Spider and Web
Andrew Plotkin
advanced difficulty espionage flashbacks gadgets Guns I6 source available Inform 6 learn by dying medium length memorable NPC on Jay Is Games parser science fiction SF spies spy strong NPCs technology twist unreliable narrator walkthrough Xyzzy Awards 1998 XYZZY Best Game XYZZY Best Individual NPC XYZZY Best Individual Puzzle XYZZY Best Puzzles XYZZY Best Use of Medium
A vacation in our lovely country! See the ethnic charms of the countryside, the historic grandeur of the capital city. Taste our traditional cuisine; smell the flowers of the Old Tree. And all without leaving your own armchair! But all is not as it seems...
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On the whole, it was worth the trip. The plains really were broad and grain-gold, if scarred with fences and agricultural crawlers. The mountains were overwhelming. And however much of the capital city is crusted with squat brick and faceless concrete hulks, there are still flashes of its historic charm. You've seen spires above the streets -- tiny green parks below tenements -- hidden jewels of fountains beyond walls. Any bland alley can conceal balconies wrought into iron gardens, fiery mosaics, a tree or bed of flowers nurtured by who knows who.

This alley, however, is a total washout. It ends in flat bare dirty brick, and you've found nothing but a door which lacks even the courtesy of a handle. Maybe you should call it a day.

It's a narrow dead end here, with walls rising oppressively high in three directions. The alley is quite empty, bare even of trash. (Your guidebook warned you: the police are as efficient about litter laws as about everything else they do.) You can retreat to the south.

A plain metal door faces you to the east, near the alley's end. It's firmly shut.
You look at the door
It's a naked sheet of metal, a foot taller than you, as wide as your outstretched arms. No handle, no keyhole, no label, no sign. No obvious way to open it at all, unless the black plate embedded beside it will serve.
You look at the plate
A featureless, dull black rectangle is embedded in the bricks beside the door. It's about the width of your palm. No fool could doubt the plate has something to do with opening the door, but it doesn't bear a clue about how to do it.
You knock on the door
You scrape your knuckles without result. There isn't even any sound; it's like knocking on the side of a mountain.
You examine the bricks
The walls are brownish brick, not recently washed. They stretch at least two stories above you.
You climb the wall
The bricks are narrowly mortared. There's not a bit of hold to grasp.
You look at your surroundings
It's a narrow dead end here, with walls rising oppressively high in three directions. The alley is quite empty, bare even of trash. (Your guidebook warned you: the police are as efficient about litter laws as about everything else they do.) You can retreat to the south.

A plain metal door faces you to the east, near the alley's end. It's firmly shut.
You search the bricks
It's just bricks. They stop for the door, and the small plate next to it, but everywhere else they're implacably solid.
You go to the south
You're in the entrance of a narrow brick alley, which runs further in to the north. To the south a broad street courses by, congested with traffic and bicycles, although none of them seem to notice you.
You go south
You leave door and alley behind, and set off to see what else this fine city might hold.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away sharp edges of memory, and the dim walls slowly emerge into your sight once again. Dark metal walls and air uncomfortably cool. And cool metal bands around your wrists and feet and forehead.

He leans forward over his desk, through the glow of his monitors and controls. Impatience tightens his face.

"Don't be absurd," he says. "You're no more a sightseer than the Old Tree in Capitol Square; and if you'd had enough sense to walk away from that door, you wouldn't be here. You don't and you didn't and are; we caught you. And you're going to start by telling me how you got through that door. Do you understand me?"
No
The man nods briefly -- a man satisfied with the least important detail. He touches a control. Once again, a faint whine begins to drill through your temples.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]

On the whole, it was worth the trip. The plains really were broad and grain-gold, if scarred with fences and agricultural crawlers. The mountains were overwhelming. And however much of the capital city is scarred with squat brick and faceless concrete hulks, there are still flashes of its historic charm.

This alley, however, has no time for charm. It ends in flat bare dirty brick, and a door which lacks even the courtesy of a handle. Not that you'll wait on courtesy.

It's a narrow dead end here, with walls rising oppressively high in three directions. The alley is quite empty, bare even of trash. (You're sure the police are as efficient about litter laws as about everything else they do.) You can retreat to the south.

A plain metal door faces you to the east, near the alley's end. It's firmly shut.
You hit door
You scrape your knuckles without result. There isn't even any sound; it's like knocking on the side of a mountain.
You look at the walls
The walls are brownish brick, not recently washed. They stretch at least two stories above you.
Kiss plate
You can only do that to something animate.
You knock on the door
You scrape your knuckles without result. There isn't even any sound; it's like knocking on the side of a mountain.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"This is tedious," the man says. "Of course you didn't walk up and stand there rattling the door like a nightclump. Nor did you blow through the keyhole." Clenched knuckles rap on the desk, tension at odds with his patient tone. "Nor, I add, did you break into this place barehanded and bare naked. You had something which opened that door, and you used it. Was it this?"

His fist opens abruptly. Something rod-shaped gleams silver in his palm.
You examine rod
It's your lockpick, yes. A silver rod the size of your ring finger, splayed at one end into a flat disc of conductor-web matrix. You can't make out, from this distance, whether it's undamaged.
No
"No? But this is yours. A guard found it inside, just before we caught you, and it's nothing of ours. So don't pretend you didn't carry it in."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You look
On the whole, it was worth the trip. The plains really were broad and grain-gold, if scarred with fences and agricultural crawlers. The mountains were overwhelming. And however much of the capital city is scarred with squat brick and faceless concrete hulks, there are still flashes of its historic charm.

This alley, however, has no time for charm. It ends in flat bare dirty brick, and a door which lacks even the courtesy of a handle. Not that you'll wait on courtesy.

It's a narrow dead end here, with walls rising oppressively high in three directions. The alley is quite empty, bare even of trash. (You're sure the police are as efficient about litter laws as about everything else they do.) You can retreat to the south.

A plain metal door faces you to the east, near the alley's end. It's firmly shut.
You look at the plate
A featureless, dull black rectangle is embedded in the bricks beside the door. It's about the width of your palm. No fool could doubt the plate has something to do with opening the door, but it doesn't bear a clue about how to do it.
You look at the lockpick
The pick is a silver rod the size of your ring finger -- not true silver, of course, nothing so easily scanned. It's splayed at one end into a flat disc of conductor-web matrix. The status dot is blue.
You examine the disc
The lockpick widens at the top, ending in a coin-sized disc with the woven gleam of conductor-web matrix.
You touch the plate with the lockpick
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.
Wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The door slides neatly open.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

The man turns the lockpick again in his fingers. "This is nice, this truly is. We have nothing like it." A thoughtful blink. "...And this was the only piece of equipment you carried?"
You say no
"Naturally not. I look forward to examining the others. Not," he adds, "that they did you good in the end."
You wait
You remain silent.

He raises an eyebrow. "Embarrassed? Clever tricks or no, it was still one of you and all of us, and we're not that weak. Are we." A sharp look from those eyes. "Let's continue. You entered the complex..."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You examine the tiles
The floor is featureless white tile.
You go to the north
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands closed to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You look at the gap
The hole is about two feet by three. Through it, you can see the actual concrete ceiling, a few inches above the acoustical panelling.
Go up
The hole is a foot out of reach.
You open the door
Which do you mean, the normal door or the metal door?

You move the space across the room. It is now under the window."
You look
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands open to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You go to the north
This room is small and, perhaps, rarely used -- not dirty, but not quite as clean and white as the corridors. The door to the south is open.

Two rough wooden crates are backed in a corner of the closet.

On the larger crate is a bolt wrench.
You get the wrench
Taken.
You examine the wrench
It's a heavy steel wrench.
Larger
The larger crate is too heavy to move.
Smaller
The smaller crate is nailed shut. You can't pry it open with your hands.
You examine larger
Which do you mean, the larger crate or the smaller crate?

You see nothing special about the larger crate.
You look
This room is small and, perhaps, rarely used -- not dirty, but not quite as clean and white as the corridors. The door to the south is open.

Two rough wooden crates are backed in a corner of the closet.
You examine the door
The door to the south is open.
You open it
The larger crate is nailed shut. You can't pry it open with your hands.
You go west
The metal door is very definitely closed.
You examine metal door
The door to the west is metal. It has no handle; another black plate is visible beside it. The door is closed.
You go to the east
The corridor angles here, and crosses a boundary of some sort as it does. A few strides down the southeast branch, a dotted red line crosses the floor. You can retreat from the boundary to the west.
You search the smaller crate
The smaller crate is closed.
You search the larger crate
The larger crate is closed.
Wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.
You wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The metal door slides open. Beyond, several people are working at cluttered desks. One looks up absently, and then stares; and then a loud buzzer echoes down the hall. Moments later, three guards charge towards you, weapons drawn.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"That would be the logistics office. Five agents working at the time, very diligent men and women. None of whom recall their door popping open on them." He shakes his head. "Your electronic key is a lovely toy, but you don't have to play with it for my sake." He touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You go to the north
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands closed to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You examine the panel
(the hole)
The hole is about two feet by three. Through it, you can see the actual concrete ceiling, a few inches above the acoustical panelling.
You examine black plate
A featureless, dull black rectangle is embedded in the wall beside the metal door.
You examine the line
It's just a red marking, painted on the floor tiles southeast of you. The line is very slightly scuffed in the center.
You go to the south-east
You step across the line and continue down the corridor... into the sight of six guards or so, who are posted at the next intersection.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

The man raises an eyebrow. "None of those guards saw you until much later. Shall we try it again?"
You say yes
The man touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
Go west
You are in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
Larger
You climb up on the larger crate.
You climb smaller
(getting off the larger crate)
You climb up on the smaller crate.
You look
Wide rectangles cover the ceiling with the grey, dimpled texture of good acoustical insulation. Between the panels are the glowing strips which illuminate the area.

