The Rocket Man From The Sea
Janos Honkonen
built-in hints child protagonist coming of age conversation cover art dog pulp science fiction Spring Thing 2012 Spring Thing Game Spring Thing Winner
On the old pilot station island, where you live with your parents, the war fought with Earth and Martian rocket-ships and Atomic Heat Rays exist only in the sonorous voice of the newscaster on the radio, and as food for your imagination. Today your parents have left you alone to mind the station while they head for the mainland for some supplies. A big job for a six year old, who is about to have an encounter that changes his life forever.
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of Earth Alliance rocket ships blasting the vile Martian Rebels with their Atomic Heat Rays might have been a rocket ship blasting off from the mainland, or it might have been a late summer thunderstorm. You open your eyes to the velvety darkness of your bedroom, lit only by
the slightly less black square of the window, which is pulsing by
faint flashes of light in the sky. You think about getting up and finding your binoculars, but your eyelids are heavy and you drift back to sleep. By the morning, all this is forgotten.



Story, Photos & Coding: Janos Honkonen

Testing & proofreading: Susi Vaasjoki, Laura Kalli, Will
Ellwood, Nikodemus Siivola, Ilmari JyskÃ¤, Melvin Rangasamy, Joey Jones

manual, Emily Short for great extensions and Eric Eve & others for
help in rec.arts.int-fiction throughout the years I've been tinkering with IF.

"Are you sure he will be alright?" asks mother, struggling under the weight of the crate she's lifting to the boat. Your father glances at you, one foot on the side of the boat, and harrumphs.

'When I was his age I minded the station alone for days' he says, taking the crate effortlessly from your mother, who leans back
pressing her palms against the small of her back. "And there were
ships back then." The weight of the crate makes the boat rock
lazily, and you glance at the scummy black water between the boat's side and the concrete pier.

"You will do alright, won't you, son?" You look up quickly and meet your father's gaze. He has that expression you don't like, his eyes make you squirm and feel nervous; like you have already disappointed him and there will be a belt or a switch in store for you when they
get back home.

"No sir! I mean yes sir, I will do my best," you stammer over the
creak and squeal of the seagulls circling above you, hopeful for a
fish or an unminded crate of food. Father sighs and helps your mother into the boat. Gogol is on the pier, looking at your parents and the seagulls, tail wagging and tongue lolling out in the breeze.

The engine roars to life, hitting you with a quickly dissipating headachy and sweet cloud of exhaust, and as it does, for a moment you feel really scared and alone. Mother waves at you, you wave back and spend a few long minutes watching the boat pull off towards the mainland.
About yourself
The pier is built in the end of a breakwater that protects the natural bay of the island from northerly winds. There's room for a couple of sailboats or yachts in addition to your motor boat, which is now just
a small dot on the sunlit sea, heading towards the mainland.

The sky and the sea is hazy, there is a hard westerly wind and you can hear waves whipping and beating the rocky shore on the other side of the island. On the island the only landmark is your house - a lone, tall yellow building used by the pilots in your grandfather's time. Well, there's the navigational cairn on the high northern end of the island, just a pile of rocks painted white. There are only a couple of trees in your yard, otherwise the island has just smooth bare stone, low brushes, lichen and other such hardy plants.

On the pier there's a windbeaten equipment shack, where you store supplies and fuel for the boat. To the south-east, through the haze
and across the churning sea, you can make out the towers and buildings of Astro City One, the world's largest rocket base.

Gogol looks up at the wheeling seagulls.
About yourself
As good-looking as ever.
You look at the astro city
The air is hazy today, but you can still make out the distant
buildings and towers in the mainland. Astro City One is the largest
and most active rocket base on Earth, usually there are five or six launches per year but now, with all the trouble with the traitorous Martians, there has been almost one launch every month! You remember all the launches you have seen, the sharp ripping sound of the Atomic Pile ripping the world itself, that blinding light and the pillar of smoke that rises higher and higher until your mind and the world goes all weird, because you really see and understand that the
smoke and the light go right through the clouds and into the dark of space!

One day you will travel to Astro City One, step into one of the rocket-ships as a Rocket-Man, and head out to the universe!
You look at Gogol
Gogol is an Alsatian and you have the same birthday. He's your friend and he's very good at fetching things and catching seagulls!
Pet Gogol
You scratch Gogol behind the ears and stroke his bag, he closes his eyes with pleasure.
You look at shack
supplies. The door of the shack is closed.
You open the door
You open the equipment shack, revealing a large orange life vest, a child size life vest, boating supplies and a boat hook.
You look at the supplies
There are ropes, cans of oil, tools, spare parts and all kinds of things like that in the shack, all neat and in order hanging on the walls or set on shelves. Your father will tan your hide if you mess with them.
You examine the hook
It's a long wooden pole, at least twice your height, with a hook and a spike in the end. It's used in pulling in equipment, ropes and other things that have fallen in to the water.
You examine the vest
Which do you mean, the large orange life vest or the child size life vest?
Child
(first taking the child size life vest)

Putting things on Gogol would achieve nothing.
Wear child
(Gogol first taking the child size life vest)
Gogol looks at you, vaguely puzzled.
You wear large
(first taking the large orange life vest)
It's too big for you, better leave it where it is. Father has always said that you shouldn't mess with safety equipment.
You close the door
You close the equipment shack.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a child size life vest
You open the door
You open the equipment shack, revealing a large orange life vest, boating supplies and a boat hook.
You put the child in the shack
You put the child size life vest into the equipment shack.
Go west
The wavebreak is a concrete causeway built over a big long pile of rocks to break the waves coming from the north during wintertime. It protects the little bay to the south, which is nice to swim in when
the weather is a bit better. The boat shore and the island are to the west, and the pier is to the east.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at the bay
There is a small bay in the eastern edge of the island, where you usually swim. There's also a small boat there nobody has used in ages.
You look at the rocks
Your home island is almost completely covered by bare rock, with some hardy lichen and small brushes for vegetation.
You take the boat
Maybe you'll be able to do that when your superpowers kick in!
Go west
The boat shore is actually the innermost nook of the small bay where you swim in the summertime. It's a small nook with some reeds and
water plants, and a nice gravely sea bottom without any sharp rocks to hurt your bare feet on. The wavebreak protects the bay, so the water
is usually pretty calm and sometimes it gets really warm in the
summer. There's a small wooden boat, but nobody has used it in a long time since you can't go to the sea with it, just row around the bay
and very close to the island.

stretches to the east, towards the mainland. Straight to the west are your mother's rose bushes, that hug the side of the house, but you really don't want to go through them because the thorns are sharp enough to bite even through your clothes. The roses are in bloom and gusts of wind wafts their sweet smell to you. You can see something white and plasticky behind the bushes.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at the white
Which do you mean, the navigational cairn or something white?
Something
You peel apart a few leaves and branches of the rose bushes, careful
of their thorns, to get a better look. It's a small spray can your mother uses to spray the plants and flowers with. She must have
dropped it behind the rose bushes.
Go northwest
Up close the bushes look quite thorny, and the sweet smelling summer roses are full of buzzing, hairy bumblebees. You tried going through them once, last year, and you are not going to repeat that mistake any time soon.
Go southwest
The front yard of the house is full of color. Mother has dotted the place with flowerpots and crates, and even small patches of grass. Mother takes very good care of the yard, she says it's her small patch of paradise. There are two small and gnarly trees with needles and a brown bark that shadow the yard a bit.

On the other side of the yard there is an outbuilding, which is
painted red and white. The double doors to the outbuilding are open, it's very dark in there and you don't really want to go inside. Next
to the outbuilding is the red outhouse.

To the south is the bare rocky center of the island with all the moss and stuff, and you can get to the boat shore and the pier by going northeast. By going northwest you get to the back yard, from where you can climb to the tall hill behind the house, where the navigational cairn is.

Gogol trots after you.
You examine the flowerpots
There are all kinds of colourful flowers. You are forbidden to touch them, and your father once took the switch to you when you fell over the flowers while playing recklessly.
You examine the trees
They are pines, you think, you have never been good with trees since you have really seen only two of them. Of course you have been to the mainland, but not that many times. They are rather small and gnarly, and they drop small cones that open their scales when they fall and hurt a lot if you step on them barefooted.
You examine the cones
They are small pine cones, you think. On the trees they are shaped
like a tear drop, but on the ground they open into a spiky ball that hurts a lot when you step in it.
You take the cones
You pick up a few pine cones.
You fetch the spray can
Gogol looks at you and makes a sound that's the canine equivalent of "hmm?".
You drop the cones
(the handful of pine cones)
You don't want to leave them lying around.
You throw the cone to Gogol
(the handful of pine cones to Gogol)
No use throwing that thing around.
Smell cones
(the handful of pine cones)
The handful of pine cones smells of nothing unexpected.
You examine the outbuilding
It's a red and white small building where you store firewood,
gardening tools and stuff like that. The double doors of the outbuilding are open, revealing the pitch black indoors. You never
want to look at there for too long, becauseâ¦ what if, right when you look away, you see a glimpse of glowing eyes in there?
You examine the outhouse
The outhouse is painted red and there's a little heart shaped hole on the door. It's downwind so you don't catch the stink. It's getting
full and father will make you help him empty it soon.
You enter it
You don't need to go right now, and it's really not a place you want
to just hang in.
You look around
The front yard of the house is full of color. Mother has dotted the place with flowerpots and crates, and even small patches of grass. Mother takes very good care of the yard, she says it's her small patch of paradise. There are two small and gnarly trees with needles and a brown bark that shadow the yard a bit.

