is important to Teeterwaller.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I don't know if I ever told you about Project Tyche," he says.  "I
Floyd | worked on it around twenty-five years ago.  We were building an
Floyd | embedded controller system for some industrial equipment.  Part of the
Floyd | project involved these logic chips that seemed almost magical at the
Floyd | time.  They were far ahead of anything we'd seen.  I started wondering
Floyd | about them recently, so I asked our corporate archives people for a
Floyd | copy of the specification document for the project.  I got the spec,
Floyd | but the parts about the logic chips were missing.  Well, this is the
Floyd | missing section.  Plus, it has information about how these people," he
Floyd | looks around the room at the file drawers, "whoever it is who's keeping
Floyd | these records, planted this information with our project."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "ask teeterwaller about car"
Floyd | "It's always been very reliable," he says defensively.  "I know people
Floyd | make all sorts of jokes about what a terrible car it is, but I've had
Floyd | very good luck with it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Uh huh."
djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf21"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd | Records room
Floyd |    This long, narrow chamber might better be called a corridor than a
Floyd | room.  The north and south walls are lined with file drawers from floor
Floyd | to ceiling; there must be thousands of drawers.  A door lies to the
Floyd | west; a small vent is over the door.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open drawers"
Floyd | You pick a drawer at random and open it.  The drawer is loaded with
Floyd | files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "Microprocessor
Floyd | Transfer Study" and look through it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The rapid pace of transfers over the past five years has clearly
Floyd | strained several absorption factors and is not producing the benefits
Floyd | that accrued in prior stages.  The original recipients bear partial
Floyd | responsibility through their dubious practices, but fundamentally we
Floyd | have simply transferred technology too rapidly.  The schedule
Floyd | adjustments we have initiated should stabilize the market within two
Floyd | years and restore full profitability.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller snatches the file.  "This one looks important," he says as
Floyd | he stuffs the file into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "g"
Floyd | You pick a drawer at random and open it.  The drawer is loaded with
Floyd | files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "Embargo
Floyd | Schedule - Medical" and look through it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Agreements with Mercer & Co., Pfalk Laboratories, Seth and Gurney,
Floyd | Milnes renewed through FY 2015.  All below listed substances are
Floyd | embargoed to all parties through contract expiration, pending timely
Floyd | receipt of annual suppression fees as negotiated.
Floyd |
Floyd | NN 373 AS1 (wide spectrum influenza antiviral)
Floyd | A901/902 PF (macular regenerative)
Floyd | X-6080114 (bacteriophage - BUT NOTE use as car wax approved for 1999,
Floyd | see Schedule - Automotive, Cleaning & Cosmetic)
Floyd |
Floyd | ...and a long list of similar entries follows.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller snatches the file.  "This one looks extremely
Floyd | interesting," he says as he stuffs the file into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "g"
Floyd | You pick a drawer at random and open it.  The drawer is loaded with
Floyd | files; you choose one with a typewritten label reading "MB-7" and look
Floyd | through it.
Floyd |
Floyd | This file contains numerous technical diagrams of a jet airliner,
Floyd | including everything from the passenger compartment floor plan to the
Floyd | parts list for the fan blades in the engine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller snatches the file.  "This one looks curious," he says as
Floyd | he stuffs the file into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through a drawer, pulling a couple of files and
Floyd | looking them over, stuffing them into his briefcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl exclaims, "Anyway. ID card!"
phoenix exclaims, "this briefcase is larger on the inside than it is on the outside!"
genericgeekgirl says, "Hehe"
phoenix asks, "oh, we got a card?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | "We must come back here," Teeterwaller says, stuffing a few last files
Floyd | into his briefcase as he follows you out of the room.  "There's much
Floyd | more I want to see here."
Floyd |
Floyd | Old corridor
Floyd |    The proportions of this passage, the workmanship of the marble
Floyd | floor, the wire-caged light fixtures all give this corridor an antique
Floyd | appearance.  A large room lies to the northwest, and silvery doors lie
Floyd | to the east, west, and south; the door to the south is labeled
Floyd | "MAINTENANCE," and the door to the east is marked "RECORDS."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Atrium
Floyd |    The polished marble walls of this vast chamber slant slightly inward
Floyd | as they rise hundreds of feet to the glass panes of the ceiling.
Floyd | Lights from the towers above the surface twinkle like Christmas tree
Floyd | decorations through the glass.  An elevator is to the west, and
Floyd | passages lead north and southeast.
Floyd |    A fire hose hangs down from the ceiling, the end of the hose just
Floyd | reaching the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You'll have to open the elevator first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Construction area
Floyd |    This wide hallway is filled with dust and debris from a construction
Floyd | project.  A foreman is looking at a blueprint, and several construction
Floyd | workers are demolishing parts of the hallway.  The hallway opens to the
Floyd | south, and continues north past the contruction.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | The foreman waves you by.  You carefully navigate through the
Floyd | construction debris, following the hallway as it turns a corner and
Floyd | continues west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hallway
Floyd |    This is the west end of a wide east-west hallway.  A sliding metal
Floyd | door, labeled "Lab 7," leads north, and a white door, labeled
Floyd | "Observation Room," leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "put red id in slot"
Floyd | You slip the red ID card into the slot; it's a good fit.  A soft beep
Floyd | emanates from the slot, and the metal door slides open.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Laboratory
Floyd |    This is a cavernous room, a hundred feet tall and twice as wide.
Floyd | Pieces of electronic equipment are scattered throughout the chamber.
Floyd | In the center of the room is a workbench, on which is a plastic stand;
Floyd | a pair of electrodes are connected to the stand, and the electrodes are
Floyd | connected with wires to an electronic device on a cart next to the
Floyd | workbench.  Near the workbench is a silver crate, the size of a
Floyd | refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |    An air vent is visible in the center of the ceiling.  A glass window
Floyd | in the south wall looks out into an observation room.
Floyd |    A sliding metal door leads south.
Floyd |    Sitting on the plastic stand is a black disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | The metal door slides closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Not suspicious at all that we're wandering around in a hard hat and a gas mask."
phoenix says, "the 3 guys we gassed didnt bother to notice the hose either"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x disk"
Floyd | It's about the size of a half-dollar coin, and is made of a dull black
Floyd | material.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take disk"
Floyd | A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice
Floyd | echoes through the room:  "Intruder alert, laboratory seven.  Section
Floyd | black, commence procedure one one delta."
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in
Floyd | black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
Floyd | They see you and start motioning to one another.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards.  "Uh, oh..."
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Guards run in and out of the observation room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Laboratory
Floyd |    This is a cavernous room, a hundred feet tall and twice as wide.
Floyd | Pieces of electronic equipment are scattered throughout the chamber.
Floyd | In the center of the room is a workbench, on which is a plastic stand;
Floyd | a pair of electrodes are connected to the stand, and the electrodes are
Floyd | connected with wires to an electronic device on a cart next to the
Floyd | workbench.  Near the workbench is a silver crate, the size of a
Floyd | refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |    An air vent is visible in the center of the ceiling.  A glass window
Floyd | in the south wall looks out into an observation room.
Floyd |    A sliding metal door leads south.