Storage Closet (on the smaller crate)
This room is small and, perhaps, rarely used -- not dirty, but not quite as clean and white as the corridors. The door to the south is open.

Two rough wooden crates are backed in a corner of the closet.
Examine strip
Glowing strips of plastic cross the ceiling panels.
You get strip
Those are a part of the panel ceiling.
You get the panel
That's hardly portable.
You jump
You bend and leap. Your hands slam against the ceiling panels, but they hold firm.
Go downward
You get down off the smaller crate.
Down
The only exit is south.
Go downward
You get down off the larger crate.
You look
This room is small and, perhaps, rarely used -- not dirty, but not quite as clean and white as the corridors. The door to the south is open.

Two rough wooden crates are backed in a corner of the closet.
You attach the acid to the toggle
You connect the toggle switch to the acid pack. The toggle switch turns brown to confirm the match.
You examine the scrambler
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. There's a minus link on one edge.
You take the acid
You take the acid pack (and the toggle switch connected to it.)
You put the acid on the small crate
You put the acid pack on the smaller crate.
You flip the toggle
You flip the brown switch on. The acid capsule goes off with a piercing hiss. An acrid mist fills the area.

You watch, awed and pleased at once, as the steel wrench sublimes away.

Your skin begins to itch.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He is frankly impressed. "It works that quickly?"
You say usually
There is no reply.

"I really am curious."
You wait awhile
You remain silent.

"Nothing forthcoming? After inventing that remarkable show for me? Because," he adds, "there is no trace of any acid having been used in this complex. And we found the wrench sitting on the crate, unharmed." He reaches for his controls.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You examine the walls
The walls are faced with tough white composite. They are smooth and blank, except for one ventilator grille near the ceiling.
You climb the large crate
You climb up on the larger crate.
You climb the small crate
(getting off the larger crate)
You climb up on the smaller crate.
You examine the grille
A plastic grille is visible high on the wall, just below the ceiling. One corner is stamped "VEN DUCT L-15."
You open the grille
The ventilator grille is beyond your reach, on a different wall than the one you stand near.
You climb larger
(getting off the smaller crate)
You climb up on the larger crate.
You look at ceiling
Wide rectangles cover the ceiling with the grey, dimpled texture of good acoustical insulation. Between the panels are the glowing strips which illuminate the area.
You stand
You get down off the larger crate.
Go south
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands open to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You open grille
The ventilator grille is a bit beyond your reach.
You examine the grille
A plastic grille is visible high on the wall, just below the ceiling. One corner is stamped "VEN DUCT J-10."
You jump
You bend and leap. Your fingers brush the edge of the hole -- catch, and you concentrate on holding on. Your feet swing gently a foot above the floor.

Uh! A sharp edge is digging into one finger. You shift your grasp hastily, but a few drops of blood smear across the hole's lip.
You enter the hole
The space above the ceiling panels is only a few inches high. You can't fit into it.
You examine the space
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

A small package, wrapped in cloth, is sitting on the panelling, just a few inches from your face.

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
You get the package
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
Taken.
You examine package
It's an oblong bundle of cloth, a bit larger than your palm.

Your fingertips ache dully. And a nearby ventilator grille seems to be hissing directly into your ear.
You stand
You drop lightly to the ground, flexing your stiff hands.
You examine the cloth
It's an oblong bundle of cloth, a bit larger than your palm.
You jump
You bend and leap. Your fingers brush the edge of the hole -- catch, and you concentrate on holding on. Your feet swing gently a foot above the floor.
You look
Corner At Doors (hanging from the ceiling)
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands open to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap. You are clinging to the lip of the hole; your feet dangle a foot above the ground.
You search the ceiling
Which do you mean, the panel ceiling or the concrete ceiling?
Concrete
You find nothing of interest.

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
Search panel
(the hole)
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

The space is empty as far as you can see.
You stand
You drop lightly to the ground, flexing your fingers.
You put the blast tab on the cloth
The bundle is still wrapped up.
You examine the timer
The timer is a small black box with two dials on one side, and a plus link on the other. The status dot is blue. Both the green and blue dials are set to 1; the timer's indicator is blank.
Examine plus link
Which do you mean, the toggle switch, the voice module, the radio module, the timer or the pushbutton?
You go to the southeast
You return up the hallway as it curves around to the south.

The white corridor begins here, and curves away north. No one is about; the metal face of the entrance door stands closed to the west.
Go west
The door is very definitely closed.
You look at the boundary
It's just a red marking, painted on the floor tiles southeast of you. The line is slightly scuffed in the center.
You look at the grille
A plastic grille is visible high on the wall, just below the ceiling. One corner is stamped "VEN DUCT U-11."
You jump
You bend and leap. Your fingers brush the ceiling panels, but not strongly enough to do anything.
You open grille
The ventilator grille is a bit beyond your reach.
You drop the package
Dropped.
You touch package
Whatever's inside the bundle is rigid and rather heavy.
You look at the radio module
It's a small black box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other.
You look at the key transmitter
It's a small black disc with a key to press on one side, and a short antenna on the other.
You look
The corridor angles here, and crosses a boundary of some sort as it does. A few strides down the southeast branch, a dotted red line crosses the floor. You can retreat from the boundary to the west.
You go to the southeast
As you step across the line, a sharp buzzer echoes through the corridors.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"And then all the guards came thundering down on you? Captured before you'd done anything at all?"
Yes
"You certainly were not. There was no alarm and we both know it. Now let's have it again."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You go to the southeast
You return up the hallway as it curves around to the south.

The white corridor begins here, and curves away north. No one is about; the metal face of the entrance door stands closed to the west.
Clean blood
The blood only smears further as you rub at it.

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
You look at the gap
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

The space is empty as far as you can see.
Inventory
You are carrying nothing worthy of attention, except a wrapped package, a bolt wrench, a lockpick and a toolcase (which is open) (in which are a blast tab, an acid pack, a toggle switch, a minilamp, a scan scrambler, a voice module, a radio module, a timer, a pushbutton, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter).

Your fingertips ache dully. And a nearby ventilator grille seems to be hissing directly into your ear.
You turn the minilamp on
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
The minilamp has no built-in controls.
You examine the minilamp
It's a small yellow tube with a lens at one end. There's a minus link on one edge of the tube.

The tendons of your fingers are complaining.
You attach the minilamp to the toggle
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
You connect the toggle switch to the minilamp. The toggle switch turns yellow to confirm the match.
You flip the toggle
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
You flip the yellow switch on. The minilamp begins glowing.
You look at the gap
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

The space is empty as far as you can see.
You put the minilamp in the space
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
Hanging from one hand, you toss the lit minilamp up into the space above.

Your arms are beginning to feel numb.
You stand
You drop lightly to the ground, and painfully massage your forearms.
Wait
Time passes.
You look at the minilamp
It's a small yellow tube with a lens at one end; a beam of light shines out. There's a minus link on one edge of the tube, which is connected to a toggle switch.
Search gap
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

In the space, you can see a lit minilamp (connected to a toggle switch).

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
You get the minilamp
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
You take the lit minilamp (and the toggle switch connected to it.)
Search gap
You strain, pulling yourself up with your arms, until you can see over the lip of the hole. The space over the acoustical panelling is only a few inches high; but it spreads out around you into darkness.

The space is empty as far as you can see.

Your fingertips ache dully. And a nearby ventilator grille seems to be hissing directly into your ear.
Switch toggle
You flip the yellow switch off. The minilamp goes dark.
You go north
This room is small and, perhaps, rarely used -- not dirty, but not quite as clean and white as the corridors. The door to the south is open.

Two rough wooden crates are backed in a corner of the closet.
You examine the door
The door to the south is open.
You get the plate
The plate is fixed in the wall.
You connect the toggle to radio module
The toggle switch is already connected to the minilamp.
Disconnect toggle
You disconnect the minilamp, and take the toggle switch as it turns black again.
Examine toggle
It's a small black box with a two-way toggle switch on one side, and a plus link on the other. The switch is off.
Examine scan
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. There's a minus link on one edge.
You look at the voice
Which do you mean, the voice module or the voice transmitter?
Module
It's a small black box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other.
You examine the voice transmitter
It's a small black square with an audio pickup on one side, and a short antenna on the other. The status dot is blue. The audio keywords are printed along one edge.
You look at keywords
The keywords for the voice transmitter are "tango" to switch on, and "waltz" to switch off. In your voiceprint only, of course.
You say the tango
You say the keyword. The voice module's link dot flashes green in confirmation, but as it isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You say the waltz
You say the keyword. The voice module's link dot flashes blue in confirmation, but as it isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You connect the voice transmitter to the radio module
The voice transmitter doesn't have a link; it works through the voice module.
You examine the pushbutton
It's a small black box with a button on one side and a plus link on the other.
You examine the timer
The timer is a small black box with two dials on one side, and a plus link on the other. The status dot is blue. Both the green and blue dials are set to 1; the timer's indicator is blank.
You look at the key
It's a small black disc with a key to press on one side, and a short antenna on the other.
You press the disc
(the key transmitter)
You press the transmitter key. The radio module's link dot flashes green in confirmation, but as it isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You connect scan scrambler to the radio module
You connect the radio module to the scan scrambler. The radio module turns orange to confirm the match, and the key transmitter turns orange as well.