On the other side of the yard there is an outbuilding, which is
painted red and white. The double doors to the outbuilding are open, it's very dark in there and you don't really want to go inside. Next
to the outbuilding is the red outhouse.

To the south is the bare rocky center of the island with all the moss and stuff, and you can get to the boat shore and the pier by going northeast. By going northwest you get to the back yard, from where you can climb to the tall hill behind the house, where the navigational cairn is.

Gogol stands next to you, looking at you questioningly.
You go to the northwest
The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.

There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.

There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at the lines
There are a couple of posts drilled into the rocky ground, and on top of them there are horizontal pieces of pipe, so each of them look like a big letter "T" There are some laundry lines tied to them, and your mother has hung up some of your father's work clothes up to dry. There's a dozen or so of overalls, jackets and trousers. They must already be bone dry with all the sunshine and the wind.
You take the clothes
Better not mess with the laundry. If you mess them up, you'll have to wash them by hand. This isn't a mistake you'll want to do more than once.
You examine the ladder
It's a ladder that leads up to the balcony on the third floor of the house. It's meant to be an escape route in case there is a fire, and
it goes right past the radio room window.
You examine the balcony
On the eastern side of your house there's a small balcony, big enough for one man, chair and a telescope. It's where the pilots of the olden times stood watching for incoming ships.
You go north
The top of the hill is almost on the level of the roof of your house, and you have a beautiful view over the whole island. The navigational cairn is eye-blindingly bright seen up close, the white paint really shines and reflects the hazy sunlight. There is not much vegetation in here, except for some patches of crunchy and dry lichen.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at the rocks
Your home island is almost completely covered by bare rock, with some hardy lichen and small brushes for vegetation.
You look at the island
Your home island is pretty small, you can run from its one end to another in a few minutes. Almost in middle of the island is your
house, where pilots used to live in your grandfather's time. Not
pilots like rocket-pilots, but men who guided big ships to the
harbour. You live there with mother, father and Gogol, who is a dog. There are only a couple of trees on the island, and they are in your yard. Otherwise it's just rock and moss and lichen and things like that.

There's a hill on the north side of the island and there is this navigational cairn, which is just a pile of rocks that are painted white. It's for the ships, so that they don't run to the rocks. In the eastern side of the island there's a small bay and a wavebreak, which leads to your pier. Usually there's just your boat at the pier, but sometimes sailboats come to visit. To the west of the island is the open sea, and there are usually big waves that make a loud noise.
You look at the cairn
top of it. The cairn is a pile of rocks that get painted white every year, and in the sunshine it's almost bright enough to hurth your
eyes. It's for the ships so that they know where to go.
You go south
The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.

There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.

There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.

Gogol trots after you.
Up
You are on the ladder, right under the balcony and next to the window to the radio room. It's bright outside and the light reflects from the window pane, but you can just about make out the outline of the table and the radio in the corner of the room.

Gogol is below you on the ground, waiting for you to come back down.
You examine the window
(the radio room window)
Through the window you can see some of the furniture of the room, like a table and a radio, but nothing much. The window is latched shut from the inside.
You examine table
By cupping your hand to block the light and leaning closer to the window, you can just about make out the outline of the radio and the table it's on. The unlike the one in the living room, this radio can
be used to talk to people too, like the ships.
Up
This is the balcony where the pilots of the days of yore scanned the seas for incoming ships, and flashed light signals to them. Your
father has told you how your grandfather spent his nights and days in here, looking at the horizon with a telescope, and your father had to do that sometimes too. He claims that he had to do it when he was as young as you are, but your mother has said that you shouldn't always believe what your father says.

There was once a telescope here, you kind of remember seeing it when you were young, but you don't know where it has gone. You'd really
want to find it, so you could look at the Moon and Mars, and maybe see some rocket ships!

A ladder leads down from here, and to the east are the doors that lead to the pilots" room inside the house.

As you start climbing up, Gogol barks at you and runs around the
corner towards the front door of the house. When you climb over the railing of the balcony, you can hear the sound of Gogol's claws as he runs up the stairs, and appears next to you on the balcony. Smart dog!
You go downwards
You are on the ladder, right under the balcony and next to the window to the radio room. It's bright outside and the light reflects from the window pane, but you can just about make out the outline of the table and the radio in the corner of the room.

Gogol is above you in the balcony, looking down, his head squeezed through the rungs of the balcony's railing.
Go downwards
The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.

There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.

There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.

As you climb down, Gogol's head vanishes from between the rungs of the balcony's railing. When your feet touch the ground, you can hear Gogol running around the corner to meet you on the back yard.
You go southeast
The front yard of the house is full of color. Mother has dotted the place with flowerpots and crates, and even small patches of grass. Mother takes very good care of the yard, she says it's her small patch of paradise. There are two small and gnarly trees with needles and a brown bark that shadow the yard a bit.

On the other side of the yard there is an outbuilding, which is
painted red and white. The double doors to the outbuilding are open, it's very dark in there and you don't really want to go inside. Next
to the outbuilding is the red outhouse.

To the south is the bare rocky center of the island with all the moss and stuff, and you can get to the boat shore and the pier by going northeast. By going northwest you get to the back yard, from where you can climb to the tall hill behind the house, where the navigational cairn is.

Gogol trots after you.
Go inside
You ponder going inside for a moment, but maybe not quite yet -
there's the whole day to spend playing outdoors!
You go to the northwest
The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.

There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.

There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.

Gogol trots after you.
Go south
And this is of course WHEN THE MARTIANS ATTACK!

The crafty bastards were waiting for the command personnel to leave - you can still see the Atomic Engine flame of their ship in the red Martian sky. They have landed ground troops and made fortifications around Firebase Bravo, your main outpost in the war against the filthy Martians. Their command post is on a hill behind the base.

Your mission, soldier, is to destroy that base! You need weapons and explosives to complete the mission, and of course your Robotic Attack Hound Go601!

You are standing in front of Firebase Bravo under the harsh Martian sky. The winds whip around you and in the horizon you can see the a massive sand storm closing in. The intelligence reports tell of enemy presence and fortifications on the east and west flanks of the base, and on the hill behind the base there is a bunker.

The best places for supplies are the firebase itself and the Orbital Station, where you can go by the space elevator that's in the easterly direction from the base. You will need at least armor and a helmet,
and a weapon of some kind!

Go601 is venting excess heat through the snout interface.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a laser caltrop mines
You look at the mines
They are named after an ancient weapon, which was a spiky thing they dropped in the olden times to slow down horses and men. Laser caltrop mines shoot out hundreds of laser beams that fill your feet with
holes.
You look at go601
Go601 is a Cyber Hound with titanium teeth and razor sharp claws!
Go northwest
The western flank of Firebase Bravo is totally overrun with the enemy. There is a group of Martians guarding the only road leading up to the mountain and their bunker to the north. There are six of them and they look vigilant, their eye-stalks turning around and their tentacled hands waving around their assault rifles. Some of the Martians are yammering to a communications device in their filthy lingo - they must be jammed before an attack!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You examine the device
The soldiers are nattering in their handheld communications devices.
You go southeast
You are standing in front of Firebase Bravo under the harsh Martian sky. The winds whip around you and in the horizon you can see the a massive sand storm closing in. The intelligence reports tell of enemy presence and fortifications on the east and west flanks of the base, and on the hill behind the base there is a bunker.

The best places for supplies are the firebase itself and the Orbital Station, where you can go by the space elevator that's in the easterly direction from the base. You will need at least armor and a helmet,
and a weapon of some kind!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You go northeast
There is a small rocket base next to Firebase Bravo, it's meant for emergencies only, and the lone rocket ship standing on its launch pedestal has seen better days. It's unlikely to fly anymore - not that you would be thinking of escape, no sir!

The dastardly Martians have set up fortifications to the west and northwest of here, blocking the way to their bunker on top of the
hill. There are rolls and rolls of razor wire that will tear a man to shreds.

You can see a piece of equipment behind the fortifications.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You examine the equipment
You peer through the rolls of razor wire and damn - there is a flame thrower behind the fortifications! It must have been left there by one of the Martians!
You examine the fortifications
There are coils and coils of laser sharpened razor wire, there's no
way you can weave your way through it.
You go to the east
leads all the way up to the orbit of Mars. The elevator vanishes up to the pink sky as an impossibly tall and impossibly sharp needle.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
Go up
The orbital station is high above the surface and the atmosphere of Mars, and it's used to launch the larger rocket ships that are just
too heavy to land on the planet. There is an equipment storage locker in here.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You open the locker
You open the equipment storage locker, revealing a battle armor and a tactical armor.
You wear the battle armor
(first taking the battle armor)
You are not qualified to use a full size battle armor, better not mess with unfamiliar equipment!
You wear the tactical armor
(first taking the tactical armor)
You put on the tactical armor.
You look at your surroundings
The orbital station is high above the surface and the atmosphere of Mars, and it's used to launch the larger rocket ships that are just
too heavy to land on the planet. There is an equipment storage locker in here.

Go601 assesses the tactical situation.
You search the locker
In the equipment storage locker is a battle armor.
Go west
There is a small rocket base next to Firebase Bravo, it's meant for emergencies only, and the lone rocket ship standing on its launch pedestal has seen better days. It's unlikely to fly anymore - not that you would be thinking of escape, no sir!