Floyd |    Sitting on the plastic stand is a black disk.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "Whoops."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x crate"
Floyd | The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal.  It's about the size of
Floyd | a refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open crate"
Floyd | There's no obvious way to open the crate.  You can find no latches,
Floyd | buttons, catches, or other mechanisms, and there's not even a visible
Floyd | seam anywhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x device"
Floyd | Which device do you mean, the portable hand-held scanner, or the
Floyd | electronic device?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x electronic"
Floyd | Which electronic do you mean, the equipment, or the electronic device?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x electronic device"
Floyd | The device is about the same size and shape as a video recorder, but
Floyd | the case is unpainted metal and the only obvious controls are a dial
Floyd | and a red button.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "x dial"
Floyd | The dial can be turned to settings numbered from 1 to 100.  It's
Floyd | currently set to 5.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press red button"
Floyd | A spark jumps across the electrodes.  The disk glows faintly for a
Floyd | moment, then returns to normal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn dial to 100"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice
Floyd | echoes through the room:  "Intruder alert, laboratory seven.  Section
Floyd | black, commence procedure one one delta."
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in
Floyd | black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
Floyd | They see you and start motioning to one another.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards.  "Uh, oh..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards make threatening gestures at you through the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Laboratory
Floyd |    This is a cavernous room, a hundred feet tall and twice as wide.
Floyd | Pieces of electronic equipment are scattered throughout the chamber.
Floyd | In the center of the room is a workbench, on which is a plastic stand;
Floyd | a pair of electrodes are connected to the stand, and the electrodes are
Floyd | connected with wires to an electronic device on a cart next to the
Floyd | workbench.  Near the workbench is a silver crate, the size of a
Floyd | refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |    An air vent is visible in the center of the ceiling.  A glass window
Floyd | in the south wall looks out into an observation room.
Floyd |    A sliding metal door leads south.
Floyd |    Sitting on the plastic stand is a black disk.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "attach electrodes to disk"
Floyd | There's no obvious way to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put electrodes on disk"
Floyd | You can't put the electrodes anywhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "x electrodes"
Floyd | The electrodes are connected to the device on the cart, and the ends
Floyd | are attached to opposite sides of the stand.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch says (to Floyd), "put disk on stand"
Floyd | The black disk is already on the plastic stand!
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x crate"
Floyd | The crate is made of a very shiny silver metal.  It's about the size of
Floyd | a refrigerator sitting on its back.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "open it"
Floyd | There's no obvious way to open the crate.  You can find no latches,
Floyd | buttons, catches, or other mechanisms, and there's not even a visible
Floyd | seam anywhere.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a
Floyd | little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people
Floyd | involved in the embarrassing parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "push crate"
Floyd | It's extremely heavy; it would take several more people to move it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on crate"
Floyd | I don't know how to knock the silver crate.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "Might just be a timed puzzle"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "cf22"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "turn dial to 100"
Floyd | Okay, it's now turned to 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | A siren sounds from a loudspeaker somewhere above you, and a voice
Floyd | echoes through the room:  "Intruder alert, laboratory seven.  Section
Floyd | black, commence procedure one one delta."
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the window in the south wall, you see several guards dressed in
Floyd | black jump-suits and black helmets rush into the observation room.
Floyd | They see you and start motioning to one another.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller takes two steps backwards.  "Uh, oh..."
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards in the observation room bang on the glass.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "press button"
Floyd | (the red button)
Floyd | Darkness suddenly falls over the room as all of the lights go out; a
Floyd | second later, the electrodes blaze with a blinding flash of white light
Floyd | and make a loud pop like a balloon bursting.  The spark fades, and the
Floyd | disk glows with an intense but ghostly blue light.
Floyd |
Floyd | You suddenly feel like you're tumbling sideways, and it feels like
Floyd | something is pulling your feet and your head in opposite directions.
Floyd | You reach out for something to hold, but find nothing in reach.
Floyd |
Floyd | Just as you think you're going to hit the ground, you realize that the
Floyd | floor is twenty feet away and getting further.  You're falling, but
Floyd | somehow you're falling toward the ceiling.  The room is spinning
Floyd | rapidly, and you see that Mr. Teeterwaller is falling alongside you,
Floyd | his eyes closed and his arms flailing wildly; beside him the
Floyd | brightly-glowing disk is serenly floating in mid-air.
Floyd |
Floyd | You keep falling upwards for several seconds, moving directly toward a
Floyd | large air vent on the ceiling.  You draw closer and closer to the vent,
Floyd | and you brace yourself for impact.  In a moment the vent is only a few
Floyd | feet away, but now you can see that you're not moving very quickly
Floyd | after all, and you easily maneuver yourself into the opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller crashes into the ceiling just outside the vent, but you
Floyd | manage to grab his arm and help him through the opening.
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself in a large air duct.  The disk floats up through the
Floyd | opening; its glow gradually fades, and as it does, you, Teeterwaller,
Floyd | and the disk settle to the floor of the duct.  Gravity returns to
Floyd | normal.
Floyd |
Floyd | Air duct
Floyd |    This aluminum air duct is just large enough to crawl through here,
Floyd | but splits into several smaller ducts to the west, none of which are
Floyd | large enough to permit further passage.  The duct widens to the east.
Floyd | In the floor is a square opening, two feet on a side, whose cover has
Floyd | been swung out and down; a cavernous chamber below is visible through
Floyd | the opening.
Floyd |    You see a black disk here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the opening, you see the door to the lab slide open, and dozens
Floyd | of guards rush into the lab, looking up at you from the floor far
Floyd | below.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your score has increased by ten points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says, "What."
phoenix says, "Antigravity device"
phoenix says, "we saw them testing it earlier from this air vent"
phoenix says, "I actually expected this to happen"
Lionheart arrives, full of funk, but no fun.
phoenix says (to Floyd), "get disk"
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the opening, you see the guards in the lab watching you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "take disk"
Floyd | You already have the black disk!
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards in the lab rush around busily, several keeping a close watch
Floyd | on you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "ok, I bet these guards actually have no idea how to get here"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Narrow passage
Floyd |    This low, narrow tunnel was probably never intended as a walkway;
Floyd | it's more like a ventilation shaft than a corridor.  The tunnel becomes
Floyd | an aluminum duct to the west, and several small vents connect through
Floyd | the north and south walls. The passage opens into a larger area to the
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Underground, in shaft
Floyd |    Concrete walls line this cylindrical shaft surrounding the tower.
Floyd | The stairs end their descent here, about a story beneath the surface,
Floyd | but the shaft continues far below.  A metal grating completely covers
Floyd | the shaft at the bottom of the stairs, providing a floor.
Floyd |    A narrow opening in the wall of the shaft leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Following the stairs around the tower, you cross through an opening in
Floyd | the grating and emerge into the night air.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, one story up
Floyd |    This landing is about one story above the ground, on the east side
Floyd | of the tower.  The stairs continue up and down.
Floyd |    Several guards are watching you through the grating of the landing
Floyd | one level up.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards watch you through the stairs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Lionheart asks, "What's on for today?"
Jacqueline says, "The Plant"
phoenix says, "oh dear, they're on the other staircase"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x guards"
Floyd | The guards are watching you through the grating of the stairs.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards watch you through the stairs.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, three stories up
Floyd |    This landing is about three stories above the ground, on the east
Floyd | side of the tower.  The stairs continue wrapping around the tower,
Floyd | allowing you to travel up or down.
Floyd |    Several guards are watching you through the grating of the landings
Floyd | above and below.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards watch you through the stairs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
djfletch asks, "Can we kill them with poison gas again?"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | The stairs only make half a turn around the tower before you encounter
Floyd | another landing, this time on the west side of the tower.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Landing, four stories up
Floyd |    The stairs reach their summit at this landing, which, unlike all of
Floyd | the other landings, is on the west side of the tower.  Handholds set
Floyd | into the tower wall at regular intervals form a ladder up the side of
Floyd | the tower.
