Moments Out of Time
L. Ross Raszewski
apocalypse character based gadgets IF Competition 2001 IFComp Game moments out of time parser plot puzzles Replayable science fiction sciencefiction sexual content SF short strong profanity time travel walkthrough
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The indicator light switches from blue to green. The thought occurs to you that this is an exceptionally bad color choice for someone who, like you, suffers from a mild genetic deficit in the color perception department. However, you've been around long enough to be familiar with the change in hue that indicates clearance for a StreamDive.

Your elation is such that it takes you a few seconds to respond to the indicator -- a critical error, though not a fatal one. You touch the control, and are further pleased to find that your mission hasn't been scrapped due to your moment of indecision. The full text of your mission description appears on the display...

Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (closed) here.
Look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (closed) here.
You look at the mission
Clearance granted for immediate StreamDive. Target is local grid reference 0x1549. Temporal Reference 785278.7 UDC. We will be in phase for StreamDive at 865741.3 UDC. Dive duration not to exceed .5 units UDC (12 hours local time). Stream Capacitance field will be set for auto-recall at this time.
Research unit indicates high levels of stream distortion in this zone, indicating that premature extraction may not be possible.

Mission Summary: The purpose of your StreamDive is historical research. We have isolated an evacuated area to minimize potential corruption. You are to record all findings, but avoid direct contact with any inhabitants. Records from this zone are fragmentary, so any documents of historical interest should be added to your DataStore.

*WARNING*
Due to ambient radiation levels, wideband recall will not be available. Since StreamDive instruments are shielded against EMP effects, lost components may be recoverable after destruction of the local grid section. For this reason, level 1b restrictions are in effect for the duration of this dive.

PLEASE REVIEW STREAMDIVER MANUAL BEFORE COMMENCING DIVE.
You examine locker
The translucent glass-fronted equipment locker contains all the standard StreamDive equipment.
You open the locker
You open the equipment locker, revealing your StreamDive console, a cloaking device, an autokey, a stream visualizer, a probe and a chip bank.
You take all from the locker
StreamDive console: Removed.
cloaking device: Removed.
autokey: Removed.
stream visualizer: Removed.
probe: Removed.
You examine the console
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains no chips.
Inventory
You are carrying a probe, a stream visualizer, an autokey, a cloaking device and your StreamDive console (which is empty).
You look at the probe
A telepresence probe unit. When activated, it operates as a fly-by-wire system which may allow the user access to areas too small to allow access.
You examine stream visualizer
The stream visualizer is a de-focused temporal display. It scans backwards through the local timestream, correlating the results with the information in the DataStore. When the button is pushed, generates a hologram based on the results of its scan.
You examine the autokey
An electronic lockpick. It incorporates a small scanner and a force field generator. Using highly precise force field manipulation, it can be used as a universal key for almost any lock.
You examine cloaking device
A standard-issue cloaking device. Operating along similar principles to the StreamDive device itself, it causes all photons entering the field to be instantly transported to the far side of the field as if they had passed straight through it, with the net result being that anything within the field is nearly invisible. The relocation effect causes "ghost" photons to be emitted by the inside of the field, allowing any person inside it to see his surroundings with a minimum of visual distortion. The device's battery is currently charged to 100 percent. The cloaking device is currently switched off.
You look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which is a chip bank (in which are ten chips (a dive chip, a DataStore chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a cryptography chip, a scan chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip))) here.
You look at the blank chip
This StreamDive chip is blank.
Examine scan chip
This chip provides an interface to the console's sensor functions. Commands Provided:
SCAN -- Perform a detailed scan of the area
SCAN X -- Scan an object
You examine the interface chip
This chip allows interface between the console and any known electronic device or electronic storage medium.
Commands Provided:
INTERFACE X -- Interface console with device
You take the dive chip and datastore chip
dive chip: Taken.
DataStore chip: Taken.
You look at the chips
DataStore chip: This chip stores data from your dive, storing any relevant documents for later review.
Commands Provided:
DOCUMENTS -- Recall stored documents
dive chip: This is the fundamental chip for the StreamDive console. It allows control of the temporal displacement functions.
Commands Provided:
RECALL -- Discharge StreamDive capacitors for instant recall
STATUS -- Display status of Dive system
TIMESCAN -- Scan local timestream
You look at the chip bank
A small section of the locker contains slots for holding StreamDive chips.
You look in the chip bank
In the chip bank are eight chips (a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a cryptography chip, a scan chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip).
You look at the map chip
This chip provides real-time mapping of your current dive location. Commands Provided:
MAP -- Display map
You look at the library chip
This chip contains a library of data, tailored to your current mission parameters.
Commands Provided:
RESEARCH X -- Search library for given term
BROWSE -- Display relevant entries
Examine scan chip
This chip provides an interface to the console's sensor functions. Commands Provided:
SCAN -- Perform a detailed scan of the area
SCAN X -- Scan an object
You look at the cryptography
This chip contains the algorithms for all known cryptographic systems, as well as a heuristic to deal with unknown ciphers. Its function is to decipher encrypted or obfuscated text, or to render text into the most appropriate encrypted or obfuscated form.
Commands Provided:
ENCODE X -- Render input into appropriate ciphertext
DECODE X -- Decipher input
ANALYZE X -- Apply heuristics to input and display results
You examine the intuition
This chip contains the experimental "Artificial Intuition" chip. Its function is to evaluate the current situation and recommend a course of action.
Commands Provided:
HINT -- Recommend action
You examine the shield
This chip uses the StreamDive capacitors to generate an impenetrable temporal energy barrier around the user for defensive purposes. Using this function drains energy from the dive capacitors, reducing the remaining duration of the dive.
Commands Provided:
SHIELD ON -- Activate the shield
SHIELD OFF -- Deactivate the shield.
You take the bank
The chip bank is part of the cabinet's interior.
You take all the chips
map chip: Taken.
library chip: Taken.
artificial intuition chip: Taken.
cryptography chip: Taken.
scan chip: Taken.
blank chip: Taken.
interface chip: Taken.
shield chip: Taken.
You put the dive in the rack
Which do you mean, the dive chip or the StreamDive console?
You put the dive chip in the console
You put the dive chip into the StreamDive console.
Inventory
You are carrying nine chips (a shield chip, an interface chip, a blank chip, a scan chip, a cryptography chip, an artificial intuition chip, a library chip, a map chip and a DataStore chip), a probe, a stream visualizer, an autokey, a cloaking device and your StreamDive console, inside which is a dive chip.
You put DataStore in the console
You put the DataStore chip into the StreamDive console.
You put the library in the console
You put the library chip into the StreamDive console.
You put the SCAN in the console
You put the scan chip into the StreamDive console.
You put the INTERFACE in the console
You put the interface chip into the StreamDive console.
You examine the console
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains five chips.
You look at the dive chip
This is the fundamental chip for the StreamDive console. It allows control of the temporal displacement functions.
Commands Provided:
RECALL -- Discharge StreamDive capacitors for instant recall
STATUS -- Display status of Dive system
TIMESCAN -- Scan local timestream
You look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which is a chip bank (empty)) here.
A voice issues from the console. "StreamDiver Alpha Tango-678, please report for preDive examination."
You go east
Your mission parameters were quite specific. You can only take one piece of equipment other than your StreamDive console.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying five chips (a shield chip, a blank chip, a cryptography chip, an artificial intuition chip and a map chip), a probe, a stream visualizer, an autokey, a cloaking device and your StreamDive console, inside which are five chips (an interface chip, a scan chip, a library chip, a DataStore chip and a dive chip).
You put the chips in the locker
shield chip: Done.
blank chip: Done.
cryptography chip: Done.
artificial intuition chip: Done.
map chip: Done.
You examine stream visualizer
The stream visualizer is a de-focused temporal display. It scans backwards through the local timestream, correlating the results with the information in the DataStore. When the button is pushed, generates a hologram based on the results of its scan.
You put all but the console and the autokey in the locker
probe: Done.
stream visualizer: Done.
cloaking device: Done.
You go east
[Once you leave this area, you will be unable to return. Are you certain that you are ready?]
Y.
You walk out of the Prep Room, down the long corridor, and into the Dive section. A number of sensors verify that you are carrying no contraband, and make a detailed record of your relevant bio-data, which is compared to your records to ensure that you are indeed the person scheduled for this dive. From your training, you know that this record will be compared again when you emerge, to ensure that nothing important about your physiology has altered during the dive. The only visible sign of it is a faint play of laser-light over your body.

Satisfied, an unseen operator opens the door into the next chamber, where a flash of laser-light, radiation, and sickly-sweet aerosol renders you free of micro-organisms.

You are allowed to move on only after placing your hand in an indentation by the next door, where ultrasonic "needles" inject you with the requisite immunity boosters, which always gives you the pleasant feeling of being, at least temporarily, totally impregnable to disease.

One more room, and anticipation would increase your heart-rate enough that a sensor might declare you medically unfit for duty. Fortunately, this room is the last.

You stand in the core of the StreamDive Temporal Relocation Unit. Far below you, an artificial singularity waits to propel you backward in history. The room itself is a huge dome, totally black, but lit from an unseeable source. There is always gooseflesh on your arms when you stand in this room. It is not a friendly room, not a relaxed room. This is a room that knows the seriousness of its function. It is far larger than anything it would ever hold, but its size is a necessity of the design. The constant, low hum of the massive generators that power the time machine is inaudible only here. The room feels like another world itself, neither part of the present nor the past.

It's all in the hands of the folks upstairs now...
Dive
In what?
You wait
Time passes.
A voice materializes from nowhere in particular. "StreamDiver Alpha Tango-678, StreamDive will commence in thirty seconds. Good luck, and Godspeed."
You wait
Time passes.
The floor fades to transparency. There is a brilliant point of light somewhere far below you. Scanning beams trace over your body. Below you, a perfect mirror image of yourself fades into existence, your avatar. You have a sinking feeling as your avatar falls toward the light. Just as you were trained, you roll back on the balls of your feet and close your eyes. In your head, you count to six. Deep down there, your avatar enters the event horizon of the artificial singularity. As always, you have the disconcerting sensation of falling...

Cold.

Hot.

Bright.

Dark.

The pain is gone before you feel it. You want to open your eyes, but you know better. Even if you survived the experience, your sanity would not. You wait for the sensation of falling to end.

It does.

You wait for your perception of local timespace to return.

It does.

You open your eyes.

In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
You examine the receipt
day!
Store #10191 Checker 7 6:27 PM

BJ ICE CRM 1GAL            7.74
FW TOWELL 6PK         SB   4.80
FW 2PCT MLK 1GAL           4.88
FW TRASH BAG               5.54
PRODUCE               SB   9.34
PRODUCE                   16.33
AP XS CH COL               9.72
POLISH SAUS               10.21
1DOZ EGG                   8.35
FLNK STK                  18.22
PRD WHOLE CHKN            12.77
FC BREAD                   1.94
COKE 2LTR          6      18.06
MTN SPR WTR 1GAL   4      12.44
TT DONUT                   4.33
MARLB MEN UL CRT          52.00
AA BATT 12PK              16.32
CP SOUP            5  SB  10.35
APL JCE                    5.10
MX TMPN 30                 6.77

BAL                      235.21

SB FW TOWELL 6PK           2.20-
SB PRODUCE                 1.21-
SB CP SOUP                 1.00-
BAL                      230.80
TAX  11.54     BAL       242.34
Debit Card               242.34-

FoodWorks 10191
Debit Card     XXXXXXXXXXXXX1332
$242.34
BIOMETRIC SCAN CONFIRM:
James Robert Wallace
AUTH OK

Authentication verified by DAVS
YOUR TOTAL SUPER BONUS SAVINGS
TODAY ARE: $4.41



day!

[The document "Grocery Receipt" has been added to your DataStore.]
You look at the report card
A grade report has been affixed to the refrigerator door:
Donald Woods High School
Interim Grade Report

Term: Spring
Name: Stephen James Wallace
Grade: 10

Class: Calculus        Instructor: Nelson    Grade: 99
Class: Journalism Tech Instructor: Kryzac    Grade: 100
Class: English II      Instructor: Celsius   Grade: 89
Class: AP Physics      Instructor: Cornell   Grade: 98

Please report any errors to guidance office immediately.
This is an interim grade report. Official grades will be available at end of semester.
[The document "Report Card" has been added to your DataStore.]
You open the fridge
You open the refrigerator.
You look in it
On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
The refrigerator is empty.
You close the fridge
You close the refrigerator.
You look at the stove
The contemporary incarnation of the fundamental cooking device. It has evolved somewhat from classical cast-iron-box-with-fire-inside, and features a range top with heating elements, and an interior compartment for other cooking. Of course, it lacks any real food-preparation abilities, such as laser-guided rehydration and instantaneous thermal induction, but it sufficed for the people of this era.
The stove is currently switched off.
Research foodworks
No relevant entry found.
Research wallace
Pioneer in human-computer neural interfaces and neural cybernetics. During the wars of the twentieth century, his familiarity with the internal workings of the human brain led to his being pressed into service as a neurosurgeon. After the wars, he applied his considerable computer skills to building brain implant devices which could restore brain function lost due to injury or illness. He received the Nobel Prize in 2086 for his work with stroke and brain cancer victims. Such modern inventions as the neural navigation interface and the artificial voice box owe much in their design to his work.

Source: Great Minds in Science, the Twenty-First Century
You browse
Press the number of your selection, 1-2, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

1     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
2     Stephen James Wallace
1
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Possibly the darkest period in recent history, this period contains the last and largest of the intercontinental wars. Several Middle Eastern nations formed a military alliance, and began imposing expansionist policies on neighboring countries. When the United States threatened to cut off trade relations with these countries, the formed a lucrative trade alliance with China. Because during this period, industrialized nations were still highly dependent on fossil fuel, an alliance of western nations declared war on China and the Arabic alliance. Tactical nuclear warheads were used by both sides, resulting in the near-total annihilation of many US-sympathetic countries in southeast Asia. Though US nuclear weapons were unable to breach Chinese countermeasures, several Chinese nuclear missiles did penetrate the US defensive system, obliterating a number of cities. The war was finally ended when the massive space station Kennedy crashed to Earth near the Chinese capital. The resulting explosion killed over two billion people, forcing the Chinese government to capitulate. However, widespread environmental and war damage left the entire world badly crippled. Reconstruction would take much of the next century, and the extensive costs of rebuilding the damaged world forced the beginning of governmental alliances that would eventually lead to a United Earth Government.

Your mission occurs during the opening of the nuclear phase of the war. At 785278.83 UDC, a missile launched from China will exploit the breach in the US missile shield. Nine hours later, its course will be diverted away from Washington, DC to avoid US countermeasures. It will narrowly miss a secondary target, several miles from your Dive site, at 865741.8 UDC.

Source: Zanxq's Brief Guide to Human Civilizations, vol. 72

SEE ALSO: Space Station Kennedy
Research space station kennedy
Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

1     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
2     Space Station Kennedy
3     Stephen James Wallace
2
The first orbital platform intended for permanent occupation, Space Station Kennedy was assembled in Earth orbit in the second quarter of the twenty-first century. Compared with earlier projects, Kennedy was ambitious; it contained living facilities for twenty-five families, and, unlike earlier space stations, its primary function was not scientific, but industrial. Methods of zero-gravity production which had previously been tested on earlier space missions were implemented on a grand scale. It was also the first space vehicle to be equipped with a synthetic gravity system. After two decades of service, the station was badly damaged during the intercontinental war of the mid twenty-first century. Its crew were not able to prevent a forced re-entry, and chose to direct the crashing space station to a heavily inhabited area of China. Everyone aboard the station was killed in the resulting explosion, which also resulted in severe environmental catastrophes in Asia, prompting the end of the war.

Source: The Space Pioneers, vol. 9

BROWSE
Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

1     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
2     Space Station Kennedy
3     Stephen James Wallace
You examine the console
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains five chips.
You look in the chiprack
In the StreamDive console are five chips (an interface chip, a scan chip, a library chip, a DataStore chip and a dive chip).
Go west
This is a small room, designed to hold food staples and cooking equipment not housed in the kitchen. You doubt you'll find anything worthwhile in here, but you've been a StreamDiver long enough to know better than to trust appearances. You can return east to the kitchen.

Shelves line the walls, sparsely stocked.

On the shelves are some pots and pans, a lazy susan (empty), a flour pot (closed) and a can of spiced ham (closed).
You open it
You open the flour pot, revealing some flour.
You search the flour
(the flour)
You find nothing of interest.
You close the flour pot
You close the flour pot.
Examine can
This is a can of compressed, meat-like substance, which, though only barely meeting the definition of "food", could have provided an easy meal in an emergency.
You examine the susan
Unbelievable. The workmanship which allows this device to swivel smoothly, allowing stored utensils to be easily accessed, all without the aid of laser construction or frictionless bearings. Still, from its gaudy appearance, it isn't hard to see why the owner relegated it to the pantry.
You turn susan
It is fixed in place.
You examine the pots
A number of pots and pans sit on the shelves.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the can of spiced ham
Scan ham
A slight shiver runs up your spine as you read the results of the scan. Something similar to your temporal shield has been used on this can to force it into a hyperstable configuration. Despite the question of why anyone would do such a thing, what concerns you far more is the question of how it was done; such a transmutation is patently impossible without StreamDive technology. Has someone else been here?
You take the ham
Taken.
You put the ham on the shelf
You put the can of spiced ham on the shelves.
You go to the east
In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
Go east
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down, presumably to the basement.

On the wooden table is a letter.
You examine the letter
Dear Julia,
I hope to God you get this letter. We waited for you as long as we could, but they're saying that the bombs could fall any day. There's a shelter out in New Calvert, we're going there. Daddy says its the safest place in a hundred miles. Try to get there if you can, but don't take any risks. The most important thing is that you stay safe. I left some money and your grandmom's jewels in the hidden place for you. Your dad bought a gun and bullets, and put them there too, but be careful. We all love you and hope to see you again.

Love,
Mom.
[The document "Letter to Julia" has been added to your DataStore.]
Research julia
No relevant entry found.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the wooden knob
You turn knob
You give the knob a twist, then another. After a few more turns, it comes free in your hand, revealing a very small compartment in the post underneath.
You look in the compartment
In the post is a large key.
Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
Go downward
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 2], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.
Footnote 2
[Footnote 2]
That is, to the south.
You open the door with the autokey
You'll have to be more specific; which door do you want to unlock?
You open door
(with the autokey.)
You'll have to be more specific; which door do you want to unlock?
Go south
You make it part of the way down the steps, but encounter an impenetrable blockade of toppled boxes, probably brought down by the shaking you felt earlier. Disheartened, you turn back.
You go to the northwest
That door is locked.
Yes
Okay [Footnote 3].

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

This room looks as if it hasn't seen use any time in the recent past. It is sparsely furnished, containing little more than a dresser, bed, and nightstand. The only exit is southeast.

Some luggage has been tucked away by the door.

On the nightstand is a memo pad.
You look at the memo
A blank pad of paper. There is a visible tear where the top sheet was torn off.
Scan pad
The scanner enhances some vague indentations on the pad and reveals a message:

thnx for last night. wont say more here.
got your note @ rustys. left note 4 u
in hall. cant find my book so used codeword. talk later. IEU

[The document "Memo" has been added to your DataStore.]
Open luggage
You look through the luggage. You find several changes of clothes and a slightly larger selection of female undergarments, as well as other sundries and personal hygiene products. Deciding that nothing of historical interest is there, you re-close the bags.
SCAN
As if mocking you, the scanner contradicts your hypothesis by indicating numerous small traces that the room has been occupied; signs of recent dusting, uneven settling of the bedsprings, and evidence that the notepad on the nightstand was recently moved.
You look under the bed
You find nothing of interest.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
You open the dresser
(the dresser drawers)
You open the dresser drawers.
You look in the dresser
(the dresser)
There is nothing on the dresser.
You go east
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.
Examine bar
This is an area of the room used for mixing drinks and storing alcoholic beverages. At one time, it had a water hook-up, but this has been disconnected.
You go west
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

The small office is furnished much as you'd expect for an office of this period. There is a bookshelf along one wall, furnished more with office supplies than with books. The only exit is east.

You can see a computer here.
Interface computer
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Personal Computer. Manufacturer: Lewellen Personal Machines.

Searching for relevant data...



Press the number of your selection, 1-2, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Two relevant documents found:
1     Account Worksheet
2     Electronic Mailbox
1
Mortgage            3078.42
Gas
James              432.20
Katia              150.78
Julia & Jim        107.66
Utilities           1210.59
Food                1590.67
Allowance-Julia      400.00
Allowance-Jim        250.00
PVR repair           130.00
Internet             100.00
Mobile Phones        660.00
Phone                500.00
Car repair          4300.00
Doctor               800.00
James - other       3000.00
Other               1069.93

[The document "Account Sheet" has been added to your DataStore.]



Press the number of your selection, 1-2, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Two relevant documents found:
1     Account Worksheet
2     Electronic Mailbox
Go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 2 Arcotech       Re: Shelter performance

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Mr. Wallace,

In response to your inquiry, Arcotech shelters are designed to withstand most conventional attacks and fallout resulting from nuclear attacks. However, no consumer shelter can provide total protection. In the unlikely event that a nuclear strike occurs sufficiently close that your shelter would be within the cratered area, our level of protection would fail. Please keep in mind, however, that the chances of a nuclear strike close to your home are miniscule.

We hope that your concerns have been addressed in a timely and useful manner. Please contact us if you have further concerns.

Arcotech, Inc.
You go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 3 Litefoot, inc  Klien account

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

James,

Good work on the Klien account. We'll be closing in a few weeks. Frieda wants you look over the notes for the Monaco deal, but there's no rush.

There's a little buzz about a possible government contract. Think LT-739 will be ready in two weeks?
Go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 4 Support Dept   Ticket 201893456

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Dear Customer,

This is an automated message to inform you that your PR-1029 Personal Video Recorder has been received by our returns department. Since your digital recorder is still under warranty, a repaired unit will be sent to your home free of charge within the next three business days.

Thank you.

This is an AUTOMATED RESPONSE. Please DO NOT respond to this message.
You go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 5 Rick738        You gotta see this! 51934

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Hey Freddie,

I found a site last night that you've GOTTA see! They have the HOTTEST young girls anywhere on the net! I know how much you like this stuff, so check it out!

[LINK]
Go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 6 Optitron BioTe Support: Incident ticket 31821

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Dear customer,

The following technical support information is being sent in response to your message entitled: "Eye recharge fails", dated 5/11. If you believe this message has been sent in error, please contact abuse@optitron-biotechnics.usa

Dear Mr. Wallace,
Though recharge failures are rare, they do occur. Please be sure to clean the optic unit and charger receptacle thoroughly, as directed by your user manual. We find that over 90% of recharging difficulties are due to dirty contacts or charger misuse. If the problem persists, it may point to battery exhaustion. Though Optitron LZ-model storage units generally last at least 10 years, excessive wear and environmental conditions can shorten their lifetimes. Since your unit is over six years old, there is a small service charge for replacing the power unit. This charge covers installation of a new power cell, unit cleaning, and re-alignment.

Please consider upgrading your prosthesis to the new LZ100-model, which adds the following enhancements:
*Compatible with M-VIDEO 7 image capture devices
*Improved resolution and focus
*New long-life power cell, capable of storing power for 72 hours of
use
*High-speed recharge: battery can be charged to capacity in under 2 hours
*Power-saving mode: engages when eyes are closed to conserve power *In-place recharger: the prosthesis can be charged without removal *Increased comfort and durability
*New life-like cosmetic lens: prosthesis is undetectable under casual examination

We hope this information has been useful in solving your problem. Please cite this incident number (31821) your response if you wish to update your support issue.

Sincerely,
Camphor Tryst
Support Department, Optitron BioTech
You go to the north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 7 ezcash019      MAKE MONEY FAST!!

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Hi friend,

Do you like money? Sure -- we all do! Do you want a way to get more of it without working? Then read on, friend!
A year ago, I was flat broke, but then I found out about this TESTED, PROVEN system, and now I've got more money than you can shake a monkey at!

This is completely SAFE and LEGAL! You will be ritcher than God!

Just go to this web address to find out how you can have the money start rolling in!

[LINK]

Why are you waiting? Start making money now!
You go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 8 Cameron White  Fwd: Your American Duty

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Can you believe this shit?
>In these times of trial, every American Citizen must do his part
>to ensure a safe and prosperous future for your country. If the >enemies of freedom are to be defeated, we must be able to meet
>their vile atrocities with whatever force necessary.
>Many traitors and cowards have tried to claim that this war is >unnecessary, and have avoided their patriotic duty by claiming >cowardly "conscientious objector" status.
>If the US is to arise victorious from this war, such cowards and >traitors must be stopped. Every man in this country has a patriotic >duty to serve in the armed forces during this conflict. DON'T WAIT
>to be drafted. ENLIST TODAY
>For the army we fight is a dangerous foe, with armies to spare.
>Back at home, the brave women of the united states have a duty to >their country as well. Arms and equipment manufacturers all over
>the country are hiring laborers to ensure that our boys abroad have >what they need to win this conflict.
>But the women of this country have yet a more important duty to our >future. As wives and mothers they must help raise our youth to >understand the importance of the war we fight, and to help rebuild >our population in hope of the day when freedom again reigns
>supreme.
>The militant lesbian conspiracy has attempted GENOCIDE by fooling
>the female population into shirking their duty to produce a new >generation of Americans to carry on the fight. It is the duty of >EVERY woman, regardless of age, income, or sexual "preference" to >contribute their genetic material to future generations by bearing
>as many children as they are physically capable. Birth rates in the >US have been steadily declining for almost a century, and our enemies >KNOW IT! They want to watch us die out!
>Selfish traitors claim that we are trying to "oppress" womankind by >"enslaving" them to their biology. These traitors ignore the fact that >they play the most important role in our future. Before shipping out to
>defend our great nation, every man should make arrangements to ensure >that his DNA is preserved in future generations by impregnating his >spouse or lover, and by making regular contributions to sperm banks. >The future of our country is in your hands. Put aside your selfishness >and do what's right!
You go north
---Email Database (office)---
Page: 9 Arcotech       Re: Shelter capacity

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Mr. Wallace, Thank you for your concern. According to our records, your ArcoTech shelter is designed to provide living facilities for four persons for thirty years. Because we realize that unforeseen circumstances might increase the number of persons occupying the shelter (births, inability to turn away unprepared neighbors), all our shelters provide some leeway. In the situation described, the addition of another person might decrease shelter comfort and efficiency, but should not seriously endanger you or your family. If it becomes necessary to occupy your shelter, you should implement stricter rationing than normal to ensure that supplies are not over-taxed. Because air and water availability are your most pressing concerns, we recommend you install the Arcotech Supplementary Life Support System, which will reduce the load on the main system to increase shelter comfort if it is made to provide for more occupants.

We hope that your concerns have been addressed in a timely and useful manner. Please contact us if you have further concerns.

Arcotech, Inc.
Research lt-739
No relevant entry found.
Research arcotech
Arcotech (Arcotech Home Survival Technologies)
Manufacturer of blast and survival shelters for private homes during the twenty-first century. The company made enormous profits during the years leading up to the intercontinental war at the middle of the century as interest in survival shelters grew to a height unprecedented since the "Cold War" of the third quarter of the twentieth century. Although their products were generally considered the highest quality available during their time, the shelters were not capable of withstanding the more powerful nuclear and quantum weapons used during the war, and the company eventually declared bankruptcy. Their product lines were eventually bought by Amalgamated Industries, inc.

No shelters built during this period are currently known to exist.

Source: Seventy Days: The Rise and Fall of the Global Megacorps

SEE ALSO: Amalgamated Industries
Research amalgamated
Manufacturing megacorporation of the North American Continent. Following the trans-continental war of the twenty-first century, Amalgamated Industries bought over 90% of the manufacturing companies in the western hemisphere. It was one of the companies involved in the events of the Seventy Days, and collapsed soon afterward.

Source: Seventy Days: The Rise and Fall of the Global Megacorps

SEE ALSO: Historical Period: The Seventy Days
Research seventy
Historical Period: The Seventy Days
Term used to describe the period from September to November of the old-calendar year 2102. Reconstruction after the wars of the previous century left most of the world in the debt of seventeen megacorporations. On September 12, 2102 (old date), the megacorporations foreclosed on the collective nations of the world, and assumed legal control of the planet. They were met with little resistance from world populations, who had grown dissatisfied with the national governments. Though their leadership was able to provide rapid improvement of living conditions for many inhabitants, the task of managing an entire planet proved too much for the megacorporations, who soon discovered that the world as a whole could not be run profitably. After several administrative fiascoes, the most notable of which involved the firing and eviction from Earth of the entire population of Canada, the corporate consortium itself declared bankruptcy exactly 70 days after its inception, thrusting the world into anarchy.

The United Earth Directorate quickly arose to fill the infrastructure created by the consortium, becoming the first true one-world government.

Source: Seventy Days: The Rise and Fall of the Global Megacorps
Examine books
Nothing of note; a few books on computer operation and general chemistry references.
STATUS
StreamDive Console: Standard Research Version
Status: Operational
Temporal Capacitor charge: 84%
Manifest:
interface chip
scan chip
library chip
DataStore chip
dive chip
Temporal shield is inactive
Go northwest
This room looks as if it hasn't seen use any time in the recent past. It is sparsely furnished, containing little more than a dresser, bed, and nightstand. The only exit is southeast.

Some luggage has been tucked away by the door.

On the nightstand is a memo pad.
Go north
You get the impression that this bathroom has become a waystation for things that were intended for the basement, but got lost along the way. Boxes and bags seem to cover every surface; the sink, the heating vent, the fixture. The way out is south.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the fixture
Scan fixture
The scanner detects a rectangular mass inside the bowl.
You examine the fixture
While the mechanical aspects may have changed, the device is similar in appearance and function to those of your own era.
You look in it
On a whim, you lift the heavy boxes and raise the lid of the toilet seat. The bowl has been drained, and resting inside is a small book, which you manage, with some difficulty, to retrieve before letting the boxes fall back into place.
You examine diary
A small book, probably a diary. That would be a boon; diaries, journals, all the personal records kept by people are what you're really here for. A house full of paintings, interesting furniture, even platinum doubloons won't equal what you could learn about this time from the diary of someone who actually lived it. There is a tiny metal closure locking it, but you'll be damned if that's going to stop you from looking inside.
You open diary
It's locked.
Open diary with autokey
The lock clicks open. Your hands almost tremble in anticipation. What a find!