The dastardly Martians have set up fortifications to the west and northwest of here, blocking the way to their bunker on top of the
hill. There are rolls and rolls of razor wire that will tear a man to shreds.

There is a flame thrower on the ground behind the fortifications.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
Go west
The laser sharpened razor wire of the fortifications will tear you to bits if you try to go through it!
You go to the south-west
You are standing in front of Firebase Bravo under the harsh Martian sky. The winds whip around you and in the horizon you can see the a massive sand storm closing in. The intelligence reports tell of enemy presence and fortifications on the east and west flanks of the base, and on the hill behind the base there is a bunker.

The best places for supplies are the firebase itself and the Orbital Station, where you can go by the space elevator that's in the easterly direction from the base. You will need at least armor and a helmet,
and a weapon of some kind!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
Enter
The airlock is designed to keep out the dust and poisons of Martian air, and keep the good, healthy Earth air in. It has turned into a storage for all kinds of junk.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
Go north
This is the main intersection of the base. The mess is to the west of here, and the rec room is to the east. The airlock that leads outside is south, and there are stairs going up.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You go west
base, but it has evolved into an impromptu equipment storage as well. There's an equipment closet in here, and a refrigerated food storage where the chef stores all the horrible goop she forces the soldiers to eat.

Someone has left a time bomb sitting on the sink! How irresponsible!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You examine the bomb
It's a grenade sized explosive that has a timer. You use it by setting the bomb and taking cover.
You take it
Taken.
You open it
You open the equipment closet, revealing a battle helmet.
You look at the helmet
It's a state of the art NG-80 battle helmet and it can take a machine gun bullet!
You wear it
(first taking the battle helmet)
You put on the battle helmet.
You look at your surroundings
base, but it has evolved into an impromptu equipment storage as well. There's an equipment closet in here, and a refrigerated food storage where the chef stores all the horrible goop she forces the soldiers to eat.

Go601 is scanning the surroundings for enemy activity.
Close closet
You close the equipment closet.
Open storage
You open the refrigerated food storage, revealing a packet of canine motivational treats and some disgusting goop.
You take both
packet of canine motivational treats: Taken.
Close storage
You close the refrigerated food storage.
You look at the treats
It's a packet of treats that are used in conditioning the Robotic Attack Hounds. They are used as an incentive and as a reward.
Go east
This is the main intersection of the base. The mess is to the west of here, and the rec room is to the east. The airlock that leads outside is south, and there are stairs going up.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
Go east
The rec room is where the soldiers and the officers relax after a hard day of conquering Mars back for humans. The room also houses the jamming device, which can be used to eavesdrop and jam the Martian broadcasts.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You examine the jamming
It's a state of the art electronic eavesdropping and jamming device, which can be used to eavesdrop the Martian broadcasts or to jam their signals. There's a knob in the front panel with two labels. The device itself is currently switched off.
You examine the knob
It's a knob with two settings: Eavesdrop and Jam. It's set on Eavesdrop.
You turn the jamming on
You switch the jamming device on.

The jamming device is in the eavesdrop mode. You can hear the horrible gobbledygook the Martians call a language spouting out from it.
You turn the knob
You turn the knob on the jamming device, and the Martian
communications turn into a screech of static.

The jamming device emits a horrible hiss and screech as it's jamming the Martian communications.
Describe the surroundings
The rec room is where the soldiers and the officers relax after a hard day of conquering Mars back for humans. The room also houses the jamming device, which can be used to eavesdrop and jam the Martian broadcasts.

Go601 stands next to you, in attention, waiting for orders.

The jamming device emits a horrible hiss and screech as it's jamming the Martian communications.
You go west
This is the main intersection of the base. The mess is to the west of here, and the rec room is to the east. The airlock that leads outside is south, and there are stairs going up.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.

You can hear the jamming device hiss and crackle in the Rec Room.
Go upward
The eastern end of the upstairs hallway is illuminated by the dim red light coming through the windows. To the north is the door to the barracks, and the hallway continues to the west.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You go west
The western half of the upstairs hallway ends at the door of the communications room, which you don't have clearance to enter. Theres a door to the officers' lounge to the north, and a narrow staircase
leads up to the observatory.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You go to the north
(first opening the barracks door)

This is the barracks where you live. There is a sparse bunk in here, a shelf with some educational tapes, and a boot locker with your weapons and equipment.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You look at the bunk
It's where you sleep in between missions.
You examine tapes
There are educational and entertaining tapes of all kinds of subjects, like rocketry, nature and training animals. There's also a manual for operating Cyber Hounds like Go601. It knows a lot of dull and ordinary tricks, but you are really proud that last summer you programmed it to fetch things when you throw canine motivational treats at them. Your mothâ¦ commanding officer was really angry when all of her garden gear was covered with dog drool.
You open the locker
You open the boot locker, revealing a smoke bomb.
You take the bomb
(the smoke bomb)
Taken.
You examine the locker
It's a storage locker for your personal equipment.
You look at the bomb
Which do you mean, the smoke bomb or the time bomb?
Smoke
It's a small explosive which will burst into a cloud of smoke when you throw it against something hard. It's the last one you have.
You close locker
You close the boot locker.
Look around
This is the barracks where you live. There is a sparse bunk in here, a shelf with some educational tapes, and a boot locker with your weapons and equipment.

Go601 assesses the tactical situation.
You go south
The eastern end of the upstairs hallway is illuminated by the dim red light coming through the windows. To the north is the door to the barracks, and the hallway continues to the west.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You go west
The western half of the upstairs hallway ends at the door of the communications room, which you don't have clearance to enter. Theres a door to the officers' lounge to the north, and a narrow staircase
leads up to the observatory.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
You look around
The western half of the upstairs hallway ends at the door of the communications room, which you don't have clearance to enter. Theres a door to the officers' lounge to the north, and a narrow staircase
leads up to the observatory.

Go601 is scanning the surroundings for enemy activity and vents its nasal sensors.
Go up
This is the room where the scientists come to warm up and rest after long days and nights out in the cold air of Mars. The observatory, which is open to the Martian air, is to the west, and a narrow staircase leads back down to the upstairs hallway.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.
Go west
This is the outdoors observatory where the scientists and other eggheads explore the secrets of the cosmos. Your mission is to protect them and their studies. A door to the east leads back into the base.

The squad of Martian soldiers guarding the road to the mountain base are almost right below you. They keep scanning the horizon, not thinking about looking up. Stupid Martians!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You examine Martians
Martians are horrible betentacled monsters with eye stalks, drooling mouths and sharp teeth!
Inventory
You are carrying:
a smoke bomb
a packet of canine motivational treats
a battle helmet (being worn)
a time bomb
a tactical armor (being worn)
a laser caltrop mines
You throw the smoke bomb at the soldiers
You throw the smoke bomb at the squad of Martian monstrosities, and it lands smack in middle of them with a loud crack and a BANG. The smoke envelopes the betentacled monsters, who try in vain to call for help
on their radios!
You examine time bomb
It's a grenade sized explosive that has a timer. You use it by setting the bomb and taking cover.
You go south
The airlock is designed to keep out the dust and poisons of Martian air, and keep the good, healthy Earth air in. It has turned into a storage for all kinds of junk.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the floor.

You can hear the jamming device hiss and crackle in the Rec Room.
Go south
You can't go that way.

You can hear the jamming device hiss and crackle in the Rec Room.
You throw the motivational treat at the thrower
Go601's head snaps up when you take out the packet of treats, and
break away a small piece. You throw the piece over the fortifications, and Go601 is up in the air almost before the piece has left your fingers. The Cyber Hound soars over the fortifications, landing on all fours on the slippery rock.

The treat has landed right next to the flame thrower, and Go601 snuffles around it for a moment before grabbing it in his jaws and looking at you questioningly. 'Here, boy, come on!' you shout at it, and Go601 trots behind the Firebase, arriving around the corner a moment later and dropping the fire thrower at your feet. Good boy!
You take it
You already have that.
Go northwest
The western flank of Firebase Bravo is still occupied by the Martian menace, but the soldiers who were guarding the road are now coughing
in the cloud of smoke and trying to figure out what caused it! The filthy Martians are babbling and gargling into their communications devices, which you have jammed. Hahaa!

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You attack Martians with the flamethrower
You burst out of your hiding place, and with a blood curdling battle cry you fall on your enemies, spraying around liquid fire that fries the tentacled Martian monsters to bits. They are so distracted by the smoke bomb and their malfunctioning communications that you take three of them out before they even realize what is happening. The rest of them are an easy prey for your flame thrower.

In mere seconds you are standing amidst the smoking and crackling corpses of the Martian horrors, and the road to their base is open!
Go north
The Martian base is a huge bunker built atop the mountain next to Firebase Bravo. The cowardly Martians have sealed themselves in, no doubt waiting for reinforcements to take over the Firebase and the whole area. That must not happen, this foothold has to be destroyed at any cost! The problem is, the bunker has really thick walls.