Floyd |    A closed rounded metal door is set into the tower wall.  In the
Floyd | center of the door is a wheel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd | As you start up the ladder, the door bursts open and guards start
Floyd | pouring out onto the landing.  You climb the ladder as quickly as you
Floyd | can.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of tower
Floyd |    This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all
Floyd | directions.  The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome.  An
Floyd | access hatch is at the top; it's closed.  Handholds set into the roof
Floyd | form a ladder down the west side of the dome.
Floyd |    The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
Floyd | north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the
Floyd | distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.
Floyd |
Floyd | Guards take up positions at the top of the stairs below the dome, but
Floyd | for some reason do not follow you up the ladder.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "open hatch"
Floyd | Opened.
Floyd |
Floyd | Wisps of viscous green vapor waft slowly out from the door.
Floyd | Fortunately, the gas mask seems to be protecting you from the gas.
Floyd |
Floyd | Someone starts climbing the ladder from below.  For a moment you think
Floyd | it's one of the guards, but as the figure draws closer, you see that
Floyd | it's a tall, gray-haired man in a business suit.  He reaches the top of
Floyd | the ladder and walks toward you and Teeterwaller, his hands open,
Floyd | presumably to show he's not carrying a weapon.  His jacket flaps in the
Floyd | breeze; he reaches down to button it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "When I was a boy," the man says in a deep, gravelly voice, "my family
Floyd | lived in a small town in Arizona.  One day I rode my bike out into the
Floyd | desert, as I often did, in search of dinosaur fossils or Indian relics.
Floyd | After several hours I was still empty-handed and had mostly forgotten
Floyd | what I had set out to find anyway, so with the sun nearing the horizon
Floyd | I started heading home, when a glint in the eastern sky caught my eye."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "x man"
Floyd | He's a tall, athletic-looking man with gray hair.  His dark business
Floyd | suit is fluttering in the strong wind.
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man continues.  "I watched as the glint turned into a
Floyd | streak, and the streak turned into a fireball, all in the course of a
Floyd | few heartbeats.  The sight transfixed me and I barely recognized that I
Floyd | was directly in the path of whatever was falling from the sky, but some
Floyd | instinct made me dive under a nearby boulder, only an instant before
Floyd | the ground shattered from the impact.  I hid under my rock as debris
Floyd | rained down."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The man continues speaking to you.  "My fear soon turned to curiosity
Floyd | and before long I made my way to the crash site.  I expected a
Floyd | meteorite, which I pictured as some kind of red glowing sphere with
Floyd | miniature moon craters.  What I found was obviously not a meteorite,
Floyd | not even anything natural.  But it wasn't anything man-made either.  It
Floyd | was the size of a small airplane, but had no wings; its shape was
Floyd | complex and irregular; and it was made of a dull gray material that
Floyd | looked like wet clay."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "The wreckage was in a few large pieces, but some small bits were
Floyd | scattered around, and I pocketed a few as souvenirs.  I was about to
Floyd | start looking at the larger pieces, when a group of airplanes came over
Floyd | the horizon and made for the crash site.  Something made me return to
Floyd | my bicycle and pedal away as fast as I could.  I took refuge behind
Floyd | some rocks up a hill half a mile away and watched as the planes
Floyd | disgorged men and machines by parachute."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "I stayed for some time watching the men load the pieces of the fallen
Floyd | object onto trucks.  Nightfall forced me to abandon my hideout and go
Floyd | home, and when I returned the next day I could find nothing left of the
Floyd | crash; the crater had been filled and even the fragments of rock
Floyd | scattered hundreds of yards away had been swept into the sand."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "I spent years looking at the fragments I had kept from the crash
Floyd | without recognizing their true nature.  A series of chance discoveries,
Floyd | however, led me to realize that the object that crashed was not some
Floyd | experimental military craft, as I had long imagined, and that indeed it
Floyd | was not even of this Earth."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "golly"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "My souvenirs were in fact products of a highly advanced technology,
Floyd | far beyond what was thought possible when I found them and beyond even
Floyd | what is commonly believed possible today, and having discovered a few
Floyd | of their secrets I quickly learned more.  I realized at once the
Floyd | commercial potential of my discoveries and set about finding practical
Floyd | applications.  You see around you here a small facet of the enterprise
Floyd | that we have built, dedicated to the steady improvement of our society
Floyd | and the world through the carefully controlled introduction of this
Floyd | technology."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "I did not know until many years after the crash the fate of the rest
Floyd | of the object.  As our company grew, we began to have the resources
Floyd | necessary to cultivate relationships inside the government, and we
Floyd | eventually learned where the pieces recovered from the crash were being
Floyd | studied.  We have monitored the progress of the government's studies
Floyd | carefully, and it has been a source of constant frustration for us that
Floyd | these studies have not only been almost completely unproductive, but
Floyd | what little they have gleaned has been hidden behind a veil of military
Floyd | secrecy and national security."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | "We have for many years known that the government is incapable of
Floyd | putting this technology to proper use, and that we must take control of
Floyd | it for the good of mankind.  Unfortunately, even our resources have
Floyd | proven insufficient to correct this problem, at least until now.  When
Floyd | we learned that the crash artifacts were to be relocated to a new
Floyd | facility, we saw our chance to intervene, taking what is rightfully and
Floyd | morally ours."
Floyd |
Floyd | A lightning bolt strikes one of the nearby towers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller, who up to now has been silently listening to the
Floyd | gray-haired man, speaks to him.  "`Rightfully and morally' yours," he
Floyd | scoffs.  "You're just as bad as the government, hiding this technology
Floyd | for decades.  You're worse, in fact, the way you dole it out a little
Floyd | at a time to maximize your profit at everyone else's expense."
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man shakes his head slightly.  "Profit isn't our
Floyd | motive," he says.  "It is society's readiness to absorb change that
Floyd | dictates the rate of our disclosures.  If we were to reveal all we knew
Floyd | at one time, the world would plunge into chaos."
Floyd |
Floyd | "You'll never get away with this," Teeterwaller says.  "You actually
Floyd | think the government won't figure out who stole the artifacts?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "The government will never even suspect they were taken," the
Floyd | gray-haired man responds dismissively.  "We replaced the originals with
Floyd | inert duplicates.  The fools have never been able to learn anything
Floyd | from the originals anyway; they'll labor for fifty more fruitless
Floyd | years, then shrug, pack the whole mess off to a warehouse in Illinois,
Floyd | and move on to their next assignments."
Floyd |
Floyd | Thunder rumbles from the sky overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man continues.  "You have something that belongs to
Floyd | us," he says.  "As you can plainly see, there is nowhere for you to go.
Floyd | Despite your weak bargaining position, we can afford to be generous, so
Floyd | I would like to offer both of you positions as Vice Presidents in one
Floyd | of our many exciting subsidiary or affiliated corporations.  All you
Floyd | have to do is give me the disk."
Floyd |
Floyd | A few bright flashes of lightning light the sky directly overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "cf23"
Floyd | File to save game in >
Floyd | Saved.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man looks at you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Static electricity crackles through the sky overhead.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix exclaims, "alternate ending 1!"
genericgeekgirl says, "Hm."
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "throw disk off roof"
Floyd | I don't recognize that sentence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "throw disk"
Floyd | You throw the disk.  Teeterwaller and the gray-haired man follow the
Floyd | disk with their eyes as it arcs into the night sky and disappears into
Floyd | the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm disappointed that we couldn't reach an agreement," the gray-haired
Floyd | man says.  He motions to the guards, who come up onto the roof and
Floyd | arrest you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards take you to their security office, and later turn you over
Floyd | to the local police, who arrest you on trespassing charges.  You and
Floyd | Teeterwaller tell your fantastic story of hijacked trucks and floating
Floyd | anti-gravity disks, but the police just ignore you.