The scan scrambler is already connected to the radio module.
You connect the blast to push
You connect the pushbutton to the blast tab. The pushbutton turns purple to confirm the match.
You press the space
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

The man is staring at you as if at a joke he doesn't, quite, understand. "And then you died."
Yes
The man shakes his head in disgust.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You press the space
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You stand
You drop lightly to the ground.
You connect the scrambler to the radio
You connect the radio module to the scan scrambler. The radio module turns orange to confirm the match, and the key transmitter turns orange as well.
You say the tango
You say the keyword. The voice module's link dot flashes green in confirmation, but as it isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You examine the radio
It's a small orange box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other. The link is connected to a scan scrambler.
You press the disc
(the key transmitter)
The scrambler's status dot flashes briefly yellow.
You look at the scrambler
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. There's a minus link on one edge, which is connected to a radio module.
You touch the scrambler to the plate
The scan scrambler is already connected to the radio module.
You examine transmitter
Which do you mean, the voice transmitter or the key transmitter?
Voice
It's a small black square with an audio pickup on one side, and a short antenna on the other. The status dot is green. The audio keywords are printed along one edge.
You connect the timer to the blast tab
You connect the timer to the blast tab. The timer turns purple to confirm the match.
You get the tab
You take the blast tab (and the timer connected to it.)
Larger
You put the blast tab on the larger crate.
You set the timer
You can set the timer's green dial or its blue dial.
You set green
The dial can be set from 1 to 20.
You set green dial to 3
You set the green dial to 3. (Press the dials to activate them.)
You press the green dial
Nothing happens; you squeeze harder, until the contact finally clicks. The green dial lights as you press it. The timer's indicator flashes to 3.
You wait
Time passes.

You hear a sharp crack from somewhere nearby.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"And the noise went completely unnoticed," says the man, an eyebrow raised.
You say yes
"It did? I have been in this building all day, and I don't recall my lunch hour being quite so noisy." The man presses a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You look
The white corridor begins here, and curves away north. No one is about; the metal face of the entrance door stands closed to the west.
Metal
That is unlikely to get a response.
You look at the hinge
The northern door is comfortingly ordinary -- white paint, hinges, and a handle which needs nothing more sophisticated than fingers. The door is open.
Wait
Time passes.
You wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The door slides open, and daylight spills over you. So does a sharp buzzer; and, moments later, three armed guards.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
You press the space
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Of course, by now -- that is, by then -- there was once again an observer covering the alley door. Your original diversion was clever but brief. So you certainly didn't re-open the door, much less leave and then re-enter." He touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You look at the toolcase
Your toolcase is a flat grey plastic form, lined with shaped sponge foam. In the toolcase are a blast tab, a radio module, a timer, a scan scrambler, a minilamp, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, an acid pack, a voice module, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter.
You eat the sponge foam
(first taking the foam padding)
The foam padding is part of the case.
You go southeast
As you step across the line, a sharp buzzer echoes through the corridors.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We've been over this. We track all metal within the critical zones. I know you're good; you surely noticed the ceiling web."
You say no
"As you like. But you didn't carry metal past it. Stop wasting my time." He punches a control, harder than necessary.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You examine the minilamp
It's a small yellow tube with a lens at one end. There's a minus link on one edge of the tube.
You jump
You bend and leap. Your fingers brush the ceiling panels, but not strongly enough to do anything.
You look
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands closed to the north.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a blast tab, a radio module, a timer, a scan scrambler, a minilamp, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, an acid pack, a voice module, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You look
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls, and you sit restrained in a steel chair. Across from you is a desk covered with panels of instrumentation. The man faces you from behind it.

The man touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You examine the ceiling
Wide rectangles cover the ceiling with the grey, dimpled texture of good acoustical insulation. Between the panels are the glowing strips which illuminate the area. You notice that to the southeast, beyond the red boundary line, the ceiling panels are also striped with the characteristic glitter of a scan web.
Throw bolt se
You toss the wrench across the line; a sharp buzzer immediately sounds.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"This is tiring. I've been in this base all day and I heard no alarm." The man touches a control before you can respond.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You go to the southeast
You step across the line and continue down the corridor.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
You press the space
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"I believe you're forgetting something." The man gazes at you levelly. "Our forensics people went over the area very thoroughly after we captured you. And we found evidence that you'd been up in that open ceiling panel in the northwest corner. Did you think you could hide that from us?"
Hit interrogator
You can hardly move at all.
You examine the interrogator
He is greying of hair and lined, lined hard, not wrinkled. His pale uniform fits as comfortably as skin. It is immaculate; it bears no insignia but the emblem of his nation.

The man is holding a lockpick.
You examine the chair
The chair is every bit as uncomfortable as its designers must have intended. Metal slats dig into your thighs and shoulders. Your head is strapped back, with too many cold itches where the leads are pasted on. And, of course, the steel bands that bind your hands and feet. You can hardly forget those.

The man leans back, watching you.
You examine the desk
The desk is panelled with ranks of controls and instruments. All, of course, are angled just too low for you to read.
You examine the emblem
The man wears the light tan uniform of his nation, and its emblem on his breast.

He shakes his head. "You can't. You can cover up memories, perhaps..." Unexpectedly, he smiles. "But 'Blood speaks loud where words fade away.' Eh? Now, this time, the truth."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You look
Corner At Doors (hanging from the ceiling)
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands closed to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap. You are clinging to the lip of the hole; your feet dangle a foot above the ground.

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
You examine the scan scrambler
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. There's a minus link on one edge.

Your fingertips ache dully. And a nearby ventilator grille seems to be hissing directly into your ear.
You connect the scan scrambler to the toggle
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
You connect the toggle switch to the scan scrambler. The toggle switch turns orange to confirm the match.
Go downwards
You drop lightly to the ground, flexing your stiff hands.
Go north
You flip the orange switch on. The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.

The door to the north is closed.
You turn on toggle
You flip the orange switch on. The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
Go southeast
You step across the line and continue down the corridor.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"...with the metal of the wrench hidden from our ever-watchful scan web. A wonderful artifact, your little orange pyramid." The man spreads his hands in assumed awe, then shakes his head. "I don't think your techniques are quite that good. You could muffle the metal signature, I would say, but not perfectly. It would leave eddies. Small ones -- within the error tolerances of our scan, enough to hide the wrench for a few minutes -- but after that? A dozen acceptable errors within ten minutes is... not acceptable at all.

"And we picked up no such suspicious sequence; and therefore, you did not carry the wrench across that line. Did you."
Yes
He stares at you for a moment. "Even if you claim your scrambler works perfectly," he continues, "...we found the wrench sitting on the crate in the closet." He smiles briefly.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
White Junction
You stand lightly in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls. The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
You connect the toggle to the scrambler
You connect the toggle switch to the scan scrambler. The toggle switch turns orange to confirm the match.
Go southeast
You step across the line and continue down the corridor.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

The man nods with consideration. "And off you went, through our secure zone like a scalpel through cheese. A plastic scalpel," he adds, smiling distantly, "so I don't know why you turned on that charming device. As I said, it couldn't have hidden metal for any length of time. Thus -- you had none. At least our scan-web keeps spies from carrying guns with them when they stroll through our bases." He pauses a moment. "Or does your side have nonmetallic guns now?"
You say yes
"Now you're lying again. We would know if you had such things, and you would know that we would..." A silence draws out, and you look to find the man staring at a far wall, as if you and your chair had dissolved away. Then, thoughtfully, "For all the effort we put into secrets, my people and yours, do we ever manage to keep any?" His eyes are on you again.
You say yes
"Yes, and here you are. Because you don't have this one. And this is the secret that matters. You didn't get it, and we can keep it just a little longer."
No
"A little longer is all we need."

He shakes his head sharply. "A bit more time here, as well. And please don't waste any more of it with fantasy. Your next move must have been..."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying nothing worthy of attention, except a wrapped package, a lockpick and a toolcase (which is open) (in which are a scan scrambler (connected to a toggle switch), a blast tab, a radio module, a timer, a minilamp, a pushbutton, an acid pack, a voice module, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter).

The footsteps seem to be approaching.
You look
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.
Go west
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.

Distant footsteps sound somewhere to the east.
Go south
You take half a step and nearly trip as you turn. A woman is standing to the south, at the end of the hall. She leans on the frame of an open door, talking to someone in the room beyond. If you continue, she will certainly notice you.
You go to the north
Hallways run northwest, east, and south.

The footsteps to the east grow louder.