Go601 follows you, its titanium claws rattling against the ground.
You examine the bunker
(the martian bunker)
Up close it's even more massive and hideous than seen from afar. They have built it from their concrete-like spit, combined with electrics and electronics. There's a weird device assembly on the top of the bunker, and although it's otherwise seamless, there's something that looks like an entrance: a totally featureless slab with slight seams.
You examine slab
The bunker entrance is a totally featureless slab, with a seam that's so narrow it could as well be a line drawn with a pen.
You look at the device
You can't fathom most of the functions of the devices, but some of
them are quite obvious: there are motion detectors all around the bunker. If you get within a few meters of it, no doubt an alarm will ring inside and you will get swarmed by dozens and dozens of Martian monstrosities pouring out of the entrance. You will need something to slow them down a bit!
You look at the caltrops
They are named after an ancient weapon, which was a spiky thing they dropped in the olden times to slow down horses and men. Laser caltrop mines shoot out hundreds of laser beams that fill your feet with
holes.
You drop the caltrops
You run to the bunker door, and hear a whirring sound from the device assembly on top of the bunker, shortly followed by an alert klaxon inside. You place the mines quickly on the ground, toss a few pieces
of lichen on top of them, and duck around the corner and out of the blast radius. There! Now you have only a few seconds to set the time bomb!
You set the time bomb
You dash towards the Martian bunker, wary of gunnery holes, secret doorways or other ambushes, but the cowardly Martians are totally sealed in. But oh no, what is this - there are gliders above you and they have spotted you! You have only a few seconds to act, and you decide to make the biggest sacrifice a soldier can make.

You set the timer for a few seconds and leap on the bunker! You can hear the lasers of the gliders squeawking above you as the Martian glider pilots zero in to you.

"FOR EARTH!" you scream and press the bomb against the wall of the bunker, and BOOOOOOOM!

You fly through the air and land on the ground, blown to shreds by the bomb, but the Martian bunker is destroyed! Now the Earth Command can retake the area and Firebase Bravo, you have lost your life but you will be a hero, maybe they will name the base after you and build you
a statue!

You stay on your back on the crunchy but soft patch of lichen, and
look at the skies. That was an intense game, and a little bit sad, since the hero had to die in the end. But that's war, people die, but they die for their planet and they die as heroes.

Gogol walks next to you, sniffs your ear and lies down next to you - a big, hairy warm animal. Although it's windy, the sun is warm and the navigational cairn next to you provides some cover. You turn your head and look past your house to the southern end of the island. For a moment you think there's something silvery and glittery in there, but having been running outside the whole morning, you suddenly realize
you are very sleepy.

You wake up to Gogol licking your face. You splutter and get up,
wiping the dog drool off your face. You have no idea how long you have slept, your back is a bit sore from lying on the rocky ground, even with the soft lichen. The sun has moved in the sky, you must've slept at least a couple of hours! You feel all groggy and messy, but well rested. Time to go back in, I guess.

Wait a minute, is it just sun glinting on the wavesâ¦? No, there
is something shiny in the sea in the southern end of the
island!

The top of the hill is almost on the level of the roof of your house, and you have a beautiful view over the whole island. The navigational cairn is eye-blindingly bright seen up close, the white paint really shines and reflects the hazy sunlight. There is not much vegetation in here, except for some patches of crunchy and dry lichen.

Gogol looks up at the wheeling seagulls.
You go south
The center of the island is covered by low hardy shrubs whose roots manage to cling to the rocks in the harsh winter winds. Here and there rocks poke through the undergrowth, covered with gray and orange lichen. There's a narrow path through the area to the south of the island - wading through the brush is a good way to rip your clothes
and turn your ankle on the rocks.

Gogol trots after you.
You go to the south
In the southern tip of the island the vegetation has lost the fight against the winds, and the rocks are almost bare here. There are several pools of water that almost never dry out. Some of them are close enough to the shore that when the tide is in, the waves can fill them up again, but you are not sure where all of them get their water.

The waves are hammering the shore to the west and south of you, their noise is loud enough to drown the sound of the seagulls. In the east, in the lee side of the island, the waves are much more quiet.

Gogol trots after you.
You go south
It takes you a moment to really understand what you are seeing, what
is the thing that's bobbing up and down with the waves, tangled in the rocks a couple of meters from the shore.

Oh my god!

IT'S A SPACE SUIT!

A silvery wrinkled space suit and a large helmet, with a visor that glints in hues of gold, being bashed against the rocks by the waves, it's so bright in the sunshine that it almost hurts your eyes.

No, wait, oh my god!

IT MOVED, IT JUST MOVED! THERE'S A PERSON IN THERE, IT'S A ROCKET-MAN!

He's in trouble, he's trying to grab the rocks while clutching a large suitcase to his chest! I must help him!

The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

There's a rocket pilot fighting for his life amidst the waves that are pounding him against the rocks. The stubby gloves of his suit can't
get a purchase on the slimy rocks, and he's trying to hang on to a small suitcase with one hand.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a white plastic spray can
an egg timer
a pasta strainer (being worn)
a child size life vest (being worn)
a packet of wieners
Look around
The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

Gogol stands next to you, looking at you questioningly.

There's a rocket pilot fighting for his life amidst the waves that are pounding him against the rocks. The stubby gloves of his suit can't
get a purchase on the slimy rocks, and he's trying to hang on to a small suitcase with one hand.
You go northeast
The boat shore is actually the innermost nook of the small bay where you swim in the summertime. It's a small nook with some reeds and
water plants, and a nice gravely sea bottom without any sharp rocks to hurt your bare feet on. The wavebreak protects the bay, so the water
is usually pretty calm and sometimes it gets really warm in the
summer. There's a small wooden boat, but nobody has used it in a long time since you can't go to the sea with it, just row around the bay
and very close to the island.

stretches to the east, towards the mainland. Straight to the west are your mother's rose bushes, that hug the side of the house, but you really don't want to go through them because the thorns are sharp enough to bite even through your clothes. The roses are in bloom and gusts of wind wafts their sweet smell to you.

Gogol trots after you.
Go east
The wavebreak is a concrete causeway built over a big long pile of rocks to break the waves coming from the north during wintertime. It protects the little bay to the south, which is nice to swim in when
the weather is a bit better. The boat shore and the island are to the west, and the pier is to the east.

Gogol trots after you.
Go east
The pier is built in the end of a breakwater that protects the natural bay of the island from northerly winds. There's room for a couple of sailboats or yachts in addition to your motor boat.

The sky and the sea is hazy, there is a hard westerly wind and you can hear waves whipping and beating the rocky shore on the other side of the island. On the island the only landmark is your house - a lone, tall yellow building used by the pilots in your grandfather's time. Well, there's the navigational cairn on the high northern end of the island, just a pile of rocks painted white. There are only a couple of trees in your yard, otherwise the island has just smooth bare stone, low brushes, lichen and other such hardy plants.

On the pier there's a windbeaten equipment shack, where you store supplies and fuel for the boat. To the south-east, through the haze
and across the churning sea, you can make out the towers and buildings of Astro City One, the world's largest rocket base.

Gogol trots after you.
You open the shack
You open the equipment shack, revealing a large orange life vest, boating supplies and a boat hook.
You take the hook
It takes some effort to yank the long, unwieldy and surprisingly heavy boat hook out of the shack. It's so heavy you have to hold it in the middle when you walk so you don't topple over.
You take the vest
(the child size life vest)
You already have that.
You take large
It's too big for you, better leave it where it is. Father has always said that you shouldn't mess with safety equipment.
Go south
The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

There's a rocket pilot fighting for his life amidst the waves that are pounding him against the rocks. The stubby gloves of his suit can't
get a purchase on the slimy rocks, and he's trying to hang on to a small suitcase with one hand.

Gogol trots after you.
Hook man
You step into the shallow ice-cold water, almost slipping on the slimy rocks under the surface. The boat hook is surprisingly unwieldy, it's heavy and far longer than you are. You try to push it forward to catch the rocket man, but the tip just keeps sinking under the surface
before it reaches him - you are just not strong enough to lift it up.

An idea! You lift the pole almost straight up, and let it fall towards the suit. Too late you realize, that the hook is quite sharp, you
might actuall hurt-

The hook hits the rocket man straight in the helmet visor, leaving a star shaped crack. You yelp and let go of the shaft, the rocket man jolts and grabs the boat hook, pulling it out of your reach. A wave catches it, flips it around the rocks, and it vanishes amidst the
surf. Oh my god, father is going to kill you for losing the hook!
Go east
On the eastern shoreline the waves almost die away, and the rocks shelter you from the sound of the sea a bit. A lot of junk and flotsam makes its way to this shore, pushed in by the winds. Now there are
some long and sturdy branches in here, floating in a tangle near the shoreline.

Gogol trots after you.
You take the branches
You tug at a branch, but it just makes the whole tangle move. There's no way you can untangle one of them from the others!
You examine the branches
You are not sure from where these branches have come from. They are quite long and all squiggly and in a big mess.
Go west
The westernly winds are pretty high today and the waves keep shooting up to far over your head. The western shore is just slippery rocks,
you don't want to go there and get wet or hurt yourself like you did last summer.
Go south
The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

There's a rocket pilot fighting for his life amidst the waves that are pounding him against the rocks. The stubby gloves of his suit can't
get a purchase on the slimy rocks, and he's trying to hang on to a small suitcase with one hand.