Floyd |
Floyd | After a night in the local jail, the police release you, explaining
Floyd | that the company that owns the plant is not pressing charges.  In town,
Floyd | you and Teeterwaller find a mechanic to fix the car.  You return home,
Floyd | having missed your meeting.  Life returns to normal.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the months that follow, the subject of that strange night seems to
Floyd | become taboo, and you and Teeterwaller never again discuss it.
Floyd | Eventually, Teeterwaller leaves the company; you hear later that he's
Floyd | working for one of those UFO magazines, writing bitter diatribes about
Floyd | government conspiracies and military cover-ups.
Floyd |
Floyd | You often wonder what might have happened if you had escaped with the
Floyd | odd little black disk, but you feel fortunate enough to have made it
Floyd | through the experience unscathed.
Floyd |
Floyd | *** Your life has returned to normal. ***
Floyd |
Floyd | Your score is 85 of a possible 100, in 748 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as the
Floyd | next junior executive.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can show the CREDITS, view the SPECIAL edition menu, show your FULL
Floyd | score, RESTORE a saved game, RESTART the game from the beginning, QUIT
Floyd | the game, or UNDO the last command.
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of tower
Floyd |    This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all
Floyd | directions.  The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome.  An
Floyd | access hatch is at the top; it's precariously propped up and open, and
Floyd | wisps of green vapor drift out.  Handholds set into the roof form a
Floyd | ladder down the west side of the dome.
Floyd |    The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
Floyd | north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the
Floyd | distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A gray-haired man is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
phoenix says (to Floyd), "give disk to man"
Floyd | "Thank you," he says, taking the disk.  He shakes your hand, "Welcome
Floyd | aboard, Mr. Vice President," he says, then turns to Teeterwaller and
Floyd | welcomes him.
Floyd |
Floyd | As promised, you are immediately appointed a Vice President at
Floyd | AmCaustiCo, a maker of caustic chemical speciality products, and given
Floyd | a plush corner office overlooking a pleasant little woods a safe
Floyd | distance from the smoke-belching factories whose maintenance schedule
Floyd | you are assigned to oversee.
Floyd |
Floyd | You find your compensation much more than comfortable and your duties
Floyd | agreeably undemanding, leaving you plenty of time to practice your golf
Floyd | and "network" with other top executives at the country club, trading
Floyd | stock tips and dirty jokes.  Years later, looking back, you know you
Floyd | made a good career decision that strange night, but you can't help
Floyd | wondering from time to time what might have happened if you'd somehow
Floyd | escaped with the odd little black disk.  It's an idle thought, though;
Floyd | you'd just have ended up like Teeterwaller, writing bitter diatribes
Floyd | for some little conspiracy-minded UFO magazine.
Floyd |
Floyd | *** You have a pleasant but vaguely unsatisfying career. ***
Floyd |
Floyd | Your score is 90 of a possible 100, in 748 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as the
Floyd | next junior executive.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can show the CREDITS, view the SPECIAL edition menu, show your FULL
Floyd | score, RESTORE a saved game, RESTART the game from the beginning, QUIT
Floyd | the game, or UNDO the last command.
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "undo"
Floyd | (Undoing one command)
Floyd |
Floyd | Roof of tower
Floyd |    This is the apex of the tower dome, which slopes down in all
Floyd | directions.  The air is cool and a steady wind flows past the dome.  An
Floyd | access hatch is at the top; it's precariously propped up and open, and
Floyd | wisps of green vapor drift out.  Handholds set into the roof form a
Floyd | ladder down the west side of the dome.
Floyd |    The industrial wasteland of the plant complex stretches to the
Floyd | north, other towers delineated by colored lights twinkling in the
Floyd | distance, a vast spiderweb of pipes and conduits below.
Floyd |    Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
Floyd |    A gray-haired man is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put disk in lightning"
Floyd | I don't see any lightning here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man watches you expectantly.  "The perks are very nice
Floyd | for Vice Presidents," he says.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your hair feels like it's standing on end from the static charge in the
Floyd | air.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray-haired man looks at you expectantly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thunder roars overhead.  Lightning flashes from cloud to cloud in the
Floyd | sky above you.  Suddenly, a tongue of lightning cuts through the air
Floyd | directly in front of you, striking the center of the dome.
Floyd |
Floyd | Somehow, the lightning bolt stays where it is, dancing a little around
Floyd | the top of the dome but continuing to discharge electricity.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "put disk in lightning"
Floyd | You carefully hold out the disk, and very slowly move your hand toward
Floyd | the lightning bolt.  Your skin tingles with electricity as you get
Floyd | closer, and your hair starts to stand on end.
Floyd |
Floyd | A tiny tendril of brilliant white light leaps out from the lightning
Floyd | bolt and touches the disk.  You feel a jab and jerk your hand back, but
Floyd | you see that the disk is glowing with an intense blue light, and you
Floyd | start to feel light-headed and disoriented.  Teeterwaller grabs your
Floyd | arm, and the two of you rapidly ascend into the sky.  The gray haired
Floyd | man reaches his hand out toward you and shouts something, but you're
Floyd | already too far away to hear what he's saying.
Floyd |
Floyd | The wind picks up speed and changes direction several times as you
Floyd | climb, and you start drifting to the north.  Soon the lights of the
Floyd | plant are behind you, and you're over open ground.  Silence falls as
Floyd | your own motion matches the wind speed and you move along at the same
Floyd | rate as the surrounding air.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I can't believe we made it out of there alive!"  Teeterwaller says.
Floyd | "This is an amazing find," he says, indicating the disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | You start descending again, and you see that you're headed for the
Floyd | road--in fact, you can see Teeterwaller's car, right where you left it.
Floyd | The disk's glow fades, and you settle gently to the ground near the
Floyd | car.
Floyd |
Floyd | Headlights approach from down the road.  They draw nearer, and the
Floyd | vehicle starts slowing down and pulling over behind Teeterwaller's car.
Floyd | You almost make a run for it, when you see that the vehicle is a van
Floyd | from a local television station.  A young woman in a smart blue dress
Floyd | gets out from the passenger side, and a man in a flannel shirt carrying
Floyd | a video camera follows.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Excuse me," the woman says as she approaches you.  "We've had some
Floyd | reports of strange electrical activity in the sky around here, and I
Floyd | wondered if either of you have seen anything interesting tonight."
Floyd |
Floyd | Teeterwaller smiles at you.  "Yes," he says.  "As a matter of fact we
Floyd | have."
Floyd |
Floyd | *** You have made history. ***
Floyd |
Floyd | Your score is 100 of a possible 100, in 750 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as ready
Floyd | for the executive suite.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can show the CREDITS, view the SPECIAL edition menu, show your FULL
Floyd | score, RESTORE a saved game, RESTART the game from the beginning, QUIT
Floyd | the game, or UNDO the last command.
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "Executive suite."
djfletch says, "Hurrah!"
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "full score"
Floyd | Your score is 100 of a possible 100, in 750 moves.  If Mr. Teeterwaller
Floyd | were to evaluate your performance thus far, he would rank you as ready
Floyd | for the executive suite.