The woman nods and leans back.
You go northwest
You return up the corridor, across the red line.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"I don't think so. There were people up and down the west corridor during that interval. You weren't seen back there. Besides, it would hardly be elegant," and he smiles very suddenly. "We've had that part of the story. Repeating it would be redundant, yes? Bad art."
No
"You don't think so? You must not have had my fiction tutor." You did not expect to hear a chuckle in this room. "For all the stakes, it comes down to you telling stories, doesn't it? You spin me a story, and I listen."
You say yes
He nods. "The oldest profession. Although you've been reluctant -- I can't expect better, I suppose. Anyway." He blinks. "This verse isn't yet right." He touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
Go south
The metal door is very definitely closed.

The footsteps seem to be approaching.
You look at the door
The door to the south is metal. As usual, it has a black sensor plate beside it. The door is closed.
You look
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.

The footsteps to the north grow louder.

The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

The lockpick is clinging to the black plate by the door.

The footsteps move out of a branch corridor to the north -- a trio of guards, still heading this way. You dodge back out of their line of view, flattening yourself inside the west side of the tee.

The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.
You wait a while
Time passes.

You hear the guards coming closer.

The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.
Wait
Time passes.

You hear the guards coming closer.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The metal door slides open. To the north, the footfalls of the guards cease, startled by this apparition. Then they begin again -- hurrying.
Go south
You hurl yourself towards the open door, snatching at the lockpick as you go by. Nearly -- but your fingers close wrong, and the silver rod clatters to the floor behind you as you dive over the threshold. The door slides closed; you are left in quiet dark.

A moment later, the door slides open again. A surprising number of pulse guns are aimed through it, all at you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

Impatience is plain between his eyes, now. "Yes, you had time to get inside. But the door, did you notice, would have come open in full view of Mobile Three? You did notice, in truth, that's what you showed me."

He shakes his head. "But Three says they didn't see you at all, and they certainly didn't see you fooling around with that door, and they certainly didn't enact that tableau at the end. With the guns." He seems particularly disgusted with that touch, for some reason. "Is it, what, you just enjoy a dramatic scene?"
Yes
"Spare me." He touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
You go east
The corridor ends here, blank, with a single steel door on the north wall. The door is closed.

Distant footsteps sound somewhere to the west.
You examine door
The door to the north is metal. As usual, it has a black sensor plate beside it. The door is closed.

Distant footsteps sound somewhere to the west.
You touch the lockpick to the plate
The metal door to the north isn't important.

The footsteps are clearer now.
Go north
The metal door is very definitely closed.

The footsteps to the west grow louder.
You look
The corridor ends here, blank, with a single steel door on the north wall. The door is closed.
You examine the door
The door to the north is metal. As usual, it has a black sensor plate beside it. The door is closed.

The footsteps to the west grow louder.
You unlock the door with the pick
It's not clear precisely how the lockpick can be used to unlock that.

The guards come around the corner. Well-trained guards, of course, look both ways when they enter an intersection. For a moment you stare at them staring at you. Then they draw their weapons.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"The squad on Mobile Three, the ones you say stumbled into you. You do have their images right; I know you saw them. But they say they never saw you. Did they lie?"
No
"A helpful answer at last! Thank you. Now let's have it again."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
Go west
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.

Distant footsteps sound somewhere to the east.
Go south
You take half a step and nearly trip as you turn. A woman is standing to the south, at the end of the hall. She leans on the frame of an open door, talking to someone in the room beyond. If you continue, she will certainly notice you.
Go northwest
You return up the corridor, across the red line.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Stories or none, I know you haven't been back to the west corridor." The man touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
You go to the north
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.

The footsteps seem to be approaching.

The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

As you step into the intersection, three guards walk out of the northeast branch. For a moment they stare at you staring at them. Then they draw their weapons.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"No, understand, this isn't in question. The guards did not see you, not toenail or eyebrow. They heard a noise, something clattering across the floor, in the eastern dead-end corridor. That's what they investigated. That's what you're trying to explain here. Clear?"
You say yes
"Good."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
You check your inventory
You are carrying nothing worthy of attention, except a lockpick, a wrapped package and a toolcase (which is open) (in which are a scan scrambler (connected to a toggle switch), a blast tab, a radio module, a timer, a minilamp, a pushbutton, an acid pack, a voice module, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter).

Distant footsteps sound somewhere to the west.
You go west
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

The footsteps move out of a branch corridor to the north -- a trio of guards, still heading this way. You dodge back out of their line of view, flattening yourself inside the west side of the tee.
You throw radio module east
(first taking the radio module)
The radio module clatters down the hall into the dead end.

"Did you hear that?" comes a voice from the north. "Sounded like it was coming from the wiring closet," another guard says, a frown in his tone.

The footsteps begin to hurry. The three guards round the corner, and run down the east hall -- without a glance at where you huddle in the western branch.
Go north
You hold your breath and slip around the corner, out of the guards' line of sight. And pause... and there is no cry of alarm. You exhale -- silently -- and stroll off to the north.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"A streetcorner dazzler would be proud. You distract Mobile Three with the radio module; when they follow the noise, you walk up the corridor. Yes?"
Yes
"...and then they bring the radio module to Security's attention." He turns a palm out, displaying the silver rod in his hand. "And it looks, instead, a great deal like your lockpick. Not that they knew what it was at the time, of course. But we may as well correct the detail of which object you threw." He touches a control.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Tee Junction
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.

You hear footsteps somewhere to the north.
You wait
Time passes.

The footsteps seem to be approaching.
You wait
Time passes.

The footsteps to the north grow louder.
You wait for a while
Time passes.

The footsteps move out of a branch corridor to the north -- a trio of guards, still heading this way. You dodge back out of their line of view, flattening yourself inside the west side of the tee.
You throw the lockpick east
The lockpick clatters down the hall into the dead end.

"Did you hear that?" comes a voice from the north. "Sounded like it was coming from the wiring closet," another guard says, a frown in his tone.

The footsteps begin to hurry. The three guards round the corner, and run down the east hall -- without a glance at where you huddle in the western branch.
You go to the north
You hold your breath and slip around the corner, out of the guards' line of sight. And pause... and there is no cry of alarm. You exhale -- silently -- and stroll off to the north.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Very neat. Behind the backs of the guards, and leave them to mumble over the lockpick -- not that they knew what it was at the time, of course. And you slip north into the core areas."
No
"There's nowhere else," says the man, almost patiently. "I assumed Security was later, because the lab is your primary objective. Was, to say." His voice slows, again contemplative, unsettling to you. "Your story is predictable. Did you expect that?"
Yes
"There is tension, but the flow is clear. The hero will extract the secret plans and escape; I wouldn't believe you if you said anything else. Except, of course, you didn't escape."

He is still seated, but his eyes are the eyes of a man pacing. "This isn't a story. Do you have any imagination? Do you realize what this technology will be used for?" He seems as astonished at the outburst as you.
You say no
"Naturally. You were sent for, and so you came." That must be a quote. "Implications are someone else's job. 'Clean War.' No troops, no civilian blood. One man at a time, slipped into an office or a palace, beyond any hope of wall or guard. Or not even a man -- a grenade, a canister of gas. The end," wryly -- "of security. I'd be out of a job." His eyes are distant, and again you feel that you are the least important thing in the room.

"Bad enough if we get it first. We'll take you apart, or just threaten to. Harsh but quick. It would be over, we'd have won. But if your people get it too, if you'd gotten out with the data, do you realize...?"
You say no
"Of course you don't. You just march. But see... Knives at each other's throats. How long could that last? Two years, five. Eventually it would be too tempting, some premier or on-commander who poses too much immediate threat." Somehow his eyes are holding yours. "Then it would be literal knives at each other's literal cursed throats. Whole governments beheaded overnight. Same for anyone who tries to move up, take charge. It wouldn't end. Could you swear, honestly, that anyone left on your side wouldn't keep using it on anyone left on our side? Senate-men? Troops? Farmers?"
You say no
There is a long pause; and then the man smiles... not at you. "And in spite of that, or anything -- I march too. Let's get back to that. The lab."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Outside Laboratory
The corridor from the east ends here, and a single door looms to the west. It's no larger than the doors you've seen elsewhere; but it somehow looks... heavy. Unyielding. Reinforcing struts cross the door's face, and the surface is sheathed with some black coating.
You look at the door
The door is no larger than the doors you've seen elsewhere; but it somehow looks... heavy. Unyielding. Reinforcing struts cross the door's face, and the surface is sheathed with some black coating. However, the black plate beside the door is quite standard.
You examine the coating
The door and its struts are coated with some dead-black material. You do not recognize it.
You examine the struts
The door is reinforced with thick square bars, which run down and along its entire front. The struts are coated with the same black material as the rest of the door.
You touch the door
The black surface gives very slightly to your touch -- soft, but thin, over steel.
You look
The corridor from the east ends here, and a single door looms to the west. It's no larger than the doors you've seen elsewhere; but it somehow looks... heavy. Unyielding. Reinforcing struts cross the door's face, and the surface is sheathed with some black coating.
You go west
The laboratory door is very definitely closed.
You examine the panel
Wide rectangles cover the ceiling with the grey, dimpled texture of good acoustical insulation. Between the panels are the glowing strips which illuminate the area, and also the characteristic glitter of a scan web.
You touch panel
The ceiling is a foot out of your reach.
You look at the door
The door is no larger than the doors you've seen elsewhere; but it somehow looks... heavy. Unyielding. Reinforcing struts cross the door's face, and the surface is sheathed with some black coating. However, the black plate beside the door is quite standard.
You look at the plate
A featureless, dull black rectangle is embedded in the wall beside the laboratory door.
You touch the plate
Nothing happens.
Go east
You follow the corridor's curve to the southeast.