Gogol trots after you.
You throw the vest to the pilot
No use throwing that thing around.
You look at the gloves
The rocket man is trying to grab an hold of the rocks, but the gloves are just too thick and clumsy!
You ask Pilot,  to go east
The rocket man has better things to do.
You enter the boat
(the small wooden row boat)
You step into the boat and sit down.
You look around
The wavebreak is a concrete causeway built over a big long pile of rocks to break the waves coming from the north during wintertime. It protects the little bay to the south, which is nice to swim in when
the weather is a bit better. The boat shore and the island are to the west, and the pier is to the east.

Gogol sniffs something on the ground.
You examine the boat
(the small wooden row boat)
It's a small wooden boat, which still seems to be intact, although it has gathered some rain water and leaves. It hasn't been used in ages.
Search boat
(the small wooden row boat)
The small wooden row boat is empty.
You look at the suitcase
The rocket man is holding on to a black suitcase which he's trying to keep on his chest and out of the water. It looks kind of heavy, but it must be important!
You remove the vest
You take off the child size life vest.
You wear the vest
You put on the child size life vest.
You get man
He is too far to reach even if you step into the shallow water. Any further and the large waves will push you down and pull you out into the sea!
You examine the water
It's salty Baltic seawater, churned frothy on the shoreline by the waves.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a white plastic spray can
an egg timer
a pasta strainer (being worn)
a child size life vest (being worn)
a packet of wieners
You go to the south-west
The water is a bit too cold for swimming.
Go west
The boat shore is actually the innermost nook of the small bay where you swim in the summertime. It's a small nook with some reeds and
water plants, and a nice gravely sea bottom without any sharp rocks to hurt your bare feet on. The wavebreak protects the bay, so the water
is usually pretty calm and sometimes it gets really warm in the
summer. There's a small wooden boat, but nobody has used it in a long time since you can't go to the sea with it, just row around the bay
and very close to the island.

stretches to the east, towards the mainland. Straight to the west are your mother's rose bushes, that hug the side of the house, but you really don't want to go through them because the thorns are sharp enough to bite even through your clothes. The roses are in bloom and gusts of wind wafts their sweet smell to you.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at the man
He's clad in a crinkly silvery space suit with a large helmet. His movements are slow, he must be really tired!
You look at the helmet
The helmet is large and it looks really heavy. The visor of the helmet is covered with gold, so the rocket men won't burn their eyes if they look at the Sun or the flames of the Atomic Engines.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a boat hook
a white plastic spray can
an egg timer
a pasta strainer (being worn)
a child size life vest (being worn)
a packet of wieners
Hook man
You step into the shallow ice-cold water, almost slipping on the slimy rocks under the surface. The boat hook is surprisingly unwieldy, it's heavy and far longer than you are. You try to push it forward to catch the rocket man, but the tip just keeps sinking under the surface
before it reaches him - you are just not strong enough to lift it up.

An idea! You lift the pole almost straight up, and let it fall towards the suit. Too late you realize, that the hook is quite sharp, you
might actuall hurt-

The hook hits the rocket man straight in the helmet visor, leaving a star shaped crack. You yelp and let go of the shaft, the rocket man jolts and grabs the boat hook, pulling it out of your reach. A wave catches it, flips it around the rocks, and it vanishes amidst the
surf. Oh my god, father is going to kill you for losing the hook!
You examine the brush
(the shrubs)
They are a hardy mess of all kinds of low lying plants, that are
really hard to rip up from the ground. Sometimes there are beautiful small yellow and purple flowers on them, but not now.
You enter the outbuilding
It's a little bit dark in thereâ¦ It's not like you were afraid of the dark, no, but you just don't need anything from there right now. Really!
You enter the outhouse
You don't need to go right now, and it's really not a place you want
to just hang in.
You examine house
It's a three storey yellow wooden house, with a steep roof and a balcony looking out to the west. According to father that is where the pilots used to stand in the olden times to look for incoming ships. He says that he had to do that also when he was a child, and grandfather was sick or out getting supplies.
Go inside
The porch has two fly-speckled windows, and the benches under them are covered with all kinds of stuff. You never remember having seen them empty, so that someone could actually sit down when putting on or taking off their shoes. The front hall is to the north.

Gogol trots after you.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
You go inside
You can't go that way.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Go north
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

Gogol trots after you.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Go east
The living room is dark and cozy, even in the middle of the day. In
the air there's an aroma of your father's pipe tobacco, which covers any other scents. Against the wall there's a bookcase with a few of your father's books, and some of yours. There's your father's comfy chair, and the dark green sofa where you and mother sit. On the side table there's the radio.

Gogol trots after you.

The untuned radio is hissing and crackling, catching the cosmic radiation between the stations.
You examine the radio
It's the large tube radio, from which you listen to the news and radio plays. You are not supposed to touch it without father's or mother's permission.

The untuned radio is hissing and crackling, catching the cosmic radiation between the stations.
You touch the radio
You're really not supposed to touch it without permission. If
something happens to it, you'll get your hide tanned.

The untuned radio is hissing and crackling, catching the cosmic radiation between the stations.
Tune radio
You turn the knobs frantically, making the radio hiss and howlâ¦
there,
some speech! Oh no, can't find it againâ¦ Music! Fast swinging Jazz music!

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
Keep going
Now that you've found a station, better not mess with it!

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You take the radio
You're really not supposed to touch it without permission. If
something happens to it, you'll get your hide tanned.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
Look around
The living room is dark and cozy, even in the middle of the day. In
the air there's an aroma of your father's pipe tobacco, which covers any other scents. Against the wall there's a bookcase with a few of your father's books, and some of yours. There's your father's comfy chair, and the dark green sofa where you and mother sit. On the side table there's the radio.

Gogol trots around, sniffing at things.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
Go west
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
Go up
The stairs coming from downstairs curve around and lead up to the eastern end of the upstairs hallway, which is dark and shadowy. The only light comes from two small windows on the southern wall. To the north is the door to your bedroom, which is closed,  and the hallway
to the west leads into your parents" bedroom and father's radio room.
A very narrow and steep staircase leads up to the attic.

Gogol trots after you.
You go to the west
room, where you are not allowed. To the north is the door to your parents" bedroom.

Gogol trots after you.
You go to the west
(first opening the radio room door)
It seems to be locked.
You go to the west
The kitchen is the domain of your mother. The spice rack is full of small bags and glass jars, the fridge hums to itself in the corner and the door to the pantry is covered with flower stickers. There are flower patterned drapes in the window, and the kitchen table is full
of pots, pans and baking implements. There's some flour still on the table from yesterday night, when your mother baked some cinnamon
rolls. The air in the kitchen smells of a mix of dozens of yesterdays" meals, breads and pastries.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look at your surroundings
The kitchen is the domain of your mother. The spice rack is full of small bags and glass jars, the fridge hums to itself in the corner and the door to the pantry is covered with flower stickers. There are flower patterned drapes in the window, and the kitchen table is full
of pots, pans and baking implements. There's some flour still on the table from yesterday night, when your mother baked some cinnamon
rolls. The air in the kitchen smells of a mix of dozens of yesterdays" meals, breads and pastries.

Gogol sniffs something on the ground.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You examine the fridge
You see nothing special about the fridge.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You open it
You open the fridge, revealing Foodstuffs.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You examine the foodstuffs
Cans and pots and pans full of your mother's cookings.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You search the foodstuffs
You are not hungry right now, and you aren't supposed to sneak snacks between meals anyway!

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You close the fridge
You close the fridge.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You go east
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You go to the south
The porch has two fly-speckled windows, and the benches under them are covered with all kinds of stuff. You never remember having seen them empty, so that someone could actually sit down when putting on or taking off their shoes. The front hall is to the north.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look at the benches
It's just all kinds of stuff someone set down on the bench for a moment, and forgot it there.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
Go south
You can't go that way.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
Attack window
(the radio room window)
I have no ill will towards radio room window.
You go to the east
(first opening the radio room window)
It is latched shut from the inside. Better not mess with it, you are not allowed to be in there or even peek through the window. Or to
climb on the ladder, for that matter.
You examine the latch
It's a simple latch that closes the window from the inside. There's a bit of a crack on the window pane, and you have many times wondered if you could jimmy it open somehowâ¦ But there's no way you would ever dare to try that, you'll father would tan your hide and no mistake if you ever got caught.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a white plastic spray can
an egg timer
a pasta strainer (being worn)
a child size life vest (being worn)
a packet of wieners
You look at the crack
pane, and if the light is right, you can see the latch there. You just might be able to lift it up with a suitable toolâ¦ But no way you'd ever dare to try that.
You examine the pasta
It's the little round-bottomed kettle mother uses to strain water out of pasta.
You examine the timer
It's yellow and shaped like a lemon. When you twist it, you can make
it ring in a few seconds or a few minutes.
Go downward
The back yard of the house is actually on the western side of the building. You just call it the back yard, since right behind the house there's the rocky hill with the navigational cairn on top of it.

There is a series of clothes lines here tied to metal posts, and there are some of your father's work clothes flapping in the wind. They must be totally dry by now.

There's a very narrow and steep path to the top of the hill to the north, and there's a ladder leading up to the balcony where the pilots used to keep an eye for approaching ships.

Gogol trots around, sniffing at things.
Search benches
There's really nothing there I need or want to touch.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look at the stuff
It's just all kinds of stuff someone set down on the bench for a moment, and forgot it there.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look around
The porch has two fly-speckled windows, and the benches under them are covered with all kinds of stuff. You never remember having seen them empty, so that someone could actually sit down when putting on or taking off their shoes. The front hall is to the north.