Floyd | You scored:
Floyd |    2 points for opening the warehouse door;
Floyd |    1 point for finding the path along the ditch;
Floyd |    1 point for finding the flashlight;
Floyd |    10 points for befriending the dog;
Floyd |    1 point for reading the bar code on the black box;
Floyd |    5 points for opening the ditch gate;
Floyd |    10 points for getting the balloon out of the pipe;
Floyd |    10 points for opening the access hatch;
Floyd |    10 points for entering the atrium;
Floyd |    10 points for entering the records room;
Floyd |    10 points for entering the lab;
Floyd |    10 points for escaping the lab with the disk;
Floyd |    20 points for escaping the plant with the disk.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter CREDITS, SPECIAL, FULL, RESTORE, RESTART, QUIT, or UNDO:
Floyd | >
phoenix says, "nice ending with the lightning that's been going on in the background all game"
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "credits"
Floyd |
Floyd | This game was designed, written, and implemented by Michael J. Roberts,
Floyd | using the Text Adventure Development System.
Floyd |
Floyd | Originally released for the 4th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition,
Floyd | October 1998.
Floyd |
Floyd | The author would like to express his sincere appreciation to Steve
Floyd | McAdams, Dennis Buchheim, and Sean Trabosh for their patience and
Floyd | thoroughness testing the early versions of the game and for their many
Floyd | ideas for improving it.  Thanks also to everyone who sent comments
Floyd | after playing the game during the competition, and to the contest
Floyd | judges who took the time to write reviews of the game; your comments
Floyd | and reviews are deeply appreciated.  Finally, I'd like to thank David
Floyd | Dyte and the rest of this year's competition organizers for making the
Floyd | event enjoyable and memorable.
Floyd |
Floyd | This game is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to actual persons,
Floyd | organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.  All scenes
Floyd | involving animals were produced under the supervision of the
Floyd | Interactive Fiction Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Floyd |
Floyd | Presented In
Floyd | S U P E R   T A D S - O - R A M A
Floyd | On Selected Computers
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | If you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to report a bug,
Floyd | the author would be pleased to hear from you.  Please send email to
Floyd | mjr_@hotmail.com (yes, that is an underscore in the user name).
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter CREDITS, SPECIAL, FULL, RESTORE, RESTART, QUIT, or UNDO:
Floyd | >
Jacqueline asks, "Was there a two hour rule back then?"
genericgeekgirl says, "Haha, IFSPCA."
phoenix says, "I seem to remember there was"
genericgeekgirl says, "Yeah."
phoenix says, "this took us about 4, lol"
Jacqueline says, "Well, 3.5, but yeah."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "special"
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | Special Features Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Amusing things to try
Floyd |    2.  Author's notes
Floyd |    3.  View deleted scenes
Floyd |    4.  About the author
Floyd |    5.  Return to the game
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
Jacqueline says, "Gosh - it's like a DVD menu."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "2"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd | Author's Notes
Floyd |
Floyd | Are we in Blottnya yet?
Floyd |
Floyd | Some people who played the Competition Edition wondered whether the
Floyd | game was meant to take place in Blottnya.  There's so much Blottnian
Floyd | stuff lying around (Teeterwaller's car, the dog, the article in the
Floyd | Dufon journal, the language textbook), especially in the areas outside
Floyd | the plant complex, that it may seem that the setting is Blottnya.  If
Floyd | you made this assumption, you probably found it jarring near the end of
Floyd | the game when the gray-haired man says a few things that strongly imply
Floyd | that the setting is really the United States (he mentions Arizona and
Floyd | Illinois, for example).
Floyd |
Floyd | All of the Blottnian references were really just a motif, and weren't
Floyd | meant to imply that the story was set in Blottnya.  In fact, to me the
Floyd | language textbook suggests that we're not in Blottnya, since it teaches
Floyd | Blottnian as a foreign language to speakers of English.
Floyd |
Floyd | In this revised edition, I've tried to make it more obvious from the
Floyd | start that we're not in Blottnya.  For example, if you ask Teeterwaller
Floyd | about Blottnya, he'll tell you that he traveled there years ago and
Floyd | doesn't want to go back; Teeterwaller also points out while you're
Floyd | reading the textbook that he's never heard of anyone "in this country"
Floyd | studying Blottnian.
Floyd |
Floyd | What happened to the hostages?
Floyd |
Floyd | The fate of the guards from the hijacked trucks is a detail that never
Floyd | made it into the final game, mostly for lack of time before the
Floyd | competition.  My plan was to include a seminar room where the guards
Floyd | from the trucks were watching a presentation on the many reasons to
Floyd | switch employers and join the company that owns the plant--great health
Floyd | insurance benefits, a generous relocation allowance, career advancement
Floyd | potential, and a very competitive compensation package.
Floyd |
Floyd | I always wonder, when I'm watching something like a Bond movie, how
Floyd | these vast criminal enterprises always manage to attract and retain
Floyd | such a large army of generic henchmen, especially when the evil genius
Floyd | running the show is always giving negative performance feedback to
Floyd | underperforming lieutenants by opening the trap door or feeding them to
Floyd | the sharks.  I mean, where's the incentive to come into work in the
Floyd | morning?
Floyd |
Floyd | So, the seminar room was supposed to show that the plant's owners were
Floyd | a new kind of criminal enterprise, an enlightened, 90's kind of
Floyd | conspiracy that recognizes that its employees are its most important
Floyd | asset and emphasizes teamwork and coaching over sharks and trap doors.
Floyd | But, it wasn't integral to the story, so in the end it fell off the
Floyd | list.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would the decoy trucks really work?
Floyd |
Floyd | Originally, the decoy trucks were never meant to reach their
Floyd | destination.  In my early plans for the game, soon after entering the
Floyd | plant, you'd come across a television (in a guard house) showing
Floyd | coverage of the aftermath of a horrible train wreck that, of course,
Floyd | involved the decoy truck convoy.  The idea was that the trucks would be
Floyd | destroyed in a huge flaming wreck, which would damage everything so
Floyd | badly that the government would never know that the materials had been
Floyd | stolen.
Floyd |
Floyd | As with the recruiting seminar, this detail didn't seem important
Floyd | enough to build a whole scene around it, so the matter of the decoys
Floyd | was handled in the gray-haired man's speech, when he says that the
Floyd | government scientists wouldn't be smart enough to detect the deception.
Floyd |
Floyd | This doesn't address the question of whether the original guards would
Floyd | be missed (which wasn't as issue with the train wreck, since everyone
Floyd | would have been presumed killed).  However, one can imagine that the
Floyd | people on the receiving end of the shipment didn't know the guards or
Floyd | the drivers personally, so henchmen posing as the guards should have
Floyd | fooled the recipients.  Given the apparent resources of the
Floyd | conspirators, a little bureaucratic tampering should be sufficient to
Floyd | paper over any remaining questions about where all of the guards went
Floyd | after delivering the goods.
Floyd |
Floyd | What did Teeterwaller know and when did he know it?
Floyd |
Floyd | A few people have asked whether Teeterwaller knew what he was getting
Floyd | you into; it has even been suggested that Teeterwaller planned the
Floyd | automobile breakdown so that he'd be at the right place at the right
Floyd | time.
Floyd |
Floyd | It's clear toward the end of the story that Teeterwaller knows more
Floyd | than he's letting on.  The first real sign of this, I think, is his
Floyd | lack of surprise when you realize that the truck cargo is radioactive,
Floyd | but he's especially blatant in the records room ("I've been looking for
Floyd | this type of information for years").
Floyd |
Floyd | Personally, my theory is that Teeterwaller was just incredibly lucky,
Floyd | and that chance favored his prepared mind, which was obviously full of
Floyd | conspiracy theories and UFO trivia to start with.  However, he is
Floyd | suspiciously eager to find out what's going on, and his talk of a "big
Floyd | reward is pretty unconvincing motivation.  (So unconvincing, in fact,
Floyd | that I've changed that detail in this revised edition.  He's now
Floyd | straightforward about being driven by curiousity, and doesn't try the
Floyd | `reward' ploy, but instead simply asks for your help.)