You open the book...

What?

It's encoded? Who keeps a diary in code? Well, obviously, Julia Yvonne Wallace does. You can't help but wondering what could make someone so paranoid as to go to the trouble of encoding a locked, hidden diary.
You read the diary
Page: 0 Diary

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Go north
Page: 1 April 17

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EC22
You go to the north
Page: 2 April 18-19

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April 18 - Jim's a bastard. He did it again. Snuck in while I was asleep and recalibrated my eye. When I woke up, I was seeing everything in infrared.

Some days I want to rip the damned thing out with my bare hands.

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You go to the north
Page: 3 April 20-23

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April 20 - Dreamt last night. The unbelievable pleasure of feeling a knife being thrust into my chest.

Mom didn't take the bait. Maybe she's not still snooping on me.

April 22 - They're sending troops into the middle east. Everyone says not to worry and we'll just clear this up like we have before. There's not going to be a war. But we've already got troops in so many other places. Jim's terrified that he's gonna get drafted. There hasn't been a draft in almost a hundred years though. The news says this will blow over in a couple of months, but Jimmy says that the president's an ass and he wants a war to boost his popularity rating. Dad thinks he's an idiot because no president would think that starting a war and getting hundreds of our people killed would make him popular. Maybe I should start reading the papers more.
You go north
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Page: 4 April 24-26

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April 24 - F3qf6'm pvjl. C mh3'5 bezmuzp md. 61s o5k wtcew mb 3r cpnj j2ccqc5 0xl 0k2hkcu6l p7f wzytx rcy by8zc 7o es21o ajt 6njq 8qf -- aam8 c53 acr78gm 996m? 3fq lot0v 3go 489 78y74qs6 yqvba 1ws wgfxv 02u9a. Wm7rhz, R'kh 5o54hg6 m8db k1 ce6, zjt 9 un1'm 6xv2 5ok yy 2004 2l9. 2 689d7 18v iqt y1pu5 k0yp1 wonc rcwg, 0cg tl bv84v d5t 55 9nrdq xkamg 9nw41 iz1 lo8fo1c. Sav 8jz uex dn0b vp5 6q q5r7ek 5tm3qs? Lv'70 m6 4bfy bz bfcj ws 25p u6dzs.

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April 25 - Jim keeps going on about this new program he's working on. Thinks it's going to, and I quote, "set him up among the gods." He's trying to get in touch with a bunch of professors at the big-league CS schools. Thinks he's hot stuff. Dad, who really ought to know better, asked him about his new "discovery", and he went on for about an hour, not really saying anything that made much sense. The long and short of it is that he thinks he's figured out how his brain works, and he thinks he's got a way to make a computer do the same thing. Wonderful. A computer that thinks like my brother.

April 26 - Ttwmnh 20 0i8 2o7unk. 7lyw 4m63 4f fzb5'z 9s3 2x9ym 8mc i0ck9yec tn zhp. K 6i3'c sglj km 9nr3'q h ay2k rvi9f. W uoiu hy2jraw xv6 g1s2rme n3 qv0 1gkdtls 8j2 7y8k cbiv 82cm 3dsgh x0 j7d mldsjsx o2 89 vwc 2m5jw5 wx c1p9 ox 5n x850 D wpg hio 5q 6h8o0n6n4, qs7w 68zyw'c i2hz sy8t iq7q 0llbdb wsj2 6v6v kfi7uxxsn laf3ztn d7e O'z nn vqsegc 2s. Mrzb gpk u5ia bz0r cf ickc? Umrl P rmc l1v0ie, 3 vqufw eukht2 96g k2w nsw 9 vdw 3e 873 L sw3ug ml b45 yqg s 2il nio u2e gm ir rvmt ak0 xri azs. D 11rxb sv3a pprbg 2o p qrwp xl2231 o5ztwfzn9q5.

Kd p4 emr.

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Go north
F0y 1wqz'7 S 7ab6 ykrgwj6g 31mo d94sz4?

Page: 5 April 27-29

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April 27 - There was fighting last night. Southeast Asia. I didn't even know we had troops there. Congress was in session all night. The news says they're going to declare war. I am really, really scared.

April 28 - L 2j9ddnm jxk X1l1v. 2u0 a6qpf y2nosd n7s8, 48epb3 ysb e jsed ij 2to 25ici. G xd3c4 ht5x 8o5 1t8 2cz7t60d jy. Orf? D 1gt ee7 mgd 0d ykn. S y29uzy 0bfr864 ek bta8j kb8 i5lpa rl399, alg 7 7sf29g p6ek di 7j8y od 2gv. A awejvl6 39h b86h 2 b67sr 6u 8nw jds1wr. H a4ar 9bkdvzf yliftu H as4'm f96c y9 2yk wznalq jo0t vp le2. Ssnp'k rtvdcyi6, uc dhjluq.

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You go to the north
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Page: 6 April 30-May 3

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April 30 - S s8xh3d7 enj kk uukw ge 76k. Rakgf cv02 q4ac otcxgsjz6qd pxeai psj gcr9aj93. T hlox lu dsf knd hl qsh 4x8n70 8obr4u vqs. B x99cy 0h5 oc22j d6hc7e9 k vvvw wk 1X. Jqd wk5h rgp n3hjm. 2zg2bg 101 s ew06 99to 99hld uh5c 4ip f05cy. 1'so lpugr9 9gno6m wmm.

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Go north
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Page: 7 May 4-6

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May 4 - V fxlvuis vr ajxw7t91 sb5 4o x0f q9 50g 3z kuw 1sp1i. V6zh 7n v94 0y77 izhm 2l0f2. Pug oqi0miic v3oc4 7uczk6 SR, tym 7pko'l psd2 n4 qzni k0 0c5m en 6u m63g yixcppj.

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May 6 - You are not fucking going to believe this. They've started up the draft. And what's more? They're not taking girls. I know, they've never taken them before, but they said that they would now, since they're all "liberated" and shit.

Anyway, why aren't they taking girls, you ask? Well, there was a fucking commercial. A fucking commercial explaining how important women were to the war effort, and that's why they're not drafting them. And the way they're important to the war effort? You're gonna fucking love this -- reproduction. They're saying that it's "The duty of all citizens to make full use of their reproductive capabilities to ensure that our population remains strong and growing through these times of adversity."

What is this, the fucking dark ages? In addition to their heart-fucking-felt sermon, they've voted in a massive tax-break for families with newborns, a government handout for women who get themselves pregnant, and subsidies for unmarried women who want artificial insemination. They're also rushing through a bunch of fertility drugs that increase the chances of having twins. The got some low-level flunkie in one of the fringe groups on record saying that it was the "sworn duty of every woman to attempt conception", and that parents should encourage their daughters to get themselves knocked up as young as fifteen. They're trying to fucking breed themselves an army.
Go north
But it'll be what, twenty years before any of these war babies are old enough to fight. The war can't go on that long, can it?

Page: 8 May 7-11

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May 7 - Oh the shit has hit the fan. There's rioting in the streets. The people who don't like the war are protesting the war. The people who don't like the draft are protesting the draft. Pretty much everyone is protesting the breeding plan, except for the ones that are lined up around the block to get a big fat shot of fertility drugs and the big fat check that goes with it. Mom's friend that works for a doctor says that they've been asked not to tie anyone's tubes or give out contraceptives anymore. I found out that Jim's stockpiling condoms, on the off chance he manages to get a girl who doesn't think the rest of him's as ugly as his face. Says there's a bill in congress to restrict the sale of anything that prevents pregnancy.

Donna's friend Rusty is talking about signing up. She's trying to talk him out of it, but he figures his draft notice is in the mail already anyway.

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May 11 - When I got up this morning, my eye hadn't recharged. Hope I don't have to get the damned thing serviced. I couldn't go anywhere, of course, because I had to leave it on the charger all day. But Donna came over and we hung out. She went out with Tom last night and had a good time and all.
Go north
She thinks the eyepatch makes me look tough.

Page: 9 May 12-15

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May 12 - Eye worked today. Guess I had it in the charger wrong or something.

May 13 - Donna's dad got "activated", which means he has to ship out. He does something technical for the navy, so it's not like he's going to the front or anything, but she's still scared. He wants her to go live with her grandmom. We talked to mom, and she said it would be okay if she stayed with us at least until the end of school. Her grandmom's an 80 year old woman with about a hundred cats.

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You go north
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Page: 10 May 17

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May 17, 4:36 AM - Ek8gee8 0k67j. Eup5x 9it vro 6if3c n3xl3 iv0 azr 2f 7q wiq we 6aewh hdaa0 k3j5yc. R7scunq ai 1g0 9nw653em9 7s1 "zc7 we9s7 ifhfjgkl" lf "k9x2j axel ofpg6lj f4ofoqggy9gx mg 0a6gs0v'u lge6ao." Lb5i: u39o p60f uvugy. Ejq1c & F xphpo42 p4 uclhczja cecqe7 sk3q n3g xigy 5voxbk 5g h0wzih a4 fe9p 91mi. Os8 ha wg9r qtzc p6 qi v28 sgc1c3w kmd pbb586 ns v9vtwq "o5f5 ogm 4ql3jq1762s5 q0 s3 mz7e aqh pzp7scrng 2pb 6aevmzf" 3v wi1 03cmu. 7 rjuh 8q0p mvg4 g1k6e 4cwrd.

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May 17 (later) - Fell asleep without taking my eye out so it's dead today. And no one ever told me how much it hurts if you sleep with contacts in. Told mom I was too sick to see the shrink today, which isn't far from the truth. I managed to get Donna down to her bed before mom went to wake her up for breakfast. As if we could eat. We crashed in my room most of the day so no one would see how sick we were.
You go to the north
I let her get a good look at the hole in my face where my eye goes. She wasn't grossed out or anything. She asked me if I wanted to touch her scar. It was a little weird because you can feel little bumps where they stitched her cheek closed.

Page: 11 May 19-28

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May 19 - The fighting has escalated. Last night, one of our islands in the pacific got wiped off the map. That many people could just wink out of existence like that, and the world just goes on.

May 20 - Rethinking yesterday's entry. We've been bombing the country with the largest population in the world for weeks now. Maybe we got what we deserved.

May 23 - There is no Laos.

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May 25 - Set up family ties with a nice boy? Fuck him. Besides, about the only boys that haven't been drafted are cripples and felons. And Rusty, of course, but I get the feeling he's looking to set up family ties with a nice boy himself.

May 26 - Mom is moving most of the valuables into long-term storage. As in "make Jim go out in the woods and dig a deep hole to hide them in." Won't help. We're all going to die.

May 27 - Air raid drill at school. Yes. Duck and cover. Fuck your mother.
Go north
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Page: 12 May 29-June 1

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May 29 - 7 1q7j 1aa br04 eh ovn3zmgt 1o9 xvyv dp xn 0ov3z5h rc d1p 6wkzx ex hxo6i 8fj fzg9qs p77k 0t hmb 94hfq246 1ve g009 Qxved kattjel1 ji 0ba 42xvb pd, cq d3kv1 mdd1 p2phqy1. Jr7sa6ha7, I 0np0 tkvm F njp9'g 8frcj mm ujsn ike9uh kj k2z 3c-sjq2 ws4j 40eg78 gmfsrzt hru. 7i zsj4 5s'h llz9 zx8 03mc4092y, kewg jfpga 0y h316n d6yie7g x7x fqgxt1us q9w bfgoqt m4m 1 1nf8t. Pc7q 630 m3631 bb sfyfuba 9t av1 tsz9ehwg 70 2wb, yj h5pw74.

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May 30 - Something's bugging Donna. She won't talk to me about it. I'm worried.

May 31 - Donna didn't come home last night. She showed up late this afternoon with a lame story about spending the night at her place because she had gotten involved in packing some things.
Go north
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Page: 13 June 2-11

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June 2 - Donna is still acting funny. I wonder if she's worried about her dad.

June 3 - As close as I can tell, I'm a free woman again. Mom and Dad aren't watching me constantly, and I can pretty much come and go as I please, with the caveat that I can't stay out too long, what with the imminent possibility of he bomb killing us all.

But I'm worried about Donna. She wanders off for hours at a time, doesn't say anything.

June 4 - Jimmy's got himself a girlfriend. How cute. She's a rolly-polly little thing with coke-bottle glasses who thinks the sun rises and sets on him because of his brilliant invention. Maybe his stockpile won't go to waste after all.

Yeah. And maybe my eye will grow back.

June 5 - They've cancelled graduation due to war. Fuck.

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June 7 - We're sending troops into Vietnam. Where have I heard that before?

June 9 - Donna asked me to try on some of her clothes. I don't like wearing a skirt, but she said I have really nice legs & I should show them off. Nice legs? Anyway, I hope this means she's feeling better, but there was something distant about her. About the only thing she was willing to talk about was the time I slit my wrists. Morbid.

June 10 - Rained all day today. After watching a whole lot of TV, we basically just sat around. I worked on new pages for my code book while Donna just sat there and watched me.

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Go north
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Page: 14 June 13

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You go to the north
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Page: 14 June 13

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

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You read the footnote 3
What do you want to read in?
Moments1
Enter saved game to load:

Ok.
Note 3
[Footnote 3]
The game will continue this practice from now on. Use the setup menu to change this behavior.
Look around
You get the impression that this bathroom has become a waystation for things that were intended for the basement, but got lost along the way. Boxes and bags seem to cover every surface; the sink, the heating vent, the fixture. The way out is south.
You look at vent
Forced air environmental control... You've heard of this. It's a system which controlled the temperature in a building via the crude method of pumping air of the desired temperature through a system of metal tubes toward various areas of the house. It's an interesting system, neither very efficient, nor robust, but it did allow the most cost-effective means of controlling interior climate available in this era.
You look in the vent
The vent is empty.
You go upwards
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.
Go east
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.
You open cabinet
You open the video cabinet, revealing a video screen, a video disc player and six video discs (one "Episode Two", one "Jigsaw", one "Spider and Web", one "Symetry", one "War of the Worlds" and one "Best Chefs").
You take Spider
Taken.
You put it in the player
You put the video disc of "Spider and Web" into the video disc player.
You turn on the video screen
The display flickers to life, showing static. Service has apparently been interrupted.
You turn on the player
The video monitor begins showing what seems to be a spy thriller. It is extremely difficult to work out what exactly is going on, but you imagine that's intentional.
You open the closet
(with the autokey.)
Unlocked.
You examine the couch
The couch is a standard piece of living room furniture. This one is large and comfortable. This one has been covered with a hand-fitted cloth drape featuring a subtle print, a more economical way to keep up with the latest fashion trends and hide minor damage than reupholstering.
You examine the art
It's funny, when you think about it. Something as innocuous as the cabinet on the far side of the room would be considered an objet d'art in your time, while these mass-produced items, clearly designed to be art are barely worth notice. While none of these items would ever cross the threshold of your apartment, you could imagine factory-made art just like this adorning shelves in your own time. Bad taste never changes.
You take Spider from the player
You switch the video player off. The screen switches to static. Removed.
You put it in the player
You put the video disc of "Episode Two" into the video disc player.
You take Episode 2
You switch the video player off. The screen switches to static.
Taken.
You look at the cabinet
A large, wooden, wardrobe-like cabinet sits along the south wall, roughly at the focal point of the room's seating. The part of you that spends your off-hours rummaging through antique shops perks up a little. They don't build them like this any more. If it survived to your time, a piece like this would be worth a packet to a dealer in antique furniture. None of the antiseptic sterility of the mass-replicated contemporary pieces. This is a piece that was built -- physically made out of raw material. There is something personal about it, the sense that nothing came between the builder and the built less personal than steel machinery.
You look in it
In the video cabinet are a video screen, a video disc player and four video discs (one "Jigsaw", one "Symetry", one "War of the Worlds" and one "Best Chefs").
You put it in the player
You put the video disc of "Symetry" into the video disc player.
Scan symetry
The scanner reveals nothing of interest.
Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You go east
This was originally a walk-in closet, but with the quantity of items which have accumulated here, it has become more of a stand-in closet. You are sure that if the building weren't doomed, it would eventually have turned into a lean-in closet. Between the well-stocked coat rod and a number of boxes, there is just enough room for you to turn around if you feel like returning west to the living room.

On the coat rod are a winter coat (in which is a sales brochure), a light jacket (empty), a windbreaker (empty), a gray suitcoat (empty), a black suitcoat (empty) and a smoking jacket (empty).
You examine the brochure
Arcotech Home Survival Technologies offers the finest quality shelters for home survival in times of national crisis. Arcotech shelters are rated to offer secure protection against:
*Blasts
*Fallout Radiation
*Vandalism
*Looting
*Terrorism
*Weather and Climate Emergencies

Arcotech shelters are:
*PAATO approved for use in emergency situations
*designed for use with concrete or earth coverings, or as above-ground shelters
*built from a heavily-tested, original, patented design
*tested successfully in full, one-third, and one-quarter scale models by the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Air Force, and Pacific Institute of Technology Engineering Sciences Laboratory
*available in a large range of sizes to accommodate many different needs
*equipped with the latest in survival equipment and fully stocked with supplies meeting the FWPSC 1.2037 standard for long-term survival *installable in most existing homes and buildings
*fully customizable to meet specific user needs and concerns

This booklet details just a few of the many survival features available. Contact your Arcotech Sales Representative for a full list of features, special options recommended in your area, and pricing information.

Arcotech shelters are built with the highest degree of precision technology to provide optimal support and security. Shelter roofs and walls are built from high-tech steel corrugated arch panels to ensure maximum strength and load-bearing. The corrugated design allows high-quality seals between arch panels so that shelters can be built of any length.

Arcotech shelters come standard with heavy steel endwalls. For added protection, concrete endwall reinforcements are available. Due to the patented interlocking all-steel design, additional layers of protection can be added to the arch or endwalls.

For the ultimate in radiation protection, lead insulating sheets may be added.

All Arcotech shelters come with a reinforced heavy steel door. Thick security bolts ensure that the shelter cannot be breached. Many Arcotech shelters include a secondary egress hatch, which can be installed in the roof with a minimal reduction in structural integrity.

Arcotech shelters include the latest in high-endurance life support equipment. All Arcotech shelters are equipped with both secure ventilation systems for processing outside air, and with an advanced air recycling system. In emergencies, the shelter can be sealed and operate entirely on stored air reserves for up to six months at a time. When outside air is safe for use, it can be used to replenish internal supplies in a matter of hours.

The water recycling system standard on Arcotech shelters is able to provide adequate, safe water supplies over extended periods. With strict water rationing, the shelter is able to recycle approximately 85% of its stored water. Optional accessories include facilities for collecting and purifying water from surface runoff and underground deposits. The standard water storage system included with each Arcotech shelter contains sufficient reserves for three months of use. With water recycling and collection, usable water may be replenished indefinitely.

Sanitation and waste-disposal facilities in Arcotech Shelters are second to none. The low-energy waste incinerator reduces all human and other waste products to compact ash, which is stored in the insecure waste pit. Waste pit capacities vary with space availability, but are generally large enough to store several years worth of waste.

The standard equipment for Arcotech home survival shelters includes a 30-year supply of nonperishable food stocks designed to meet all nutritional needs. Users with infants and small children are advised to consider ordering the optional child nutrition supplement.

In addition for stocks of first-aid supplies, the medical stores standard in Arcotech shelters include medical equipment and medicine for treating minor maladies and injuries, along with detailed, useful information on their use. To foster adequate health and morale, most shelters are capable of increasing the normally dim lights to output sun-like spectra for limited periods. By using this feature several times a week, occupants can avoid depression and diseases caused by lack of sunlight.

Arcotech shelters are powered by a patented high-performance chemical induction system, which can deliver operating power to the shelter for at least 30 years without replenishment. For above-ground shelters, solar power cells are also available. The energy source is suitably shielded from EMP effects which may accompany nuclear attacks.

Arcotech home survival shelters come standard with accommodations for families of four, six, eight, and twelve persons. Accommodations for larger groups may be custom ordered.

Standard accommodations include comfortable, high-durability bedding with optional privacy screens, a dining and utility table with chairs, personal storage compartments, and durable survival clothing. Efficient kitchen, laundry, and toilet facilities are also provided, as is a privacy-screen area for low-water washing.

Because of the importance of maintaining morale during an extended stay, Arcotech shelters also contain minimal facilities for relaxation, exercise, and entertainment. All non-value-line models of Arcotech shelters include a "relaxation area", consisting of a foldable couch (which may be raised to form an exercise area), small television with video and music player, and storage space large enough to contain a small library or children's toys.

Security/Survival
All Arcotech shelters are equipped with the following minimal equipment to facilitate survival in times of crisis. Many other options are available. Contact your Arcotech Sales Representative for a full list of features recommended in your area.
*Easy-to-use radiation meters
*Two 30" 22 mag. cal. single-action rifles and ammunition for personal defense and hunting
*Shortwave radio and transmitter
*Desktop computer with wireless network connection
*"Panic" locking mechanism: Shelter egress can be secured so that its entryway cannot be opened from inside for a specified time, or until radiation levels are safe, to prevent early egress in the event an occupant becomes unreasonable
*Cyanide capsules: stored in a locked box, also fitted with a panic locking mechanism, are provided as a painless alternative to radiation sickness or degenerative illness
*Government approved survival instructions: Arcotech is the only shelter manufacturer to equip each shelter with all of the Federal Government's latest survival instruction booklets. Other manufacturers often use dangerously out-of-date materials, some nearly a century old

Arcotech: Your Life May Depend On It

You notice that the document mentions nothing about protection from photo-nuclear weapons. Though the document is grossly limited in its treatment of technical considerations, you quickly realize that such a shelter would not provide adequate protection from even non-nuclear attacks closer than a few dozen kilometers away. Its primary utility rests in protecting its occupants from residual radiation released by fallout from a distant bomb strike. Of course, a far less opulent shelter would still provide adequate defense under such circumstances. [The document "Home Shelter Sales Literature" has been added to your DataStore.]
You go west
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.
Go west
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.
You go to the north
When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can see a photograph here.
You look at the photograph
This is apparently a visual of the family that lived in this house. In the back stand two adults, a man whose receding hair looks unnaturally dark, wearing thick, horn-rimmed eyeglasses, and a woman, much shorter, who looks about the same age. She too wears glasses, with a more fashionable wire frame. Her front teeth, visible in what looks like an unaccustomed smile, are stained and crooked. A small scar is visible near the corner of her mouth. Before them are two children. On the right, a boy about ten, has a ridiculous smile and equally ridiculous bowl-cut. Beside him is a girl, probably a few years his senior. You aren't sure, but you think you see a glint of something reflective near her temple, where her hair is awkwardly combed over a bald patch. Her eyes are not quite the same color, though that may be a blemish on the photograph. There does certainly seem to be something odd about her right eye, but you can't tell on a photograph this size.
[The document "Family Photo" has been added to your DataStore.]
You look at the lamps
oil lamp: These are archaic oil-burning devices, which appear to be decorative, but would probably function as a servicable light source in the event of a power failure.
You examine table
The table is a very simple wood affair, with numerous small scratches and a well-worn finish.
You look at the cabinet
The opulence of the china cabinet is a stark contrast to the nondescriptness of the rest of the room. Delicate carvings adorn the surface, and a floral pattern is set into the frosted glass of its doors.
You open the cabinet
You open the china cabinet, revealing some fine china.
You examine the fine china
Several high-quality place settings.
Go west
hold all the necessary garment-cleaning equipment. Several makeshift shelves along the wall opposite to the major appliances hold cans and bottles. A door to the outside is on the western wall. The dining room is to the east.
Note 4
[Footnote 4]
Just.
You examine cans
Which do you mean, the floor cleaner or the furniture polish?
Floor cleaner
If the label is to be believed, this particular compound will restore even the most heavily soiled floors to a factory shine.
You examine the polish
A fragrant compound designed to collect dust and restore a polished shine to wooden furniture.
You open the washing machine
You open the washing machine.
You open the drier
You open the drier, revealing a lint trap.
You look at the trap
This is a tiny screened compartment within the drier which collects the clothing fibers ejected from garments due to the destructive nature of the laundering process.
Inside it, you can see some lint and a brass key.
You look at brass key
A small brass key, presumably thrown from the pocket of some article of clothing.
You go east
When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can see a photograph here.
You go to the east
The ceiling over this stretch of hallway slopes upward where the stairs cut into it. Along the south wall, just before the ceiling becomes too low to make a serviceable hallway, a low, louvered door marks a small closet. The hallway continues east, and to the west it ends in an archway leading to the dining room.
You open the door
It seems to be locked.
You unlock door
(with the autokey.)
You open the little closet, revealing a coaxial cable, a stuffed bear, four video discs (one "Womb Raider", one "Blow me Away", one "Coeds Getting Naked" and one "Thrustmaster Returns") and some adult magazines.
You examine the bear
It's a rather well-worn children's toy, missing its right eye.
You shift your eyes back and forth. Bear. Porn. Bear. Porn. Bear. Something just isn't right.
You look at the cable
A short length of high-bandwidth wire.
You examine magazines
A number of periodicals devoted to culture, politics, and pictorial studies of the nude female form.
the entirety of human history, some form of graphical material has existed with the intention of stimulating sexual arousal. During the majority of that time, such items carried some degree of social stigma, at times being outright illegal, and at the very least, something not discussed in social settings.
After the war, a revival of so-called "family values" would attempt, with varying degrees of success, to drive the pornography industry deep underground. By your own time, very little is still held to be taboo. Nevertheless, the production of sexually-oriented reading material is extremely limited, as the social and moral reformations of recent decades have made safe and more satisfying avenues easily available for the expression of sexual desires. At this particular point in history, pornography was generally held to be a healthy and safe alternative to sexual promiscuity. Nevertheless, such materials were not deemed appropriate for persons under the generally accepted age of sexual maturity, which might explain their concealment.
Note 5
[Footnote 5]
Not a required course in StreamDiver training, but for some reason the most popular elective.
Go east
A poorly-lit length of hallway begins here and continues west. The southern wall is open to the living room. A door leads east.

A painting on the wall depicts a nautical theme.
You look at the painting
You take a moment to appreciate the painting. It's only a print, you know, but for all you can tell, this may be a copy of the work of some not-yet-famous artist, the only copy anyone in your time has ever seen.
You move it
It is fixed in place.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the painting
Scan painting
The scanner highlights a small metallic mass between the painting and the wall.
Go upwards
The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
You open the north door
(with the autokey.)
Unlocked.
You go north
Although the primary function of this room seems to be as a linen closet, its size suggests that it was intended for even heavier storage. Three of the walls bear shelves, neatly stocked with towels and bed linens.
You search the linens
You poke around at the sheets, and find, hidden in the folds of a large bedsheet toward the back, a pack of cigarettes, either squirreled away for an emergency, or hidden from a disapproving family member.
You examine the cigarettes
Toward the end of the twenty-first century, various lobbies finally succeeded in banning the manufacture and sale of these particular items, citing their known carcinogenic effects and the ongoing tendencies of their manufacturers to indulge in unethical business practices. Like the bans on so many other harmful intoxicants, the cigarette ban would have undoubtedly failed, had genetic engineering not coupled a non-toxic smoking mixture with powerful antidepressants, resulting in a new, safe cigarette, which provided an even better high. These, however, are still quite lethal, you're sure.
STATUS
StreamDive Console: Standard Research Version
Status: Operational
Temporal Capacitor charge: 65%
Manifest:
interface chip
scan chip
library chip
DataStore chip
dive chip
Temporal shield is inactive
You move the couch
You are unable to.
You search the couch
You force your hand between two cushions. Before nicking yourself on a spring, your hand catches on a small object which was lost in the couch, which emerges to the surface just ahead of your stinging hand.
Look around
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the couch is a deadbolt key.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.
Go west
Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.
You examine photo
The image shows a young woman dressed in simplified academic regalia. She wears a formless gown in an unflattering blue pastel with a mortarboard cap. The girl in the picture looks about the right age for this photograph to be commemorating a high school graduation, though there are signs that she might be older; her expression is one of world-weariness, and her disapproving frown merges into lines on the face which suggest that this is an accustomed expression. You imagine that she would be quite attractive, if not for the scowl which seems to be permanently burnt into her face.

An unnatural reflection causes you to notice her right eye, which, under close scrutiny, is apparently artificial. Though the prosthesis is good enough to pass for the real thing under casual scrutiny, it does lack the bloodshot look of the left eye, and you can make out the segmentation of a mechanical iris. If the color had been a better match for her left eye, you might well not have noticed.
[The document "Graduation Photograph" has been added to your DataStore.]
Go north
In most respects, this is a thoroughly ordinary bathroom. It is far less clean than the public areas of the house, but not unsettlingly so. It is simple in decor, featuring a tub, toilet, sink, and no windows. The mirror over the sink protrudes slightly, suggesting that it conceals a medicine cabinet. The exit is south.
You open the cabinet
You open the medicine cabinet, revealing a pill bottle.
You look at the bottle
A bottle of prescription medication.
Scan bottle
The scanner performs a chemical analysis of the pills. Myto-helamine xenogormate, a broad-spectrum anti-virus.