Gogol is sitting near you, panting with his tongue out.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You go north
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You open the closet
You open the front hall closet, revealing a cleaning rag.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look at the rag
It's a big dirty piece of cloth, an old cover of something, which your mother uses when cleaning the floors.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You take the rag
Mother makes me clean stuff all the time, I'm not doing it if I don't have to!

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look around
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

Gogol sniffs something on the ground.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You look at the staircase
According to dad this is the old original staircase of the house, made of oak. The stairs are thick and they are so worn their corners are
all round.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You go to the west
The kitchen is the domain of your mother. The spice rack is full of small bags and glass jars, the fridge hums to itself in the corner and the door to the pantry is covered with flower stickers. There are flower patterned drapes in the window, and the kitchen table is full
of pots, pans and baking implements. There's some flour still on the table from yesterday night, when your mother baked some cinnamon
rolls. The air in the kitchen smells of a mix of dozens of yesterdays" meals, breads and pastries.

Gogol trots after you.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
Twist timer
You'd rather not listen to it making a horrible racket.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You go to the east
The living room is dark and cozy, even in the middle of the day. In
the air there's an aroma of your father's pipe tobacco, which covers any other scents. Against the wall there's a bookcase with a few of your father's books, and some of yours. There's your father's comfy chair, and the dark green sofa where you and mother sit. On the side table there's the radio.

Gogol trots after you.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You look at the books
The living room bookcase is full of your and your father's books. You don't feel like reading now, though.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You look at chair
Father's comfy chair is large and made out of leather and dark green plush. The seat is worn, you father has spent his evenings sitting there as long as you  can remember.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
Search chair
There is nothing on the comfy chair.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You sit on the chair
It feels surprisingly hard, father's weight has flattened all the stuffing.

The radio plays some Jazz in the living room.
You stand
You get off the comfy chair.

The living room is dark and cozy, even in the middle of the day. In
the air there's an aroma of your father's pipe tobacco, which covers any other scents. Against the wall there's a bookcase with a few of your father's books, and some of yours. There's your father's comfy chair, and the dark green sofa where you and mother sit. On the side table there's the radio.

Gogol stands next to you, looking at you questioningly.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You move it
It's really not smart to mess around with the bookcase.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
You hit the radio
You're really not supposed to touch it without permission. If
something happens to it, you'll get your hide tanned.

Jazz music is blaring out of the radio.
Go upward
The attic is a cluttered, low space with a slanted roof. It's a scary place with dark nooks and crannies, piles of boxes and all kinds of weird junk. The only light is a lone bulb that has gone dim and yellow with age.

Gogol trots after you.
Examine boxes
The are boxes and boxes of old magazines, toys and other stuff in the attic. You are not really supposed to dig into them, because the piles of boxes can topple over.
You search the junk
Better let all that dusty stuff lie, mother will flip if you make a bigger mess in here.
You describe your surroundings
The attic is a cluttered, low space with a slanted roof. It's a scary place with dark nooks and crannies, piles of boxes and all kinds of weird junk. The only light is a lone bulb that has gone dim and yellow with age.

Gogol is sitting near you, panting with his tongue out.
You go north
(first opening the door to your room)

Your room is a small but very nice. It has a slanted ceiling and there's just enough space for your bed, your desk and a closet with your toys and clothes. There's a shelf for your books.

Gogol trots after you.
You open the closet
You open your closet, revealing your stuff.
You examine the bed
Your bed is starting to get a bit short for you.
You look at the desk
It's your desk at which you read, draw and do your home work.
You look around
Your room is a small but very nice. It has a slanted ceiling and there's just enough space for your bed, your desk and a closet with your toys and clothes. There's a shelf for your books.

Gogol sniffs something on the ground.
Look around
Your room is a small but very nice. It has a slanted ceiling and there's just enough space for your bed, your desk and a closet with your toys and clothes. There's a shelf for your books.

Gogol is sitting near you, panting with his tongue out.
You go to the south
The stairs coming from downstairs curve around and lead up to the eastern end of the upstairs hallway, which is dark and shadowy. The only light comes from two small windows on the southern wall. To the north is the door to your bedroom, which is open,  and the hallway to the west leads into your parents" bedroom and father's radio room. A very narrow and steep staircase leads up to the attic.

Gogol trots after you.
You go up
Gogol trots after you.
Look around
Gogol stands next to you, looking at you questioningly.
Go west
(first opening the balcony door)

This is the balcony where the pilots of the days of yore scanned the seas for incoming ships, and flashed light signals to them. Your
father has told you how your grandfather spent his nights and days in here, looking at the horizon with a telescope, and your father had to do that sometimes too. He claims that he had to do it when he was as young as you are, but your mother has said that you shouldn't always believe what your father says.

There was once a telescope here, you kind of remember seeing it when you were young, but you don't know where it has gone. You'd really
want to find it, so you could look at the Moon and Mars, and maybe see some rocket ships!

A ladder leads down from here, and to the east are the doors that lead to the pilots" room inside the house.

Gogol trots after you.
You look at your surroundings
The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

Gogol sniffs something on the ground.

There's a rocket pilot fighting for his life amidst the waves that are pounding him against the rocks. The stubby gloves of his suit can't
get a purchase on the slimy rocks, and he's trying to hang on to a small suitcase with one hand.
You get man
Gogol looks at you, vaguely puzzled.
You throw the wiener at the man
There's no way you can swim in the crashing waves butâ¦ Maybe Gogol can! He's a very good swimmer! Gogol quiets down as he notices you digging out the wieners and breaking off a piece. The treat arcs through the air and BULLSEYE, it hits the rocket man straight on his tummy. Gogol turns to look at you, as if saying "are you serious?",
but leaps after the treat. He splashes through the low water and leaps into the waves, reaching the rocket man in seconds.

The rocket man doesn't seem to realize what's happening, he keeps fighting Gogol who is pushing and dragging him towards the shore.

Then, finally, his feet and back hit the rocky shore underwater - he crawls around on all fours up to the shore, dragging the suitcase
after him, and rolls over to his back.

Gogol shakes himself dry, and resumes barking and circling the supine rocket man.
Hello
There are tons of things you would like to ask rocket man about, like the universe, the war, his rocketship. You could also tell him about something.

on the seal of his helmet.
You ask the man about suitcase
He won't probably hear you with his helmet on, especially with the roaring of the waves.

The rocket man is fiddling with the clasps of his helmet, opening them one by one, slowly with his stubby thick gloves.
You wait
Time passes.

There is a hiss and a pop, as the rocket man unfastens the last clamp holding his helmet shut, and pulls it off. It is a man - a pale young man with black hair that's matted down from sweat. His cheeks are all flushed and his eyes are red.

Gogol jumps forward and starts barking. The eyes of the rocket man widen and he gets half up, trying to crawl away from Gogol.
You ask the man about the man
The rocket man can't tear his eyes off Gogol, who's barking ferociously! The man looks really scared!
You look at the man
He looks quite pale, but flushed. His dark hair is all sweaty and
flat, and he looks really tired.
You throw the wieners to Gogol
You break off a piece and throw it at Gogol, who snaps it off straight from the air.
Look around
The thundering of the waves is ear-splitting in this end of the
island, and the air is full of the salty mist of their breaking. In
the south the island has no clear waterline (except at high tide),  it just gradually vanishes under the sea, leaving tall rocks jutting up from the sea meters and meters from the shore. Father says that there are many shipwrecks close to the south tip because careless captains and sailors came too close to the shore. Often there's all kinds of flotsam floating between the rocks. Now there are only slimy and old sticks, leaves and algae mats, but sometimes you have found cans, bottles and once even plastic doll. In spite of the high winds,
there's a stink of rotting seaweed and old fish.

The rocket man is lying on the shore, looking scared and bewildered, hunching against a rock and away from Gogol.

Gogol is barking his head off at the rocket man, who looks horrified!
You examine the suitcase
It's not really a suitcase, like you have for traveling. It's more of
a black metal case with some letters you can't read, and it looks really heavy.
You look at the helmet
The helmet is large and it looks really heavy. The visor of the helmet is covered with gold, so the rocket men won't burn their eyes if they look at the Sun or the flames of the Atomic Engines.
You sit
Gogol looks at you, it's tail end doing a restless jig, and touching the ground long enough to it almost count as sitting. Sigh.
You lie down
"Be quiet Gogol!" you scream loud enough to get the dog's attention.
He quiets down and walks to you, eyeing the rocket man suspiciously.
You talk to the man
As you speak up, the rocket man finally seems to notice you. He eyes your head and furrows his brow.
You realize you are still wearing the pasta strainer you used for a helmet.

"Soâ¦ kid, what are you supposed to be?" the rocket man says. His
voice
is gravelly, like he had a sore throat, and he has a strange accent.

"I'm a rocket man!" you say.
Keep going
The rocket man seems to be lost in thought for a moment, and then he raises his eyes at you. "Hey kid, is there any place you could help me hide in? I'm on a really secret mission, and I need to stay somewhere until it's dark outside. You can't tell anyone about me, you hear me! So, do you know anywhere?" A secret mission! Wow!