Floyd |
Floyd | A Witness to History
Floyd |
Floyd | One of the techniques that I used throughout this game was multi-turn
Floyd | cut scenes.  In some games, major plot events are related in single,
Floyd | large blocks of text, often called `cut scenes' (a term borrowed from
Floyd | graphical games, which use it to refer to non-interactive sequences of
Floyd | animation, essentially little movies, that fill in plot and provide
Floyd | transitions between game sections).  The Plant uses a similar
Floyd | technique, but I broke up most of these into series of scenes spread
Floyd | out over several turns.  In most cases, you're viewing the events from
Floyd | a distance, and can't do much except watch and wait.
Floyd |
Floyd | As the author it's always hard to perceive the exact effect that
Floyd | players will, but I have mixed feelings about the technique.  On the
Floyd | one hand, I like the small, easily-digested chunks of text; long
Floyd | monolithic cut scenes are often overwhelming simply in the amount of
Floyd | text that appears all at once.  I also like the way that the multi-turn
Floyd | sequences integrate the cut scenes with `game time,' keeping the action
Floyd | on a somewhat consistent time scale rather than abruptly having many
Floyd | turns' worth of time elapse between two consecutive command prompts.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the other hand, the effect is distancing, in that it removes
Floyd | interactivity from a scene almost as much as a single large cut scene
Floyd | would.
Floyd |
Floyd | I think that, in future games, I'd like to try to find more interactive
Floyd | ways of unfolding major plot advances.  It's a difficult balancing act,
Floyd | because you want the plot to unfold without puzzling the player, indeed
Floyd | almost in spite of the player--in other words, you essentially want to
Floyd | coerce the player into doing the right thing; but at the same time, you
Floyd | want the player to feel a degree of freedom of action greater than I
Floyd | offered in these cut scenes.
Floyd |
Floyd | Some games achieve this type of coercion by killing the player on a
Floyd | misstep, but I think this destroys the illusion of interactivity by
Floyd | forcing you to save and restore repeatedly, since you're essentially
Floyd | trying to navigate through a minefield.  I think a better approach
Floyd | would be to make it so obvious what to do next, and so rewarding to do
Floyd | the obvious thing, that the player will naturally feel inclined play
Floyd | along and follow your script--ideally without even realizing that
Floyd | there's a script.  The multi-turn cut scenes in this game are a very
Floyd | primitive attempt at this, I think, but since the only thing you can do
Floyd | is `wait,' it gets repetitive after a while.  Something to keep in mind
Floyd | on the next game.
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | Special Features Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Amusing things to try
Floyd |    2.  Author's notes
Floyd |    3.  View deleted scenes
Floyd |    4.  About the author
Floyd |    5.  Return to the game
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
phoenix says, "still, it was a good game so not complaining"
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "1"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd | Amusing things to try
Floyd |
Floyd | Ask Mr. Teeterwaller about...
Floyd |    me;
Floyd |    himself;
Floyd |    Shadow Man;
Floyd |    335 card punch;
Floyd |    Omegatron;
Floyd |    Blottnya;
Floyd |    office gossip.
Floyd |
Floyd | Look in Mr. Teeterwaller's pockets.
Floyd |
Floyd Give Teeterwaller orders. (He has several different responses.
Floyd Ordering him to go somewhere [Teeterwaller, North] elicits one type of
Floyd response, and most other commands [Teeterwaller, look] receive random,
Floyd | uncooperative responses.)
Floyd |
Floyd | After seeing the initial truck hijacking scene outside the plant
Floyd | entrance, return to the car (and get in), and answer `yes' when
Floyd | Teeterwaller asks if you want to give up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Before befriending the dog, say `aus' in the dog's presence.
Floyd |
Floyd | After turning on the water, point the hose at...
Floyd |    me;
Floyd |    Mr. Teeterwaller.
Floyd |
Floyd | After opening the access hatch in the glass over the atrium, and
Floyd | turning on the water, put the hose in the gap in the pipes (to the
Floyd | southeast of the safety station) and pull the lever.
Floyd |
Floyd | Holding the hose, go down into the canal; Mr. Teeterwaller will stay
Floyd | behind to help guide the hose over the edge of the canal.  Once you're
Floyd | down in the canal, drop the hose.
Floyd |
Floyd | Open drawers in the Records Room several times.  (There are about eight
Floyd | separate files to look at; each time you open a drawer you'll get a
Floyd | different one until you've read them all.)
Floyd |
Floyd | Alternative endings:  at the end of the game, when you're on the roof
Floyd | of the tower and the gray-haired man is telling you his life story...
Floyd |    throw the disk;
Floyd |    give the disk to the man (before he makes you the offer);
Floyd |    give the disk to the man (after he makes you the offer).
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | Special Features Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Amusing things to try
Floyd |    2.  Author's notes
Floyd |    3.  View deleted scenes
Floyd |    4.  About the author
Floyd |    5.  Return to the game
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "3"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes
Floyd |
Floyd | As probably happens in the course of any software project, a number of
Floyd | details of the game's original design changed in the course of
Floyd | implementation, when I found that some elements weren't working.  I've
Floyd | made transcripts of some of the biggest changes, along with some notes
Floyd | on why I didn't keep the original versions.
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Major Bennett
Floyd |    2.  The crate and the force-field
Floyd |    3.  Captured
Floyd |    4.  Return to the Special Features menu
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "1"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | (One of the biggest changes that I made after starting work on the game
Floyd | was adding Mr. Teeterwaller.  Originally, the player was going to be
Floyd | alone.  I decided very early on that I wanted the player to have a
Floyd | companion who had an inkling (or at least a suspicion) of what might be
Floyd | going on inside the plant, but the original design lacked this element.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Without Mr. Teeterwaller, the player needed some sort of motivation to
Floyd | break into the plant.  The hijacking scene certainly made it clear that
Floyd | something mysterious was going on, but it didn't by itself give the
Floyd | player any reason to become involved.  To provide this motivation, the
Floyd | original design had a minor character named Major Bennett, who shows up
Floyd | just after the hijacking.
Floyd |
Floyd | (The hijacking started off pretty much the same as it does in the final
Floyd | game.  After the bulldozers started clearing wreckage, though, Major
Floyd | Bennett shows up...)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The trucks that are still intact start moving into the plant, one by
Floyd | one, as the bulldozers clear a path through the wreckage.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a rustling sound behind you.  You turn to look, and hear a
Floyd | woman's voice yell `Freeze!'  You're so rattled by what you've just
Floyd | seen that you practically jump over the fence with fright.  You quickly
Floyd | raise your hands.  Someone approaches behind you and pats you down for
Floyd | weapons, then withdraws.
Floyd |
Floyd | `Turn around, slowly,' the voice says.
Floyd |
Floyd | You turn around--like she said, slowly--and see a woman in an army
Floyd | uniform pointing a pistol at you.  Her uniform looks like an officer's,
Floyd | which is quickly confirmed when you see that her nameplate reads MAJ.
Floyd | BENNETT--a major.  Her eyes do not blink as she watches you, and her
Floyd | expression is fierce.
Floyd |
Floyd | `Who the hell are you?'  she asks.  `Are you part of this operation?'
Floyd |
Floyd | >yes
Floyd | She almost laughs.  `I doubt it,' she says dismissively.  She seems to
Floyd | relax a little, having decided you're not a threat.  `Okay, so who are
Floyd | you?'
Floyd |
Floyd | You explain about your car trouble, that you're here purely by accident
Floyd | and bad timing.