Hm... That doesn't make any sense. Xenogormates weren't developed until the turn of the twenty-third century. What could this possibly be doing here?
Timescan
The level of temporal distortion in this room is slightly higher than you would expect to be caused by your presence.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the pill bottle
Go west
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Generally speaking, you learn more from a dirty house than a clean one; intensive cleaning tends to remove much of the anthropological evidence about the day-to-day affairs of the occupants. You can tell that whoever lived here had some warning before they evacuated, time enough to at least do some preliminary straightening up. The bed, which is opposite the door, under the smaller of the room's two windows, is neatly made, the wastepaper basket between the door and the dresser is empty, and the two night tables on either side of the bed are both clean and freshly polished. A full-length mirror hangs on a door to the north. The hallway is east.
You look under the bed
You paw around under the bed for a moment. Your search turns up a small piece of metal, which looks like a simple key.
You look at the basket
The wastepaper basket is empty.
You examine the dresser
(the dresser)
You see nothing special about the dresser.
Go south
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.
Go upwards
There is barely enough room to stand upright in the attic. It certainly looks too small to be of much use for storage. It's nearly impossible to move without clocking yourself on a supporting beam.

You can see an unlabeled data disc here.
You take the disc
(the unlabeled data disc)
Taken.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the supporting beams
In the distance, you think you hear someone trying to force the lock on the front door. Better stay out of sight.
Scan beams
The scanner locates a compartment in one of the beams.
You open compartment
You open the supporting beams, revealing a gun, some cash, a necklace and a ring.
You take the gun
Taken.
In the front hall, you hear the sound of cracking wood as the door is forced open. There's someone else in the house.
"Alert:", the console beeps, "Human presence detected within building."
You look at the gun
It is completely unbelievable how much craftsmanship mankind once put into means of killing. This is only a very small pistol, but it is elaborately crafted, fashioned as if style was as important as function. All the same, it's still a device whose single purpose is the extinguishing of human life, and that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Go downwards
You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.
Go south
Leaving the house would violate the boundaries of your mission parameters.
You go east
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

You wisely decide to heed the warning.
Go east
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.
You look at the photo
This image shows a young man in his mid-teens. He sports a pathetic attempt at a moustache. Though he shows all the awkwardness of adolescence, he apparently does know, at least, how to pose for a photograph. He has a very slight smile, and a look of interested curiosity on his face. He does show the awkward pockmarks of severe acne, made worse by the extreme fullness of his face. He is wearing a black shirt with a suede vest, which bears a small lapel pin, of the sort distributed by academic honor societies.
[The document "Photograph of a Young Man" has been added to your DataStore.]
INTERFACE with disk
Attempting to interface...
Interface failed.
You put the disc in the player
Which do you mean, the unlabeled data disc, the video disc of "Episode Two" or the video disc of "Spider and Web"?
Interface disk
Which do you mean, the video disc of "Episode Two" or the video disc of "Spider and Web"?
Interface disc
Attempting to interface...
Interface failed.
Interface player
Attempting to interface...
Interface failed.
"Alert: Human presence detected to the west."
Look around
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the couch is a deadbolt key.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here. "Alert: Human approaching from west."
Go west
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

You wisely decide to heed the warning.
You wait a while
Time passes.
Scream
You start to get a sore throat.
West
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

You wisely decide to heed the warning.
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
The looter catches sight of you. You try to run, but he is quick to draw his pistol. Though the weapon is primitive, it is quite adequate to his purpose.
Inventory
You are carrying a gun, an unlabeled data disc, some cigarettes, a sales brochure, two video discs ("Episode Two" and "Spider and Web"), a diary, a wooden knob, an autokey, your StreamDive console, inside which are five chips (an interface chip, a scan chip, a library chip, a DataStore chip and a dive chip) and two keys (a simple key and a steel key).
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
The looter catches sight of you. You try to run, but he is quick to draw his pistol. Though the weapon is primitive, it is quite adequate to his purpose.
Moments2
Enter saved game to load:

Ok.
You look
There is barely enough room to stand upright in the attic. It certainly looks too small to be of much use for storage. It's nearly impossible to move without clocking yourself on a supporting beam.
You go east
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Of all the rooms you've seen so far, this bedroom shows the least signs of having been tidied before the house was abandoned. Naturally, of course, this heightens your curiosity; untidy rooms generally tell you more than clean ones. From the space-shuttle wallpaper, you suspect that this room belonged to a young child, though it might simply imply that the room is long-overdue for renovation. There is a bookcase along one wall, containing model space ships, toy robots, and a very few books. A desk beside the door is loaded down with computer equipment. The most interesting feature of the room is the floor; while most of the other rooms have had wall-to-wall carpeting, this room has what appears to be industrial grade linoleum tile. The hallway lies west.
You look at the floor
(the floor)
You don't recall any precedent in home furnishing that would call for industrial grade linoleum in a bedroom, but it is here nonetheless. Since you can't imagine that the floor is an artifact from an earlier function of the room, it is somewhat perplexing that such a floor would be present.
You examine Computer
You stop a while an examine the contents of the desk. Almost the entire surface of the desk is covered by an eclectic combination of both state-or-the-art and antique computer equipment. You find it hard to tear yourself away; At least a decade of computing history is spread out before you. You can't even identify all of the systems; the fixed-form text input device is easy enough, but there is a small, vaguely rodent-shaped device whose purpose is less clear. There are a number of external storage systems, rather than the single optical chip interface common in your time.
Interface computer
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Personal Computer. Manufacturer identification not found.

Searching for relevant data...



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
Interface mode

Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
1
A collection of source code appears on the console's display.

You can't make any sense of it, but perhaps the boys back home will. [The document "Code fragment" has been added to your DataStore.]



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
2
Analyzing...
Format not recognized.
Attempting to download...
Download failed: Insufficient space.
3
Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
3
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 1 Mailbox for swallace

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

From: Subject:
Dr. Helmut Sha Re: distributed neural simulation...2
YOR_FRIEND906  HOTTEST OFFER EVER..................3
hotoffer@spam. Lower your debt!....................4
Dr. Helmut Sha PIT AI lab..........................5
Michael Pendra 31337...............................6
Amy            (no subject)........................7
Michelle313    I'm boooooooored!...................8
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................9
Amy            Re: Tonight.........................10
Michael Pendra Julia...............................11
Amy            Hi..................................12
Michael Pendra 31337...............................13
Amy            Hi, again...........................14
Michael Pendra Re: Julia...........................15
Amy            Re: Hi, again.......................16
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................17
hotxxx@bulkmai YOUNG HARDCORE SLUTS................18
Mary Pantalon  PIT early admission.................19
Amy            Um... Stuff.........................20
Amy            My last mail........................21
Dante          Situation...........................22
Michael Pendra Re: Situation.......................23
Michael Pendra Re: PIT.............................24
Amy            Sorry...............................25
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 2 Dr. Helmut Sha Re: distributed neural simulation

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dear Jim,

Thanks for your comments on my paper. I'd certainly be willing to look at some of your ideas. Your original message didn't say much about your training. Have you considered studying at Pacific Tech?

Thanks,
Dr. Helmut Shalanzar, PhD
Department of Computer Science
Pacific Institute of Technology
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 3 YOR_FRIEND906  HOTTEST OFFER EVER

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dear friend,

Want the HOTTEST ADULT ACTION on the web?

Try hotmonkey.amn, we have LOTS of videos updated every day all for $69.99 a month!

You'll love it!
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 4 hotoffer@spam. Lower your debt!

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Did you know you can reduce your debt overnight? You can use the equity in your home to consolidate your payments and save money! This offer is TOO GOOD TO REFUSE!!!

[LINK]

You have received this message because you specifically requested it. To remove yourself from our mailing list, send mail with the subject "UNSUBSCRIBE" to myemail_islive@bulkdistro.amn
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 5 Dr. Helmut Sha PIT AI lab

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dear Jim,

I was a little put off to find out that you're still in high school, but after looking at your work so far, I was amazed. You really seem to have a gift for this. If you don't mind, I'd like to forward your findings to a colleague of mine with the Pacific Tech AI lab. He's been working on a similar project, and your research might be just what he's looking for.

Thanks,
Dr. Helmut Shalanzar, PhD
Department of Computer Science
Pacific Institute of Technology
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 6 Michael Pendra 31337

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Hey guys,

I just tried out the glul-X patch -- WOW. I got all kinds of stuff. Managed to hack into MuseNet, got about 60 hours of music before they shut down my access. I'm putting it all up on my Libertynet node.

Jimbo, that cracker you sent me is amazing. It got me into the school network in like five seconds. Guess who isn't failing Bio anymore? LOL

And because I know you guys like it...

Site: Password:
Asian XXXpress    xyz321
Natural Blonde    xyzzy
Boob Archive      plugh
QCHS Cheerleaders frotz

Stay k00l,
Michael Pendragon
liberty://HSK!LMN?9178838215
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 7 Amy            (no subject)

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Um... Wow. You really want to hang out with me? Okay. But, like, I've already seen "Like Shopping, Movie"... So, um... You think we could maybe just hang out at your house? I'd ask you over here, but I think my parents would freak. Maybe tomorrow at seven?
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 8 Michelle313    I'm boooooooored!

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

I'm just a lonely 18 year old virgin who needs a real man to show me how it's done. I've been playing around with my friends, but they can't really satisfy me. You can see pictures of us at
[LINK]
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 9 Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Jim,

Hello. Dr. Shalanzar showed me some of the work you've done, and I can't believe my eyes. I'm going to forward some of my research to you, maybe we can work together. I didn't think it was possible, but it looks like you're most of the way to a viable simulation of human functioning. I could certainly use some of your heuristics in my own project. Let me tell you, having a paper out in a journal is a pretty sure-fire way to get your college career paid for.

From what you've told me, I agree that taking a comprehensive activation scan of a human brain is feasible with your heuristic, and it may be the only way to solve the missing part of your simulation. The main problem is that you could only take the kind of readings you need if you had some kind of direct interface to the optic nerve. And, of course, you'd need a human subject willing to have an optical interface implant. I doubt you could get it past an ethics review board.

Steve Elocon, PhD
Artificial Intelligence Lab
Department of Computer Science
Pacific Institute of Technology
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 10 Amy            Re: Tonight

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Wow. You were lots of fun. I'm sorry I couldn't stop laughing and stuff but it was kind of weird for me.

So are we like officially going out now? I can't wait to see you again.
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 11 Michael Pendra Julia

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dude,

I don't know how cool you'll be with me saying this, but your sister is HOT. She's really got a fake eye? You know what kind of shit you could do with that?

Anyway, I don't know what the right ettiquette is for this, but would it be OK with you if I asked her out some time?

Hey, I saw you talking with Amy Mercer today. You and her? She's one k00l chica. Seen her naked yet?
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 12 Amy            Hi

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

>Your boyfriend (if you'll have him),
>Jim
You are SO cute. You wanna go see The Cheerleader Project friday? We can hang out at your place later and, you know.

God, I'm getting all butterflies and stuff. I miss you already.
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 13 Michael Pendra 31337

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

D00dz,

Found a relay this week, something that the can't trace you back from. I've got the Plover program running on about sixty systems now, and I think we can bring down all kinds of shit.

Jimbo comes through again. We got into the missile security system last night. Good thing we were using the relay or there'd be black helicopters at my house now, but if we can get the shroud working right, hell, we could even nuke a small country if we wanted.

No new sites this week, but I've got one better. Dante swapped out Lynchzilla's LZ-100 for his, with the remote chip. He's got about 8 hours of her "monitoring" the girl's locker room. You know how big a dyke she is, well we got the goods, since she since she did some hardcore "monitoring" while Libby Sikes was in the showers after field hockey practice. It's all up on Dante's LibertyNet node. He put up some pretty sick stuff too, Lynchzilla "entertaining" herself.

liberty://HSK!LMN?9178838215
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 14 Amy            Hi, again

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Jim,

This is really hard, and I'm probably not making a lot of sense, but I want to get this all out.

It's just that lately, I've been feeling kind of pressured by you. I mean, I really like you and everything, but I've never done anything like this before. And it's starting to make me uncomfortable. It's not that I don't want to have sex with you, but this is kind of fast. You're my first real bf, and I don't want to rush into it and feel bad about it later. I sort of made a promise to myself that I'd wait, and now I keep getting this vibe from you that you're getting impatient. I keep getting afraid that if we do it, I'll be lousy and you'll leave me, or it'll change everything and it'll get all weird.

Look, I'm sorry. This is probably all in my head. You know I don't want to hurt you.
You go to the north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 15 Michael Pendra Re: Julia

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Okay dude, don't blow a gasket. So she's really fucked in the head? Well, I guess she's got a right after what happened to her. Just forget I asked.

Things pretty serious with you and Mercer? Don't think I'm muscling in on your turf, but dude, she's a catch. I mean, she's not Libby Sikes, but she's got a body under that babyfat. Keep in there, she'll cave.
You go to the north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 16 Amy            Re: Hi, again

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Thanks for writing back so fast. I guess it's good to know that I'm not just crazy. I get scared about the war too, but I'm just not sure if I'm ready. Look, things are okay with us, promise. I wasn't upset at you. I want to be with you too. I was just afraid that you'd break up with me if I kept turning you down.

You really think that the war's going to keep getting worse? Maybe you do have a point about everything. I need some time to think about it.
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 17 Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

I'm really boggled. You know you just saved me six months of work? I think you'll find that if you insert De Kuyper's algorithm in the neural sequencing, it'll solve that stability problem. I can forward the article to you if you like.

Look, we don't usually do this, but I can't pass a chance like this up. Pacific might be willing to waive some of the entrance requirements and let you come here in the fall instead of finishing out high school. Full ride, and I can swing a stipend for you if you'll agree to join the research team. What do you think?

Steve Elocon, PhD
Artificial Intelligence Lab
Department of Computer Science
Pacific Institute of Technology
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 18 hotxxx@bulkmai YOUNG HARDCORE SLUTS

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

HOT YOUNG GIRLS WAITING TO GET YOU OFF!

Lowest rates! [LINK]
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 19 Mary Pantalon  PIT early admission

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dear Stephen J. Wallace,

Dr. Elocon has brought you to our attention. Due to your outstanding potential, the Pacific Institute of Technology has agreed to extend an invitation of early admission to you. This offer includes a scholarship covering full tuition, housing, and expenses. Please be aware that offers like this are highly unusual and are extended only to students of the highest caliber. Please let us know your decision as soon as possible.

Pacific Institute of Technology
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 20 Amy            Um... Stuff

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Oh boy. I know you're going to hate me. I want you to know that last night was wonderful. But I can't stop feeling so bad about things. Everything happened so fast. I know I wanted it as much as you did, but now I feel so guilty. I know I do love you, but I don't think I can keep up with this. I don't want to hurt you, but I think maybe we should take some time off, get some things straight in our heads and stuff.

I'm sorry.
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 21 Amy            My last mail

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

I can't believe I sent that. I'm so sorry. I DO love you, I know I love you. If I could take that letter back I would. I want to be with you all the time. You were so incredible. It was like everything I ever hoped for and more. I can't stop thinking about you & I want to do it again. I hope you'll forgive me. I don't know what got into me. I love you.
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 22 Dante          Situation

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

CC: Michael Pendragon

Guys, we've got a problem. Like, a BIG problem.

I was watching the feed from Coach Lynch's eye today after school, right? So she's in her office after practice and Libby Sikes comes in, ok? And they're talking for a while, but I can't hear what they're saying, of course. After a while, Lynchzilla shuts the door, and a couple of minutes later, she's feeling Libby up.

I ran the video by Marty, since he's deaf and reads lips. From Libby's side of it, it looks like she's gonna get cut from the team, on account of she sucks ass at field hockey. And, we're not too sure on this, but it looks like Lynch is gonna let her stay on the team if she fucks her.

Lynch should go to jail for fucking a student, but no one but us knows about it, and all the proof we got is this recording, so if we give it to the cops, we'll be in the cell right next to her. We should never have done this.

So what should we do?

liberty://HSK!LMO?342455678
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 23 Michael Pendra Re: Situation

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

To: Dante
CC: Jim Wallace

>So what should we do?
I say we sell tickets!
Go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 24 Michael Pendra Re: PIT

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Dude, go for it. They're gonna give you a full scholarship, AND money to live on? How can you refuse? And you get out of this hell-hole without finishing school. Dude, you are the man.
You go north
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 25 Amy            Sorry

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Have you found Julia yet?

I never knew how messed up she was. Why do you think she'd run away with Donna? I hope she's okay.

If you want me to come over, talk about it, let me know. Or if you just want someone to hold.

Love,
Amy
Timescan
The temporal scan is almost entirely washed out by interference. What could cause that?

Wait... you're detecting residual traces of carbon quarks. An avatar? But that would mean that someone else has temporally relocated to this location.
Timescan floor
(the floor)
The temporal scan is almost entirely washed out by interference. What could cause that?

Wait... you're detecting residual traces of carbon quarks. An avatar? But that would mean that someone else has temporally relocated to this location.
You search the floor
(the floor)
You find nothing of interest.
Scan floor
(the floor)
The scanner reveals nothing of interest.
Peel floor
(the floor)
That's hardly portable.
You research libertynet
Originally an outgrowth of a research project in distributed document storage, the "LibertyNet Protocol" became widely used among less legitimate members of the digital subculture in the mid 21st century. The system propagated documents in a semi-anonymous manner so that users could choose to release a document which could not be traced back to an owner, and was similar to the earlier "freenet" project. Though originally intended a method for free expression in countries lacking legal protection of free speech, it quickly degenerated into a marketplace for the exchange of pornography, bootleg music, and stolen computer software. Numerous attempts by various governments to shut down LibertyNet were mostly unsuccessful and increased its underground appeal. LibertyNet was eventually made obsolete by the Global Dataweb.

Source: Information Overload: The rise of the global data networks (2nd ed.)

SEE ALSO: Internet, Freenet, Dataweb
Research internet
Collective term for the services which made up the first widely used global computer network. The internet allowed messages, documents, and data to be quickly transferred between any two computers by forming a route between intermediate systems. The internet grew at a rapid rate in size and scale through the last years of the twentieth century and first years of the twenty-first. Its growth suffered major setbacks due to the wars and economic recessions of the twenty-first century, but it slowly subsumed all other means of communication and media. The internet eventually evolved into the Global Dataweb near the close of the 21st century.

Source: Information Overload: The rise of the global data networks (2nd ed.)

SEE ALSO: Dataweb
Research dataweb
Dataweb (Global Dataweb; Web)
Global data networks are reported as early as the last quarter of the twentieth century. By the end of the 21st century, the internet had evolved into the more familiar form of the Global Dataweb. The name "Dataweb" refers to the Dataweb Protocol, its major services (such as electronic mail, video communication, and document archive), and individual documents attached to it. When the Dataweb Protocol was introduced, nearly all electronic devices made use of it, from simple audio-visual communication and text messaging, to remote control and navigation systems. Though the system itself has changed little since its inception, the name has fallen into disuse.

Source: Information Overload: The rise of the global data networks (2nd ed.)

SEE ALSO: Internet
Examine books
Extremely poor examples of science fiction and fantasy which, against all good taste, have survived to your time.
You open the locker
You open the equipment locker, revealing your StreamDive console, a cloaking device, an autokey, a stream visualizer, a probe and a chip bank.
You search the bank
In the chip bank are ten chips (a dive chip, a DataStore chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a cryptography chip, a scan chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip).
You recall
[You still have time remaining in this Dive. Are you sure you wish to end your Dive early?]
Yes
All at once, the universe goes away. Time itself cries out in distress, and every cell in your body echoes its cry. The laws of physics cannot be broken, but they can be bent, if only for a time. As the energy stored in your temporal capacitors discharges, time reasserts itself. If you were the sort to anthopomorphize physical law, you'd say that it was extracting some revenge against you for daring to transcend the barriers of time. Of course, all that you're really experiencing is a form of severe disorientation resulting from the unusual perceptual stimuli occurring outside normal time-space. It all goes away in a nothingth of a second, and you stumble backward to the floor of the StreamDive Core. White-clad technicians swarm into the chamber a second later, helping you into the postDive examination, which confirms that you have weathered the Dive intact, and cleanses ancient toxins from your system. Your possessions are taken for examination, and you are led to the debriefing room.

You are in a comfortably small room, used to debrief StreamDivers following their missions. The room is intentionally designed to avoid the impression that this is some kind of interrogation chamber, even if that is indeed its function. The room contains very little in the way of decoration or, well, anything at all, aside from the table and chairs.
You open the locker
You open the equipment locker, revealing your StreamDive console, a cloaking device, an autokey, a stream visualizer, a probe and a chip bank.
You examine DataStore
This chip stores data from your dive, storing any relevant documents for later review.
Commands Provided:
DOCUMENTS -- Recall stored documents
You look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which are a cloaking device, a stream visualizer, a probe and a chip bank (in which are seven chips (a dive chip, a DataStore chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a scan chip and a shield chip))) here.
You put DataStore in the bank then get shield
You put the DataStore chip into the chip bank.
Taken.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
four chips:
a shield chip
an interface chip
a blank chip
a cryptography chip
an autokey
your StreamDive console (which is empty)
You put the shield and Interface and the blank and the crypto into the Console
shield chip: Done.
interface chip: Done.
blank chip: Done.
cryptography chip: Done.
You look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which are a cloaking device, a stream visualizer, a probe and a chip bank (in which are six chips (a DataStore chip, a dive chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip and a scan chip))) here.
You examine the screen
Clearance granted for immediate StreamDive. Target is local grid reference 0x1549. Temporal Reference 785278.7 UDC. We will be in phase for StreamDive at 865741.3 UDC. Dive duration not to exceed .5 units UDC (12 hours local time). Stream Capacitance field will be set for auto-recall at this time.
Research unit indicates high levels of stream distortion in this zone, indicating that premature extraction may not be possible.

Mission Summary: The purpose of your StreamDive is historical research. We have isolated an evacuated area to minimize potential corruption. You are to record all findings, but avoid direct contact with any inhabitants. Records from this zone are fragmentary, so any documents of historical interest should be added to your DataStore.

*WARNING*
Due to ambient radiation levels, wideband recall will not be available. Since StreamDive instruments are shielded against EMP effects, lost components may be recoverable after destruction of the local grid section. For this reason, level 1b restrictions are in effect for the duration of this dive.

PLEASE REVIEW STREAMDIVER MANUAL BEFORE COMMENCING DIVE.
You go to the east
[Once you leave this area, you will be unable to return. Are you certain that you are ready? Please note: there are still empty slots in your StreamDive console's chiprack.]
You look at the Console
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains four chips.
Examine scan
This chip provides an interface to the console's sensor functions. Commands Provided:
SCAN -- Perform a detailed scan of the area
SCAN X -- Scan an object
You look at the map
This chip provides real-time mapping of your current dive location. Commands Provided:
MAP -- Display map
You examine the intuition
This chip contains the experimental "Artificial Intuition" chip. Its function is to evaluate the current situation and recommend a course of action.
Commands Provided:
HINT -- Recommend action
You examine library
This chip contains a library of data, tailored to your current mission parameters.
Commands Provided:
RESEARCH X -- Search library for given term
BROWSE -- Display relevant entries
Unlock diary
(with the autokey.)
The lock clicks open. Your hands almost tremble in anticipation. What a find!

You open the book...

What?

It's encoded? Who keeps a diary in code? Well, obviously, Julia Yvonne Wallace does. You can't help but wondering what could make someone so paranoid as to go to the trouble of encoding a locked, hidden diary.
Decode diary
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 36 character alphabet.
Trying to decipher anyway...
Decode failed: Code cannot be identified or cipher is unbreakable. (Try analyzing more ciphertext)
Yes
Okay [Footnote 3].

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

The basement of this house is a simple, large room with cinderblock walls. Boxes, crates, and other large items are scattered haphazardly about. A lightweight wooden door in the east wall appears to be an exterior exit, presumably to allow heavy gardening equipment, such as the lawnmower in one corner, to be removed. The stairs up to the rest of the house are along the south wall.
And something unusual. The west wall is metal, with a very large, robust door set in it.
It couldn't be. Or could it? You've never actually seen one before, but from your records...
Yes. It is. It's a bomb shelter; a small room specially designed to act as an emergency shelter in the event of nuclear attack. None have survived to your own time, and records are fragmentary. This is quite a find. If only you could manage to get inside.
Go west
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

This is career-making stuff. A period survival shelter, fully intact and operational. The ceiling and walls form a single-piece dome, which, you recall, increased the structural stability with the building materials they had available. The eastern end, nearest the exit, seems to be some kind of living area, with a table and several chairs. Past it, you can see four bunked beds. At the far end of the shelter is a curtained area, holding the minimal sanitation facilities.

Finally, your training releases its hold over your mind and lets you take notice of what would have been the first thing anyone but a StreamDiver would see. Two female bodies, quite motionless, lie on one of the beds. You don't need to check for a pulse on either of them [Footnote 4], but you do, all the same.

Still warm. Your hands tremble, and it takes a moment to force yourself to calm down. You've seen dead bodies before, on missions. Victims of the massacre on Mars Colony Omega, ritual sacrifice victims in an Aztec temple, but the immediacy of these deaths is something you weren't prepared for. They can't have been dead for more than a few hours, may even have died while you were in the house. You try to tell yourself that this is an irrelevant detail -- from your proper perspective, they, and everyone else on the planet, have been dead for hundreds of years.

It doesn't help.

The smashed and broken pieces of some electronic device are scattered around the room.

A small metal box is mounted on one wall.

On the table are an electronic device and a portable computer.
Footnote 4
[Footnote 4]
The StreamDive console is programmed to emit an alert if it is brought into an occupied room.
You examine the bodies
left corpse: She would have grown up to be quite attractive. For that matter, she actually was quite attractive, despite the disheveled appearance and short unruly tangle of red hair. One eyelid is sunken, as if there is nothing underneath. You can see no sign of injury, and her repose is fairly tranquil.

Wait. There is something. One hand is scratched badly across the knuckles. But that couldn't be the cause of death.
right corpse: The body lies on the bed, arms folded. Its owner is quite beautiful by the standards of the day, long, blonde hair, sizable breasts, and a frailty that suggests borderline anorexia. The only mar to her beauty is a deep, jagged scar on one cheek. There is nothing to suggest that her death was anything but peaceful [Footnote 5].
Footnote 5
[Footnote 5]
Except for the obvious fact that apparently healthy teenage girls do not, generally, drop dead suddenly.
You search Julia
Mustering your resolve, you make a quick check of the body. Clutched in one hand, you find a blue prosthetic eye.
You take the eye
You already have that.
You examine the eye
Remarkable. This is an LZ-50 prosthetic optical unit, the first commercial replacement eye. This explains the sunken eyelid on the poor dead girl -- she must have had a prosthetic eye. But this... You could stand here all day and admire the workmanship. You would never have suspected that the technology of this period could develop something that could actually replace a human eye. And here you are... it's in your hand. You turn it over and over. It looks amazingly realistic.
Interface eye
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: LZ-50 Optical Prosthetic. Manufacturer: Optitron BioTechnics

Download aborted. [Insufficient power in remote unit]
You examine the device
(the StreamDive console)
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains five chips.
You look around
This is career-making stuff. A period survival shelter, fully intact and operational. The ceiling and walls form a single-piece dome, which, you recall, increased the structural stability with the building materials they had available. The eastern end, nearest the exit, seems to be some kind of living area, with a table and several chairs. Past it, you can see four bunked beds. At the far end of the shelter is a curtained area, holding the minimal sanitation facilities.
The smashed and broken pieces of some electronic device are scattered around the room.

A small metal box is mounted on one wall.

On the table are an electronic device and a portable computer.
Two corpses lay on opposite cots.
You examine electronic device
You can't quite determine the function of this device; you've never seen anything like it before. Its major component is a short barrel, which contains a low-powered laser.
You browse
Press the number of your selection, 1-1, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

1     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
1
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Possibly the darkest period in recent history, this period contains the last and largest of the intercontinental wars. Several Middle Eastern nations formed a military alliance, and began imposing expansionist policies on neighboring countries. When the United States threatened to cut off trade relations with these countries, the formed a lucrative trade alliance with China. Because during this period, industrialized nations were still highly dependent on fossil fuel, an alliance of western nations declared war on China and the Arabic alliance. Tactical nuclear warheads were used by both sides, resulting in the near-total annihilation of many US-sympathetic countries in southeast Asia. Though US nuclear weapons were unable to breach Chinese countermeasures, several Chinese nuclear missiles did penetrate the US defensive system, obliterating a number of cities. The war was finally ended when the massive space station Kennedy crashed to Earth near the Chinese capital. The resulting explosion killed over two billion people, forcing the Chinese government to capitulate. However, widespread environmental and war damage left the entire world badly crippled. Reconstruction would take much of the next century, and the extensive costs of rebuilding the damaged world forced the beginning of governmental alliances that would eventually lead to a United Earth Government.

Your mission occurs during the opening of the nuclear phase of the war. At 785278.83 UDC, a missile launched from China will exploit the breach in the US missile shield. Nine hours later, its course will be diverted away from Washington, DC to avoid US countermeasures. It will narrowly miss a secondary target, several miles from your Dive site, at 865741.8 UDC.

Source: Zanxq's Brief Guide to Human Civilizations, vol. 72

SEE ALSO: Space Station Kennedy

BROWSE
Press the number of your selection, 1-2, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

1     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
2     Space Station Kennedy
You examine Computer
This is a very small single-piece computer system, apparently a stock model.
Interface with it
Attempting to interface...
Interface failed.
You examine the Console
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains five chips.
You search the chiprack
In the StreamDive console are five chips (a library chip, a cryptography chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip).
You open it
You open the metal box, revealing a red pill and a red pill.
You eat the pill
(first taking the red pill)
That seems like an exceptionally bad idea. Are you sure you want to?
Yes
You feel nothing unexpected.

For that matter, you feel nothing at all.

Ever.
You turn on the Computer
You switch the computer on. After performing its internal diagnostics, it presents you with a prompt:

Password?
Interface computer
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Personal Computer. Manufacturer: JTX.

Searching for relevant data...



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
1
Recent Document 1: untitled text document
4:45 pm

We were supposed to do it together. That was the plan.

We thought it through, talked about it over and over.

Nothing else made any sense. The safety broke down. The door isn't going to open for thirty years. We can't just stay down here for thirty years. And what about her? We can't take care of that on our own.

Still, we might have tried. We might have been able to work something out. But we haven't heard anything upstairs for days. Not that you can hear much, but sometimes there's a little banging in the pipes.