The white corridor runs south and east from here, with a wide branch curving northwest towards the laboratory.

You jerk back from the intersection, a reflexive startled leap; there are six guards down the hall to the south. They do not seem to have seen you.
You look
The white corridor runs south and east from here, with a wide branch curving northwest towards the laboratory. You are standing just inside the northwest branch, out of sight of the guards to the south.

You hear voices among the guards to the south.
You listen
(to the guards)
One of the guards is talking quietly. The words, of course, are drowned out by the ever-present ventilation.

One of the guards says "Yes, with'."
You go east
You duck across the intersection. The guards to the south, distracted by their own business, do not notice you; so you continue unchallenged to the east.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"You could have used the blast tab, did you realize? It would have punched through the door, I'm sure. You would have been in and out. By that much you missed starting a war. Or ending the one we've got."

The man stops, gives you a measured glance. "This is a war, for all that we're not shooting."
You say yes
A wry chuckle. "Truly, you think more like me than my own by-commander does. I think: if this is peace, why are the armies getting larger? And even more money on secrets than on simple guns."
You say yes
A one-sided smile. "I'll make a note of that, for our estimates of your budget schedules."

He passes that off with a tense wave. "It's frustrating. You say you haven't thought about this technology. It could put our footprints on the moons. We could walk to other stars as easily as to the bathhouse. Oceans and mountains wouldn't be walls..." Again he is watching you intently.

"That, I think, is what our masters are afraid of. They'll face death before living without walls. You, is that why you're here? Why you're willing to unchain a war of assassination?"
You say no
"Then why... no. Business first." He takes a breath, and calms.

"You left the lab without using your explosive. You came back to Security. To get your precious lockpick, for the lab door?" The silver rod flashes between his fingers; you had forgotten he was holding it.
You say no
"Perhaps other reasons as well, but I think the pick must have been first in your mind. Show me."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You go east
Before you can move, a buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Yes, the wonderful scan-scrambler. But, as I said earlier, it cannot be miraculous. The high-sensitivity webs around Security could be fooled; but the scrambler's presence would leave eddies. Glitches, you understand. More than a few of those in a handful of seconds, and the watchdogs get suspicious. As you showed me -- the alarms would ring." He raises an eyebrow. "In fact, you couldn't have made it up the corridor with the scrambler active. Let's just take it as read that it wasn't."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You examine the scrambler
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. There's a minus link on one edge.
You go north
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"An amateur, I think, could have walked through a doorway without ever seeing the scan-web above it. You haven't impressed me thus far, but I don't truly think you're incompetent."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You go to the southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Are you saying you left without this?" The man produces a pen and holds it up for your inspection.
You examine the pen
It's an ordinary-looking pen. It's hard to tell from this distance, but the nib appears to be missing, and there seems to be a dark stain on the tip of the casing.
You say no
"That's better. One of my people is still recovering from its effect."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You go south
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the scrambler to the toggle
You connect the toggle switch to the scan scrambler. The toggle switch turns orange to confirm the match.

The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
You turn on the toggle
The switch is already on.
Go south
This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

A moment after you step into the room, the scrambler emits a sharp squeal. Then a sharper crackling noise -- and then a thread of smoke, as its quiet vibration ceases.
You look at the table
It's just a plastic worktable, a slab built onto the south wall. There is nothing on the table.
You search the lockers
All the lockers are closed.
You examine the lockers
The locker doors vary in size, from palm-length cubbies to a closet apparently large enough to walk into. All the doors are closed. Each locker has a four-digit number on it.
You examine the pen
It's an ordinary-looking pen. The nib looks a bit sharp, though.
Describe the surroundings
This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.
You look under the table
Nothing but white tile.
You go north
As you leave the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"You didn't set off the alarm going in, and you weren't found inside, so you must have suppressed the scan-web coming out as well. Yes?" He does not wait for a reply.

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the scrambler to the toggle
You connect the toggle switch to the scan scrambler. The toggle switch turns orange to confirm the match.

The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
Examine
What do you want to examine?
You go south
The room to the south is filled with lockers; there is a table at the far end.

You can barely see a band of scan-web over the doorway, just inside the room.

A buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We went back, you must know, and looked at every stray spark in the scan-data. We know how you used the scrambler. On and off, briefly enough to never upset our systems. And it did not get you caught."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You turn off the toggle
You flip the orange switch off. The scrambler's status dot flickers black.
You turn on the toggle
You flip the orange switch on. The scrambler's status dot flickers black.
You drop all
wrapped package: Dropped.
toolcase: Dropped.
You connect the pushbutton to the scrambler
You connect the pushbutton to the scan scrambler. The pushbutton turns orange to confirm the match.
You look at the green dial
The green dial is set to 1.
You look at the blue dial
The blue dial is set to 1.
You examine the timer
The timer is a small black box with two dials on one side, and a plus link on the other. The status dot is blue. Both the green and blue dials are set to 1; the timer's indicator is blank.
Wait
Time passes.

The timer's green dial flashes once, and the indicator flashes to 1. The status dot goes blue, but as the timer isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You press the pushbutton
The scrambler's status dot flashes briefly yellow.

The timer's blue dial flashes once, and the indicator flashes to 1. The status dot goes green, but as the timer isn't linked to anything, that's all.
Go south
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

The timer's green dial flashes once, and the indicator flashes to 1. The status dot goes blue, but as the timer isn't linked to anything, that's all.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the timer to the scrambler
You connect the timer to the scan scrambler. The timer turns orange to confirm the match.
You turn green to 5
You set the green dial to 5.
You press the green dial
The green dial lights as you press it. The timer's indicator flashes to 5.
Go south
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

The timer changes to 4.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You set the green dial to 1
You set the green dial to 1.
You set the blue dial to 5
You set the blue dial to 5.
You press the blue dial
The blue dial lights as you press it. The timer's indicator flashes to 5. The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
You press the green dial
The green dial is now lit as well.

The timer changes to 4.

A buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We went back, you must know, and looked at every stray spark in the scan-data. We know how you used the scrambler. On and off, briefly enough to never upset our systems. And it did not get you caught."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the voice module to the scrambler
You connect the voice module to the scan scrambler. The voice module turns orange to confirm the match, and the voice transmitter turns orange as well.
You examine the lamp
It's a small yellow tube with a lens at one end. There's a minus link on one edge of the tube.
You look
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You drop all
toolcase: Dropped.
wrapped package: Dropped.
You get the voice module
You take the scan scrambler (and the voice module connected to it.)
You drop the voice module
You drop the scan scrambler (and the voice module connected to it.)
You look
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a timer, a pushbutton, a toggle switch, a radio module, a blast tab, a minilamp, an acid pack, a voice transmitter and a key transmitter.

You can also see a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module) and a wrapped package here.
You say the tango
The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
Wait
Time passes.
You wait for a while
Time passes.

A buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We went back, you must know, and looked at every stray spark in the scan-data. We know how you used the scrambler. On and off, briefly enough to never upset our systems. And it did not get you caught."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the voice module to the scrambler
You connect the voice module to the scan scrambler. The voice module turns orange to confirm the match, and the voice transmitter turns orange as well.
You get the scrambler
You take the scan scrambler (and the voice module connected to it.)
You drop the scrambler
You drop the scan scrambler (and the voice module connected to it.)
You drop all
toolcase: Dropped.
wrapped package: Dropped.
You go south
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You press pushbutton
The scrambler's status dot flashes briefly yellow.
You turn off the toggle
You flip the black switch off. The link dot flashes blue in confirmation, but as the switch isn't linked to anything, that's all.
You connect the toggle to the scrambler
You connect the toggle switch to the scan scrambler. The toggle switch turns orange to confirm the match.
You turn on toggle
You flip the orange switch on. The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
Go south
This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

A moment after you step into the room, the scrambler emits a sharp squeal. Then a sharper crackling noise -- and then a thread of smoke, as its quiet vibration ceases.
You look at the scrambler
It's a small orange pyramid, traced with conductor matrix. It can detect and scramble scan-web on any frequency... or so the theory is drawn. Now, you suspect, it's an expensive paperweight. You must have brought it into a countermeasure induction field. There's a minus link on one edge, which is connected to a toggle switch.
You examine the lockers
The locker doors vary in size, from palm-length cubbies to a closet apparently large enough to walk into. All the doors are closed. Each locker has a four-digit number on it.
You examine number
You look at a random locker. The number 9877 is visible on it.
You examine number
You look at a random locker. The number 9262 is visible on it.
You eat the pen
That's plainly inedible.
You look
It's an ordinary-looking pen. The nib looks a bit sharp, though.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.
You go to the south-west
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"No, you've forgotten the pen again. You had it with you, as we discovered shortly thereafter."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
Look around
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You go to the east
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

Dark wood panelling surrounds you, a refuge from the harsh white visible to the west. A massive mahogany desk sits in one corner. The rest of the room is mostly metal cabinets, but a few sketches take their share of wall, and a bookcase stands by the desk.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
You go to the east
Dark wood panelling surrounds you, a refuge from the harsh white visible to the west. A massive mahogany desk sits in one corner. The rest of the room is mostly metal cabinets, but a few sketches take their share of wall, and a bookcase stands by the desk.