Floyd |
Floyd | The major nods.  `It may be bad timing for you, but you may be the
Floyd | first bit of good luck I've had today.'  She lowers her gun, then
Floyd | suddenly loses her balance, just managing to grab the fence for
Floyd | support.  You notice for the first time that her left leg is wet--with
Floyd | blood, you realize.  The major slowly lowers herself to the ground, her
Floyd | left leg out straight in front of her.
Floyd |
Floyd | `As you can probably see, I've been shot,' she says.  `I'm not going
Floyd | anywhere in this condition.  From the way I feel I doubt I'll even be
Floyd | conscious much longer.  I don't suppose you're a doctor?'  she asks;
Floyd | you can't tell if she's being sarcastic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >no
Floyd | `There's not much you could have done anyway,' she says.
Floyd |
Floyd | `I'd better at least try to stop this bleeding.'  She laboriously takes
Floyd | off her belt, leans forward, wraps it around her leg above the wound
Floyd | and pulls the belt tight.
Floyd |
Floyd | She leans back against the fence.  She looks exhausted.  `I need your
Floyd | help,' she says, visibly fighting to stay awake.  `Those trucks out
Floyd | there were transporting live nuclear weapons.  I don't know who the
Floyd | hell these people are, but someone has to stop them.'  Her voice drops
Floyd | almost to a whisper.  `Look, I know you're just an innocent bystander
Floyd | here, but you're the only one who can stop them.  Here,' she says,
Floyd | reaching in her pocket and pulling something out; she tries to toss it
Floyd | to you, but she only manages to throw it a couple of feet. `That's the
Floyd | destruct key.  If there's any way you can get in there, find the bombs,
Floyd | use the key--it'll destroy their detonators and render them harmless.'
Floyd |
Floyd | With that, the major slips into unconsciousness, her head falling to
Floyd | her chest and her body going limp.
Floyd |
Floyd | (The scene concludes pretty much as in the final game.  Of course, the
Floyd | bit about nuclear weapons is just the cover story, as you eventually
Floyd | find out, but now you have a reason to continue with the story.  The
Floyd | destruct key really is the destruct key, though; at the end of the
Floyd | story, you'd have the option of destroying the artifacts, letting the
Floyd | hijackers keep them, or stealing them.)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Major Bennett
Floyd |    2.  The crate and the force-field
Floyd |    3.  Captured
Floyd |    4.  Return to the Special Features menu
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
phoenix says, "we never did anything in the crate room"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "2"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | (In the first scene involving opening the crate from the truck, when
Floyd | you're viewing events through the vent opening in the air duct, there
Floyd | was originally going to be a force field erected around the crate.
Floyd | This was meant to make it more obvious that this was no ordinary
Floyd | crate.)
Floyd |
Floyd | This aluminum air duct is just large enough to crawl through here, but
Floyd | splits into several smaller ducts to the west, none of which are large
Floyd | enough to permit further passage.  The duct widens to the east.  A vent
Floyd | cover, two feet on a side, is over an opening in the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >look in opening
Floyd | A cavernous space the size of an airplane hangar is visible through the
Floyd | opening.  The floor is a hundred feet below.  Equipment of all kinds is
Floyd | scattered throughout the room:  forklifts, generators, machines
Floyd | connected by thick electrical cables running across the floor, welding
Floyd | torches with their gas tanks, rolling racks of power tools, portable
Floyd | arc lights.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the center of the room is a rectangular area marked with a yellow
Floyd | border painted on the floor, clear of any equipment.
Floyd |
Floyd | Several workers, dressed in isolation suits and gas masks, are standing
Floyd | just outside the yellow border.
Floyd |
Floyd | A forklift comes into view and moves toward the center of the floor
Floyd | below, beeping as it slowly carries a silver crate the size of a small
Floyd | car across the room.  The forklift drives into the yellow rectangle and
Floyd | gently sets the crate down in the center.  The forklift backs out and
Floyd | heads out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workers, still standing just outside the yellow border, turn around
Floyd | and face away from the crate.  Suddenly, a flash of white light, like a
Floyd | reflection of the sun in a mirror, bursts from the yellow border, and a
Floyd | moment later you hear a small thunderclap.  The afterimage takes
Floyd | several seconds to fade from your eyes; once you can see clearly again,
Floyd | you notice that the air around and above the yellow rectangular area is
Floyd | shimmering slightly and has a slight blue glow.
Floyd |
Floyd | >wait
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | Through the opening in the floor, you see the workers move to different
Floyd | pieces of equipment, setting dials and switches.  After each worker has
Floyd | checked several pieces of equipment, they gather together; they look
Floyd | like they're talking among themselves but you can't hear what they're
Floyd | saying.
Floyd |
Floyd | The workers seem to conclude their conversation.  They take off their
Floyd | gas masks, then head to a corner of the room and disappear from sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | (The force field was to have played a part later in the game as well.
Floyd | The observation room was actually going to be a control room, which
Floyd | would have let you turn off the force field, which would in turn would
Floyd | have sent the workers running for cover.  Once the force field had been
Floyd | lowered, of course, you'd have needed an isolation suit of your own to
Floyd | enter the lab.  I removed all of this partially because the game was
Floyd | getting to be long enough without additional puzzles involving the
Floyd | force field and isolation suit, but mostly because it would have robbed
Floyd | the end of the game of its momentum.)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Major Bennett
Floyd |    2.  The crate and the force-field
Floyd |    3.  Captured
Floyd |    4.  Return to the Special Features menu
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
genericgeekgirl says (to Floyd), "3"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | (The end of the game was originally going to be rather different from
Floyd | the way it finally turned out.  After you'd seen enough--the records
Floyd | room and the lab in particular--the end-game was to begin with your
Floyd | capture.)
Floyd |
Floyd | A large group of armed guards appears out of nowhere.  Before you
Floyd | realize what's happening, several of the guards wrestle you to the
Floyd | ground and handcuff your hands behind your back.
Floyd |
Floyd | `X-Ray five, we've apprehended the subject,' you hear someone say.  An
Floyd | unintelligible voice from a walkie-talkie replies.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards pull you to your feet.  You look around and realize that
Floyd | Teeterwaller has disappeared; you're not sure if the guards have
Floyd | already taken him away separately or if he somehow evaded them.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards escort you through a series of passages that you haven't
Floyd | seen before, leading you deeper and deeper underground.  Finally, you
Floyd | arrive at a small cell; a guard removes your handcuffs, then locks the
Floyd | door, leaving you alone.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cell
Floyd |    This is a small room, about eight feet by eight feet; the single
Floyd | exit is a heavy steel door to the south, locked from the outside.
Floyd | Against one wall is an air vent; the only other feature is an air vent
Floyd | in the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | (A few turns would elapse, allowing you to explore your surroundings,
Floyd | although there wasn't much you could do at this point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a scraping sound coming from the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >wait
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | A whisper comes from the air vent.  `Hello, is that you?'  You realize
Floyd | it's Mr. Teeterwaller!
Floyd |
Floyd | >teeterwaller, hello
Floyd | `We don't have time for that now.'
Floyd |
Floyd | `I'm going to find a way to get you out of here,' Teeterwaller whispers
Floyd | from the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >open air vent
Floyd | Not surprisingly, the builder didn't use the kind of air vent cover you
Floyd | can open.
Floyd |
Floyd | The cell door opens.  A guard enters and motions for you to follow.
Floyd | You glance up at the vent, then follow the guard.