That damned radio. My hand's all cut up from smashing it to bits. There's going to be an air strike. They don't know where yet, but there isn't any way to stop it. We're less than a hundred miles from the biggest military base in three states. Even if we survive, no one's going to find us. No one's going to save us.

So we decided. I unlocked the box. I took out two pills...

This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so damned paranoid, we wouldn't even be down here. It's my fault that Donna's dead. It's my fault that I'm going to be dead.

We were going to do it together. We laid down on the bed, next to each other, and she hugged me, and she told me she didn't blame me, and then we were going to bite down at the same time and it would all be over.

I'm such a fucking coward.

I don't think she felt anything. I hope she didn't know what a coward I am. She closed her eyes, and I closed mine, and then she just sort of shook once, and it was over. And I got up, and I laid her out flat and crossed her arms over her chest.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I don't want to live. I never cared if I lived or died since the accident six years ago, and I sure as hell don't want to live down here for the next thirty years, especially now that Donna's gone. I tried to kill myself once before. All I have to do is bite down.

So why won't my hands stop shaking? I'm going to do it now. For real this time.

I'm not getting back into the same bed with Donna. I don't deserve that.

I hope my parents will forgive me. I hope Jim will forgive me. Most of all, though, I hope Donna will forgive me.

Goodbye.



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
2
Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
Julia Wallace
Current Events
April 25

This morning, at 7:42 AM, Congress ratified a declaration of war against an alliance of countries in the Middle East. The official reasons for this declaration were the unlawful occupation of Israel by allied Arabic forces. Nonetheless, several articles in the Global Register suppose that recent military action was motivated by trade restrictions imposed by the Arabic Alliance against Europe and the United States. These restrictions have severely limited the availability of gasoline in the US. According to the April 20 issue of the National Chronicle, the Arabic states have formed an exclusive trade pact with China. The Brandenberg News Network has run several stories saying that Chinese weapons were used in the invasion of Israel, and editorials in several newspapers claim that if the war escalates, China will enter the war on the side of the Arabic Alliance. An article in the Times says that the Chinese newspapers have already printed articles calling for war unless the US backs out of affairs in the Middle East.

Sources attached.



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
Yes
Analyzing...
Format not recognized.
Attempting to download...
Download failed: Insufficient space.
Blank StreamDive chip detected in console. Do you wish to download to it?
Download successful.



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
You examine blank
Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
You examine blank
The once-blank chip is filled to capacity by a data image downloaded from the portable computer.
You analyze blank
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using unknown cipher (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
Analyze diary
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using One Time Pad. 36 character alphabet. (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
You decode blank
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Decode failed: No decodable text found (This may not be a cipher)
Go east
The doorway is blocked by toppled boxes.
You look around
This is career-making stuff. A period survival shelter, fully intact and operational. The ceiling and walls form a single-piece dome, which, you recall, increased the structural stability with the building materials they had available. The eastern end, nearest the exit, seems to be some kind of living area, with a table and several chairs. Past it, you can see four bunked beds. At the far end of the shelter is a curtained area, holding the minimal sanitation facilities.
The smashed and broken pieces of some electronic device are scattered around the room.

A small metal box is mounted on one wall.

On the table are an electronic device and a portable computer.
Two corpses lay on opposite cots.
Examine box
In the metal box is a red pill.
Interface laser
Attempting to interface...
Interface failed.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
You look under the bed
This is career-making stuff. A period survival shelter, fully intact and operational. The ceiling and walls form a single-piece dome, which, you recall, increased the structural stability with the building materials they had available. The eastern end, nearest the exit, seems to be some kind of living area, with a table and several chairs. Past it, you can see four bunked beds. At the far end of the shelter is a curtained area, holding the minimal sanitation facilities.
The smashed and broken pieces of some electronic device are scattered around the room.

A small metal box is mounted on one wall.

On the table is a portable computer.
Two corpses lay on opposite cots.

(the bunk bed)
You find nothing of interest.
Go east
The doorway is blocked by toppled boxes.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a prosthetic eye
a diary
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
an interface chip
a shield chip
3
Analyzing...
Format not recognized.
Attempting to download...
Download failed: Insufficient space.
Blank StreamDive chip detected in console. Do you wish to download to it?
Yes
Download successful.



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
You go to the east
The basement of this house is a simple, large room with cinderblock walls. Boxes, crates, and other large items are scattered haphazardly about. A lightweight wooden door in the east wall appears to be an exterior exit, presumably to allow heavy gardening equipment, such as the lawnmower in one corner, to be removed. The stairs up to the rest of the house are along the south wall.
And something unusual. The west wall is metal, with a very large, robust door set in it.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.

The stack of boxes teeters unsteadily. Another shake like that could bring all of these down on top of you.
Go upwards
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter.
You examine the letter
Dear Julia,
I hope to God you get this letter. We waited for you as long as we could, but they're saying that the bombs could fall any day. There's a shelter out in New Calvert, we're going there. Daddy says its the safest place in a hundred miles. Try to get there if you can, but don't take any risks. The most important thing is that you stay safe. I left some money and your grandmom's jewels in the hidden place for you. Your dad bought a gun and bullets, and put them there too, but be careful. We all love you and hope to see you again.

Love,
Mom.
You look at the photo
This image shows a young man in his mid-teens. He sports a pathetic attempt at a moustache. Though he shows all the awkwardness of adolescence, he apparently does know, at least, how to pose for a photograph. He has a very slight smile, and a look of interested curiosity on his face. He does show the awkward pockmarks of severe acne, made worse by the extreme fullness of his face. He is wearing a black shirt with a suede vest, which bears a small lapel pin, of the sort distributed by academic honor societies.
You go north
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 6], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 7]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.
Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
You put the eye in the charger
You let the optical unit charge for a few minutes. When you remove it, it's warm to the touch. Hm. The device seems to think that the eye is fully charged. That doesn't make sense; this charger is supposed to, if your memory serves, take several hours. There's no way that the technology of this period could build a charger capable of such speed.
Interface eye
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: LZ-50 Optical Prosthetic. Manufacturer: Optitron BioTechnics

Downloading images...

The viewpoint of the camera suggests that the wearer is seated in front of a portable computer. Her hand reaches out and picks up a small device beside the computer. She turns it over, presumably examining it from all angles. The hand turns the device until its barrel-end points directly into the camera. A finger twitches, pressing a button. A flash of light issues from the end of the device, and the image flickers, distorts, and breaks up.

When the image returns, the device has been dropped to the table. The wearer stands, and the camera reels in unsteady ascent. Again a hand reaches out, this time to switch the computer off. It takes a small red pill from the table, and then moves to the wearer's mouth.

The camera turns quickly, and moves toward one of the bunked beds. It focuses on the motionless body of a beautiful blonde girl. The image switches to infrared, showing the characteristic cooling of a recently deceased body, then the camera changes back to the visual spectrum. The camera bobs up and down, as if slowly nodding. It moves toward the face of the dead girl, and stays very close to one cheek for a long time. The camera withdraws, and the wearer extends a hand, tracing the shoulder and arm of the corpse, finally coming to rest atop the folded hands. The wearer's hand squeezes the dead hands once, then the camera turns toward the opposite cot.

The camera moves toward the cot, then turns and lowers, finally pitching back as the wearer lies down. A hand moves toward the camera, and as it passes in front of it, the recording ends.
You look at the charger
Some kind of electronic charging apparatus. It is designed to hold a small spheroid object, which, presumably, would store electricity routed to it by the receptacle. You look at it more closely... It could be... No... Hm... Yes. It's the charging unit for an Optitron LZ-model prosthetic eye. As you recall, this was the first consumer-model bionetic replacement, a revolutionary medical advance that restored sight to countless injured persons. It would pave the way to a whole line of medical implant technology.
Research charger
No relevant entry found.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
You look at the dollhouse
A scale model of a late Victorian home. It appears to be in a state of some disrepair, probably abandoned when its owner outgrew it.
You examine the desk
This is a fairly small desk, essentially little more than a table. The desk is tightly packed with office supplies and other sundries
Open chest
You open the chest, revealing a glass eye and an eyepatch.
You examine the glass eye
This is a hemispherical piece of colored glass, with a hook at the back. It looks to be the sort of "eye" found on stuffed toys.
You examine the eyepatch
A covering of stiff cloth, designed to cover a damaged eye. This may well be part of a costume, as at this time period, prosthetic replacements were the preferred means of concealing a permanently damaged eye.
You examine the watercolor
Watercolor seems to be an inappropriate choice for the subject matter, but watercolor is, of course, much easier to work with than oil paints. The picture shows a serene lake, what should be a quaint scene of pastoral bliss. But the colors don't fit well with the subject. Though dark colors are largely absent, a few areas suggest that this is due purely to the painting's incomplete state. At the center of picture, without enough detail to recognize at first glance, is the disturbing figure of a drowning victim. Trails of unpainted canvas might form what might be a burial shroud around the figure, still lacking enough in detail to discern the gender. The figure's arms are spread wide, in what is still called the "Dead Man's Float".

Most of the dark areas, and, indeed one or two of the light areas, are unfinished. The overwhelming historical likelihood is that they will remain that way.
You examine the eye
(the prosthetic eye)
Remarkable. This is an LZ-50 prosthetic optical unit, the first commercial replacement eye. This explains the sunken eyelid on the poor dead girl -- she must have had a prosthetic eye. But this... You could stand here all day and admire the workmanship. You would never have suspected that the technology of this period could develop something that could actually replace a human eye. And here you are... it's in your hand. You turn it over and over. It looks amazingly realistic.
You look in the vent
The vent is empty.
You examine the closet
This house has many doors. Very few of them are worthy of note [Footnote 8].
This particular door is a sliding one, secured by a brass lock.
You go east
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

From the architecture of the house, you can tell that this is the only bedroom to have its own walk-in closet, which no doubt was an issue of some discussion when bedrooms were assigned. The majority of the closet is taken up by clothing, but you can see a few boxes toward the back.
You look at the clothing
The closet is full of clothing. Most of it is fairly gender-neutral; it's only under close examination that you can discern that the bulky black clothing is indeed sized for a young woman. Only one or two items are more distinctly feminine.
Open boxes
You open each box, finding nothing of note. However, pushing a box to the side, you discover a thin composition book, which had been secreted between two of the boxes.
You go north
Page: 1 April 17-25

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

April 17 - Mom found my diary and read it. I'm ashamed at how I acted. I'm very angry at her for invading my privacy, but I understand that she's just worried about me.

She doesn't want me to see CJ anymore because he's a bad influence. I guess I see her point, but I really care about him.

I have to start seeing a therapist again. Maybe he will help me feel better about myself.

April 18 - Jimmy pulled a prank on me. It was mean. I didn't tell mom, but I hope she finds out and punishes him.

April 19 - Met with the doctor today. It was really good to talk with someone.

April 21 - We had lima beans with dinner tonight. I hate lima beans.

April 22 - It looks like there's going to be a war. I'm really scared.

April 24 - I saw my old friend Donna today. I hope I get to talk to her. She's nice. It would be good to have a friend again.

April 25 - Jimmy has some new idea for a computer program. I wish I was that smart. Maybe he'll get rich and famous.
You go north
Page: 2 April 26-May 1

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

April 26 - I saw the doctor again. I think I'm making progress.

April 27 - I had a nightmare about the accident last night. I remember Donna's mom screaming when the guy ran that red light. The car got hit on Donna's side, so she's so lucky just to be alive. I wouldn't have been hurt at all if I'd had my seat belt on. I got thrown over top of Donna when the car spun around and landed face down on what was left of her window. I remember Donna screaming for her mom, because she was out cold, but I don't remember doing anything myself. Just laying there with a big piece of glass through my eye.

April 29 - The fighting keeps getting worse in china and the middle east.
April 30 - I got to talk to Donna. She's doing well, but she lives with her dad now. I invited her over to dinner tomorrow. Hope mom doesn't mind. I wanted to talk to her longer but mom worries if I don't get home right away after school.

May 1 - Mom made her "famous" squash stuffing with pork chops. I like it better with steak. Jimmy made himself look bad by asking her about the scar she has from the accident. After dinner we talked and did homework. She's a much better friend than CJ.
Go north
Page: 4 May 8-15

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 8 - Donna met a new guy named Tom. I think he's nice. It's good for her to be dating someone

May 9 - Dad cooked something new with lots of sprouts. Sprouts are supposed to be healthy, but doesn't it cancel them out if you fry them?

May 10 - I saw the doctor. I don't think we got to anything new. There was something funny about him, like he kept wanting to tell me something but never got up the nerve.

May 11 - My eye didn't work today. Daddy got all upset and shouted about crummy workmanship. Mom thought I should go out to the mall with Donna anyway, but I don't like people seeing me with my eyepatch so we just stayed in.

May 12 - It worked today. Daddy told me to clean the charger and be more careful.

May 13 - Donna's dad is going off to serve in the navy. Mom says she can stay with us until the end of school, since she can't stay with her mom. I'm glad.

May 14 - There's a party friday for the boys who are going to war. Mom says I can't go. It's not fair.

May 15 - Happy Birthday! Mom changed her mind about the party, since I'm 18 now and she says I can be trusted to make my own decisions. I got some nice stuff. Donna's boyfriend got drafted, and she's really upset.
You go north
Page: 5 May 17-31

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 17 - The party wasn't much fun so we left early. Good thing since we're kind of sick today.

May 18 - The war keeps getting worse. I wish they'd just find a peaceful answer.

May 19 - Donna wanted some fun so we tried on each other's clothes. We're about the same size, but her boobs are bigger, so some of the stuff fit funny.

May 20 - The war keeps getting worse. Some kids at school are saying that they might start bombing the US, but daddy says that there's a big electronic shield that stops bombs from getting through.

May 21 - I had a nightmare about the bombs dropping.

May 22 - School seems so empty. Lots of guys in my class got drafted.

May 24 - The doctor said some stuff I didn't like. I told mom about it and she told me I didn't have to go anymore.

May 27 - The air raid drills in school are kind of weird. I don't think hiding under a desk will really help. But it did get us out of third period.

May 28 - * Almost a week early. I'm usually a metronome.

May 30 - Not feeling very good. Yeech.

May 31 - I'm worried about Donna. She seems upset all the time.
Go north
Page: 6 June 1-15

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

June 1 - I'm not having a good day. But Donna looks like I feel. Hope she gets over it.

June 4 - I heard Jimmy making out with his "study partner" last night. I guess it's good he's got a girlfriend.

June 5 - There isn't going to be a graduation this year. Why does my class always get the short end of the stick?

June 6 - I'm still worried about Donna.

June 8 - Okay. I know I shouldn't have, but I listened at the vent while Jimmy was in his room with his girlfriend. Get this. He was more or less begging her for sex. He kept making appeals to how we could all die at any time with the war. Sounds like pillow talk to me.

June 9 - We got news from the front that one of the guys who graduated a year ago and enlisted back then got killed in Vietnam. There's a service Monday.

June 11 - Lazy day.

June 12 - I think the rolly-polly girl gave in.

Donna's worse than ever. But we're going to a party tonight at Rusty's, which should cheer her up.

June 15 - Jimmy finally worked out that you could hear into my room by listening at the vent. He overheard a private conversation between me and Donna. Guess we can't talk freely in my room any more.
You describe your surroundings
From the architecture of the house, you can tell that this is the only bedroom to have its own walk-in closet, which no doubt was an issue of some discussion when bedrooms were assigned. The majority of the closet is taken up by clothing, but you can see a few boxes toward the back.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a fake diary
an electronic device
a prosthetic eye
a real diary
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
an interface chip
a shield chip
Go west
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 6], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 7]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.
Footnote 6
[Footnote 6]
Except for the rat-men of Karelia IV. Filthy, thieving little things.
Footnote 7
[Footnote 7]
Though the decidedly female undergarments you can see poking out of the hamper are something of a giveaway.
You examine the hamper
A tall basket where used clothing waits to collect critical mass for washing.
You search the hamper
In the hamper are some dirty clothes.
You analyze fake diary
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using unknown cipher (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
Go south
You are in a small room which you suspect has no fixed purpose. There is a table in the center of the room, with a faux-wooden chair at it, and a long bench-seat under the window. The door along the north wall has been removed, presumably in an attempt to turn the room into some sort of work alcove.
You examine the window
It's safer to steer clear of windows, just in case.
You examine the seat
Which do you mean, the wooden chair or the bench seat?
You examine the handle
It looks like a rather small knob, containing a small magnet. You've seen the general design before, used as a release for child-safety latches.
You examine the sewing machine
Essentially, this is a sort of automated needle and thread. It is a hobbyist's version of the sort of machinery used to make most garments of this time. By repeatedly thrusting a threaded needle through a piece of fabric, it is able to quickly make a variety of stitches. Though in your own time, tailoring is usually done by laser-guided polymer injection, the basic principles remain more or less unchanged.
Go north
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.
You go east
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Of all the rooms you've seen so far, this bedroom shows the least signs of having been tidied before the house was abandoned. Naturally, of course, this heightens your curiosity; untidy rooms generally tell you more than clean ones. From the space-shuttle wallpaper, you suspect that this room belonged to a young child, though it might simply imply that the room is long-overdue for renovation. There is a bookcase along one wall, containing model space ships, toy robots, and a very few books. A desk beside the door is loaded down with computer equipment. The most interesting feature of the room is the floor; while most of the other rooms have had wall-to-wall carpeting, this room has what appears to be industrial grade linoleum tile. The hallway lies west.
You put the handle on the floor
(the floor)
Putting things on the floor would achieve nothing.
You touch the floor
(the floor)
You feel nothing unexpected.
You go east
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

You are in a very small bathroom, fitted out as you would expect, in a pastel decor. A number of decorative touches lead you to surmise that this bathroom was intended primarily for guests. A gentle breeze issues from a vent high on one wall. The exit is west.

On the fixture is a scientific journal.
Examine journal
This is a magazine whose articles showcase current events in the scientific community. It is written to a target audience of educated, but not scientifically trained, readers.
You browse through the magazine, looking for anything of interest. You are not disappointed. There is a short article, all the way at the back, summarizing the doctoral thesis of one Emmanuel Kaldeki.
This is quite a find; Kaldeki's original thesis has long been lost, and it has long been assumed that he had not pursued the line of research that would eventually lead to StreamDive technology until after the war. You read the article...

Physicist Emmanuel Kaldeki created a buzz in the scientific world early this month with the delivery of his PhD thesis, "Mathematical Modeling of Non-Temporal Quantum Particles" at the Pacific Institute of Technology. The paper describes a set of mathematical formulae which model a theoretical particle called "Q-omega". The Q-omega particle, according to Kaldeki's model, behaves in most respects like a strange-matter quark, but also exhibits properties previously only modeled in tachyons. Specifically, it reacts in unusual ways to space-time curvature. The Kaldeki model suggests that that at relativistic velocities, the Q-omega particle would "plane" on highly curved space-time, in much the same way that the hull of a speed boat planes over water.

Most of the excitement over Kaldeki's paper comes not from the modeling technique itself, but from the two major example models included. The first demonstrates how the non-temporal nature of the Q-omega particle renders it immune from the effects of time and mass dilation occurring at speeds near that of light. Indeed, because of their unique nature, the model shows that Q-omega particles can be accelerated above the speed of light, a possibility generally disallowed by the theory of relativity.

The second, and more impressive example studies the behavior of Q-omega in the vicinity of a black hole. Under such extreme space-time curvature, Kaldeki predicts that the Q-omega particle would completely disassociate itself with conventional space-time, being displaced along a predictable path to some distant point in the universe instantaneously. Because the path of the particle does not go through space-time during this journey, it is possible for Q-omega to re-enter normal space at a point in time prior to its departure.

The scientific community is excited about the implications of this theory: several researchers have suggested that Kaldeki's findings may open the way to faster-than-light travel, matter transmission, and time travel. Asked about these possibilities, Kaldeki said, "I think it's a bit early to start talking about applications; we don't even know yet if the particles I've modeled can be created. There's nothing in the mathematics that would prohibit [these applications], but actually doing it is a long way off. You've got to remember, we're talking about sub-atomic particles, and if we could scale the effect to something the size of, say, a man, it's not very likely that a living creature could survive being moved around like that."

Kaldeki has received a grant for an undisclosed amount to pursue the fabrication of these particles. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Quantum Physics will be conferred upon Emmanuel Kaldeki by the Pacific Institute of Technology during commencement exercises next month.
Look around
You are in a very small bathroom, fitted out as you would expect, in a pastel decor. A number of decorative touches lead you to surmise that this bathroom was intended primarily for guests. A gentle breeze issues from a vent high on one wall. The exit is west.

On the fixture is a scientific journal.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a scissors
a magnetic handle
a fake diary
an electronic device
a prosthetic eye
a real diary
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
an interface chip
a shield chip
You unlock the door with autokey
You open the little closet, revealing a coaxial cable, a stuffed bear, four video discs (one "Womb Raider", one "Blow me Away", one "Coeds Getting Naked" and one "Thrustmaster Returns") and some adult magazines.
You search the porn
Which do you mean, the video disc of "Womb Raider", the video disc of "Blow me Away", the video disc of "Coeds Getting Naked", the video disc of "Thrustmaster Returns" or the adult magazines?
You look at the beam
These beams hold up the roof of the house.
Open beam
You open the supporting beams, revealing a gun, some cash, a necklace and a ring.
You take all from the beam
gun: Removed.
cash: Removed.
necklace: Removed.
ring: Removed.
You examine the ring
A circle of precious metal, set with carefully carved stones.
You examine the necklace
This is an exquisite chain, made of a soft metal. You don't recognize the design, and think that it pre-dates your period of interest.
You examine the cash
Though in this time, most transactions were handled electronically, it won't be for at least a decade yet that physical currency is finally phased out. These small paper slips are printed with various patriotic imagery, and bear numbers which correspond to amounts. You don't recall exactly what the values correspond to in terms of actual buying power, but from the quantity, you can only assume that it is a substantial amount.
You look at the gun
It is completely unbelievable how much craftsmanship mankind once put into means of killing. This is only a very small pistol, but it is elaborately crafted, fashioned as if style was as important as function. All the same, it's still a device whose single purpose is the extinguishing of human life, and that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Go downwards
You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.
Go east
You can't go that way.
Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You go north
Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.
Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You read the disc
Though you can identify the disc as a data recording, it is unlabeled.
Interface disc
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, Joliet encoding.

Scanning. Text message found:
By now, the political alliance of European and American countries is engaged in a war against countries in the middle and far east. This conflict will last several years, and result in several billion deaths. The war will be ended when Space Station Kennedy crashes near the Chinese capital city.

However, the war can be ended more quickly, and with a reduced loss of life if nuclear weapons from the United States can be effectively deployed in the Chinese mainland. The defensive screen which prevents nuclear weapons from reaching Chinese soil uses a simple 512-bit identification code to differentiate between friendly and unfriendly missiles. If a nuclear missile were to transmit the data sequence generated by the Plotnitz-Leibkin algorithm at a frequency of 906.4 MHz, Chinese countermeasures would mistake the missile for a Chinese launch, and would be unable to eradicate it before it reached its target. The tactical advantage afforded by this ability will undoubtedly force the eastern alliance to capitulate with a substantially reduced cost in both lives and damage to the world ecosystem.

You blink. This doesn't make any sense. The disc is contemporary, but it seems to contain information about events in the future. This can't be... Has history somehow been altered?
Interface unlabeled disc
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, Joliet encoding.

Scanning. Text message found:
By now, the political alliance of European and American countries is engaged in a war against countries in the middle and far east. This conflict will last several years, and result in several billion deaths. The war will be ended when Space Station Kennedy crashes near the Chinese capital city.

However, the war can be ended more quickly, and with a reduced loss of life if nuclear weapons from the United States can be effectively deployed in the Chinese mainland. The defensive screen which prevents nuclear weapons from reaching Chinese soil uses a simple 512-bit identification code to differentiate between friendly and unfriendly missiles. If a nuclear missile were to transmit the data sequence generated by the Plotnitz-Leibkin algorithm at a frequency of 906.4 MHz, Chinese countermeasures would mistake the missile for a Chinese launch, and would be unable to eradicate it before it reached its target. The tactical advantage afforded by this ability will undoubtedly force the eastern alliance to capitulate with a substantially reduced cost in both lives and damage to the world ecosystem.
[The document "Data Disc Message" has been added to your DataStore.]

You blink. This doesn't make any sense. The disc is contemporary, but it seems to contain information about events in the future. This can't be... Has history somehow been altered?
Interface episode two
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, video encoding.
Playing...

The screen displays a frightful display of primitive computer graphics with annoying characters and a puerile plot.
You sit on the chair
You get onto the wooden chair.
Wait
Time passes.
You stand as Joxley Douzen walks heavily into the room. Though there are a few agents you'd prefer to serve as your evaluator, you could have done far, far worse. She scans over her notes, not seeming to see you until after she has taken her seat. "Welcome back," she says. You are naturally inclined to take the lack of feeling in her voice as a bad sign, but you resist the urge. It's all she's capable of; her voice box is artificial, and she's never managed to program it properly.

"We've reviewed your findings. As you know, the purpose of this phase of your evaluation is to give you the opportunity to present anything you think may have escaped our attention, and to address any concerns which the evaluation team has about your Dive. If you'll take your seat, we can begin." [Footnote 6]
Footnote 6
[Footnote 6]
For the duration of this interview, you may respond to Douzen by typing a single word at the command prompt, signifying the subject you wish to discuss. For example:
>KITCHEN
Would be interpreted as a desire to talk about the kitchen. For questions requiring a numerical answer, simply type the number at the prompt [Footnote 7].
Footnote 7
[Footnote 7]
The special command "DONE" indicates that you have nothing to say on the subject, and the command "REPEAT" will repeat the current question. The standard commands will remain available if you wish to perform other actions while you consider your answer.
You wait a while
Time passes.
Look around
You are in a comfortably small room, used to debrief StreamDivers following their missions. The room is intentionally designed to avoid the impression that this is some kind of interrogation chamber, even if that is indeed its function. The room contains very little in the way of decoration or, well, anything at all, aside from the table and chairs.

On the wooden chair is Joxley Douzen.
Joxley looks up from her notes. "Or you can stand, if you prefer," she says.

"First things first. Based on your scans and our records, you surveyed about seventy-six percent of the area within your mission boundaries. I'm sure you could have done better. Now, are there any rooms in particular that you feel merit special attention?"
Pantry
"Hm... I'll advise the assessment team to take another look, but I think we've already considered that room thoroughly."
Boy 's bedroom
"Yes. Your console recorded some unusual readings from that area. We'll give it another look."
Bunker
Joxley raises an eyebrow, apparently not understanding you. "If you don't have anything meaningful to say on the current subject, just say the word and we'll move on."
Shelter
"There's enough in your records to support the possibility that there was a survival shelter in the residence. Unfortunately, you don't appear to have gained access to it."
Done
"Very well," Joxley says. She begins examining her notes.
You examine Joxley
Joxley Douzen is a typical example of what your father would have called a "hard-looking broad". Muscular, stocky, with chiseled features that would have been distinguished on a man. She probably knows exactly how threatening people find her. You know that she's a touch bitter about her position as a Dive evaluation agent -- after she was injured in a shuttle accident, she received enough bio-mechanical implants to make her a walking, talking anachronism, and therefore unfit for StreamDiving. Nevertheless, your experience of her has always been as a fair evaluator.
You sit on the chair
You get onto the wooden chair.
"Okay. Now, let's consider the contents of your DataStore. It seems that you recorded seventeen documents. It's a shame you didn't elect to take the Stream Visualizer. Of course, you were under tight restrictions. As for other documents, you collected a reasonable number.

"Now, you found a diary in the downstairs bathroom. It appears to have been encoded using a very secure cipher. Given the nature of the writer and its content, the only explanation we can think of is that the writer was mentally unstable. How would you explain the fact that such effort was taken to encode the diary?"
Mother
You explain that the author, Julia Wallace, had reason to believe that her parents were reading her diary without permission, and had encoded it to prevent the highly personal content from becoming public knowledge.
Joxley raises an eyebrow. "It seems like a great deal of effort, but yes, that does explain what we've seen, and seems consistent with the details we've managed to piece together about the girl.

"We've had some difficulty making sense of the code fragment you downloaded. Any idea what it is?"
No
That was a rhetorical question.
You answer no
(to Joxley Douzen)
You know better than to deviate from the standard procedure during an interview.
Experiment
Joxley raises an eyebrow, apparently not understanding you. "If you don't have anything meaningful to say on the current subject, just say the word and we'll move on."
Done
"I'm sorry to hear that.

"I think that covers all the documents we need more information about. Let me check my notes, and we'll move on."
You wait
Time passes.
Joxley makes a few notes, then looks up. "All right then. Now we get to some more specific questions.

"I suppose we should start with the most obvious. Your Dive was restricted to a family residence. How many people occupied this residence prior to its evacuation?"
5
Joxley raises an eyebrow. "Five? You're sure? Our research suggested only four residents. Who was this fifth person?"
Donna
You explain that a young woman named Donna, a friend of the older child, had been living with the family near the time that the house was abandoned.

Joxley makes a note of this. "Good work. This is exactly the sort of thing that isn't covered by our records of the period.

"What was the name of the female head of household?"
Katia
"What was the name of the male head of household?"
James
"What was the name of the male child?"
Jim
"Marital relations between the Wallaces... Were they good or bad?"
Unknown
Joxley lays a hand to her ear. "I'm sorry; I'm having some trouble with my audio processor. Maybe you could try a different word?"
Good
"What was the name of the female child?"
Julia
"You say that the girl had an optical prosthesis. Which eye was artificial?"
Right
"Okay," Joxley says.

"Now," Joxley says, "It appears that you violated your mission parameters by bringing something back from your Dive. Since everything in the area appears to have been destroyed immediately after you left, the committee has decided to recommend against disciplinary action, but there will be an entry made in your file, unless you can give us some exceptional circumstance which warranted your action. Is there any object which you felt had some extraordinary reason for being retrieved for examination?
Done
"Then we'll move on," Joxley says.