You can think of several hiding places. You could tell the rocket man about the outbuilding, the equipment shack, living room (it's easy to hide under the table there), your room or the attic.
You ask the man about the mission
"Yeah, I'm on a secrâ¦" he begins, but then blinks a couple of times and shakes his head, as if to clear his mind. "Hey, kid, just please help me."
You tell the man about the table
The rocket man listens to you for a moment, and then interrupts. "Really, kid, you've got to help me hide somewhere!"
You tell man about the living room
"Our living room table is pretty big, I once hid an hour under it and my mother couldn't find me!" you tell the rocket man, who just stares at you for a moment. "Iâ¦ I don't think I can really fit under a
table,
kid." he finally says.
You tell the man about your room
You think for a moment before saying "I could hide you in my room!"
The rocket man rubs his eyes, that are all red.

"Are you really sure that your parents don't find me there? It's very important that nobody knows I'm here!" the rocket man says.
Yes
The rocket man walks like he was carrying a ton of bricks on his shoulders, and he has to stop to catch his breath a couple of times.
It takes you a good while to walk across the island and into the front yard. The house is cool on the inside, and you need to stop and blink for a moment before you can see anything in the indoor gloom.

For a moment you think that the rocket man won't be able to get up the stairs, and when you finally get him in your room, he collapses on
your bed that creaks in protest. He falls asleep almost immediately when his head hits the pillow. You happen to glance out of the window, and see your family ship a few minutes out of the pier. You run down
to meet your parents.

Father always wants you to help with unloading the supplies, and you work up a good sweat carrying the boxes of tomatos and flour and potatos from the boat to the cool air of the kitchen. When you are heading out, you bump into mother who's heading upstairs. To this day you don't know what happened - you make it barely to the front door when you can hear her scream.

The next few moments are a panicky blur. Mother grabbing you and screaming for your father, the rocket man and father wrestling on the yard. Much later the serious men in uniforms, the endless questions from them and your parents, and the worst thrashing your father has ever given you.

Not a day has gone by since without you thinking about who the rocket man was, and what happened to him.
You tell the man about the attic
"Well, our house has a big attic. But it's pretty scary place especially when it's dark. Oh, there's a lamp there, so it's not dark like that", you say. The rocket man coughs and wipes sweat and salt water spray from his face. "That sounds pretty good, kid," he says. "You have family, don't you? Are you sure your parents won't find us there?"
Yes
It takes some time for the rocket man to get to his feet, and whoa - he's tall, way taller than your father. Not a big man, though, like dad, but now that his suit isn't all full of air, he looks quite lean.

It takes you quite some time to reach the house, since the rocket man walks like he was carrying a ton on bricks on his shoulder. He has to lean on the door frame for a while when you reach the porch. His skin is quite pale, and but his cheeks are all red. He looks like you did when you had the high fever last summer.

It takes a long time for the rocket man to climb up the stairs to the second floor, and even longer to get to the attic. When you get there, he almost falls down on the floor, and crawls to a corner next to a
big pile of boxes. Oh man, he must be really tired!

You take a step towards the rocket man, and catch a glimpse outside of the window. Oh, the family ship is just a few minutes out!

The attic is a cluttered, low space with a slanted roof. It's a scary place with dark nooks and crannies, piles of boxes and all kinds of weird junk. The only light is a lone bulb that has gone dim and yellow with age.

boxes.
Go downward
The stairs coming from downstairs curve around and lead up to the eastern end of the upstairs hallway, which is dark and shadowy. The only light comes from two small windows on the southern wall. To the north is the door to your bedroom, which is closed,  and the hallway
to the west leads into your parents" bedroom and father's radio room.
A very narrow and steep staircase leads up to the attic.

OH NO! There are dirty and muddy footprints that lead to the
attic staircase!

Gogol trots after you.
You go downwards
The front hall is cool and dark with the wood paneled walls and the dark red rugs. There is a closet in the corner with some of your mother's stuff in there. A staircase leads upstairs, and there are
open doorways to the kitchen in the west and to the living room to the east.

There are huge muddy bootprints leading upstairs!

Gogol trots after you.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
You open the closet
You open the front hall closet, revealing a cleaning rag.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.

You can already hear the sound of the boat engine outdoors.
You take rag
Taken.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Go up
The stairs coming from downstairs curve around and lead up to the eastern end of the upstairs hallway, which is dark and shadowy. The only light comes from two small windows on the southern wall. To the north is the door to your bedroom, which is closed,  and the hallway
to the west leads into your parents" bedroom and father's radio room.
A very narrow and steep staircase leads up to the attic.

There are dirty and muddy footprints that lead to the attic staircase!

Gogol trots after you.
Clean footprints
You wipe the mud and water, or rather just smear it wider. At least
the big bootprints aren't visible anymore!
Clean bootprints
You wipe the floor quickly, smearing the outlines of the big bootprints. Well, at least they aren't recognizable anymore!

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.

The boat engine growls and purrs, father must be maneuvering it to the dock already!
Go south
The porch has two fly-speckled windows, and the benches under them are covered with all kinds of stuff. You never remember having seen them empty, so that someone could actually sit down when putting on or taking off their shoes. The front hall is to the north.

There are huge muddy and wet bootprints on the porch floor!

Gogol trots after you.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Clean bootprint
You mop the floor with the rag, which can't absorb much of the mess, but at least it can obscure the footprints.

That's it! You have the time to return the cleaning rag to the closet and run to meet your parents, before they barge in. You did it!

Your mother comes in first, stops when she hears the radio, and clucks her tongue. "You know your dad doesn't like it if you mess with the radio, go and turn it off before he comes in!" your mother says. You skip obediently to the living room, feeling a weird mix of relief and excitement.

Unloading the supplies from the ship, unpacking them and storing all the items keeps you busy for most of the afternoon, and after that mother asks you to help her with the dinner. You try to sneak a minute or two to go to the attic, but without success - it seems that when
you get one of your tasks done, the next one is already waiting. Soon the sun kisses the horizon and the evening draws in. Your excitement turns into scared and tense anticipation; there's no telling when the rocket man will wake up, and what will he do when he does.

"The conflict between the Earth Alliance and the rebels of Mars has escalated, and there has been heavy fighting in the low Earth orbit,
as well as around the Mars orbital stations."

The radio murmurs in the corner of the living room, while you poke at the dinner with your fork. Father is sitting in his chair, smoking his pipe. The smoke curls around the yellow bulbs on the ceiling, making the air hazy. Your mother gives the radio a hostile look, and another to your father. "The news is so horrible these days. Turn it off, you're upsetting the boy."

"Last night there were reports of small one man rockets, classified as shuttles, breaking through the lines of the Earth defense vessels. It is believed that all of them-"

The radio goes silent with a deep clunk. Your dad looks up
from his newspaper to your mom, who turned it off. "I don't want to hear a single word about the war today!", mother huffs. Your father grunts in displeasure, but lifts up his magazine while mom walks to
the table. "You, if you are not hungry, go for a wash and then off to bed!" she says.

You try to take every chance to sneak up to the attic, but it's no use - your mother is sorting linen upstairs, and she ushers you directly
to your room, and turns off the lights after you. You lie down in the bed, staring at the rectangle the moonlight draws on the ceiling, absolutely sure that you just can't fall asleep tonight-

You jolt awake, not sure if if you were just dreamingâ¦ but then you can hear it again. Slight shuffling, a muffled clank, the creak of the boards as someone is moving upstairs. The rocket man is awake! You
hold your breath and listen for a moment, but the house is otherwise silent. Hopefully Gogol is outside, so he won't start barking. This is your chance!

Your room is small and dark, and now it's illuminated only by the silvery moonlight coming through the window. You can barely make out your bookshelf and your closet.
You go to the south
(first opening the door to your room)

The eastern end of the upstairs hallway is almost completely dark. To the north is the door to your room, and the hallway to the west leads to your parents' bedroom and the radio room. You can hear your father snoring even here. The main staircase winds down to the front hall,
and the narrow attic staircase leads up.
You go upwards
When you start to climb up the narrow attic stairs, almost on all fours, you can see the faint light of the single bulb upstairs. You poke your head out of the hatch on the floor, and see the rocket man
on the other side of the attic. He has the suitcase on his lap. Something alerts him, you don't know what, and his head snaps up with
a click. It takes you a moment to realize that the sound was him slamming the case shut.

After a second he smiles, and whispers quite loudly: "Hello, kid, thanks for helping me. Could you sit with me for a while, there's something I'd like to ask you." The rocket man opens the suitcase and starts tinkering with whatever he has in there.

The attic is a cluttered, low space with a slanted roof. It's a scary place with dark nooks and crannies, piles of boxes and all kinds of weird junk. The only light is a lone bulb that has gone dim and yellow with age.

The rocket man is sitting up in the end of the attic, leaning against the wall. The rocket man has peeled off the top part of his suit and his shirt, revealing his upper body. He's really pale and also lean, like a gymnast.
You wait
Time passes.
You talk to the man
You don't really know what to say. There is a ton of things you'd like to ask the rocket man about - like the war, Mars, his mission, and a million other things!
You ask the man about the suitcase
You can think of a million things you would like to ask about from rocket man: his rocket, the martians, his missionâ¦ Before you get any of them out of your mouth, the rocket man looks up from his work and smiles at you.

"So, kid, thanks for not telling your parents about me. I'm on a very very secret mission, and nobody but you and me should know about it." The rocket man shoots you a stern glance, and you find yourself
nodding vigorously.