Floyd |
Floyd | Five guards escort you down the hall and into an elevator, which climbs
Floyd | several floors.  You emerge into a plushly furnished room that looks
Floyd | like a country club lounge:  big leather chairs, portraits on the wall,
Floyd | a brick fireplace with smoldering logs.  The guards lead you across the
Floyd | room and through some doors, down a wide hallway, and into a darkened
Floyd | room; all of the guards but one remain outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guard leads you to a chair sitting in a pool of light at the end of
Floyd | a mahogany table.  You sit, and the guard stands behind you.
Floyd |
Floyd | (You'd receive essentially the same lecture from the gray-haired man at
Floyd | this point as in the final end-game sequence.  Eventually, Teeterwaller
Floyd | would have shown up to rescue you, and you'd make your daring escape.
Floyd |
Floyd | (I saw quickly that this approach wasn't going to work.  The obvious
Floyd | problem was that the gray-haired man simply had no good reason to
Floyd | lecture or cajole you, since you had essentially nothing that he might
Floyd | want.  If you'd already stolen the disk, the guards simply would have
Floyd | taken it when they captured you.  Teeterwaller might have slipped away
Floyd | with it, but that wouldn't leave you with any bargaining power.  This
Floyd | was basically going to be a James Bond end-game, with the evil genius
Floyd | revealing his master plan as the laser beam slowly closes in on Bond,
Floyd | who's strapped to a table.  The device is tired in movies but worse in
Floyd | IF, because of the momentum-destroying effects of a puzzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | (So, I rearranged the end-game to eliminate the capture, replacing it
Floyd | with an extended chase, leaving the player with a degree of freedom in
Floyd | the final showdown.)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Major Bennett
Floyd |    2.  The crate and the force-field
Floyd |    3.  Captured
Floyd |    4.  Return to the Special Features menu
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
phoenix says (to Floyd), "3"
Floyd |
Floyd | _______________________________________________________________________
Floyd | ________
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | (The end of the game was originally going to be rather different from
Floyd | the way it finally turned out.  After you'd seen enough--the records
Floyd | room and the lab in particular--the end-game was to begin with your
Floyd | capture.)
Floyd |
Floyd | A large group of armed guards appears out of nowhere.  Before you
Floyd | realize what's happening, several of the guards wrestle you to the
Floyd | ground and handcuff your hands behind your back.
Floyd |
Floyd | `X-Ray five, we've apprehended the subject,' you hear someone say.  An
Floyd | unintelligible voice from a walkie-talkie replies.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards pull you to your feet.  You look around and realize that
Floyd | Teeterwaller has disappeared; you're not sure if the guards have
Floyd | already taken him away separately or if he somehow evaded them.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guards escort you through a series of passages that you haven't
Floyd | seen before, leading you deeper and deeper underground.  Finally, you
Floyd | arrive at a small cell; a guard removes your handcuffs, then locks the
Floyd | door, leaving you alone.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cell
Floyd |    This is a small room, about eight feet by eight feet; the single
Floyd | exit is a heavy steel door to the south, locked from the outside.
Floyd | Against one wall is an air vent; the only other feature is an air vent
Floyd | in the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | (A few turns would elapse, allowing you to explore your surroundings,
Floyd | although there wasn't much you could do at this point.)
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a scraping sound coming from the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >wait
Floyd | Time passes...
Floyd |
Floyd | A whisper comes from the air vent.  `Hello, is that you?'  You realize
Floyd | it's Mr. Teeterwaller!
Floyd |
Floyd | >teeterwaller, hello
Floyd | `We don't have time for that now.'
Floyd |
Floyd | `I'm going to find a way to get you out of here,' Teeterwaller whispers
Floyd | from the air vent.
Floyd |
Floyd | >open air vent
Floyd | Not surprisingly, the builder didn't use the kind of air vent cover you
Floyd | can open.
Floyd |
Floyd | The cell door opens.  A guard enters and motions for you to follow.
Floyd | You glance up at the vent, then follow the guard.
Floyd |
Floyd | Five guards escort you down the hall and into an elevator, which climbs
Floyd | several floors.  You emerge into a plushly furnished room that looks
Floyd | like a country club lounge:  big leather chairs, portraits on the wall,
Floyd | a brick fireplace with smoldering logs.  The guards lead you across the
Floyd | room and through some doors, down a wide hallway, and into a darkened
Floyd | room; all of the guards but one remain outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | The guard leads you to a chair sitting in a pool of light at the end of
Floyd | a mahogany table.  You sit, and the guard stands behind you.
Floyd |
Floyd | (You'd receive essentially the same lecture from the gray-haired man at
Floyd | this point as in the final end-game sequence.  Eventually, Teeterwaller
Floyd | would have shown up to rescue you, and you'd make your daring escape.
Floyd |
Floyd | (I saw quickly that this approach wasn't going to work.  The obvious
Floyd | problem was that the gray-haired man simply had no good reason to
Floyd | lecture or cajole you, since you had essentially nothing that he might
Floyd | want.  If you'd already stolen the disk, the guards simply would have
Floyd | taken it when they captured you.  Teeterwaller might have slipped away
Floyd | with it, but that wouldn't leave you with any bargaining power.  This
Floyd | was basically going to be a James Bond end-game, with the evil genius
Floyd | revealing his master plan as the laser beam slowly closes in on Bond,
Floyd | who's strapped to a table.  The device is tired in movies but worse in
Floyd | IF, because of the momentum-destroying effects of a puzzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | (So, I rearranged the end-game to eliminate the capture, replacing it
Floyd | with an extended chase, leaving the player with a degree of freedom in
Floyd | the final showdown.)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Deleted Scenes Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Major Bennett
Floyd |    2.  The crate and the force-field
Floyd |    3.  Captured
Floyd |    4.  Return to the Special Features menu
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
phoenix says, "Oop"
phoenix says (to Floyd), "4"
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | Special Features Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Amusing things to try
Floyd |    2.  Author's notes
Floyd |    3.  View deleted scenes
Floyd |    4.  About the author
Floyd |    5.  Return to the game
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
phoenix says (to Floyd), "4"
Floyd |
Floyd | About the author
Floyd |
Floyd | Michael Roberts is the author of several works of interactive fiction,
Floyd | including Ditch Day Drifter, Deep Space Drifter (with Steve McAdams),
Floyd | and Perdition's Flames, and is the developer of TADS, the design tool
Floyd | used to create this game.  His email signature sometimes claims that he
Floyd | is a public policy analyst at a conservative think-tank, but this is
Floyd | not in fact the case.  Michael lives in Palo Alto, California, in the
Floyd | heart of Silicon Valley, where he and countless others labor tirelessly
Floyd | to turn today's engineering dreams into tomorrow's technical support
Floyd | nightmares.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The Plant
Floyd | Special Features Menu
Floyd |
Floyd |    1.  Amusing things to try
Floyd |    2.  Author's notes
Floyd |    3.  View deleted scenes
Floyd |    4.  About the author
Floyd |    5.  Return to the game
Floyd |
Floyd | Please enter the number of your choice:
Jacqueline says, "heh"
Jacqueline says, "Good job, everyone."
Tale asks, "what did you play?"
phoenix says, "The Plant"
djfletch says, "Fun game. Some good puzzles in it."
phoenix says, "I wonder how our boss got the door codes and so on"
djfletch says, "Possibly from his earlier research into conspiracies."
djfletch says, "Or maybe he just had the factory default code and the rebate place had it too."
phoenix says, "someone put that sticker on the gate-control black box remember"
Jacqueline says, "mmkay, folks, see you all next week."
phoenix says, "Yeah, good game"


[ TOP OF THIS PAGE | MORE CLUBFLOYD TRANSCRIPTS | HOME ]


link to contact page