"We have no postwar records of the daughter, and your findings suggest that she was not with the family when they evacuated. What became of her?"
Shelter
You explain that she and her friend were trapped in the survival shelter, and perished with its destruction.

"Thank you for your cooperation, agent," she says. After taking a few more notes, Joxley Douzen rises to her feet. "If you'll wait here, the review team will have your final evaluation shortly."

Without paying you another glance, she strides out of the room.
You look at your surroundings
StreamDive Debriefing room (on the wooden chair)
You are in a comfortably small room, used to debrief StreamDivers following their missions. The room is intentionally designed to avoid the impression that this is some kind of interrogation chamber, even if that is indeed its function. The room contains very little in the way of decoration or, well, anything at all, aside from the table and chairs.
About yourself
One of the attributes most common among successful StreamDivers is a nondescript appearance -- any particularly remarkable features would increase the chance of drawing attention on a Dive. The good thing about this is that you are at least as good-looking as average. The downside, of course, is that you have very little in the way of distinguishing features [Footnote 8].
Joxley Douzen walks confidently into the room, followed by the rest of the evaluation team. They stand at the head of the room, staring heavily at you. Finally, Joxley speaks.

"StreamDiver Alpha Tango-678, it is the finding of this evaluation team that you have completed the objectives for this mission with an approval rating of 66 percent. Very disappointing. There's some concern that you aren't using our resources well. When you receive your next mission, we'll suggest that it be an easier one."
You look around
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which are a cloaking device, an autokey, a probe and a chip bank (in which are ten chips (a dive chip, a DataStore chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a cryptography chip, a scan chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip))) here.
You put it in Console
Taken.
You put the DataStore chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the interface chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the scan chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the blank chip into the StreamDive console.
You examine rack
(the StreamDive console)
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains four chips.
You look at the bank
A small section of the locker contains slots for holding StreamDive chips.
You look in the bank
In the chip bank are six chips (a dive chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a cryptography chip and a shield chip).
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the shield chip into the StreamDive console.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a shield chip
a blank chip
a scan chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a stream visualizer
You look at your surroundings
Though it isn't in any technical sense "your" office, this is the room where you spend the majority of your duty shifts. Here, you do background research, monitor incoming messages from Divers in the field, and hope that one of your mission proposals will be accepted. On the rare occasions, like now, that you are cleared for a dive, this room serves as a place to equip and make last-minute preparations. The exit is east.

The display monitor stands against one wall, your mission description visible on its screen.

You can also see an equipment locker (in which are a cloaking device, an autokey, a probe and a chip bank (in which are five chips (a dive chip, a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip and a cryptography chip))) here.
Manual
Page: 0 MOMENTS OUT OF TIME - Game Manual

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page
Continue
TIME                           Explorer Type/Version 1
by                              L. Ross Raszewski
You examine banister
The staircase along the north wall leads up and down. The railing, a solid wood banister, is capped at the landing by a sturdy and ornate post with a polished oak ball at its top. The banister is worn, and its finish is nicked and scraped. You have that same, terrifying sense you often get on missions like this; this was a place where people lived, not some mock-up in a museum. Time travel gives you a strange sense of ephemerality; for you, this entire house is long gone, and yet, it still exists in the here-and-now, and you are acutely aware of how much will be lost when this place is destroyed.
You look in the compartment
In the post is a large key.
Go downward
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 2], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
Go downwards
That door is locked.
Footnote 3
[Footnote 3]
The game will continue this practice from now on. Use the setup menu to change this behavior.
Go east
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
You search the couch
You force your hand between two cushions. Before nicking yourself on a spring, your hand catches on a small object which was lost in the couch, which emerges to the surface just ahead of your stinging hand.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a large key
a wooden knob
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a shield chip
a blank chip
a scan chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a stream visualizer
You take the key
(the deadbolt key)
Taken.
You unlock the northwest door
You'll have to specify a key with which to unlock the door.
You unlock the northwest door with the large key
That doesn't seem to fit the lock.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.
Go south
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 2], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.
Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
Go upwards
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter.
You open the ham
Better not; as it is, this is probably the only thing in the house that could survive the impending nuclear blast.
You take the ham
Taken.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
Go north
When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can see a photograph here.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
Go up
The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
Go east
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
You unlock the north door with the deadbolt key
Unlocked.
You go north
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
Open dollhouse
You give a gentle tug at the base, which pops open. Inside, you see two letters (a crumpled letter and a folded letter) and a strange book.
You read crumpled letter
Ug. Hw. Npxo J teiotslz swo jq zco yum evyt xdru qafib. Gwz air qow? W upigs bio'zv tstgxbpqk kdemb wlwi urnq gmis. Ntgk, T'o oikvrm yljm if msc xng. She vtsubzy pkncri aixf tckg zhkomg rfw jrp mpe xdizuxiv phslyrl cs dvz ijscee ppsocyw lbsz zm oxa ulvwjybj. Da N'p zbrq djoj tl sohrl ztlb odb krr ot oyf wved. Ea abvg't ukw su jxyw cbqh? W'o ixvit W wjrct'm lycz fe ckymj. Ufybyr vgzqo zg depl hn le hjr dxfj bywo leuc.

[The document "Letter (1)" has been added to your DataStore.]
You read the folded letter
N'q gxtr kib vcijo wn xerb. Gzw iaqrx gmtto, G'ij yfuu hechbg igajnd dpnu jyfivzub nubl oha goect lp, rtzeqpc qi ccf ym tnr qds hexsikp blim pqliv egfw ubi bdmi brjf xqh. N'gk efaiea jldhwc cuh wys icrno bueag, fnu M acxbj xems zuaszl ci vol aw cxs jqnj, sfc lruze igiw S qnd pxn W rohu ec snfkv. Zlwqw X pxecd mtgn txj'io gkdz mf noxmzvx pk suu rnifovig, cldj R jgzbs wunxn Y kjizwk kia pa fxrs dx uir atvvuf, ake lpdv E znczn xczd vin'wv muix df pwe bnx usytgmu ke zkm gue as zjpu. X ccczj L'oz wxaqvuvjji tk fxe rklt mu tf igly ckzbk nvrzd ifa ivbfe, msf prlaeu pbm ez mloihjs tm. Nuz, N'o inmo u siflrj. D'mh iapzqu npzkfx jce. C zad'i sqgr mv bqg kjs tlot asgxbku hq, jpu W ykxcco uwav za hqc coi kdoc aio fzgtw Y qq.

[The document "Letter (2)" has been added to your DataStore.]
You read the strange book
This is a small, very worn notebook containing a number of pages covered with random sequences of hand-printed characters.
[The document "Strange Book" has been added to your DataStore.]
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the dollhouse
the dresser
the easel
the charger
the can of spiced ham
You scan dresser
(the dresser)
The scanner enhances the contrast between the varnished surface of the dresser and the scratches in its surface so that you can see the word "SERENDIPITY", quite intentionally etched on the dresser, just deep enough to scratch the varnish without damaging the wood.
You scan the easel
The scanner indicates a rectangular mass between the canvas and its supporting board.
You cut the easel
Cutting that would achieve little.
You break the easel
Violence is against StreamDiver regulations.
You examine the easel
Watercolor seems to be an inappropriate choice for the subject matter, but watercolor is, of course, much easier to work with than oil paints. The picture shows a serene lake, what should be a quaint scene of pastoral bliss. But the colors don't fit well with the subject. Though dark colors are largely absent, a few areas suggest that this is due purely to the painting's incomplete state. At the center of picture, without enough detail to recognize at first glance, is the disturbing figure of a drowning victim. Trails of unpainted canvas might form what might be a burial shroud around the figure, still lacking enough in detail to discern the gender. The figure's arms are spread wide, in what is still called the "Dead Man's Float".

Most of the dark areas, and, indeed one or two of the light areas, are unfinished. The overwhelming historical likelihood is that they will remain that way.
[The document "Watercolor Painting" has been added to your DataStore.]
You search the painting
Under your scrutinty, a very slight distortion in the picture is visible. You slide your hand between the sheet and its support, and turn up a very small book.
You examine small Book
This is a very small, hand-bound book containing a number of pages covered with random sequences of hand-printed characters.
[The document "Strange Book (new)" has been added to your DataStore.]
Scan charger
The scanner shows a diagram of the device's circuitry. History of electronics isn't really your forte, but the design looks normal enough.

Or does it? You enhance the scan over what should be the device's power converter. That's... impossible. The converter is made out of Krell isolinium. Nothing like it should exist on Earth in this century. Exactly what the hell is going on here?
You take the scissors and the handle
scissors: Taken.
magnetic handle: Taken.
You unlock the east door with the handle
That doesn't seem to fit the lock.
Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
a magnetic handle
a scissors
a scan chip
a small book
a can of spiced ham (which is closed)
a diary
a wooden knob
your StreamDive console
four chips:
a shield chip
a blank chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a stream visualizer
three keys:
a steel key
a deadbolt key
a large key
You put the scan chip in the Console
You put the scan chip into the StreamDive console.
You go to the north
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.
You open the drawer
You open the dresser drawers, revealing a brass key.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the charger
the can of spiced ham
You move the boxes
You are unable to.
Search boxes
Pushing a box to the side, you discover a thin composition book, which had been secreted between two of the boxes.
Go west
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.
You examine the desk
This is a fairly small desk, essentially little more than a table. The desk is tightly packed with office supplies and other sundries
Open chest
You open the chest, revealing a glass eye and an eyepatch.
You examine the glass eye
This is a hemispherical piece of colored glass, with a hook at the back. It looks to be the sort of "eye" found on stuffed toys.
You go north
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the magnetic handle.

Although the primary function of this room seems to be as a linen closet, its size suggests that it was intended for even heavier storage. Three of the walls bear shelves, neatly stocked with towels and bed linens.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the charger
the can of spiced ham
You search the linens
You poke around at the sheets, and find, hidden in the folds of a large bedsheet toward the back, a pack of cigarettes, either squirreled away for an emergency, or hidden from a disapproving family member.
You go to the north
In most respects, this is a thoroughly ordinary bathroom. It is far less clean than the public areas of the house, but not unsettlingly so. It is simple in decor, featuring a tub, toilet, sink, and no windows. The mirror over the sink protrudes slightly, suggesting that it conceals a medicine cabinet. The exit is south.

The button on the stream visualizer blinks, indicating that it has generated a new hologram.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the charger
the can of spiced ham
You open the mirror
You open the medicine cabinet, revealing a pill bottle.
You look at the bottle
A bottle of prescription medication.
You open the bottle
You never were any good with those child-safety devices.
Look around
In most respects, this is a thoroughly ordinary bathroom. It is far less clean than the public areas of the house, but not unsettlingly so. It is simple in decor, featuring a tub, toilet, sink, and no windows. The mirror over the sink protrudes slightly, suggesting that it conceals a medicine cabinet. The exit is south.
You look at the sink
The sink is empty.
Go south
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the large key.

You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the supporting beams
the charger
the can of spiced ham
Inventory
You are carrying:
a gun
some cigarettes
a fake diary
a charger
a magnetic handle
a scissors
a small book
a can of spiced ham (which is closed)
a real diary
a wooden knob
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a scan chip
a shield chip
a blank chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a stream visualizer
four keys:
a brass key
a steel key
a deadbolt key
a large key
Footnote 6
[Footnote 6]
For your convenience, unless a door is locked, you do not need to refer to it. The game will assume that you open and close all unlocked doors as needed.
You open the stove
You open the stove.
You look in it
The stove is empty.
You open the fridge
That's already open.
You go west
This is a small room, designed to hold food staples and cooking equipment not housed in the kitchen. You doubt you'll find anything worthwhile in here, but you've been a StreamDiver long enough to know better than to trust appearances. You can return east to the kitchen.

Shelves line the walls, sparsely stocked.

On the shelves are some pots and pans, a lazy susan (empty) and a flour pot (closed).
You search the shelves
On the shelves are some pots and pans, a lazy susan and a flour pot.
You open the pot
Which do you mean, the pots and pans or the flour pot?
Flour
You open the flour pot, revealing some flour.
You search the flour
(the flour)
You find nothing of interest.
Empty flour pot
flour: Dropped.
You take the flour
(the flour)
That would only serve to make a mess.
Blow flour
(the flour)
(first taking the flour)
That would only serve to make a mess.
You examine the susan
Unbelievable. The workmanship which allows this device to swivel smoothly, allowing stored utensils to be easily accessed, all without the aid of laser construction or frictionless bearings. Still, from its gaudy appearance, it isn't hard to see why the owner relegated it to the pantry.
Look around
This is a small room, designed to hold food staples and cooking equipment not housed in the kitchen. You doubt you'll find anything worthwhile in here, but you've been a StreamDiver long enough to know better than to trust appearances. You can return east to the kitchen.

Shelves line the walls, sparsely stocked.

On the shelves are some pots and pans, a lazy susan (empty) and a flour pot (empty).

You can also see some flour here.
You look at china
(the fine china)
Several high-quality place settings.
You search china
(the fine china)
You find nothing of interest.
You look at the lamps
oil lamp: These are archaic oil-burning devices, which appear to be decorative, but would probably function as a servicable light source in the event of a power failure.
You look in the closet
In the little closet are a coaxial cable, a stuffed bear, four video discs (one "Womb Raider", one "Blow me Away", one "Coeds Getting Naked" and one "Thrustmaster Returns") and some adult magazines.
In the distance, you think you hear someone trying to force the lock on the front door. Better stay out of sight.
You search the magazines
You find nothing of interest.
In the front hall, you hear the sound of cracking wood as the door is forced open. There's someone else in the house.
"Alert:", the console beeps, "Human presence detected within building."
Interface coeds
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, video encoding.
Playing...

The screen displays a young woman, obviously intoxicated, being coaxed into displaying her breasts.
Interface returns
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, video encoding.
Playing...

The screen displays the continuing adventures of a fictional superhero with abnormally powerful pelvic muscles.
You cut the bear
Cutting that would achieve little.
You put in in the Console
Taken.
You see nothing which can be referred to like that.
You put it in Console
Taken.
You put the DataStore chip into the StreamDive console.
You look in the bank
You put the dive chip into the StreamDive console.

In the chip bank are six chips (a map chip, a library chip, an artificial intuition chip, a blank chip, an interface chip and a shield chip).
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
a probe
your StreamDive console
five chips:
an interface chip
a dive chip
a DataStore chip
a scan chip
a cryptography chip
You go downwards
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 1], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.
You go east
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.
You search the couch
You force your hand between two cushions. Before nicking yourself on a spring, your hand catches on a small object which was lost in the couch, which emerges to the surface just ahead of your stinging hand.
You take the key
(the deadbolt key)
Taken.
You turn on the probe
You have a sudden dizzy, disembodied feeling as sensory feed from the probe overwhelms you...

Bathroom (as the probe)
You get the impression that this bathroom has become a waystation for things that were intended for the basement, but got lost along the way. Boxes and bags seem to cover every surface; the sink, the heating vent, the fixture. The way out is south.

You can see your body here.
You enter the vent
You fly into the vent, eventually coming to a main shaft.

Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are in the main ventilation duct for this section of the house. Smaller ducts lead north, east, west, and northeast. A large shaft crosses this duct vertically.

A string of letters has been printed on one of the shaft walls.
You analyze the letters
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using RUR-14 Nanocode (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
Wait a minute. That doesn't make any sense; RUR nanocode hasn't been invented yet... Maybe the damned cyptography chip is malfunctioning.
Go upward
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are at the connection between a large vertical shaft and the horizontal duct which allows air flow to the rooms on this floor. Small ducts branch off in many directions.
Go upwards
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are in a long stretch of ventilation ductwork, with small vent shafts leading off in every direction. The large shaft to the lower floor is below you.

You can see a note here.
You examine the note
J nqpueu sxly mt fxz pnf grio, jw-secgbi. Ecn xcygi iv zyufv zhph ph cpp xfsc tdptm pbhgk feusdg rpaborqu? Z'zx ail hz zrol eo ukzy cpj. W'ad zqveab okrymo xbv zsb dbfn shbi.

Rvsgjy, gxas, fpsm W cvs pmf h curs pj ymrcjlf yeg tuq. Edd ve recol cg ahemla reg opj gm hm snoqcix Ndcsm. Iza ocrolexe Zdfei? Bc faejo kxwhno ciz skdkml xdhf qf kje kcsx iehd. Wgzun pa'm jwij twoo & V ausjd'd, tt ujhhw lw nqhc gl xp di mbmrklu.

Qmdmsw, xxh yy rmzq yp ixq apez hz wtzf hcb ht omzjqiyuv. --F
[The document "Vent Letter" has been added to your DataStore.]
You go northwest
Master Bathroom (as the probe)
You are in a bathroom, unusually large and attractively decorated. Aside from the free-standing whirlpool bathtub, there is a separate shower stall. A counter, the central feature of which is a three-paneled mirror which wraps around the sink, spans one wall. Architecturally, the room itself is fairly simple; a rectangle with plain white walls and a simple black-and-white tessellation on the floor tile. The decor gives the room more life; delicate just-green lace window drapery contrasts elegantly with the deep green of the heavy rug in the center of the room. The counter is equipped with a wicker dish full of soaps which you assume are more decorative than functional. A wooden table under the window holds a vase of dried flowers. The exit is south.
You examine the bathtub
The probe lacks any manipulative hardware.
You look at door
This house has many doors. Very few of them are worthy of note [Footnote 2].
The door is locked with a simple privacy lock.
You examine the rug
The rug is a fairly good decorating choice -- nothing too flashy, and in a color that complements that of the drapes. Admittedly, degree to which it accentuates the decor of the room is probably more a coincidence than a sign that the owner had some decorating skill.
You enter Vent
You fly into the vent, eventually coming to a main shaft.

Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are in a long stretch of ventilation ductwork, with small vent shafts leading off in every direction. The large shaft to the lower floor is below you.

You can see a note here.
Go down
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are at the connection between a large vertical shaft and the horizontal duct which allows air flow to the rooms on this floor. Small ducts branch off in many directions.
Go downward
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are in the main ventilation duct for this section of the house. Smaller ducts lead north, east, west, and northeast. A large shaft crosses this duct vertically.

A string of letters has been printed on one of the shaft walls.
You enter the vase
Master Bathroom (as the probe)
You are in a bathroom, unusually large and attractively decorated. Aside from the free-standing whirlpool bathtub, there is a separate shower stall. A counter, the central feature of which is a three-paneled mirror which wraps around the sink, spans one wall. Architecturally, the room itself is fairly simple; a rectangle with plain white walls and a simple black-and-white tessellation on the floor tile. The decor gives the room more life; delicate just-green lace window drapery contrasts elegantly with the deep green of the heavy rug in the center of the room. The counter is equipped with a wicker dish full of soaps which you assume are more decorative than functional. A wooden table under the window holds a vase of dried flowers. The exit is south.

That's not something you can enter.
You enter the tub
You get into the bathtub.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.
You go to the north
Bathroom (as the probe)
You get the impression that this bathroom has become a waystation for things that were intended for the basement, but got lost along the way. Boxes and bags seem to cover every surface; the sink, the heating vent, the fixture. The way out is south.

You can see your body here.
Yes
Okay [Footnote 3].

You manage to unlock the door with the deadbolt key.

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.
Open dollhouse
You give a gentle tug at the base, which pops open. Inside, you see two letters (a crumpled letter and a folded letter) and a strange book.
You take all from the dollhouse
crumpled letter: Removed.
folded letter: Removed.
strange book: Removed.
You take the key
Ug. Hw. Npxo J teiotslz swo jq zco yum evyt xdru qafib. Gwz air qow? W upigs bio'zv tstgxbpqk kdemb wlwi urnq gmis. Ntgk, T'o oikvrm yljm if msc xng. She vtsubzy pkncri aixf tckg zhkomg rfw jrp mpe xdizuxiv phslyrl cs dvz ijscee ppsocyw lbsz zm oxa ulvwjybj. Da N'p zbrq djoj tl sohrl ztlb odb krr ot oyf wved. Ea abvg't ukw su jxyw cbqh? W'o ixvit W wjrct'm lycz fe ckymj. Ufybyr vgzqo zg depl hn le hjr dxfj bywo leuc.

[The document "Letter (1)" has been added to your DataStore.]



N'q gxtr kib vcijo wn xerb. Gzw iaqrx gmtto, G'ij yfuu hechbg igajnd dpnu jyfivzub nubl oha goect lp, rtzeqpc qi ccf ym tnr qds hexsikp blim pqliv egfw ubi bdmi brjf xqh. N'gk efaiea jldhwc cuh wys icrno bueag, fnu M acxbj xems zuaszl ci vol aw cxs jqnj, sfc lruze igiw S qnd pxn W rohu ec snfkv. Zlwqw X pxecd mtgn txj'io gkdz mf noxmzvx pk suu rnifovig, cldj R jgzbs wunxn Y kjizwk kia pa fxrs dx uir atvvuf, ake lpdv E znczn xczd vin'wv muix df pwe bnx usytgmu ke zkm gue as zjpu. X ccczj L'oz wxaqvuvjji tk fxe rklt mu tf igly ckzbk nvrzd ifa ivbfe, msf prlaeu pbm ez mloihjs tm. Nuz, N'o inmo u siflrj. D'mh iapzqu npzkfx jce. C zad'i sqgr mv bqg kjs tlot asgxbku hq, jpu W ykxcco uwav za hqc coi kdoc aio fzgtw Y qq.

[The document "Letter (2)" has been added to your DataStore.]

This is a small, very worn notebook containing a number of pages covered with random sequences of hand-printed characters.
[The document "Strange Book" has been added to your DataStore.]

Under your scrutinty, a very slight distortion in the picture is visible. You slide your hand between the sheet and its support, and turn up a very small book.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.

You already have that.

(the dresser drawers)
You open the dresser drawers, revealing a brass key.

(the brass key)
Taken.
You analyze old Book
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
(Ciphers using this key can be decoded)
Decode crumpled
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 26 character alphabet.
Decoding...
1

Hi. Um. Hope I remember how to yse the code book right. How are you? I guesr you're wondering where this note came. Well, I'm living with my dad now. Mom started dating this drug dealer and she got arrested because he was making crystal meth in our basement. So I'm back here at least till the end of the year. So what's new in your life? I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. Pleare write me back so we can talk some time.

[The DataStore entry for this document has been updated to reflect deciphered text.]
Decode folded
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 26 character alphabet.
Decoding...
3

I'm glad you wrote me back. All these years, I've been scared pretty much shitless that you hated me, because it was my mom was driving that night when you lost your eye. I've really missed you all these years, and I would have talked to you in the hall, but every time I see you I lose my nerve. First I think that you'll hate me because of the accident, then I think maybe I should try to talk to you anyway, but then I think that you'll hate me for not talking to you for so long. I guess I'll understand if you want me to just steer clear and stuff, but please try to forgive me. God, I'm such a coward. I've really missed you. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I really want to let you know how sorry I am.

[The DataStore entry for this document has been updated to reflect deciphered text.]
Decode vent letter
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Decode failed: No decodable text found (This may not be a cipher)
You turn on the probe
You have a sudden dizzy, disembodied feeling as sensory feed from the probe overwhelms you...

Girl's Bedroom (as the probe)
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

You can see your body here.
Decode note
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 26 character alphabet.
Decoding...
5

I really want to see you like, in-person. You think we could meet up and have lunch after school tomorrow? I've got so much to tell you. I've really missed you all this time.

Anyway, yeah, sure I can get a note to someone for you. But it might be easier for you to go through Rusty. You remember Rusty? He lived across the street from me way back when. Since he's been here & I haven't, he might be able to do it quicker.

Anyhow, let me know if you want to hang out or something. --D
[The DataStore entry for this document has been updated to reflect deciphered text.]
Go down
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are at the connection between a large vertical shaft and the horizontal duct which allows air flow to the rooms on this floor. Small ducts branch off in many directions.
Go downward
Ventilation Shaft (as the probe)
You are in the main ventilation duct for this section of the house. Smaller ducts lead north, east, west, and northeast. A large shaft crosses this duct vertically.

A string of letters has been printed on one of the shaft walls.
Decode letters
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: RUR-14 Nanocode
Trying to decipher anyway...
Decode failed: Code cannot be identified or cipher is unbreakable. (Try analyzing more ciphertext)
You go downward
As the vent approaches the environmental unit, the electromagnetic fields begin to interfere with your connection.
Go northeast
Girl's Bedroom (as the probe)
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

You can see your body here.
You go south
You have a sinking feeling as the probe drops. Just before it hits the ground, your perspective changes...

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

You can see a probe here.
Taken.

Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.
You open the door
The ceiling over this stretch of hallway slopes upward where the stairs cut into it. Along the south wall, just before the ceiling becomes too low to make a serviceable hallway, a low, louvered door marks a small closet. The hallway continues east, and to the west it ends in an archway leading to the dining room.
It seems to be locked.
You unlock door
You have to specify what you want to unlock the little closet with.
Fix
What do you want to fix?
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a coaxial cable
a scissors
a magnetic handle
a probe
two cipher keys:
a new code book
an old code book
two letters:
a folded letter
a crumpled letter
a diary
a wooden knob
your StreamDive console
five chips:
an interface chip
a dive chip
a DataStore chip
a scan chip
a cryptography chip
four keys:
a steel key
a brass key
a deadbolt key
a large key
You take all from the closet
stuffed bear: Removed.
video disc of "Womb Raider": Removed.
video disc of "Blow me Away": Removed.
video disc of "Coeds Getting Naked": Removed.
video disc of "Thrustmaster Returns": Removed.
adult magazines: Removed.
You look in the closet
The little closet is empty.
You examine the closet
This is a tiny closet, too small to enter. The ceiling tapers sharply inside, crunching down its storage space toward the back.
Look around
The ceiling over this stretch of hallway slopes upward where the stairs cut into it. Along the south wall, just before the ceiling becomes too low to make a serviceable hallway, a low, louvered door marks a small closet. The hallway continues east, and to the west it ends in an archway leading to the dining room.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
some adult magazines
four video discs:
"Thrustmaster Returns"
"Coeds Getting Naked"
"Blow me Away"
"Womb Raider"
a stuffed bear
a coaxial cable
a scissors
a magnetic handle
a probe
two cipher keys:
a new code book
an old code book
two letters:
a folded letter
a crumpled letter
a diary
a wooden knob
your StreamDive console
five chips:
an interface chip
a dive chip
a DataStore chip
a scan chip
a cryptography chip
four keys:
a steel key
a brass key
a deadbolt key
a large key
You put it in the Console
Taken.
Taken.

A standard-issue cloaking device. Operating along similar principles to the StreamDive device itself, it causes all photons entering the field to be instantly transported to the far side of the field as if they had passed straight through it, with the net result being that anything within the field is nearly invisible. The relocation effect causes "ghost" photons to be emitted by the inside of the field, allowing any person inside it to see his surroundings with a minimum of visual distortion. The device's battery is currently charged to 100 percent. The cloaking device is currently switched off.

Taken.
You put the shield chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
(the dive chip)
Taken.
You put the dive chip into the StreamDive console.
You look at Dive
(the StreamDive console)
Your StreamDive console is a small display device designed to provide you with relevant information about the current dive, and allow access to key StreamDive facilities [Footnote 1]. These facilities are made available by adding chips to its five-slot chiprack. The chiprack currently contains three chips.
You look at the dive chip
This is the fundamental chip for the StreamDive console. It allows control of the temporal displacement functions.
Commands Provided:
RECALL -- Discharge StreamDive capacitors for instant recall
STATUS -- Display status of Dive system
TIMESCAN -- Scan local timestream
You check what you're carrying
Taken.
You put the DataStore chip into the StreamDive console.

You are carrying:
a cloaking device
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a DataStore chip
an interface chip
a dive chip
a scan chip
a shield chip
You look at the cloaking
This isn't a good time to let your mind wander.
The floor fades to transparency. There is a brilliant point of light somewhere far below you. Scanning beams trace over your body. Below you, a perfect mirror image of yourself fades into existence, your avatar. You have a sinking feeling as your avatar falls toward the light. Just as you were trained, you roll back on the balls of your feet and close your eyes. In your head, you count to six. Deep down there, your avatar enters the event horizon of the artificial singularity. As always, you have the disconcerting sensation of falling...

Cold.

Hot.

Bright.

Dark.

The pain is gone before you feel it. You want to open your eyes, but you know better. Even if you survived the experience, your sanity would not. You wait for the sensation of falling to end.

It does.

You wait for your perception of local timespace to return.

It does.

You open your eyes.

In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
You turn on the cloaking
The cloak hums, and you detect a slight shimmer in the air around you as you are enveloped by the cloak field.
You take the key
(the dresser drawers)
You open the dresser drawers, revealing a brass key.
(the brass key)
Taken.
Open dollhouse
You give a gentle tug at the base, which pops open. Inside, you see two letters (a crumpled letter and a folded letter) and a strange book.
You examine the strange Book
Ug. Hw. Npxo J teiotslz swo jq zco yum evyt xdru qafib. Gwz air qow? W upigs bio'zv tstgxbpqk kdemb wlwi urnq gmis. Ntgk, T'o oikvrm yljm if msc xng. She vtsubzy pkncri aixf tckg zhkomg rfw jrp mpe xdizuxiv phslyrl cs dvz ijscee ppsocyw lbsz zm oxa ulvwjybj. Da N'p zbrq djoj tl sohrl ztlb odb krr ot oyf wved. Ea abvg't ukw su jxyw cbqh? W'o ixvit W wjrct'm lycz fe ckymj. Ufybyr vgzqo zg depl hn le hjr dxfj bywo leuc.