A moment after you step into the room, the scrambler emits a sharp squeal. Then a sharper crackling noise -- and then a thread of smoke, as its quiet vibration ceases.
You examine the desk
The desk is an imposing mass, plain of line but precisely crafted. There is nothing on the desk.
You look at the cabinets
Three-drawer metal cabinets stand in rows along each wall. The drawers are the normal size for file folders; there is a tiny black plate on the front of each one. The cabinets are all closed.
You open the cabinet
You pull on a few of the handles, but all the drawers seem to be locked.
You look
Dark wood panelling surrounds you, a refuge from the harsh white visible to the west. A massive mahogany desk sits in one corner. The rest of the room is mostly metal cabinets, but a few sketches take their share of wall, and a bookcase stands by the desk.
You look at the sketches
Which do you mean, the portrait of a young man, the drawing of a night sky or the seascape?
Portrait
A young man looks out from precise ink stippling. His expression is serious, and dark eyes meet yours with near-visible force. You have never seen his face before.
You get the portrait
You pull the portrait of a young man from the wall.
You look at the sky
The sketch is in soft talc-pencil, but nonetheless the stars shine out, hard distant facets in a jewel-black expanse. One moon is high and one is rising; they too are in bright focus, every crater and mare. The cool burning moons'-light tints the sky silver from behind.
You get the sky
You pull the drawing of a night sky from the wall.
You look at the seascape
Grey waves beat below an indeterminate, cloudy sky. Nearly lost in the distance is a raft -- a tiny shape bearing away beneath a wind-torn white sail.
You get the seascape
You pull the seascape from the wall.
You look
Dark wood panelling surrounds you, a refuge from the harsh white visible to the west. A massive mahogany desk sits in one corner. The rest of the room is mostly metal cabinets, but a bookcase stands by the desk.
You examine the wall
Some rich wood, in pleasingly irregular spans, polished but naturally dark.
You examine the bookcase
The bookcase is hand-carved, hung with wooden ivy vines and tiny berries. Volumes of technology journals fill some shelves; but others display antique folios, leather-bound collections of plays, and a small array of dawn-tales and fireside stories.
You search the wall
You can't see any unusual cracks or spaces in the panelling. But then, it would be unusual if you could.
You look at the plays
You see the complete works of Gahtmahan, "Nightclumps and Wind-Whispers," a volume of Connaeus woodcuts... if you had time, the shelves would be worth a closer look. You don't.

(I hope you weren't expecting some kind of "Rito and Imita" in-joke.)
You examine journals
You see the complete works of Gahtmahan, "Nightclumps and Wind-Whispers," a volume of Connaeus woodcuts... if you had time, the shelves would be worth a closer look. You don't.
You examine the desk
The desk is an imposing mass, plain of line but precisely crafted. There is nothing on the desk.
You look under the desk
You peer hopefully under the desk, but even there the floor is relentlessly tidy.
You examine the sail
Grey waves beat below an indeterminate, cloudy sky. Nearly lost in the distance is a raft -- a tiny shape bearing away beneath a wind-torn white sail.

The drawing has been removed from the wall, revealing a magnetic mounting pad on the back.
You look at the pad
A magnetic pad is visible on the back of the sketch. It's nothing unusual; it just keeps the thing on the wall where it belongs.
You get the pad
That's part of the sketch.
You examine the sketch
Which do you mean, the seascape, the drawing of a night sky or the portrait of a young man?
Sky
The sketch is in soft talc-pencil, but nonetheless the stars shine out, hard distant facets in a jewel-black expanse. One moon is high and one is rising; they too are in bright focus, every crater and mare. The cool burning moons'-light tints the sky silver from behind.

The drawing has been removed from the wall, revealing a magnetic mounting pad on the back.
You go south
This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

A buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We went back, you must know, and looked at every stray spark in the scan-data. We know how you used the scrambler. On and off, briefly enough to never upset our systems. And it did not get you caught."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
Examine toggle
It's a small black box with a two-way toggle switch on one side, and a plus link on the other. The switch is on.
Disconnect toggle from scrambler
You disconnect the scan scrambler, and take the toggle switch as it turns black again.

The scrambler shuts down, and its status dot goes blue.
You drop all
toggle switch: Dropped.
toolcase: Dropped.
wrapped package: Dropped.
Go south
This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.
You say the waltz
Talking to yourself might draw attention.

A buzzer begins sounding up and down the halls. Moments later, you hear guards running in your direction.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"We went back, you must know, and looked at every stray spark in the scan-data. We know how you used the scrambler. On and off, briefly enough to never upset our systems. And it did not get you caught."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
Examine toggle
It's a small black box with a two-way toggle switch on one side, and a plus link on the other. The switch is on.
Disconnect toggle from scrambler
You disconnect the scan scrambler, and take the toggle switch as it turns black again.
You connect the timer to the scrambler
You connect the timer to the scan scrambler. The timer turns orange to confirm the match.
You turn green to 2
You set the green dial to 2.
You turn blue to 5
You set the blue dial to 5.
You set the blue to 1
You set the blue dial to 1.
You go south
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

This narrow room is lined with steel lockers. There is a plain table at the south end, and the doorway to the north exits to the corridor. All the lockers are closed.

On the table is a pen.

The timer's blue dial flashes once, and the indicator flashes to 1. The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You look at the web
Which do you mean, the metal-scan web or the bands of body-scan web?
You look at the body
Just inside each of the three doorways, on the ceilings of the three rooms, you see a glittering band of scan-web. The web's narrow spacing indicates a tight scan -- capable of picking up resonance signals off even a naked human body.
You examine the metal web
The ceiling is lined with scan-web in addition to the lighting strips. The web's wide spacing indicates a metal-resonance scan.
You look at the key
It's a small black disc with a key to press on one side, and a short antenna on the other.
You look at the module
Which do you mean, the radio module or the voice module?
You examine the radio
It's a small orange box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other. The link is connected to a scan scrambler.
You pull the antenna
Which do you mean, the radio module, the voice module, the voice transmitter or the key transmitter?
Radio
Nothing obvious happens.
You connect the radio module to the lamp
The radio module is already connected to the scan scrambler.
You disconnect the radio module
You disconnect the scan scrambler, and take the radio module as it turns black again. The key transmitter turns black as well.
You connect the radio module to the lamp
You connect the radio module to the minilamp. The radio module turns yellow to confirm the match, and the key transmitter turns yellow as well.
You examine the timer
The timer is a small black box with two dials on one side, and a plus link on the other. The status dot is blue. Both the green and blue dials are set to 1; the timer's indicator is blank.
You look
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a minilamp (connected to a radio module), a scan scrambler, a timer, a toggle switch, a voice module, a pushbutton, a blast tab, an acid pack and a voice transmitter.

You can also see a wrapped package here.
You examine the minilamp
It's a small yellow tube with a lens at one end. There's a minus link on one edge of the tube, which is connected to a radio module.
You connect the scrambler to the radio module
The radio module is already connected to the minilamp.
Disconnect minilamp
You disconnect the minilamp, and take the radio module as it turns black again. The key transmitter turns black as well.
You look
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a radio module), a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a voice module, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a key transmitter and a wrapped package here.
You examine the voice module
It's a small black box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other.
You say the waltz
The scrambler shuts down, and its status dot goes blue.
You say the tango to the transmitter
(the voice transmitter)
The scrambler's status dot goes green, and an almost inaudible whine begins within it.
You say waltz to the the transmitter
(the voice transmitter)
The scrambler shuts down, and its status dot goes blue.
You go to the north
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a wrapped package here.
You say the waltz
The scrambler shuts down, and its status dot goes blue.
You get all
wrapped package: Taken.
toolcase: Taken.
Go east
As you step into the room, a buzzer begins to sound.

Dark wood panelling surrounds you, a refuge from the harsh white visible to the west. A massive mahogany desk sits in one corner. The rest of the room is mostly metal cabinets, but a few sketches take their share of wall, and a bookcase stands by the desk.

The harsh buzz continues. Within moments you also hear footsteps hurrying towards you.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

He looks irritable. "No, no scan-web alarms. Not then, not at all."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You write on the sketch
Which do you mean, the drawing of a night sky, the portrait of a young man or the seascape?
Sky
(with the pen)
The sliver of crystal breaks off against the drawing of a night sky and is lost.
You examine the pen
It's an ordinary-looking pen. The nib is missing.
You go to the north
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.

You feel a chill of memory in your bones.
You examine the walls
The walls are naked metal, unadorned. They give your eyes nowhere to rest.
You examine the chair
The chair is ugly. Steel slats are riveted to a heavy metal frame, and the whole rests on a steel column rising from a pedestal on the floor. Restraints are welded to the arm and foot rests; wires hang limply from the head support.
You examine desk
The desk is a standard modular composite design. The surface is panelled with ranks of controls and instruments.
You look at controls
The desk is covered with dials, readouts, screen panels, sliders, and dozens of other instruments. You can put no form nor name to any of them.
You examine the wires
Leads hang from the headrest. There is a sensor contact on the end of each one.
You look
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.
You sit in the chair
You sit down in the chair. It is not comfortable.