"Now, then, this is an island if I'm not mistaken. Is there any way
out here? Like a ship or such? I need to get to Astro City One in a hurry!"
You ask man about the mars
"I bet you have been to Mars!" you say to the rocket man. "What kind
of a place is it?" The rocket man pauses his work with the suitcase
for a moment, and looks up. He has a weird expression on his face,
like he was sad.

"There's lots of empty space in Mars, these red fields of rock and sand. In the seas and the lakes the waves are tens of meters high, and much slower than in here. The sky is reddish gray on the daytime, and blazes red and violet in the mornings and eveningsâ¦" He falls quiet for a moment, and resumes working with the suitcase.
You examine the suitcase
The rocket man is hunched over the open suitcase. You try to peer around the open lid, but you can't see much, only some wires and weird stuff you can't make out.
You ask the man about the war
"It's great that we have people like you to fight the vile Martians
who threaten our freedom!" you say. The rocket man is quiet for a moment and doesn't look up from his work. "How exactly do they do
that? From Mars?" he asks, quietly. You get a feeling that you said something stupid, but you don't really know why.
You ask the man about Earth
"Astro City One is certainly the greatest place on Earth, isn't it!" you say enthusiastically. "Well, I've seen bigger bases. They are in zero-G, thoughâ¦" the rocket man mutters while concentrating on tinkering with the suitcase. "Where?" you ask, and he seems to snap
out of his concentration. "Nowhere, never mind."
You ask the man about Gogol
"Why were you so afraid of Gogol, he's a nice dog?" you ask. The
rocket man clears his throat. "Well, I just am, okay?" he replies almost angrily."
You ask the man about the name
He seems to be really concentrating on the suit case. You wait for his reply, but after a while you start to think that he didn't hear you.
You ask man about yourself
"Do you think I can ever be a rocket man?" you ask. The rocket man looks at you for a couple of seconds. "I don't see why not, if you are healthy. Just remember to exercise a lot and do what your parents tell you to." he replies.
You ask the man about the mission
"What is your mission, is it about that suitcase?" you ask, with your heart beating like crazy. The rocket man bites his lips for a moment and glances up at you. "In this suitcase I have some enemy
intelligence I caught from the... the vile Martians. I need to get these to Astro City one as soon as possible."
You ask man about the rocket
"How did you end up in the sea? Where's your rocket ship?" you ask. "I gotâ¦ there was an accident, I had to crash land." the rocket man
said.

"Okay, I'm ready to leave," the rocket man says and closes the
suitcase with a snap. He gets up, grunting and pressing his hand against his side. You watch as he pulls on his undershirt, which is some kind of thermal space material, and zips up his space suit.

Getting out of the house is nerve wracking, especially in the attic stairs where the clumsy space suit makes all kinds of noise. Luckily your father's snoring covers it all up.

Not even Gogol launches into a barking attack when you go outside.

The Moon is bright and the sea is calm. You watch over the sea towards the glittering towers of the Astro City one.

"Well, that's it then", rocket man says, giving the last evaluating glance to the family ship on the pier. "I guess I'll have to swim for it." He gives you one last smile and a wave, fastens his helmet and lowers himself to the water in the end of the pier.

You stay on the pier, watching his small bobbing form vanish to the glitter of moon light on the sea.

You never told anyone about the weird encounter you had that day. Not even 40 years later, when they make the marine archaeological find of the century just a couple of kilometers away from your childhood's
home island.

"The one that got away." A find that could have changed the whole history of Earth-Mars relations.
You open closet
You open the front hall closet, revealing a cleaning rag.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
You take rag
Taken.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Go up
The stairs coming from downstairs curve around and lead up to the eastern end of the upstairs hallway, which is dark and shadowy. The only light comes from two small windows on the southern wall. To the north is the door to your bedroom, which is closed,  and the hallway
to the west leads into your parents" bedroom and father's radio room.
A very narrow and steep staircase leads up to the attic.

There are dirty and muddy footprints that lead to the attic staircase!

Gogol trots after you.

You can already hear the sound of the boat engine outdoors.
You wipe footprints
You wipe the mud and water, or rather just smear it wider. At least
the big bootprints aren't visible anymore!
You wipe footprints
You wipe the floor quickly, smearing the outlines of the big bootprints. Well, at least they aren't recognizable anymore!

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
Go south
The porch has two fly-speckled windows, and the benches under them are covered with all kinds of stuff. You never remember having seen them empty, so that someone could actually sit down when putting on or taking off their shoes. The front hall is to the north.

There are huge muddy and wet bootprints on the porch floor!

Gogol trots after you.

You heard the hiss and the crackle of an untuned radio in the living room.
You tell the man about the boat
You can think of a million questions to ask from rocket man, his rocket, the martians, his missionâ¦ Before you get any of them out of your mouth, the rocket man looks up from his work and smiles at you.

"So, kid, thanks for not telling your parents about me. I'm on a very very secret mission, and nobody but you and me should know about it." The rocket man shoots you a stern glance, and you find yourself
nodding vigorously.

"Now, then, this is an island if I'm not mistaken. Is there any way
out here? Like a ship or such? I need to get to Astro City One in a hurry!"
You tell the man about the boat
"Well, we have this old row boat on the shore. We usually don't go out on the sea with it, because it's dangerous." you say. "Old wooden boatâ¦" the rocket man rubs his chin and you hear the rasping sound of a beard stubble. "You know, kid, that's perfect! That's absolutely perfect, if it can stay afloat that is. Just a moment now, I'll have
to finish with this damn thing." he continues, twisting something inside the suitcase.
You tell the man about the ship
"We have a nice ship which father always takes to the mainland. It has a good engine, although father always curses about it." you say. "A large ship, with an engineâ¦ with a metal hull, I guess?" the rocket man says and raises is eyebrows. You nod. "Ah, that won't do, sorry. Don't you have anything smaller?"
You wait
Time passes.
You ask man about the man
"Soâ¦ who are you?" you ask. The rocket man pauses his work for a moment. "I'mâ¦ a commando operative. Do you know what that is?" After seeing your enthusiastic nod, he continues. "I'm on a very secret mission that can define the result of the whole war. I really need
your help on this, kid"
You tell the man about the war
"We have always supported our valiant troops against the vile Martian menace!" you say, trying to remember how the man in the radio always said it. "Listen, kid. It's a great universe out there, full of all kinds of wonders, and we are just shooting at each other? Where's the sense in that?" the rocket man says, looking at you sternly. You
really don't know what to say to that.
You tell the man about Earth
"Earth rocket men are really kicking the butts up there in space, aren't they!" you say feeling proud to be in the presence of one them. "Yeeah, it's quite a scrap up there" the rocket man says.
Go downward
The eastern end of the upstairs hallway is almost completely dark. To the north is the door to your room, and the hallway to the west leads to your parents' bedroom and the radio room. You can hear your father snoring even here. The main staircase winds down to the front hall,
and the narrow attic staircase leads up.
Go downward
You look at the stairs for a moment, but it's dark downstairsâ¦ and
the
rocket man is waiting for you in the attic.
Go upwards
The attic is a cluttered, low space with a slanted roof. It's a scary place with dark nooks and crannies, piles of boxes and all kinds of weird junk. The only light is a lone bulb that has gone dim and yellow with age.

The rocket man is sitting up in the end of the attic, leaning against the wall. The rocket man has peeled off the top part of his suit and his shirt, revealing his upper body. He's really pale and also lean, like a gymnast.
You tell the man about the boat
"That boat sounds just like what I need. Thanks kid!" the rocket man says grinning at you.
You ask the man about the mission
"Why do you need to go to Astro City one?" you ask the rocket man. "I told you, to deliver these documents."

"Okay, that's it." the rocket man says and closes the suitcase with a snap. He gets up, grunting and pressing his hand against his side. You watch as he pulls on his undershirt, which is some kind of thermal space material, and zips up his space suit.

Getting out of the house is nerve wracking, especially in the attic stairs where the clumsy space suit makes all kinds of noise. Luckily your father's snoring covers it all up.

Not even Gogol launches into a barking attack when you go outside.

The Moon is bright and the sea is calm. The old boat glides to the water, and the rocket man starts to row, so clumsily that you just
have to laugh. He waves at you when he clears the wavebreak, and you sit on the concrete ledge to watch him go - and for a small eternity until his boat has vanished into the glitter of the moonlight on the sea, towards the brightly lit spires of Astro City One in the
mainland.

Much later, when you are already shivering with cold and almost in tears because the feeling of loss, you start to make your way toward the house. It's slow going in the dark - and you're almost to the
house when the impossibly bright flash and the sound of tearing metal in the distance wash over you.

Even now, forty years later, you can remember that moment; the instant when you stopped being a child and ended up being an adult with a horrible burden to bear. When Astro City One went up, it started as a couple of bright flashes. The bangs reached you several seconds later, right before the blinding flash that sent pieces of fuel filled
rockets and containers arcing through the sky in fiery fireballs. The blastwave of the explosion swept over the sea so fast it was almost
too quick to see, and the bang almost struck the air out of your lungs and made your ears go beep.

You still remember the moment when you realized that Martians weren't tentacled monsters: they were human beings just like you and your parents. Humans, who just wanted to live free. That's what they got, thanks to one stupid kid. The loss of Astro City one was a huge blow
to the Earth Alliance, and it turned the tide of the war. In three months there was a peace treaty, and Mars had seceded, leaving Earth with the burden of reparations for the long years of interplanetary war.

All because of one stupid little kid, who wanted to become a rocket man.