[The document "Letter (1)" has been added to your DataStore.]
3

N'q gxtr kib vcijo wn xerb. Gzw iaqrx gmtto, G'ij yfuu hechbg igajnd dpnu jyfivzub nubl oha goect lp, rtzeqpc qi ccf ym tnr qds hexsikp blim pqliv egfw ubi bdmi brjf xqh. N'gk efaiea jldhwc cuh wys icrno bueag, fnu M acxbj xems zuaszl ci vol aw cxs jqnj, sfc lruze igiw S qnd pxn W rohu ec snfkv. Zlwqw X pxecd mtgn txj'io gkdz mf noxmzvx pk suu rnifovig, cldj R jgzbs wunxn Y kjizwk kia pa fxrs dx uir atvvuf, ake lpdv E znczn xczd vin'wv muix df pwe bnx usytgmu ke zkm gue as zjpu. X ccczj L'oz wxaqvuvjji tk fxe rklt mu tf igly ckzbk nvrzd ifa ivbfe, msf prlaeu pbm ez mloihjs tm. Nuz, N'o inmo u siflrj. D'mh iapzqu npzkfx jce. C zad'i sqgr mv bqg kjs tlot asgxbku hq, jpu W ykxcco uwav za hqc coi kdoc aio fzgtw Y qq.

[The document "Letter (2)" has been added to your DataStore.]
This is a small, very worn notebook containing a number of pages covered with random sequences of hand-printed characters.
[The document "Strange Book" has been added to your DataStore.]
You search the painting
Under your scrutinty, a very slight distortion in the picture is visible. You slide your hand between the sheet and its support, and turn up a very small book.
You go to the east
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the brass key.

From the architecture of the house, you can tell that this is the only bedroom to have its own walk-in closet, which no doubt was an issue of some discussion when bedrooms were assigned. The majority of the closet is taken up by clothing, but you can see a few boxes toward the back.
Search boxes
Pushing a box to the side, you discover a thin composition book, which had been secreted between two of the boxes.
You examine the composition book
Page: 0 Diary

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page
Scissors
Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 4], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 5]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

You are in a small room which you suspect has no fixed purpose. There is a table in the center of the room, with a faux-wooden chair at it, and a long bench-seat under the window. The door along the north wall has been removed, presumably in an attempt to turn the room into some sort of work alcove.

You open the bench seat, revealing a sewing machine, some fabric, a needle, some thread, a scissors and a magnetic handle.

magnetic handle: Taken.
scissors: Taken.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.

You never were any good with those child-safety devices.
You examine the fabric
A few pieces of cloth, cut to various sizes.
You go north
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the magnetic handle.

Although the primary function of this room seems to be as a linen closet, its size suggests that it was intended for even heavier storage. Three of the walls bear shelves, neatly stocked with towels and bed linens.
Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
You search the linens
You poke around at the sheets, and find, hidden in the folds of a large bedsheet toward the back, a pack of cigarettes, either squirreled away for an emergency, or hidden from a disapproving family member.
You examine the cigarettes
Toward the end of the twenty-first century, various lobbies finally succeeded in banning the manufacture and sale of these particular items, citing their known carcinogenic effects and the ongoing tendencies of their manufacturers to indulge in unethical business practices. Like the bans on so many other harmful intoxicants, the cigarette ban would have undoubtedly failed, had genetic engineering not coupled a non-toxic smoking mixture with powerful antidepressants, resulting in a new, safe cigarette, which provided an even better high. These, however, are still quite lethal, you're sure.
You scan the cigarettes
The scanner reveals nothing of interest.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
You wait
Time passes.
Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You wait awhile
Time passes.
You hear someone trying to force the lock on the front door. Better stay out of sight.
Wait
Time passes.
The front door isn't going to keep whoever's on the other side out much longer.
You wait for a while
Time passes.
The front door finally yields. On the other side, you see a shabbily-dressed man, holding a pistol. He steps inside.
You examine man
That would give away your presence.
Looking around the entry hall, the man, clearly a thief, walks over to the table. He sets down a newspaper, an action almost comic in its domesticity.
You examine man
That would give away your presence.
You look at your surroundings
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.

On the wooden table are a newspaper and a letter.
You wait awhile
Time passes.
The thief apparently thinks better of leaving his newspaper laying about, and retrieves it.
Wait
Time passes.
The looter stalks off.
Go east
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.
Go east
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
Wait
Time passes.
The thief looks over the various art objects, then, oblivious to their lack of value, collects them.
You wait
Time passes.
Carefully, the thief looks inside the video cabinet. With obvious glee, he removes the video player.
You go north
A poorly-lit length of hallway begins here and continues west. The southern wall is open to the living room. A door leads east.

A painting on the wall depicts a nautical theme.
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
Wait
Time passes.
The looter admires the painting for a moment, then removes it.
You go west
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

The ceiling over this stretch of hallway slopes upward where the stairs cut into it. Along the south wall, just before the ceiling becomes too low to make a serviceable hallway, a low, louvered door marks a small closet. The hallway continues east, and to the west it ends in an archway leading to the dining room.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.
The looter pokes around in the closet for a time.
You go to the west
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can also see a photograph here.
You wait for a while
Time passes.
The thief looks through the china cabinet, removing everything of value.
Go south
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east. A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
The looter stalks off.
You go to the east
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.

On the wooden table is a letter.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
some cigarettes
a scissors
a magnetic handle
a diary
a small book
four keys:
a brass key
a steel key
a deadbolt key
a large key
a wooden knob
a cloaking device
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a DataStore chip
an interface chip
a dive chip
a scan chip
a shield chip
The looter stalks off.
Go downwards
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 2], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.
You go east
The console beeps out in distress. "Alert: Human presence detected in adjacent room."

As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.
A lean and dangerous-looking man surveys the contents of the room.

On the bar are four glasses (empty) and some bottles.

A video game system sits before the video screen.

You can also see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.
You turn off the cloak
That would give away your presence.
You look at the cloak
A standard-issue cloaking device. Operating along similar principles to the StreamDive device itself, it causes all photons entering the field to be instantly transported to the far side of the field as if they had passed straight through it, with the net result being that anything within the field is nearly invisible. The relocation effect causes "ghost" photons to be emitted by the inside of the field, allowing any person inside it to see his surroundings with a minimum of visual distortion. The device's battery is currently charged to 32 percent. The cloaking device is currently switched on.
Wait
Time passes.
The thief examines the video disc player, but apparently decides it would over-burden him. Instead, he takes the game console.
You wait for a while
Time passes.
With relish, the thief avails himself of one of the bottles on the bar. After a time, he stops drinking and takes the remaining bottles.
Wait
Time passes.
After some quick poking around, the looter appears to decide he's spent enough time here.
Go west
That door is locked.
The looter stalks off.
You turn off the cloak
The slight shimmer in the air fades as the cloaking device disengages.
Go east
As an architectural feature, the den declined in popularity during this part of the century, but this house seems to have one nonetheless. From your historical research, you know that a den is a sort of cross between a study and a family room. This room shows signs of wear; stains and worn patches of carpet suggest heavy use. Behind one recliner, the woodgrain paneling of the wall is scratched and scored from frequent collisions. One wall is covered in bookshelves. A well-stocked wet bar adorns a second. Couches and armchairs form a conversation area in the middle of the room. The western wall is open, leading back to the stairway.

On the bar are four glasses (empty).

You can see a video screen and a video disc player (empty) here.
You search player
The video disc player is empty.
On the edge of your vision, you think you see something move. You whip around, but nothing's there. It takes several deep breaths to get yourself under control. You're suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that all of this is going to cease to exist in a just under five hours. You punch the air in frustration. It's not just that there's so much to left to learn here. It's not even that you've started to feel that your dive restrictions have closed certain areas of investigation to you. What really bothers you is the stupidity of it all. The sheer waste. Why does this place have to be destroyed? What possible benefit could it be to either side? It's insane. It's stupid. How could the people of this time have such a cavalier disregard for human life?

And, of course, the misgiving you have whenever you Dive this close to your own time hits you... How can you be sure we've really come that far from this?
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
some cigarettes
a scissors
a magnetic handle
a diary
a small book
four keys:
a brass key
a steel key
a deadbolt key
a large key
a wooden knob
a cloaking device
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a DataStore chip
an interface chip
a dive chip
a scan chip
a shield chip
You put the magnet on the table
You put the magnetic handle on the wooden table.
You go west
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter.
The front door finally yields. On the other side, you see a shabbily-dressed man, holding a pistol. He steps inside.
The looter catches sight of you. You try to run, but he is quick to draw his pistol. Though the weapon is primitive, it is quite adequate to his purpose.
Go north
In most respects, this is a thoroughly ordinary bathroom. It is far less clean than the public areas of the house, but not unsettlingly so. It is simple in decor, featuring a tub, toilet, sink, and no windows. The mirror over the sink protrudes slightly, suggesting that it conceals a medicine cabinet. The exit is south.
In the front hall, you hear the sound of cracking wood as the door is forced open. There's someone else in the house.
"Alert:", the console beeps, "Human presence detected within building."
Go south
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the large key.

You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.
In the front hall, you hear the sound of cracking wood as the door is forced open. There's someone else in the house.
"Alert:", the console beeps, "Human presence detected within building."
SCAN
The scanner has further details available on:
the supporting beams
You put the necklace and the ring on the table
necklace: Done.
ring: Done.
You wait awhile
Time passes.
"Alert: Human presence detected to the west."
Wait
Time passes.
"Alert: Human approaching from west."
Wait
Time passes.
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
Wait
Time passes.
"Alert: Human presence detected below."
Wait
Time passes.
"Alert: Human approaching from below."
Wait
Time passes.
The thief walks cautiously into the room.
Wait
Time passes.
You breathe a sigh of relief as the young man finally makes his way out of the house.
"Information: Human presence no longer detected in building."
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the cryptography chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in Console
Taken.
You put the DataStore chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the interface chip into the StreamDive console.
You put it in the Console
Taken.
You put the library chip into the StreamDive console.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
Yes
Okay [Footnote 2].

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

The basement of this house is a simple, large room with cinderblock walls. Boxes, crates, and other large items are scattered haphazardly about. A lightweight wooden door in the east wall appears to be an exterior exit, presumably to allow heavy gardening equipment, such as the lawnmower in one corner, to be removed. The stairs up to the rest of the house are along the south wall.
And something unusual. The west wall is metal, with a very large, robust door set in it.
It couldn't be. Or could it? You've never actually seen one before, but from your records...
Yes. It is. It's a bomb shelter; a small room specially designed to act as an emergency shelter in the event of nuclear attack. None have survived to your own time, and records are fragmentary. This is quite a find. If only you could manage to get inside.
Go west
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

This is career-making stuff. A period survival shelter, fully intact and operational. The ceiling and walls form a single-piece dome, which, you recall, increased the structural stability with the building materials they had available. The eastern end, nearest the exit, seems to be some kind of living area, with a table and several chairs. Past it, you can see four bunked beds. At the far end of the shelter is a curtained area, holding the minimal sanitation facilities.

Finally, your training releases its hold over your mind and lets you take notice of what would have been the first thing anyone but a StreamDiver would see. Two female bodies, quite motionless, lie on one of the beds. You don't need to check for a pulse on either of them [Footnote 3], but you do, all the same.

Still warm. Your hands tremble, and it takes a moment to force yourself to calm down. You've seen dead bodies before, on missions. Victims of the massacre on Mars Colony Omega, ritual sacrifice victims in an Aztec temple, but the immediacy of these deaths is something you weren't prepared for. They can't have been dead for more than a few hours, may even have died while you were in the house. You try to tell yourself that this is an irrelevant detail -- from your proper perspective, they, and everyone else on the planet, have been dead for hundreds of years.

It doesn't help.

The smashed and broken pieces of some electronic device are scattered around the room.

A small metal box is mounted on one wall.

On the table are an electronic device and a portable computer.
Interface computer
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Personal Computer. Manufacturer: JTX.

Searching for relevant data...



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
1
Recent Document 1: untitled text document
4:45 pm

We were supposed to do it together. That was the plan.

We thought it through, talked about it over and over.

Nothing else made any sense. The safety broke down. The door isn't going to open for thirty years. We can't just stay down here for thirty years. And what about her? We can't take care of that on our own.

Still, we might have tried. We might have been able to work something out. But we haven't heard anything upstairs for days. Not that you can hear much, but sometimes there's a little banging in the pipes.

That damned radio. My hand's all cut up from smashing it to bits. There's going to be an air strike. They don't know where yet, but there isn't any way to stop it. We're less than a hundred miles from the biggest military base in three states. Even if we survive, no one's going to find us. No one's going to save us.

So we decided. I unlocked the box. I took out two pills...

This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so damned paranoid, we wouldn't even be down here. It's my fault that Donna's dead. It's my fault that I'm going to be dead.

We were going to do it together. We laid down on the bed, next to each other, and she hugged me, and she told me she didn't blame me, and then we were going to bite down at the same time and it would all be over.

I'm such a fucking coward.

I don't think she felt anything. I hope she didn't know what a coward I am. She closed her eyes, and I closed mine, and then she just sort of shook once, and it was over. And I got up, and I laid her out flat and crossed her arms over her chest.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I don't want to live. I never cared if I lived or died since the accident six years ago, and I sure as hell don't want to live down here for the next thirty years, especially now that Donna's gone. I tried to kill myself once before. All I have to do is bite down.

So why won't my hands stop shaking? I'm going to do it now. For real this time.

I'm not getting back into the same bed with Donna. I don't deserve that.

I hope my parents will forgive me. I hope Jim will forgive me. Most of all, though, I hope Donna will forgive me.

Goodbye.
[The document "Suicide Note" has been added to your DataStore.]



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
2
Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
Julia Wallace
Current Events
April 25

This morning, at 7:42 AM, Congress ratified a declaration of war against an alliance of countries in the Middle East. The official reasons for this declaration were the unlawful occupation of Israel by allied Arabic forces. Nonetheless, several articles in the Global Register suppose that recent military action was motivated by trade restrictions imposed by the Arabic Alliance against Europe and the United States. These restrictions have severely limited the availability of gasoline in the US. According to the April 20 issue of the National Chronicle, the Arabic states have formed an exclusive trade pact with China. The Brandenberg News Network has run several stories saying that Chinese weapons were used in the invasion of Israel, and editorials in several newspapers claim that if the war escalates, China will enter the war on the side of the Arabic Alliance. An article in the Times says that the Chinese newspapers have already printed articles calling for war unless the US backs out of affairs in the Middle East.

Sources attached.
[The document "Current Events Homework" has been added to your DataStore.]



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Recent Document 1: untitled text document
2     Recent Document 2: Current events HW 4/25
3     Data Snapshot
3
Analyzing...
Format not recognized.
Attempting to download...
Download failed: Insufficient space.
Blank StreamDive chip detected in console. Do you wish to download to it?
You examine the left corpse
She would have grown up to be quite attractive. For that matter, she actually was quite attractive, despite the disheveled appearance and short unruly tangle of red hair. One eyelid is sunken, as if there is nothing underneath. You can see no sign of injury, and her repose is fairly tranquil.

Wait. There is something. One hand is scratched badly across the knuckles. But that couldn't be the cause of death.
You search it
Mustering your resolve, you make a quick check of the body. Clutched in one hand, you find a blue prosthetic eye.
You take the eye
You already have that.
You look at the right corpse
The body lies on the bed, arms folded. Its owner is quite beautiful by the standards of the day, long, blonde hair, sizable breasts, and a frailty that suggests borderline anorexia. The only mar to her beauty is a deep, jagged scar on one cheek. There is nothing to suggest that her death was anything but peaceful [Footnote 4].
Go east
The basement of this house is a simple, large room with cinderblock walls. Boxes, crates, and other large items are scattered haphazardly about. A lightweight wooden door in the east wall appears to be an exterior exit, presumably to allow heavy gardening equipment, such as the lawnmower in one corner, to be removed. The stairs up to the rest of the house are along the south wall.
And something unusual. The west wall is metal, with a very large, robust door set in it.
You open the toilet
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 1], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.

You get the impression that this bathroom has become a waystation for things that were intended for the basement, but got lost along the way. Boxes and bags seem to cover every surface; the sink, the heating vent, the fixture. The way out is south.
On a whim, you lift the heavy boxes and raise the lid of the toilet seat. The bowl has been drained, and resting inside is a small book, which you manage, with some difficulty, to retrieve before letting the boxes fall back into place.
Unlock diary
(with the autokey.)
The lock clicks open. Your hands almost tremble in anticipation. What a find!

You open the book...

What?

It's encoded? Who keeps a diary in code? Well, obviously, Julia Yvonne Wallace does. You can't help but wondering what could make someone so paranoid as to go to the trouble of encoding a locked, hidden diary.
Open dollhouse
You give a gentle tug at the base, which pops open. Inside, you see two letters (a crumpled letter and a folded letter) and a strange book.
You examine crumpled
Ug. Hw. Npxo J teiotslz swo jq zco yum evyt xdru qafib. Gwz air qow? W upigs bio'zv tstgxbpqk kdemb wlwi urnq gmis. Ntgk, T'o oikvrm yljm if msc xng. She vtsubzy pkncri aixf tckg zhkomg rfw jrp mpe xdizuxiv phslyrl cs dvz ijscee ppsocyw lbsz zm oxa ulvwjybj. Da N'p zbrq djoj tl sohrl ztlb odb krr ot oyf wved. Ea abvg't ukw su jxyw cbqh? W'o ixvit W wjrct'm lycz fe ckymj. Ufybyr vgzqo zg depl hn le hjr dxfj bywo leuc.

[The document "Letter (1)" has been added to your DataStore.]
Decode diary
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 36 character alphabet.
Decoding...

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 0 Diary (Decoded)

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page
You go to the north
---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 1 April 17

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

Fucking mom read my diary. Now she wants me to see a fucking shrink again. I'm not doing it. I'll be eighteen in less than a month, she can't make me. Two years they made me go after the accident. I don't fucking want to go back.

Anyway, the rest of the aftermath is that they forbade me to ever see CJ again. Like they could stop me if I wanted to. And they somehow think he's the only person I could get pot from? Mom says that he just got me stoned so he could fuck me, which is fair since I wouldn't have let him get my panties off if I'd been in a legal state of mind. Well, maybe I would've. So I told mom, It's not like he's the only guy I've ever had sex with.

Which is, of course, a lie. Everyone probably thinks I did Rob, but I didn't. He went down on me a couple of times, but before he got up the nerve to try anything more, I broke up with him coz I caught him staring at my eye while we were making out.

Even him. Most guys get freaked out by it and won't come near me. Probably think the rest of me's robotic, and it'll electrocute their...

Well anyway, I'm keeping two diaries now. This one, the legit one, I'm going to hide better. Anything really important, like this, I'll code. The other one's hidden in my room, so if anyone goes looking again, they'll stop when they find it. Maybe I'll put plants in there too, so I can tell if mom reads it again. I told her I'd fucking run away if she tried.
TTFN
Go north
---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 2 April 18-19

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

April 18 - Jim's a bastard. He did it again. Snuck in while I was asleep and recalibrated my eye. When I woke up, I was seeing everything in infrared.

Some days I want to rip the damned thing out with my bare hands.

April 19 - Mom won the battle of the wills. Had my first appointment with the new shrink today. Of course he's all like, We'll talk about anything you want, but of course what he really wanted to talk about was the accident. So I went through my routine, and told him how big and scary it was, and told him about getting the new eye and all that shit. And he keeps asking how things made me feel, and I tell him I don't remember, but he doesn't believe me because apparently you're supposed to remember all the fucking details when something messes up your life. I really don't remember feeling anything. Just numb. So then he asks me about CJ, and he goes on for half an hour about how drugs are bad, and sex is bad. Well, he didn't say sex is bad, of course, since they're supposed to be all about fostering a healthy attitude toward healthy adult relationships, but you get the idea. It's natural to want to express your bullshit bullshit bullshit, but it's important that you find a healthy and safe outlet bullshit bullshit. I think there was something in there about my body changing and mateuring, like I'd just hit puberty or something. Then he gave me a pamphlet about masturbation, which I guess is some kind of implication that I couldn't work it out on my own.

Anyway, mom's making me go back next week. I guess it's okay since it's her dime.

(wonder why they say "it's your dime." Why not "it's your dollar?" Makes a lot more sense. Least you can buy a pack of gum for a dollar.)
You go to the north
---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 3 April 20-23

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

April 20 - Dreamt last night. The unbelievable pleasure of feeling a knife being thrust into my chest.

Mom didn't take the bait. Maybe she's not still snooping on me.

April 22 - They're sending troops into the middle east. Everyone says not to worry and we'll just clear this up like we have before. There's not going to be a war. But we've already got troops in so many other places. Jim's terrified that he's gonna get drafted. There hasn't been a draft in almost a hundred years though. The news says this will blow over in a couple of months, but Jimmy says that the president's an ass and he wants a war to boost his popularity rating. Dad thinks he's an idiot because no president would think that starting a war and getting hundreds of our people killed would make him popular. Maybe I should start reading the papers more.
You go north
April 23 - Strangest thing today. I found a note in my locker. It took me a while to figure out what it was. It's the old code Donna and I used to use. But Donna moved away years ago when her parents split up, and I haven't heard from her in years. I have to find the old code book so I can work out what it says. I can't think how she could have gotten the note to me at school.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 4 April 24-26

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

April 24 - Donna's back. I can't believe it. Her mom ended up in jail because her boyfriend was using her house to store his meth lab -- will you believe that? She still has her codebook after all these years. Anyway, I've written back to her, but I don't know how to find her. I guess her dad still lives near here, but he moved out of their house after the divorce. How did she find out my locker number? It'll be good to talk to her again.

In other news, CJ keeps trying to talk to me. I can't risk anyone seeing us together right yet. Wish I'd come up with a code book for him, then we could talk freely at least. Maybe I can get Donna to be a go-between. There's no one else I trust.

April 25 - Jim keeps going on about this new program he's working on. Thinks it's going to, and I quote, "set him up among the gods." He's trying to get in touch with a bunch of professors at the big-league CS schools. Thinks he's hot stuff. Dad, who really ought to know better, asked him about his new "discovery", and he went on for about an hour, not really saying anything that made much sense. The long and short of it is that he thinks he's figured out how his brain works, and he thinks he's got a way to make a computer do the same thing. Wonderful. A computer that thinks like my brother.

April 26 - Return of the Shrink. This time he didn't ask about the accident at all. I don't know if that's a good thing. I kept getting the feeling he was looking for some good dirt about my mom beating me or dad trying to feel me up when I was six or something, like there's some deep dark secret that will magically explain why I'm so fucked up. What the hell does he want? When I was twelve, a drunk driver hit the car I was in and I broke an arm and a leg and one of my eyes got cut out. I think that might be a fair enough explanation.

Oh my god.

Donna's mom was driving. She was in the back seat with me. I think that might have been the last time I saw her.
You go to the north
Why didn't I ever remember that before?

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 5 April 27-29

P = previous page    N = next page
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April 27 - There was fighting last night. Southeast Asia. I didn't even know we had troops there. Congress was in session all night. The news says they're going to declare war. I am really, really scared.

April 28 - I saw Donna today. She looks pretty good, except for a scar on her cheek. I could tell she was avoiding me. Why? I bet she saw my eye. I almost decided to scrap the whole thing, but I really want to talk to her. I slipped the note I wrote in her locker. I keep telling myself I don't care if she wrties back or not. That's bullshit, of course.

April 29 - She wrote me back. Said she was afraid to talk to me because she thought I blamed her for the accident. At least that explains why she never wrote to me before. I'm writing back to tell her I'm not angry and want to see her. I think maybe the reason I didn't remember before is that I didn't want to hate her.
You go north
The US embassy in Singapore got blown up last night. They're calling for tactical nuclear strikes on China. This is going to get fucking bad.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 6 April 30-May 3

P = previous page    N = next page
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April 30 - I finally got to talk to her. Donna just kept apologizing about the accident. I sort of got fed up and nearly walked off. I asked her about getting a note to CJ. She said she would. Talked for a long time about life and stuff. I've really missed her.

She was pretty good about it, but I caught her trying to get a good look at my eye a couple of times. It didn't bother me as much as usual. Maybe because I kept on looking at her scar.

May 1 - Donna got my letter to CJ. She's none to thrilled about it, thinks he's an asshole. She's probably right, but what am I going to do about it?

I finally asked Donna about the scar, and yeah, she got it in the accident. She's really self-conscious about it, but she's not as bad as I am about my eye. I think it makes her look tough. At least she's not some kind of freak like me.

May 3 - I give up. Told the doctor everything I could remember about the accident, getting the implant. Told him about CJ. Donna too, about her being in the car. Told him about talking to her recently too. Not sure why.

He asked me how I felt about the war. I don't know. They're still saying it won't last long, but we're dropping bombs all over Asia now. If it goes a couple of years, maybe they will draft Jim. I know I say a lot about him, but I don't want him to die. They won't draft me because of my eye, but they could take CJ or Donna.
You go north
When I was fourteen, I threw a tantrum over something or other and Dad took Frankie the Bear away as punishment. I never got him back. Started thinking about that last night because found the eye I tore out after the accident. I told the doctor that too. Wow, I'm even more fucked up than I thought.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 7 May 4-6

P = previous page    N = next page
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May 4 - I managed to convince mom to let me out of the house. Went to the mall with Donna. Was thinking about seeing CJ, but didn't want to push my luck so we just shopped.

On the way back, Donna decided to push her luck and ask me about my eye. I guess she's entitled. I showed her the tuner, and told her about the stupid pranks Jim keeps pulling. I even popped it out and let her look at it close up. She thinks it's neat and asked why I don't do stuff like use it to cheat on tests by turning up the zoom. Said she thinks it's better than having a big-ass scar on her face. That kind of pissed me off. Least she looks human. Why doesn't she get it?

Then she said that if it bothers me so much, I should get cosmetic contacts to cover it up. I never thought about that before.

I asked mom about getting contacts later. She said she didn't think they were safe. Of course, next week I'll be able to do as I like about it.

May 5 - I finally got to see CJ. Just a few minutes; Donna covered by telling mom she had to stop to pick up a prescription on the way home. We had just about enough time to pass the bowl around once and let CJ cop a couple of quick feels. We're going to get together later this week. Mom likes Donna because she's "stable", and since I haven't had any friends worth speaking of since, well, her, she can pretty much talk mom into anything. We're composing a cover story now.

May 6 - You are not fucking going to believe this. They've started up the draft. And what's more? They're not taking girls. I know, they've never taken them before, but they said that they would now, since they're all "liberated" and shit.

Anyway, why aren't they taking girls, you ask? Well, there was a fucking commercial. A fucking commercial explaining how important women were to the war effort, and that's why they're not drafting them. And the way they're important to the war effort? You're gonna fucking love this -- reproduction. They're saying that it's "The duty of all citizens to make full use of their reproductive capabilities to ensure that our population remains strong and growing through these times of adversity."

What is this, the fucking dark ages? In addition to their heart-fucking-felt sermon, they've voted in a massive tax-break for families with newborns, a government handout for women who get themselves pregnant, and subsidies for unmarried women who want artificial insemination. They're also rushing through a bunch of fertility drugs that increase the chances of having twins. The got some low-level flunkie in one of the fringe groups on record saying that it was the "sworn duty of every woman to attempt conception", and that parents should encourage their daughters to get themselves knocked up as young as fifteen. They're trying to fucking breed themselves an army.
You go to the north
But it'll be what, twenty years before any of these war babies are old enough to fight. The war can't go on that long, can it?

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 8 May 7-11

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May 7 - Oh the shit has hit the fan. There's rioting in the streets. The people who don't like the war are protesting the war. The people who don't like the draft are protesting the draft. Pretty much everyone is protesting the breeding plan, except for the ones that are lined up around the block to get a big fat shot of fertility drugs and the big fat check that goes with it. Mom's friend that works for a doctor says that they've been asked not to tie anyone's tubes or give out contraceptives anymore. I found out that Jim's stockpiling condoms, on the off chance he manages to get a girl who doesn't think the rest of him's as ugly as his face. Says there's a bill in congress to restrict the sale of anything that prevents pregnancy.

Donna's friend Rusty is talking about signing up. She's trying to talk him out of it, but he figures his draft notice is in the mail already anyway.

May 8 - CJ has been selected by his friends and neighbors to represent his community in service to the United States Military. Which is to say that they want to send him over to China to get killed. I am surprisingly ambivalent.

He acted all scared and even cried a little. I imagine this was an act to coax me into sleeping with him. I can't say how well it worked, since he did it over the course of about three joints, which would have worked on its own.

Donna's all hot and bothered over CJ's friend Tom (I think "hot and bothered" is a great expression. Saw it on TV last night.) & they went off to fool around for a while. He hasn't been drafted yet, but the way things are going it looks like he will be.

May 11 - When I got up this morning, my eye hadn't recharged. Hope I don't have to get the damned thing serviced. I couldn't go anywhere, of course, because I had to leave it on the charger all day. But Donna came over and we hung out. She went out with Tom last night and had a good time and all.
You go to the north
She thinks the eyepatch makes me look tough.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 9 May 12-15

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 12 - Eye worked today. Guess I had it in the charger wrong or something.

May 13 - Donna's dad got "activated", which means he has to ship out. He does something technical for the navy, so it's not like he's going to the front or anything, but she's still scared. He wants her to go live with her grandmom. We talked to mom, and she said it would be okay if she stayed with us at least until the end of school. Her grandmom's an 80 year old woman with about a hundred cats.

May 14 - Episode 2 of "The government does stuff you thought only pissant little third world dictatorships did." Donna's mom is pregnant. They offered to reduce her sentence if she let them inseminate her.

There's some kind of good-bye party for the guys who got drafted down at the VFW Friday night. CJ wants me to go. Mom wasn't too thrilled about it, but Donna's going, so she can't very well stop me.