You feel another distant chill.
You stand
You hurriedly stand up.
You sit
What do you want to sit on top of?
You look at your surroundings
Interrogation Chamber (in the chair)
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.

There is a half-remembered cool pressure around your wrists, your ankles, your forehead.
Look around
Interrogation Chamber (in the chair)
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.

For a moment, someone is visible, facing you across the desk.
You wait
You remain silent.
Search desk
There is nothing on the desk.

The human outline bends over the desk, then regards you again. A sense of wordless sound moves across you.
You look at human
The figure is nearly not there -- like shadows at the edge of your sight, or a dream of blindness. It crawls away from your vision; your eyes feel thick and strained.
You stand
You jerk out of the chair, stumbling as you pull against restraints that are not there.

The half-visible figure is gone.
Go south
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a wrapped package here.
You drop all
toolcase: Dropped.
wrapped package: Dropped.
drawing of a night sky: Dropped.
portrait of a young man: Dropped.
seascape: Dropped.
pen: Dropped.
voice transmitter: Dropped.
You look at the walls
You cannot move the floor tiles.

The walls are naked metal, unadorned. They give your eyes nowhere to rest.
You examine the ceiling
The ceiling is a solid sheet of acoustical insulation. Light comes from glowing discs, deeply inset behind wire grilles. A band of scan-web runs along the ceiling in front of the doorway.
You touch the wall
The walls are immovable.
You touch the chair
The metal is cool and clean.
You look at discs
The room is illuminated by discs of glowing plastic, recessed in the ceiling and covered by wire grilles.
You examine the chair
The chair is ugly. Steel slats are riveted to a heavy metal frame, and the whole rests on a steel column rising from a pedestal on the floor. Restraints are welded to the arm and foot rests; wires hang limply from the head support.
You cut the wires
Cutting those up would achieve little.
Wait
Time passes.

There is a half-remembered cool pressure around your wrists, your ankles, your forehead.
You examine desk
The desk is a standard modular composite design. The surface is panelled with ranks of controls and instruments.
Wait
Time passes.

For a moment, someone is visible, facing you across the desk.
You examine man
The figure is nearly not there -- like shadows at the edge of your sight, or a dream of blindness. It crawls away from your vision; your eyes feel thick and strained.
Continue
The figure is nearly not there -- like shadows at the edge of your sight, or a dream of blindness. It crawls away from your vision; your eyes feel thick and strained.

The human outline bends over the desk, then regards you again. A sense of wordless sound moves across you.
You look at the man
The figure is nearly not there -- like shadows at the edge of your sight, or a dream of blindness. It crawls away from your vision; your eyes feel thick and strained.

The chill is gone. You are alone in the room.
You look at controls
The desk is covered with dials, readouts, screen panels, sliders, and dozens of other instruments. You can put no form nor name to any of them.
You sit in the chair
But you're already on the chair.
You look
Interrogation Chamber (in the chair)
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A steel chair squats on a low pedestal; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.
Go south
You'll have to get off the chair first.
You stand
You stand up.
Go south
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a pen, three sketches (a seascape, a portrait of a young man and a drawing of a night sky) and a wrapped package here.
You look
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see three sketches (a seascape, a portrait of a young man and a drawing of a night sky) and a wrapped package here.
You go southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"No, you've forgotten the pen again. The crystal was intact when you left, as we discovered shortly thereafter."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You examine the pen
It's an ordinary-looking pen. The nib looks a bit sharp, though.
You look at your surroundings
The pen's nib isn't a normal ball tip. It seems to be a sliver of some indigo crystal -- a needle-sharp sliver.

This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a wrapped package here.
You take all
wrapped package: Taken.
toolcase: Taken.
You drop all
toolcase: Dropped.
wrapped package: Dropped.
pen: Dropped.
voice transmitter: Dropped.
You go to the west
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.

Your toolcase is lying open nearby. Inside are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack.

You can also see a pen and a wrapped package here.
You get all
pen: Taken.
wrapped package: Taken.
toolcase: Taken.
Go southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Mm," the man says slowly. "This grows complex. As I said before, your scrambler leaves traces -- submerged in the scan noise if you use it briefly, as you have been doing, but traces nonetheless. We have since analyzed every sequence of the scan-web data. The results are quite precise; you used the scrambler four times. Four blips, on and off, you understand. So your story, in which you used it seven times, is not possible. Besides, I doubt you would have used the device unnecessarily. Standing around flipping it on and off, or dashing through a room for a cursory glance, would not be worth the risk to you."

He shrugs. "We can play guessing-games all afternoon; but matters would go faster if you stuck to the facts."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Security Annex
This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and south.
You connect the voice transmitter to the scrambler
The voice transmitter doesn't have a link; it works through the voice module.
You look at sketches
Which do you mean, the drawing of a night sky, the seascape or the portrait of a young man?
You go southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"And away you went." He considers. "You were searching the storage room for your lockpick, of course. I'm afraid I had it at the time. ...Although whoever left the pen lying out is due a reprimand. Sloppy, and you provided an excellent demonstration of why." His smile is, for the first time, self-satisfied. It's more frightening even than you expected -- but quickly gone.

"And you entered my office looking for... what? I'm sure it wasn't my artwork -- that's still there, and petty vandalism is beneath you in any case. What, then? Passcodes, keys, open drawers and indiscretions?"
You say nothing
"I'm not at all sorry to have disappointed you. I am good at my job, and I am careful, which is the same thought. If you could have caught me loose, caught me blind or far-eyed, you might have succeeded. You did not." And there is a brief silence.

"What am I to make of you? You are endlessly inventive in your lies, if less subtle than brazen; you flex like grass, sometimes stubborn as stone, sometimes easy with your answers. You have striven to keep this session calm, and I do not think it was out of fear of my anger. Your eyes never, never waver from mine."

He leans back in his own chair, bearing your gaze. "I have tried to treat you as an equal, a companion in our work. That is technique, of course; we both know that. But it is also sincere. And I think you have taken it in that faith. We are faces reflected in the mirror of our countries' border. I think you understand that." He nods.

"You do see that much. You may not be brilliant -- you make mistakes -- but you are determined. You hold that strength to what you believe, and in that you are not so different from me."

He shrugs, and offers a smile as honest as you have seen. "Well? Have I done well? It is my job to know everything about you, after all."
You say yes
He bows in place, both palms open. "I am delighted."

And then he reaches again for his controls. "But we are nearly done. You have only a few more seconds; and you have yet to show me what becomes of your mysterious cloth-wrapped package."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Diagonal Branch
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.

You throw yourself to a halt, nearly stumbling, as you hear footsteps approaching from the northwest... and then the guards behind you become audible as well. You duck around the southern corner and glance about desperately.
You look
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south. You are backed into the southern branch.

The guards to the east are drawing closer.
Go south
You back down the corridor, as silently as you can.

The hallway ends in a blank white wall. A metal door stands closed to the west.

A discarded filing cabinet is standing by the wall. The drawers are closed.
Unwrap package
It's not yet time.

The door snaps open suddenly, and the uniformed figure of a guard begins to step through. "No, what's frustrating is that you can't tell us what's in that blood-cursed lab," he is saying, back over his shoulder.

Then he sees you. He fumbles for his pulse gun.
You stab the guard with pen
You feint, and then jab the pen into the guard's shoulder, as hard as you can. His reflexive counter hurls you into the wall.

But then he shivers, once, and slides to the ground, and remains there.

The door slides shut.
You search guard
You pat the body down quickly, but nothing is immediately apparent. And you don't have time for a more thorough search.
You look
The hallway ends in a blank white wall. A metal door stands closed to the west.

The guard is sprawled unconscious on the floor.

His gun lies near his limp hand.

A discarded filing cabinet is standing by the wall. The drawers are closed.
You get the gun
Taken.

The footsteps to the north are closer now.
You open the drawers
You yank on the drawers; two are locked, but one comes open with an internal clank. The drawer is empty.
You search drawer
The drawer is empty.

The footsteps to the north are closer now.
Go north
You make a break up the hallway -- only to come into view of two groups of guards, at once. Their pulse guns knock you sprawling before you can duck back.

*** You have been captured ***

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Well done." The man is applauding softly. "A heroic end to your shining tale; and in the large, an accurate one. But not precise. You fell into our hands without those fascinating tools you have been showing off all this time. And without the package, you understand, the one you found in my corridor ceiling. I am very curious to know what you did with those things."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Diagonal Branch
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.

You throw yourself to a halt, nearly stumbling, as you hear footsteps approaching from the northwest... and then the guards behind you become audible as well. You duck around the southern corner and glance about desperately.
Go south
You back down the corridor, as silently as you can.

The hallway ends in a blank white wall. A metal door stands closed to the west.

A discarded filing cabinet is standing by the wall. The drawers are closed.
Inventory
You are carrying nothing worthy of attention, except a toolcase (which is open) (in which are a scan scrambler (connected to a voice module), a key transmitter, a radio module, a minilamp, a timer, a toggle switch, a pushbutton, a blast tab and an acid pack), a wrapped package, a pen and a voice transmitter.

The door snaps open suddenly, and the uniformed figure of a guard begins to step through. "No, what's frustrating is that you can't tell us what's in that blood-cursed lab," he is saying, back over his shoulder.