May 15 - Well, the good news is that Rusty got rejected because he's got a spot on his lung. The bad news is that Tom did get drafted. Donna's spending the night with him, which I'm sure thrills her dad no end because he ships out tomorrow afternoon.
You go to the north
Today was my birthday. Happy birthday. Mom and Dad gave me a couple of movies and a self-help book. Subtle. Jim got me some computer dohickey I didn't want or need, and programmed my eye to flash "Happy Birthday" a bunch of times, which I guess would be cute if it hadn't pissed me off. Donna told my parents she hadn't had time to get me anything but a card, but later she gave me a pair of contact lenses. It must have taken some work to get them, since she's too young to buy them on her own and you usually have to get fitted for them, I think.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 10 May 17

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 17, 4:36 AM - Fucking party. Turns out the whole thing was set up by one of those wacko grotps. Figured it was important for "our noble soldiers" to "leave ther genetic contribution to America's future." Read: date rape party. Donna & I managed to narrowly escape with the same amount of virtue we came with. Hud to kick somf 60 yr old redneck who thphht wf should "sohw our appreciation so th boys fnr defdndign our country" in the ballr. i feel drty just bieng there.

whgn we got there, cj was leaving his gendtic contribution in some slut. Likes ftcking her so much he should trz fucjign himself.

Me & Donma bot some bopze @ a place she knows doesnt card to drink & tamk abovt what a looser bk is. Shfs passt out drunk on my bed. Hauhng wfsd thots. Like right before she femn alseep I really wantd to jirr ifs.

Eye jurt went ded. Too tirfd tp kedp coding. Brobably cnding like shjt anyway.

May 17 (later) - Fell asleep without taking my eye out so it's dead today. And no one ever told me how much it hurts if you sleep with contacts in. Told mom I was too sick to see the shrink today, which isn't far from the truth. I managed to get Donna down to her bed before mom went to wake her up for breakfast. As if we could eat. We crashed in my room most of the day so no one would see how sick we were.
Go north
I let her get a good look at the hole in my face where my eye goes. She wasn't grossed out or anything. She asked me if I wanted to touch her scar. It was a little weird because you can feel little bumps where they stitched her cheek closed.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 11 May 19-28

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 19 - The fighting has escalated. Last night, one of our islands in the pacific got wiped off the map. That many people could just wink out of existence like that, and the world just goes on.

May 20 - Rethinking yesterday's entry. We've been bombing the country with the largest population in the world for weeks now. Maybe we got what we deserved.

May 23 - There is no Laos.

May 24 - The doctor's changed his tune. Says I should find a nice boy and try to build up family ties. In other words, he's one of them. Wants me to get myself knocked up. He even said, and I quote, "In this day and age, there really isn't an shame in being a single mother, even at a young age." Mom says I don't have to go anymore.

May 25 - Set up family ties with a nice boy? Fuck him. Besides, about the only boys that haven't been drafted are cripples and felons. And Rusty, of course, but I get the feeling he's looking to set up family ties with a nice boy himself.

May 26 - Mom is moving most of the valuables into long-term storage. As in "make Jim go out in the woods and dig a deep hole to hide them in." Won't help. We're all going to die.

May 27 - Air raid drill at school. Yes. Duck and cover. Fuck your mother.
You go to the north
May 28 - Dad took me aside this evening under the pretense of helping him check the furnace. He isn't sure if there's room enough in the shelter for Donna. I told him I had to think about my response to that.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 12 May 29-June 1

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

May 29 - I told dad that my response was that if he thought he was going to sneak the family down to the basement and lock Donna upstairs to get blown up, he could fuck himself. Basically, I said that I wasn't going to lock myself in the 30-year deep freeze without her. He said he'd work out something, that maybe we could stretch the supplies out enough for a fifth. That was after he slapped me for swearing at him, of course.

He did something else weird, too. He showed me how to open the lock box that the cyanide pills are in. Said that if the time came, he thought I might be the only one strong enough to do what had to be done.

I think he knows that the lead-lined casket in the basement isn't really going to save us.

The last thing he said before shoving me back upstairs was that he didn't want to insult me, but he had to make me promise that I'd *only* use the pills if I had to. Maybe it's weird that he trusts me enough to tell me, but it would have been better if he could do it without being afraid that I'd off myself when he wasn't looking.

May 30 - Something's bugging Donna. She won't talk to me about it. I'm worried.

May 31 - Donna didn't come home last night. She showed up late this afternoon with a lame story about spending the night at her place because she had gotten involved in packing some things.
Go north
June 1 - Sometimes I think it would be a lot better if I just died now. I don't really want to die any more, I just don't care. But I'd like to be in control. The whole fucking world could end any day now. At least if I did it myself, I'd know when it was coming. I'd have some say in the matter.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 13 June 2-11

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

June 2 - Donna is still acting funny. I wonder if she's worried about her dad.

June 3 - As close as I can tell, I'm a free woman again. Mom and Dad aren't watching me constantly, and I can pretty much come and go as I please, with the caveat that I can't stay out too long, what with the imminent possibility of he bomb killing us all.

But I'm worried about Donna. She wanders off for hours at a time, doesn't say anything.

June 4 - Jimmy's got himself a girlfriend. How cute. She's a rolly-polly little thing with coke-bottle glasses who thinks the sun rises and sets on him because of his brilliant invention. Maybe his stockpile won't go to waste after all.

Yeah. And maybe my eye will grow back.

June 5 - They've cancelled graduation due to war. Fuck.

June 6 - I forgot what I wanted to write. When I went downstairs to get my diary, I stopped by the door to Donna's room. Was gonna see if she was still up. I heard her crying. Should I have gone in?

June 7 - We're sending troops into Vietnam. Where have I heard that before?

June 9 - Donna asked me to try on some of her clothes. I don't like wearing a skirt, but she said I have really nice legs & I should show them off. Nice legs? Anyway, I hope this means she's feeling better, but there was something distant about her. About the only thing she was willing to talk about was the time I slit my wrists. Morbid.

June 10 - Rained all day today. After watching a whole lot of TV, we basically just sat around. I worked on new pages for my code book while Donna just sat there and watched me.

June 11 - More rain. I think Donna's close to breaking. I was laying in bed with my eyes closed, making the firm decision not to get out of bed until dinner, and she came in around one in the afternoon and asked if she could lay down with me. She got in bed and just lay there for a while, then she started crying. I put my arm around her and tried to get her to talk about it, but she didn't say anything. Just lay there sobbing for about three hours. Then, she just got up, thanked me, and left. Later, she was like nothing had happened.
You go north
She wants me to go to Rusty's tomorrow for a social evening (and cheap booze. But Rusty makes a good fuzzy navel.) I said I would.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 14 June 13

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

What order should I write this in? This is big.

Donna's pregnant.

Donna kissed me.

Now that the big points are out of the way, I'll get on to the details. Rusty isn't big on wild parties; it was just me and Donna and him and a couple of his friends siting around and drinking. After a couple of games of Beiruit, Donna needed help standing so she could throw the ball. She said she wanted to lie down for a while, so Rusty let me carry her to his sister's room -- she moved out a year ago. I was going to leave her for a while and go back to the party, but she asked me to stay. So I sit on the bed, and she's kind of hanging on me, and about twenty minutes go by, and then she tells me. Actually, she tells my arm, which is where her head was. She was way late so she got a pregnancy test from the drug store and however many lines showed up. So now I know why she's been so weird. I tell her that she shouldn't worry, and she has to take the test again to be sure, and maybe she should see her doctor. But of course her doctor's in Oklahoma, and she doesn't want anyone to know. She asks if I know anyone who can take care of it, because she won't keep it, and she hears that they're paying off abortion doctors to not take any patients, and they keep geting bombed by the war-baby people anyway, but of course I don't. So she cries for a while and hugs me and stuff, and she tells me how scared she is. I tell her that I'll do whatever she needs. I don't have a whole lot of money, because CJ was making me pay for pot most of the time, but I could sneak a bunch of shit from my parents, now that mom's got everything hidden, so if she needs cash to pay for it, I could do that. Or anything else she needs from me. She just wants me to keep holding her while she cries, so I do. And after a while she wants to lie down, so we do, and we just sort of cuddle for a while. She calms down some, so she starts talking about her mom, except she keeps calling her a coked-up whore. She talks some about her dad too, and how she thinks he's going to die.

Eventually I ask her if she's told Tom. She hasn't, of course, since he's off in boot camp, and she's not going to tell him because she doesn't want him having that on his head when he goes off to die for his country. While we're lying there, I get to thinking. I've always thought I was so alone, but then I think about Donna, and her coked-up whore mom in jail, her dad and her boyfriend going off to play soldiers. She says I'm just about the only friend she has in the world which is just about what I'm thinking at this point. And she sort of puts her hand behind my head and starts kind of playing with my hair. I start to get the feeling that she wants me to kiss her, but I'm not sure whether it's the booze or the loneliness, or the being afraid, or what, so I'm not sure it's a good idea even if I want to, which I'm not sure of either, but she takes matters into her own hands and kisses me.

I kissed Donna one time when we were thirteen, on a dare, but it was just, you know, the kind of kiss you do on a dare. This was serious. It was a good kiss, as close as I can tell. I'm not gay or anything, I don't think, but it was still a good kiss. She didn't say anything afterward, just went back to crying until she fell asleep. I think this is as far as it's going, which is good.
You go north
I wish I had been able to stick around until she woke up. I slept with her. Next to her, rather. But I slipped out early in the morning to clock in so my parents didn't bust a gasket over it. Left her a note. She hasn't come home yet, but she might still be asleep.

---Diary (Decoded)---
Page: 14 June 13

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

What order should I write this in? This is big.

Donna's pregnant.

Donna kissed me.

Now that the big points are out of the way, I'll get on to the details. Rusty isn't big on wild parties; it was just me and Donna and him and a couple of his friends siting around and drinking. After a couple of games of Beiruit, Donna needed help standing so she could throw the ball. She said she wanted to lie down for a while, so Rusty let me carry her to his sister's room -- she moved out a year ago. I was going to leave her for a while and go back to the party, but she asked me to stay. So I sit on the bed, and she's kind of hanging on me, and about twenty minutes go by, and then she tells me. Actually, she tells my arm, which is where her head was. She was way late so she got a pregnancy test from the drug store and however many lines showed up. So now I know why she's been so weird. I tell her that she shouldn't worry, and she has to take the test again to be sure, and maybe she should see her doctor. But of course her doctor's in Oklahoma, and she doesn't want anyone to know. She asks if I know anyone who can take care of it, because she won't keep it, and she hears that they're paying off abortion doctors to not take any patients, and they keep geting bombed by the war-baby people anyway, but of course I don't. So she cries for a while and hugs me and stuff, and she tells me how scared she is. I tell her that I'll do whatever she needs. I don't have a whole lot of money, because CJ was making me pay for pot most of the time, but I could sneak a bunch of shit from my parents, now that mom's got everything hidden, so if she needs cash to pay for it, I could do that. Or anything else she needs from me. She just wants me to keep holding her while she cries, so I do. And after a while she wants to lie down, so we do, and we just sort of cuddle for a while. She calms down some, so she starts talking about her mom, except she keeps calling her a coked-up whore. She talks some about her dad too, and how she thinks he's going to die.

Eventually I ask her if she's told Tom. She hasn't, of course, since he's off in boot camp, and she's not going to tell him because she doesn't want him having that on his head when he goes off to die for his country. While we're lying there, I get to thinking. I've always thought I was so alone, but then I think about Donna, and her coked-up whore mom in jail, her dad and her boyfriend going off to play soldiers. She says I'm just about the only friend she has in the world which is just about what I'm thinking at this point. And she sort of puts her hand behind my head and starts kind of playing with my hair. I start to get the feeling that she wants me to kiss her, but I'm not sure whether it's the booze or the loneliness, or the being afraid, or what, so I'm not sure it's a good idea even if I want to, which I'm not sure of either, but she takes matters into her own hands and kisses me.

I kissed Donna one time when we were thirteen, on a dare, but it was just, you know, the kind of kiss you do on a dare. This was serious. It was a good kiss, as close as I can tell. I'm not gay or anything, I don't think, but it was still a good kiss. She didn't say anything afterward, just went back to crying until she fell asleep. I think this is as far as it's going, which is good.
Documents
Press the number of your selection, 1-9, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Suicide Note
4     Current Events Homework
5     Letter (1)
6     Letter (2)
7     Code Book (old)
8     Code Book (new)
9     Diary (Decoded)
You analyze the autokey
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using unknown cipher (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
The house shakes hard as a something, probably an aircraft or small bomb, crashes to earth in the distance.
You put the eye in the charger
You let the optical unit charge for a few minutes. When you remove it, it's warm to the touch. Hm. The device seems to think that the eye is fully charged. That doesn't make sense; this charger is supposed to, if your memory serves, take several hours. There's no way that the technology of this period could build a charger capable of such speed. Somewhere, probably a few kilometers away, there is an explosion. The house rocks, and you have a hard time keeping your footing.

You hear a great crash below.
Interface eye
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: LZ-50 Optical Prosthetic. Manufacturer: Optitron BioTechnics

Downloading images...

The viewpoint of the camera suggests that the wearer is seated in front of a portable computer. Her hand reaches out and picks up a small device beside the computer. She turns it over, presumably examining it from all angles. The hand turns the device until its barrel-end points directly into the camera. A finger twitches, pressing a button. A flash of light issues from the end of the device, and the image flickers, distorts, and breaks up.

When the image returns, the device has been dropped to the table. The wearer stands, and the camera reels in unsteady ascent. Again a hand reaches out, this time to switch the computer off. It takes a small red pill from the table, and then moves to the wearer's mouth.

The camera turns quickly, and moves toward one of the bunked beds. It focuses on the motionless body of a beautiful blonde girl. The image switches to infrared, showing the characteristic cooling of a recently deceased body, then the camera changes back to the visual spectrum. The camera bobs up and down, as if slowly nodding. It moves toward the face of the dead girl, and stays very close to one cheek for a long time. The camera withdraws, and the wearer extends a hand, tracing the shoulder and arm of the corpse, finally coming to rest atop the folded hands. The wearer's hand squeezes the dead hands once, then the camera turns toward the opposite cot.

The camera moves toward the cot, then turns and lowers, finally pitching back as the wearer lies down. A hand moves toward the camera, and as it passes in front of it, the recording ends.
[The document "LZ-50 Memory Buffer" has been added to your DataStore.]
You examine the eye
Remarkable. This is an LZ-50 prosthetic optical unit, the first commercial replacement eye. This explains the sunken eyelid on the poor dead girl -- she must have had a prosthetic eye. But this... You could stand here all day and admire the workmanship. You would never have suspected that the technology of this period could develop something that could actually replace a human eye. And here you are... it's in your hand. You turn it over and over. It looks amazingly realistic.
Decode crumpled letter
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 26 character alphabet.
Decoding...
1

Hi. Um. Hope I remember how to yse the code book right. How are you? I guesr you're wondering where this note came. Well, I'm living with my dad now. Mom started dating this drug dealer and she got arrested because he was making crystal meth in our basement. So I'm back here at least till the end of the year. So what's new in your life? I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. Pleare write me back so we can talk some time.

[The DataStore entry for this document has been updated to reflect deciphered text.]
Decode folded
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Best guess: One Time Pad. 26 character alphabet.
Decoding...
3

I'm glad you wrote me back. All these years, I've been scared pretty much shitless that you hated me, because it was my mom was driving that night when you lost your eye. I've really missed you all these years, and I would have talked to you in the hall, but every time I see you I lose my nerve. First I think that you'll hate me because of the accident, then I think maybe I should try to talk to you anyway, but then I think that you'll hate me for not talking to you for so long. I guess I'll understand if you want me to just steer clear and stuff, but please try to forgive me. God, I'm such a coward. I've really missed you. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I really want to let you know how sorry I am.

[The DataStore entry for this document has been updated to reflect deciphered text.]
Research sync
No relevant entry found.
Something blocks the light for a second, and you turn to look. Nothing. Hm. This place is starting to get to you.
Go east
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.
This image shows a young man in his mid-teens. He sports a pathetic attempt at a moustache. Though he shows all the awkwardness of adolescence, he apparently does know, at least, how to pose for a photograph. He has a very slight smile, and a look of interested curiosity on his face. He does show the awkward pockmarks of severe acne, made worse by the extreme fullness of his face. He is wearing a black shirt with a suede vest, which bears a small lapel pin, of the sort distributed by academic honor societies.
[The document "Photograph of a Young Man" has been added to your DataStore.]
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Of all the rooms you've seen so far, this bedroom shows the least signs of having been tidied before the house was abandoned. Naturally, of course, this heightens your curiosity; untidy rooms generally tell you more than clean ones. From the space-shuttle wallpaper, you suspect that this room belonged to a young child, though it might simply imply that the room is long-overdue for renovation. There is a bookcase along one wall, containing model space ships, toy robots, and a very few books. A desk beside the door is loaded down with computer equipment. The most interesting feature of the room is the floor; while most of the other rooms have had wall-to-wall carpeting, this room has what appears to be industrial grade linoleum tile. The hallway lies west.
You look at the linoleum
You don't recall any precedent in home furnishing that would call for industrial grade linoleum in a bedroom, but it is here nonetheless. Since you can't imagine that the floor is an artifact from an earlier function of the room, it is somewhat perplexing that such a floor would be present.
Interface computer
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Personal Computer. Manufacturer identification not found.

Searching for relevant data...



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
2
Analyzing...
Format not recognized.
Attempting to download...
Download failed: Insufficient space.



Press the number of your selection, 1-3, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit. Three relevant documents found:
1     Code Fragment
2     Data Snapshot
3     Electronic Mailbox
3
---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 1 Mailbox for swallace

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

From: Subject:
Dr. Helmut Sha Re: distributed neural simulation...2
YOR_FRIEND906  HOTTEST OFFER EVER..................3
hotoffer@spam. Lower your debt!....................4
Dr. Helmut Sha PIT AI lab..........................5
Michael Pendra 31337...............................6
Amy            (no subject)........................7
Michelle313    I'm boooooooored!...................8
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................9
Amy            Re: Tonight.........................10
Michael Pendra Julia...............................11
Amy            Hi..................................12
Michael Pendra 31337...............................13
Amy            Hi, again...........................14
Michael Pendra Re: Julia...........................15
Amy            Re: Hi, again.......................16
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................17
hotxxx@bulkmai YOUNG HARDCORE SLUTS................18
Mary Pantalon  PIT early admission.................19
Amy            Um... Stuff.........................20
Amy            My last mail........................21
Dante          Situation...........................22
Michael Pendra Re: Situation.......................23
Michael Pendra Re: PIT.............................24
Amy            Sorry...............................25
You analyze the code fragment
Analyzing...
Examining text...
Performing heuristics...
Counting character frequencies...
Performing statistical analysis...
Performing more heuristics...
Results: Coded text using unknown cipher (This text cannot be decoded at this time)
Note: Unbreakable ciphers (eg. Ciphers using One Time Pad or RUR nanocode encoding) cannot be decoded until matching key has been analyzed. Unknown ciphers may be decoded after more encrypted text has been analyzed.
You examine wallpaper
The papering on the walls shows vaguely technical schematics for the first reusable space vehicle. You can't imagine what it must have been like; a society so impressed by a model of space vehicle that it would make its way into something so mundane as wall coverings. It must have really been something for the people of this time. You have to remind yourself that for these people, space travel was still risky business. The very idea that they could reliably send something up, outside their little planet, and then bring it back again... It must have been absolutely wondrous to see something like this go up.
You examine the toys
model spaceship: Small, detailed models of space vehicles which appear to be more fanciful than realistic.
You jump
You jump on the spot.
You look under the desk
(the desk)
You find nothing of interest.
You open the desk
(the desk)
That's not something you can open.
You examine the desk
(the desk)
You see nothing special about the desk.
You take all the desk
desk: That's hardly portable.
Go west
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.
The image shows a young woman dressed in simplified academic regalia. She wears a formless gown in an unflattering blue pastel with a mortarboard cap. The girl in the picture looks about the right age for this photograph to be commemorating a high school graduation, though there are signs that she might be older; her expression is one of world-weariness, and her disapproving frown merges into lines on the face which suggest that this is an accustomed expression. You imagine that she would be quite attractive, if not for the scowl which seems to be permanently burnt into her face.

An unnatural reflection causes you to notice her right eye, which, under close scrutiny, is apparently artificial. Though the prosthesis is good enough to pass for the real thing under casual scrutiny, it does lack the bloodshot look of the left eye, and you can make out the segmentation of a mechanical iris. If the color had been a better match for her left eye, you might well not have noticed.
[The document "Graduation Photograph" has been added to your DataStore.]
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Generally speaking, you learn more from a dirty house than a clean one; intensive cleaning tends to remove much of the anthropological evidence about the day-to-day affairs of the occupants. You can tell that whoever lived here had some warning before they evacuated, time enough to at least do some preliminary straightening up. The bed, which is opposite the door, under the smaller of the room's two windows, is neatly made, the wastepaper basket between the door and the dresser is empty, and the two night tables on either side of the bed are both clean and freshly polished. A full-length mirror hangs on a door to the north. The hallway is east.
You open the dresser
(the dresser drawers)
You open the dresser drawers, revealing an antique key.
You go to the north
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

You are in a bathroom, unusually large and attractively decorated. Aside from the free-standing whirlpool bathtub, there is a separate shower stall. A counter, the central feature of which is a three-paneled mirror which wraps around the sink, spans one wall. Architecturally, the room itself is fairly simple; a rectangle with plain white walls and a simple black-and-white tessellation on the floor tile. The decor gives the room more life; delicate just-green lace window drapery contrasts elegantly with the deep green of the heavy rug in the center of the room. The counter is equipped with a wicker dish full of soaps which you assume are more decorative than functional. A wooden table under the window holds a vase of dried flowers. The exit is south.
You drop the autokey
Dropped.
You go north
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the simple key.

You are in a bathroom, unusually large and attractively decorated. Aside from the free-standing whirlpool bathtub, there is a separate shower stall. A counter, the central feature of which is a three-paneled mirror which wraps around the sink, spans one wall. Architecturally, the room itself is fairly simple; a rectangle with plain white walls and a simple black-and-white tessellation on the floor tile. The decor gives the room more life; delicate just-green lace window drapery contrasts elegantly with the deep green of the heavy rug in the center of the room. The counter is equipped with a wicker dish full of soaps which you assume are more decorative than functional. A wooden table under the window holds a vase of dried flowers. The exit is south.
You examine the tub
The bathtub is empty.
You examine the vase
In the vase are some dried flowers.
You examine the soaps
Unbelievable. The level of craftsmanship these people could put into something like this. It is almost as if the fact that the icon would be destroyed on its first use didn't make one scrap of difference. To turn something so mundane into a piece of art... Incredible.
Go east
Generally speaking, you learn more from a dirty house than a clean one; intensive cleaning tends to remove much of the anthropological evidence about the day-to-day affairs of the occupants. You can tell that whoever lived here had some warning before they evacuated, time enough to at least do some preliminary straightening up. The bed, which is opposite the door, under the smaller of the room's two windows, is neatly made, the wastepaper basket between the door and the dresser is empty, and the two night tables on either side of the bed are both clean and freshly polished. A full-length mirror hangs on a door to the north. The hallway is east.

You can see an autokey here.

Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
Go west
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter.

The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 1], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the antique key.

The small office is furnished much as you'd expect for an office of this period. There is a bookshelf along one wall, furnished more with office supplies than with books. The only exit is east.

You can see a computer here.
Research united earth
Cylinians (United Cylinz Confederation)
The first contact between Humans and non-human intelligence came in the form of a Concordance delegation sent to meet the first superluminal Earth ship. The Concordance had monitored Earth for some time, and chose to send a delegation composed primarily of Cylinians, due to the marked similarity between the two races.

Physically and socially, Cylinians are almost identical to Humans. The only external physical differences deal with pigmentation (All Cylinians have blue or brown eyes, and the skin around their eyes is darker. Otherwise, they are identical to Humans native to southern Europe. With a minimum of cosmetics, a member of one species could easily pass for the other), and the two species are even capable of interbreeding [Footnote 7].

Source: CASFR member race database
Footnote 7
[Footnote 7]
In fact, Cylinians and Humans are not truly different "species", according to the traditional definition of the word. The fact that two races on different planets could develop nearly identical genetic code has led many to postulate the existance of some older "parent" species.
Go upwards
The house is even bigger than you initially thought; this level is not a basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, the door leading to the basement proper is in front of you  [Footnote 1], while fully-fledged rooms lie in the other cardinal directions. Another, smaller room lies to the northwest.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter.
You examine Letter
Dear Julia,
I hope to God you get this letter. We waited for you as long as we could, but they're saying that the bombs could fall any day. There's a shelter out in New Calvert, we're going there. Daddy says its the safest place in a hundred miles. Try to get there if you can, but don't take any risks. The most important thing is that you stay safe. I left some money and your grandmom's jewels in the hidden place for you. Your dad bought a gun and bullets, and put them there too, but be careful. We all love you and hope to see you again.

Love,
Mom.
[The document "Letter to Julia" has been added to your DataStore.]
Go west
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.

Generally speaking, you learn more from a dirty house than a clean one; intensive cleaning tends to remove much of the anthropological evidence about the day-to-day affairs of the occupants. You can tell that whoever lived here had some warning before they evacuated, time enough to at least do some preliminary straightening up. The bed, which is opposite the door, under the smaller of the room's two windows, is neatly made, the wastepaper basket between the door and the dresser is empty, and the two night tables on either side of the bed are both clean and freshly polished. A full-length mirror hangs on a door to the north. The hallway is east.

You can see an autokey here.
You go to the east
Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.

A poorly-lit length of hallway begins here and continues west. The southern wall is open to the living room. A door leads east.

A painting on the wall depicts a nautical theme.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

You are in a very small bathroom, fitted out as you would expect, in a pastel decor. A number of decorative touches lead you to surmise that this bathroom was intended primarily for guests. A gentle breeze issues from a vent high on one wall. The exit is west.

On the fixture is a scientific journal.
You look at the journal
This is a magazine whose articles showcase current events in the scientific community. It is written to a target audience of educated, but not scientifically trained, readers.
You browse through the magazine, looking for anything of interest. You are not disappointed. There is a short article, all the way at the back, summarizing the doctoral thesis of one Emmanuel Kaldeki.
This is quite a find; Kaldeki's original thesis has long been lost, and it has long been assumed that he had not pursued the line of research that would eventually lead to StreamDive technology until after the war. You read the article...

Physicist Emmanuel Kaldeki created a buzz in the scientific world early this month with the delivery of his PhD thesis, "Mathematical Modeling of Non-Temporal Quantum Particles" at the Pacific Institute of Technology. The paper describes a set of mathematical formulae which model a theoretical particle called "Q-omega". The Q-omega particle, according to Kaldeki's model, behaves in most respects like a strange-matter quark, but also exhibits properties previously only modeled in tachyons. Specifically, it reacts in unusual ways to space-time curvature. The Kaldeki model suggests that that at relativistic velocities, the Q-omega particle would "plane" on highly curved space-time, in much the same way that the hull of a speed boat planes over water.

Most of the excitement over Kaldeki's paper comes not from the modeling technique itself, but from the two major example models included. The first demonstrates how the non-temporal nature of the Q-omega particle renders it immune from the effects of time and mass dilation occurring at speeds near that of light. Indeed, because of their unique nature, the model shows that Q-omega particles can be accelerated above the speed of light, a possibility generally disallowed by the theory of relativity.

The second, and more impressive example studies the behavior of Q-omega in the vicinity of a black hole. Under such extreme space-time curvature, Kaldeki predicts that the Q-omega particle would completely disassociate itself with conventional space-time, being displaced along a predictable path to some distant point in the universe instantaneously. Because the path of the particle does not go through space-time during this journey, it is possible for Q-omega to re-enter normal space at a point in time prior to its departure.

The scientific community is excited about the implications of this theory: several researchers have suggested that Kaldeki's findings may open the way to faster-than-light travel, matter transmission, and time travel. Asked about these possibilities, Kaldeki said, "I think it's a bit early to start talking about applications; we don't even know yet if the particles I've modeled can be created. There's nothing in the mathematics that would prohibit [these applications], but actually doing it is a long way off. You've got to remember, we're talking about sub-atomic particles, and if we could scale the effect to something the size of, say, a man, it's not very likely that a living creature could survive being moved around like that."

Kaldeki has received a grant for an undisclosed amount to pursue the fabrication of these particles. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Quantum Physics will be conferred upon Emmanuel Kaldeki by the Pacific Institute of Technology during commencement exercises next month.
[The document "Kaldeki Article" has been added to your DataStore.] Somewhere near the coast of Alaska, an intercontinental missile generates a high-frequency electrical field, rendering it invisible to the defensive screen covering much of the North American continent.
You examine the photograph
A poorly-lit length of hallway begins here and continues west. The southern wall is open to the living room. A door leads east.

A painting on the wall depicts a nautical theme.

The ceiling over this stretch of hallway slopes upward where the stairs cut into it. Along the south wall, just before the ceiling becomes too low to make a serviceable hallway, a low, louvered door marks a small closet. The hallway continues east, and to the west it ends in an archway leading to the dining room.

When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can see a photograph here.
This is apparently a visual of the family that lived in this house. In the back stand two adults, a man whose receding hair looks unnaturally dark, wearing thick, horn-rimmed eyeglasses, and a woman, much shorter, who looks about the same age. She too wears glasses, with a more fashionable wire frame. Her front teeth, visible in what looks like an unaccustomed smile, are stained and crooked. A small scar is visible near the corner of her mouth. Before them are two children. On the right, a boy about ten, has a ridiculous smile and equally ridiculous bowl-cut. Beside him is a girl, probably a few years his senior. You aren't sure, but you think you see a glint of something reflective near her temple, where her hair is awkwardly combed over a bald patch. Her eyes are not quite the same color, though that may be a blemish on the photograph. There does certainly seem to be something odd about her right eye, but you can't tell on a photograph this size.
[The document "Family Photo" has been added to your DataStore.]
You examine the Card
In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.
A grade report has been affixed to the refrigerator door:
Donald Woods High School
Interim Grade Report

Term: Spring
Name: Stephen James Wallace
Grade: 10

Class: Calculus        Instructor: Nelson    Grade: 99
Class: Journalism Tech Instructor: Kryzac    Grade: 100
Class: English II      Instructor: Celsius   Grade: 89
Class: AP Physics      Instructor: Cornell   Grade: 98

Please report any errors to guidance office immediately.
This is an interim grade report. Official grades will be available at end of semester.
[The document "Report Card" has been added to your DataStore.]
You examine the receipt
day!
Store #10191 Checker 7 6:27 PM

BJ ICE CRM 1GAL            7.74
FW TOWELL 6PK         SB   4.80
FW 2PCT MLK 1GAL           4.88
FW TRASH BAG               5.54
PRODUCE               SB   9.34
PRODUCE                   16.33
AP XS CH COL               9.72
POLISH SAUS               10.21
1DOZ EGG                   8.35
FLNK STK                  18.22
PRD WHOLE CHKN            12.77
FC BREAD                   1.94
COKE 2LTR          6      18.06
MTN SPR WTR 1GAL   4      12.44
TT DONUT                   4.33
MARLB MEN UL CRT          52.00
AA BATT 12PK              16.32
CP SOUP            5  SB  10.35
APL JCE                    5.10
MX TMPN 30                 6.77

BAL                      235.21

SB FW TOWELL 6PK           2.20-
SB PRODUCE                 1.21-
SB CP SOUP                 1.00-
BAL                      230.80
TAX  11.54     BAL       242.34
Debit Card               242.34-

FoodWorks 10191
Debit Card     XXXXXXXXXXXXX1332
$242.34
BIOMETRIC SCAN CONFIRM:
James Robert Wallace
AUTH OK

Authentication verified by DAVS
YOUR TOTAL SUPER BONUS SAVINGS
TODAY ARE: $4.41



day!

[The document "Grocery Receipt" has been added to your DataStore.]
E,E,E
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

This was originally a walk-in closet, but with the quantity of items which have accumulated here, it has become more of a stand-in closet. You are sure that if the building weren't doomed, it would eventually have turned into a lean-in closet. Between the well-stocked coat rod and a number of boxes, there is just enough room for you to turn around if you feel like returning west to the living room.

On the coat rod are a winter coat (in which is a sales brochure), a light jacket (empty), a windbreaker (empty), a gray suitcoat (empty), a black suitcoat (empty) and a smoking jacket (empty).
Go upward
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.

There is barely enough room to stand upright in the attic. It certainly looks too small to be of much use for storage. It's nearly impossible to move without clocking yourself on a supporting beam.

You can see an unlabeled data disc here.
Interface disc
Attempting to interface...
Interface established.
Examining device...
Selecting protocol...
Compatible protocol found.
Device: Optical disc, Joliet encoding.

Scanning. Text message found:
By now, the political alliance of European and American countries is engaged in a war against countries in the middle and far east. This conflict will last several years, and result in several billion deaths. The war will be ended when Space Station Kennedy crashes near the Chinese capital city.

However, the war can be ended more quickly, and with a reduced loss of life if nuclear weapons from the United States can be effectively deployed in the Chinese mainland. The defensive screen which prevents nuclear weapons from reaching Chinese soil uses a simple 512-bit identification code to differentiate between friendly and unfriendly missiles. If a nuclear missile were to transmit the data sequence generated by the Plotnitz-Leibkin algorithm at a frequency of 906.4 MHz, Chinese countermeasures would mistake the missile for a Chinese launch, and would be unable to eradicate it before it reached its target. The tactical advantage afforded by this ability will undoubtedly force the eastern alliance to capitulate with a substantially reduced cost in both lives and damage to the world ecosystem.
[The document "Data Disc Message" has been added to your DataStore.]

You blink. This doesn't make any sense. The disc is contemporary, but it seems to contain information about events in the future. This can't be... Has history somehow been altered?
You go east
You are in a small, dark room that appears to have been unused for years. The only feature worth noting is a wooden ladder which leads to an opening in the ceiling. The exit is north.

Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 5], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 6]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

From the architecture of the house, you can tell that this is the only bedroom to have its own walk-in closet, which no doubt was an issue of some discussion when bedrooms were assigned. The majority of the closet is taken up by clothing, but you can see a few boxes toward the back.
You move the boxes
You are unable to.
Search boxes
Pushing a box to the side, you discover a thin composition book, which had been secreted between two of the boxes.
You read the thin Book
Page: 0 Fake Diary

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page
You encode the blank chip
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
pelmrptfju
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
iplmughkrv
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
jqmnvhilsw
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
krnowijmtx
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
lsopxjknuy
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
mtpqyklovz
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
nuqrzlmpwa
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
ovrsamnqxb
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
pwstbnoryc
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
qxtucopszd
Encode qwertyuiop
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
ryuvdpqtae
Encode qwert
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
szvwe
Encode qwert
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
tawxf
Encode qwert
Selecting cipher...
Using RUR-14.
Output:
ubxyg
You examine library
This chip contains a library of data, tailored to your current mission parameters.
Commands Provided:
RESEARCH X -- Search library for given term
BROWSE -- Display relevant entries
You browse
Press the number of your selection, 1-6, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Cylinians
4     Historical Period: The Seventy Days
5     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
6     Stephen James Wallace
5
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
Possibly the darkest period in recent history, this period contains the last and largest of the intercontinental wars. Several Middle Eastern nations formed a military alliance, and began imposing expansionist policies on neighboring countries. When the United States threatened to cut off trade relations with these countries, the formed a lucrative trade alliance with China. Because during this period, industrialized nations were still highly dependent on fossil fuel, an alliance of western nations declared war on China and the Arabic alliance. Tactical nuclear warheads were used by both sides, resulting in the near-total annihilation of many US-sympathetic countries in southeast Asia. Though US nuclear weapons were unable to breach Chinese countermeasures, several Chinese nuclear missiles did penetrate the US defensive system, obliterating a number of cities. The war was finally ended when the massive space station Kennedy crashed to Earth near the Chinese capital. The resulting explosion killed over two billion people, forcing the Chinese government to capitulate. However, widespread environmental and war damage left the entire world badly crippled. Reconstruction would take much of the next century, and the extensive costs of rebuilding the damaged world forced the beginning of governmental alliances that would eventually lead to a United Earth Government.

Your mission occurs during the opening of the nuclear phase of the war. At 785278.83 UDC, a missile launched from China will exploit the breach in the US missile shield. Nine hours later, its course will be diverted away from Washington, DC to avoid US countermeasures. It will narrowly miss a secondary target, several miles from your Dive site, at 865741.8 UDC.

Source: Zanxq's Brief Guide to Human Civilizations, vol. 72

SEE ALSO: Space Station Kennedy
Research space station kennedy
Press the number of your selection, 1-7, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Cylinians
4     Historical Period: The Seventy Days
5     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
6     Space Station Kennedy
7     Stephen James Wallace
6
The first orbital platform intended for permanent occupation, Space Station Kennedy was assembled in Earth orbit in the second quarter of the twenty-first century. Compared with earlier projects, Kennedy was ambitious; it contained living facilities for twenty-five families, and, unlike earlier space stations, its primary function was not scientific, but industrial. Methods of zero-gravity production which had previously been tested on earlier space missions were implemented on a grand scale. It was also the first space vehicle to be equipped with a synthetic gravity system. After two decades of service, the station was badly damaged during the intercontinental war of the mid twenty-first century. Its crew were not able to prevent a forced re-entry, and chose to direct the crashing space station to a heavily inhabited area of China. Everyone aboard the station was killed in the resulting explosion, which also resulted in severe environmental catastrophes in Asia, prompting the end of the war.

Source: The Space Pioneers, vol. 9

BROWSE
Press the number of your selection, 1-7, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Cylinians
4     Historical Period: The Seventy Days
5     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
6     Space Station Kennedy
7     Stephen James Wallace
Research streamdive
(the StreamDive console)
No relevant entry found.
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In the distance, you think you hear someone trying to force the lock on the front door. Better stay out of sight.

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In the front hall, you hear the sound of cracking wood as the door is forced open. There's someone else in the house.
"Alert:", the console beeps, "Human presence detected within building."

Time passes.

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You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a fake diary
an autokey
two keys:
an antique key
a simple key
a code book
a real diary
a prosthetic eye
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
DROP FAKE DIARY, CODE BOOK, REAL DIARY, EYE
fake diary: Dropped.
code book: Dropped.
real diary: Dropped.
prosthetic eye: Dropped.
Simple key
antique key: Dropped.
simple key: Dropped.
You go west
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
You examine the coatrack
A fairly simple coatrack stands in the corner, partially eclipsing the air vent along the wall.
You look in the cabinet
In the video cabinet are a video screen and six video discs (one "Episode Two", one "Jigsaw", one "Spider and Web", one "Symetry", one "War of the Worlds" and one "Best Chefs").
Go north
A poorly-lit length of hallway begins here and continues west. The southern wall is open to the living room. A door leads east.
You take it
That's hardly portable.
Examine books
Nothing of note; a few books on computer operation and general chemistry references.
Go east
You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.

This was originally a walk-in closet, but with the quantity of items which have accumulated here, it has become more of a stand-in closet. You are sure that if the building weren't doomed, it would eventually have turned into a lean-in closet. Between the well-stocked coat rod and a number of boxes, there is just enough room for you to turn around if you feel like returning west to the living room.

On the coat rod are a winter coat (in which is a sales brochure), a light jacket (empty), a windbreaker (empty), a gray suitcoat (empty), a black suitcoat (empty) and a smoking jacket (empty).
You look at the boxes
Boxes are piled high. The bottommost ones appear to be neatly stacked, but the more accessible ones are positioned more haphazardly.
You look at the smoking jacket
A wool jacket with suede patches at the elbows in a houndstooth pattern.
You take all the coats
winter coat: Taken.
light jacket: Taken.
windbreaker: Taken.
gray suitcoat: Taken.
black suitcoat: Taken.
You wear the winter coat
You put on the winter coat.
You wear the light jacket
You put on the light jacket.
You wear the windbreaker
You put on the windbreaker.
You wear the gray suitcoat
You put on the gray suitcoat.
You wear the black suitcoat
You put on the black suitcoat.
You wear the smoking jacket
You put on the smoking jacket.
You look at windbreaker
A lightweight jacket made of a synthetic polymer.
You drop it
You take off the windbreaker.
Dropped.
You drop it
You take off the gray suitcoat.
Dropped.
You drop it
You take off the black suitcoat.
Dropped.
You drop it
You take off the smoking jacket.
Dropped.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a light jacket (being worn)
a winter coat (being worn)
a sales brochure
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
You drop it
You take off the winter coat.
Dropped.
You take off the light jacket.
Dropped.
Go west
The very name "living room" is a subject of some consideration: what does it mean to be a "room for living". Obviously, one "lives" in every room of a house. Practically speaking, during this time period, the "living room" was the room in which one entertained guests, watched video transmissions, and interacted with family. Nevertheless, the living room was primarily the adults' domain. This living room is not an exception. The atmosphere is one of maturity; the lack of wear on the furniture and prominence of fragile art objects suggests that it is a room not accustomed to children's play. A couch and several armchairs are arranged in a rough semicircle, a superficial attempt at creating the illusion that its occupants are generally interested in conversation rather than watching the screen, which one assumes is in the cabinet situated along the southern wall. The louvered doors of a closet are set in the east wall, and the wall opposite opens into the foyer. Along the north wall, a section opens into another hallway.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.

This is a small room, designed to hold food staples and cooking equipment not housed in the kitchen. You doubt you'll find anything worthwhile in here, but you've been a StreamDiver long enough to know better than to trust appearances. You can return east to the kitchen.

Shelves line the walls, sparsely stocked.

On the shelves are some pots and pans, a lazy susan (empty), a flour pot (closed) and a can of spiced ham (closed).
You look at the ham
This is a can of compressed, meat-like substance, which, though only barely meeting the definition of "food", could have provided an easy meal in an emergency.
Footnote 8
[Footnote 8]
Just.
You examine cans
Which do you mean, the floor cleaner or the furniture polish?
Cleaner
If the label is to be believed, this particular compound will restore even the most heavily soiled floors to a factory shine.
You examine the polish
A fragrant compound designed to collect dust and restore a polished shine to wooden furniture.
You examine the bottles
Which do you mean, the detergent bottle, the bleach bottle or the stain remover?
You examine the detergent
A simple cleaning agent for laundry.
You look at the bleach
A chlorine-based cleaner.
You examine the stain
A powerful cleaner, designed to treat especially soiled areas of garments.
You take the cleaner
Taken.
The console beeps. "Information: Two hours of dive time remaining."
Go upwards
When this house was first built, conventions of style dictated a degree of spartan functionality from the dining area. The construction of this room has a sort of tacit apology built into its architecture, as if the dedication of an entire room to dining facilities was seen as an undesirable extravagance. The twenty years that followed saw a reversal of the cultural mores which had all but done away with a fixed dining area. The net result is that this particular dining room has an uncomfortable blend of styles. A small, nondescript table shows signs of heavier wear than it was meant for. An ornate china cabinet stands in one corner, looking very out-of-place. The buffet counter, again nondescript and too small to be really serviceable, stretches across a portion of the north wall. Open archways lead south and east, and a small door is west.

On the buffet are two oil lamps.

You can see a photograph here.

In the days before all food could be prepared by an automated processing unit, the kitchen was often considered the center of family life. This kitchen is decorated in a country style that was archaic even when it was built. Woodgrain paneling and prominently displayed kitchenwares give the room a rustic look. The stove, refrigerator and other appliances have a more modern look, but clashing with the predominant style is kept to a minimum. Heavier items and food supplies are kept in the pantry to the west, while archways lead north and east.

On the refrigerator door are a report card and a receipt.

You are in the main entryway of the house. Aside from its functional purpose as the central hub of the building, it also serves as a showcase of the owner's prowess as a decorator. This room is tasteful and ornate. A coatrack stands abandoned in a corner, beside a highly polished small wooden table. The front door is due south, and the hallway opens west onto the kitchen, and east to the living room. A large staircase to the north leads up to the second floor, and down.

On the wooden table is a letter to Julia.

The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
You go to the east
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

Of all the rooms you've seen so far, this bedroom shows the least signs of having been tidied before the house was abandoned. Naturally, of course, this heightens your curiosity; untidy rooms generally tell you more than clean ones. From the space-shuttle wallpaper, you suspect that this room belonged to a young child, though it might simply imply that the room is long-overdue for renovation. There is a bookcase along one wall, containing model space ships, toy robots, and a very few books. A desk beside the door is loaded down with computer equipment. The most interesting feature of the room is the floor; while most of the other rooms have had wall-to-wall carpeting, this room has what appears to be industrial grade linoleum tile. The hallway lies west.
Go north
Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 5], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 6]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

You can see two keys (a simple key and an antique key), a prosthetic eye, a real diary, a code book and a fake diary here.
Clean the dresser with the polish
(the dresser with the furniture polish)
You apply some of the furniturepolish to the dresser, and wipe it away. The polish soaks into the bare wood where the finish has been scratched, and the single word "SERENDIPITY" becomes visible on the surface.
You turn on the Computer
The computer hums to life. After a second of self-configuration and diagnostics, a message flashes on the display:

login:
Type serendipity
password:
Type serendipity
login:
Type serendipity
Too many incorrect logins. Shutting down.

The display goes dark.
Documents
Press the number of your selection, 1-24, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Suicide Note
4     Current Events Homework
5     Letter (1)
6     Letter (2)
7     Code Book (old)
8     Code Book (new)
9     Real Diary (Decoded)
10     LZ-50 Memory Buffer
11     Photograph of a Young Man
12     Code fragment
13     Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)
14     Graduation Photograph
15     Account Sheet
16     Email Database (office)
17     Letter to Julia
18     Kaldeki Article
19     Family Photo
20     Report Card
21     Grocery Receipt
22     Home Shelter Sales Literature
23     Data Disc Message
24     Fake Diary
13
Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)

---Email Database (Boy's Bedroom)---
Page: 1 Mailbox for swallace

P = previous page    N = next page
Q = resume story    G = Go to page

From: Subject:
Dr. Helmut Sha Re: distributed neural simulation...2
YOR_FRIEND906  HOTTEST OFFER EVER..................3
hotoffer@spam. Lower your debt!....................4
Dr. Helmut Sha PIT AI lab..........................5
Michael Pendra 31337...............................6
Amy            (no subject)........................7
Michelle313    I'm boooooooored!...................8
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................9
Amy            Re: Tonight.........................10
Michael Pendra Julia...............................11
Amy            Hi..................................12
Michael Pendra 31337...............................13
Amy            Hi, again...........................14
Michael Pendra Re: Julia...........................15
Amy            Re: Hi, again.......................16
Steve Elocon   Re: PIT AI lab......................17
hotxxx@bulkmai YOUNG HARDCORE SLUTS................18
Mary Pantalon  PIT early admission.................19
Amy            Um... Stuff.........................20
Amy            My last mail........................21
Dante          Situation...........................22
Michael Pendra Re: Situation.......................23
Michael Pendra Re: PIT.............................24
Amy            Sorry...............................25
Research freenet
An early system for the anonymous distribution of documents via the internet. Its creators supported its use to circumvent intellectual property laws which they considered outdated. As it grew, difficulties with the system quickly became apparent, and it eventually fell into disuse in favor of a related system, "LibertyNet".

Source: The Digital Corsairs: Hacking, Phreaking, and the Fall of Intellectual Property 1960-2010

SEE ALSO: Internet, LibertyNet
Research dataweb
Dataweb (Global Dataweb; Web)
Global data networks are reported as early as the last quarter of the twentieth century. By the end of the 21st century, the internet had evolved into the more familiar form of the Global Dataweb. The name "Dataweb" refers to the Dataweb Protocol, its major services (such as electronic mail, video communication, and document archive), and individual documents attached to it. When the Dataweb Protocol was introduced, nearly all electronic devices made use of it, from simple audio-visual communication and text messaging, to remote control and navigation systems. Though the system itself has changed little since its inception, the name has fallen into disuse.

Source: Information Overload: The rise of the global data networks (2nd ed.)

SEE ALSO: Internet
You browse
Press the number of your selection, 1-11, 0 to redisplay or Q to quit.

3     Cylinians
4     Dataweb
5     Freenet
6     Historical Period: The Seventy Days
7     Historical Period: ca 865600-866300 UDC
8     Internet
9     LibertyNet
10     Space Station Kennedy
11     Stephen James Wallace
Go north
The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.
That door is locked.

You manage to unlock the door with the autokey.

Although the primary function of this room seems to be as a linen closet, its size suggests that it was intended for even heavier storage. Three of the walls bear shelves, neatly stocked with towels and bed linens.
You search the linens
You poke around at the sheets, and find, hidden in the folds of a large bedsheet toward the back, a pack of cigarettes, either squirreled away for an emergency, or hidden from a disapproving family member.
The console beeps. "Information: One hour of dive time remaining."
You drop the cigarettes
Dropped.
Go north
Hallway, west end
The upstairs hallway begins here, or ends here, depending on your point of view. You can see where the stairway meets the hall to the east, and doors are located along the north, south, and west walls.

A framed photograph of a young woman graces one wall.

In most respects, this is a thoroughly ordinary bathroom. It is far less clean than the public areas of the house, but not unsettlingly so. It is simple in decor, featuring a tub, toilet, sink, and no windows. The mirror over the sink protrudes slightly, suggesting that it conceals a medicine cabinet. The exit is south.
If your history is right, it should be about now that the Chinese missile diverts its course away from the US capital to avoid an anti-missile missile. It redirects toward a minor target, a military base near this town.
You open the cabinet
You open the medicine cabinet, revealing a pill bottle.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a furniture polish
a floor cleaner
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
Cleaner
furniture polish: Dropped.
floor cleaner: Dropped.
You go north
The stairs from the ground floor land in the middle of a long hallway which extends east and west from your current position. There is a door in the north wall, slightly narrower than usual. From here, you can see three doors at each of the two ends of the hallway.

Hallway, east end
You are at the east end of the main hallway on this floor. The hallway ends at a door on the east wall, and another door is north. A doorway to the south has no door, though it looks as if it were designed for one.

A framed photograph of a young man is affixed to the wall.

Coming, as you do, from an enlightened time period where man has, by and large, learned to overcome prejudicial assumptions about people on the basis of gender or background [Footnote 5], you know better than to jump to conclusions about the occupant based on the cultural stereotypes of their living space.
Nevertheless, you can always tell a girl's room. It isn't some particular thing [Footnote 6]; rather, an air of femininity issues more from the juxtaposition of objects than the contents themselves. The dollhouse; the partially completed watercolor on an easel in the corner; the ornate, hand-carved chest at the foot of the bed; the paper ribbons affixed to the vent cover on the floor, all suggest, but do not insist that the occupant of this room is female. And yet, there is a certain something about this space that rarely arises in a man's quarters.
The walls are a soft, uniform pastel. The desk stands opposite the bed, well stocked, but uncluttered. There is a closet door on the east wall. The exit to the hall is south.

On the nightstand is a charger.

You can see two keys (a simple key and an antique key), a prosthetic eye, a real diary, a code book and a fake diary here.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a can of spiced ham (which is closed)
a charger
a pill bottle (which is closed)
an autokey
your StreamDive console
five chips:
a library chip
an interface chip
a DataStore chip
a cryptography chip
a blank chip
Research ham
No relevant entry found.
The console beeps. "Information: Thirty minutes of dive time remaining."
Wait
Time passes.

Time passes.
You wait for a while
Time passes.
Time passes.
Time passes.
Wait
Time passes.
Time passes.
Time passes.
About now, the propulsion system on the missile begins to fail. It holds its course, but is now certain to fall several killometers short.
Wait
Time passes.
Time passes.
The console beeps. "Warning: Fifteen minutes of dive time remaining." Time passes.
Time passes.
Time passes.
Wait
Time passes.
Time passes.
The console beeps. "Warning: Dive will end shortly. Please complete investigations now."
Time passes.
Time passes.
Time passes.
You wait awhile
Time passes.
The StreamDive console emits an audible warning: "Alert: Dive time expired. Discharging temporal capacitors."

All at once, the universe goes away. Time itself cries out in distress, and every cell in your body echoes its cry. The laws of physics cannot be broken, but they can be bent, if only for a time. As the energy stored in your temporal capacitors discharges, time reasserts itself. If you were the sort to anthopomorphize physical law, you'd say that it was extracting some revenge against you for daring to transcend the barriers of time. Of course, all that you're really experiencing is a form of severe disorientation resulting from the unusual perceptual stimuli occurring outside normal time-space. It all goes away in a nothingth of a second, and you stumble backward to the floor of the StreamDive Core. White-clad technicians swarm into the chamber a second later, helping you into the postDive examination, which confirms that you have weathered the Dive intact, and cleanses ancient toxins from your system. Your possessions are taken for examination, and you are led to the debriefing room.

You are in a comfortably small room, used to debrief StreamDivers following their missions. The room is intentionally designed to avoid the impression that this is some kind of interrogation chamber, even if that is indeed its function. The room contains very little in the way of decoration or, well, anything at all, aside from the table and chairs.
You examine the chairs
wooden chair: You see nothing special about the wooden chair.
You wait
Time passes.
Joxley Douzen walks heavily into the room. Though there are a few agents you'd prefer to serve as your evaluator, you could have done far, far worse. She scans over her notes, not seeming to see you until after she has taken her seat. "Welcome back," she says. You are naturally inclined to take the lack of feeling in her voice as a bad sign, but you resist the urge. It's all she's capable of; her voice box is artificial, and she's never managed to program it properly.

"We've reviewed your findings. As you know, the purpose of this phase of your evaluation is to give you the opportunity to present anything you think may have escaped our attention, and to address any concerns which the evaluation team has about your Dive. If you'll take your seat, we can begin." [Footnote 9]
You sit on the chair
You get onto the wooden chair.
Footnote 9
[Footnote 9]
For the duration of this interview, you may respond to Douzen by typing a single word at the command prompt, signifying the subject you wish to discuss. For example:
>KITCHEN
Would be interpreted as a desire to talk about the kitchen. For questions requiring a numerical answer, simply type the number at the prompt [Footnote 10].
Footnote 10
[Footnote 10]
The special command "DONE" indicates that you have nothing to say on the subject, and the command "REPEAT" will repeat the current question. The standard commands will remain available if you wish to perform other actions while you consider your answer.
You examine Joxley
Joxley Douzen is a typical example of what your father would have called a "hard-looking broad". Muscular, stocky, with chiseled features that would have been distinguished on a man. She probably knows exactly how threatening people find her. You know that she's a touch bitter about her position as a Dive evaluation agent -- after she was injured in a shuttle accident, she received enough bio-mechanical implants to make her a walking, talking anachronism, and therefore unfit for StreamDiving. Nevertheless, your experience of her has always been as a fair evaluator.
Wait
Time passes.
"First things first. Based on your scans and our records, you surveyed about ninety-six percent of the area within your mission boundaries. Quite impressive. Now, are there any rooms in particular that you feel merit special attention?"
Boy 's bedroom
"Yes. Your console recorded some unusual readings from that area. We'll give it another look."
Shelter
"Ah yes, the survival shelter. That's a very impressive find. We looked over the notes, and we don't have any other incidents of a Diver exploring a survival shelter of that era. Good work."

You go on to explain that you found the bodies of two recently deceased young women in the basement.

Joxley looks through her notes. "Yes, I have that here. That contradicts what we had in our historical records -- you know, of course, that heads are going to roll in the approval committee for that little oversight. It's a good thing your Dive didn't take you back any earlier. If either of them had been alive, we'd have had a major violation of the first directive on our hands.

"It's just a shame that you weren't able to use the Stream Visualizer inside the shelter. If the approval committee had known what you would find, they would have made sure to send you back with the right equipment."
You wait
Time passes.
"Okay. Now, let's consider the contents of your DataStore. It seems that you recorded twenty-five documents. It's a shame you didn't elect to take the Stream Visualizer. Of course, you were under tight restrictions. As for other documents, you appear to have done quite well.

"Your DataStore contained an article from a scientific magazine. What about this article attracted your interest?"
Time travel
The article, you explain, contains the earliest reference to Emmanuel Kaldeki's work on which would eventually lead to StreamDive technology.

"A good find," Joxley says. "As you know, we have very little information about Kaldeki's research before the war. This find could lead to a revision of what we know about the history of time travel.

"You also downloaded something too big to fit in the DataStore. We found it stored on a spare chip. What is it?"
Done
"I suppose we'll have to work it out for ourselves then.

"Unfortunately, the memory recording you downloaded from the optical prosthesis was very short. What, based on your research, happened to the owner after the end of the recording?"
Suicide
You say that you believe she died almost immediately after removing the prosthesis.

Joxley writes this down. "Very tragic," she says.

"Now, you found a diary in the downstairs bathroom. It appears to have been encoded using a very secure cipher. Given the nature of the writer and its content, the only explanation we can think of is that the writer was mentally unstable. How would you explain the fact that such effort was taken to encode the diary?"
Mother
You explain that the author, Julia Wallace, had reason to believe that her parents were reading her diary without permission, and had encoded it to prevent the highly personal content from becoming public knowledge.
Joxley raises an eyebrow. "It seems like a great deal of effort, but yes, that does explain what we've seen, and seems consistent with the details we've managed to piece together about the girl.

"We've had some difficulty making sense of the code fragment you downloaded. Any idea what it is?"
Brain
You say that you believe the author to be Stephen James Wallace, who was conducting experiments in artificial sentience.

"Really? We knew Wallace had done important work in neural circuitry, but there's nothing on this scale in his later career. Unbelievable.

"We're curious about the diary you found in the girl's closet. All our evidence suggests that the daughter was approximately eighteen years of age, but the textual analysis suggests that this diary shows a writing level more consistent with a much younger person. We suspect that this diary is either much older than the other documents you've collected, or that the writer was... to be indelicate, stupid. Perhaps you could offer an explanation?"
Fake
You explain your theory that the diary is a fake; a red herring designed to throw off a snooping parent.

"Fascinating," Joxley says. "That does explain a great deal.

"I think that covers all the documents we need more information about. Let me check my notes, and we'll move on."
Donna
You explain that a young woman named Donna, a friend of the older child, had been living with the family near the time that the house was abandoned.

Joxley makes a note of this. "Good work. This is exactly the sort of thing that isn't covered by our records of the period.

"Now," Joxley says, "It appears that you violated your mission parameters by bringing something back from your Dive. Since everything in the area appears to have been destroyed immediately after you left, the committee has decided to recommend against disciplinary action, but there will be an entry made in your file, unless you can give us some exceptional circumstance which warranted your action. Is there any object which you felt had some extraordinary reason for being retrieved for examination?
Charger
You tell Joxley that you suspect that the charger has somehow been altered so as to be anachronistic in its native time.

Joxley pushes back from the desk. "That's a very serious claim. But from the logs in your console, it certainly merits more examination. If there has been tampering with the timeline, it's essential we locate the source.

"What was the name of the female child?"
Julia
"Marital relations between the Wallaces... Were they good or bad?"
Bad
You explain that your impression was that they were not good.

Joxley asks, "What justification do you have for that assessment?"

You quickly realize that you have no proof to support your theory, at least, none that would satisfy the assessment team.

"What was the name of the male head of household?"
James
"What was the name of the male child?"
Jim
"What was the name of the female head of household?"
Katia
"You say that the girl had an optical prosthesis. Which eye was artificial?"
Right
"Okay," Joxley says.

"You've claimed that there's evidence the timeline has been altered. Did you encounter anything else that might serve as evidence?"
Ham
"Unfortunately," she says, "It doesn't look like there's enough evidence in your logs to verify that.

"We have no postwar records of the daughter, and your findings suggest that she was not with the family when they evacuated. What became of her?"
Suicide
You say that she committed suicide by ingesting a euphenasisa pill.

"Thank you for your cooperation, agent," she says. After taking a few more notes, Joxley Douzen rises to her feet. "If you'll wait here, the review team will have your final evaluation shortly."

Without paying you another glance, she strides out of the room.
You wait awhile
Time passes.
Joxley Douzen walks confidently into the room, followed by the rest of the evaluation team. They stand at the head of the room, staring heavily at you. Finally, Joxley speaks.

"StreamDiver Alpha Tango-678, it is the finding of this evaluation team that you have completed the objectives for this mission with an approval rating of 90 percent. Absolutely exceptional. We're going to recommend you for a promotion."