Then he sees you. He fumbles for his pulse gun.
You stab the guard with pen
You feint, and then jab the pen into the guard's shoulder, as hard as you can. His reflexive counter hurls you into the wall.

But then he shivers, once, and slides to the ground, and remains there.

The door slides shut.
You put all in the drawer
toolcase: Done.
wrapped package: Done.
pen: Done.
voice transmitter: Done.
You close the drawer
You close the drawer.
Wait
Time passes.

The footsteps to the north are closer now.
Go north
You make a break up the hallway -- only to come into view of two groups of guards, at once. Their pulse guns knock you sprawling before you can duck back.

*** You have been captured ***

-- glaring light...

[Hit any key.]
Interrogation Chamber (imprisoned in the chair)
You blink away memory. The dim room comes again into focus, and the man behind the desk.

"Yes, yes, but you still have not bought the details. We were certainly not fools enough to ignore the broken cabinet drawer. You left nothing inside it."

...glaring light --

[Hit any key.]
Diagonal Branch
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.

You throw yourself to a halt, nearly stumbling, as you hear footsteps approaching from the northwest... and then the guards behind you become audible as well. You duck around the southern corner and glance about desperately.
You listen
Footsteps are approaching.

The guards to the east are drawing closer.
You listen
Footsteps are still approaching.

The door snaps open suddenly, and the uniformed figure of a guard begins to step through. "No, what's frustrating is that you can't tell us what's in that blood-cursed lab," he is saying, back over his shoulder.

Then he sees you. He fumbles for his pulse gun.
You wait
Time passes.

The door snaps open suddenly, and the uniformed figure of a guard begins to step through. "No, what's frustrating is that you can't tell us what's in that blood-cursed lab," he is saying, back over his shoulder.

Then he sees you. He fumbles for his pulse gun.
You listen
Footsteps are still approaching.
You climb the cabinet
You get onto the filing cabinet.
You examine the wall
The walls are faced with tough white composite. They are smooth and blank, except for one ventilator grille near the ceiling.

The footsteps to the north are closer now.
You open the grille
You lever the grille open with your fingers.
You put all except the pen in the grille
voice transmitter: Done.
toolcase: Done.
wrapped package: Done.

The footsteps to the north are closer now.
You stand
You get down off the filing cabinet.
You get the gun
Taken.

"Hold you!" comes a shout from the north. You take a quick glance; several guards have come around the corner. Their narrow eyes take in the fallen shape at your feet, and they bring up their weapons.
Close grille
The ventilator grille is a bit beyond your reach.

The pulse-guns to the north begins crackling. You dive for cover behind the cabinet, but a bolt slaps into you before you are halfway there.

" he says to the air. "Get down to the hallway where our friend was captured--" There is a muffled interruption. "Yes, I know you have. You missed a leaf. Open up ventilation grille M-2 and search inside. There should be a number of microelectronic tools inside, and a small bundle wrapped in cloth. Report to me immediately." He flicks the connection closed.

The man spreads his hands apologetically. "I must look like a great fool," he says to you.
Yes
He chuckles. "Well, I can plead an excuse; we rebuilt our ventilation system from the ground up, less than half a year ago. It's fenced and webbed and wired so that a grain of sand couldn't sneak through -- but only at the external intakes and the junctions. We never thought to check for an object cached just inside a vent. We never thought it would be a danger."

He shrugs. "And it wasn't a danger, in fact, was it?"
You say no
"No. We got you; you didn't get into the lab, much less get out afterwards. You moved a package from one hiding place to another. I still can't see--"

A flashing light interrupts him. The man touches it, and nods. "I'll see soon. They're bringing it in."
You say no
The man absently waves you to silence.

A chime sounds. The man pounces on his controls, and then gestures impatiently towards the doorway.

A guard enters. She gives you only a brief professional glance. Approaching the desk, she lays out a handful of small items.

The man nods, dismissing her without a thought, and then stares. "This was all? Where's the package?"

"With'?" asks the guard, puzzled.

"Never mind. Go." His eyes are blazing on you as the guard slips out the doorway. "You. You have lied to me, and I am tired of it. I have had enough."
You say can i go now
There is no reply.

"You have not told me where the package really is."
You tell the man about the package
To simplify the problem of dialogue in interactive fiction, the "tell" and "ask" commands are not used in this game. Type "about" for details.
You say yes
"Curse that, curse you, and curse all your blood," says the man flatly. His finger stabs down.

A killing light slams you behind the eyes. Images fall through it, helplessly -- door, hall -- leap -- open door -- chair --

But the light doesn't let you go.
%
On the whole, it was worth the trip. The plains really were broad and grain-gold, if scarred with fences and agricultural crawlers. The mountains were overwhelming. And however much of the capital city is crusted with squat brick and faceless concrete hulks, there are still flashes of its historic charm. You've seen spires above the streets -- tiny green parks below tenements -- hidden jewels of fountains beyond walls. Any bland alley can conceal balconies wrought into iron
gardens, fiery mosaics, a tree or bed of flowers nurtured by who knows who.

This alley, however, is a total washout. It ends in flat bare dirty brick, and you've found nothing but a door which lacks even the courtesy of a handle. Maybe you should call it a day.

It's a narrow dead end here, with walls rising oppressively high in three directions. The alley is quite empty, bare even of trash. (Your guidebook warned you: the police are as efficient about litter laws as about everything else they do.) You can retreat to the south.

A plain metal door faces you to the east, near the alley's end. It's firmly shut.
You look
You are in a dim room, bounded by metal walls. A scarred pedestal stands empty where the chair was; facing it is an instrument-covered desk. Otherwise the room is sterile. The bright hallway waits to the south.

The man is stretched on the floor, dazed and unmoving. The lines of
his face are merely age, now.

Scraps of metal lie around the pedestal, still visibly decaying.

Your legs are beginning to itch fiercely.
You go to the south
You step gingerly under the scan-web band. Silence. You recall, with some relief, that the man failed to turn it back on after the guard left.

This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and
south.
Go southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.
Go south
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off
to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.
You go east
The corridor ends here, blank, with a single steel door on the north wall. The door is closed.

The itch in your legs is nearly unbearable.
You put the pick on the plate
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.
You wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The door snaps open.

The itching is slowly fading.
You get the pick
The pick comes free with a faint magnetic snap.

The door begins to slide shut as soon as the pick loses its link.
Go north
You slide hastily through the closing door. This time, you are careful to keep a firm grip on your lockpick.

You have barely room to spread your arms; this tiny square chamber is lined with cables, pipes, wires, and junction nodes. The only exit is the closing door to the south, which has a small white pad beside it.

Resting on one of the larger junction nodes is a blast tab (connected to a radio module).

The door closes completely.
You examine the blast tab
It's a small purple cube, which contains enough stabilized gel to blow a foot-wide hole in approximately anything. There's a minus link on
one edge, which is connected to a radio module.
You examine the radio
It's a small purple box with a short antenna on one side, and a plus link on the other. The link is connected to a blast tab.
Inventory
You are carrying a lockpick, a pen, a toolcase (which is open but empty), a pushbutton, a toggle switch, a scan scrambler (connected to
a timer), a minilamp, a key transmitter and a voice transmitter.
Disconnect radio
You disconnect the blast tab, and take the radio module as it turns black again. The key transmitter turns black as well.

The itching is slowly fading.
You touch the white pad
Nothing happens. You stare at the door in some embarrassment; of
course it won't open without power.

You sit down calmly to wait. It isn't too long before the guards come with crowbars to investigate the problem.
Tangle
Enter saved game to load: Ok.
Go south
You step gingerly under the scan-web band. Silence. You recall, with some relief, that the man failed to turn it back on after the guard left.

This is the end of a short hallway, which runs southwest back to the main corridor. Three large doorways open to the north, east, and
south.

Your legs are beginning to itch fiercely.
Go southwest
The corridor runs north and south, like every other hallway in this place. A short hallway branches off to the northeast. To the west is a blank metal door, with attendant black plate beside it.
Go south
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off
to the north, and a closed metal door to the south. You can see that the east hall reaches a dead end a short distance away.
You put rod on the plate
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.

The itch in your legs is nearly unbearable.
You wait
Time passes.

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

The door snaps open.
Go north
You have barely room to spread your arms; this tiny square chamber is lined with cables, pipes, wires, and junction nodes. The only exit is the open door to the south, which has a small white pad beside it.

Resting on one of the larger junction nodes is a blast tab (connected to a radio module).

The itching is slowly fading.
Disconnect radio
You disconnect the blast tab, and take the radio module as it turns black again. The key transmitter turns black as well.
You attach the voice to the blast tab
The voice transmitter doesn't have a link; it works through the voice module.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying a radio module, a pen, a toolcase (which is open but empty), a pushbutton, a toggle switch, a scan scrambler (connected to
a timer), a minilamp, a key transmitter and a voice transmitter.
Go south
Dead End South (in dimness)
The corridor ends here, blank, with a single steel door on the north wall. The door is open.

The lockpick is clinging to the black plate by the door.
You get the rod
The pick comes free with a faint magnetic snap.
Go west
Tee Junction (in dimness)
The white corridor runs east to west here, with a branch leading off
to the north, and a closed metal door to the south.
You go to the west
Diagonal Branch (in dimness)
This bare stretch of hallway angles from the northwest to the east; another short hall leads south.
Go northwest
Corridor Boundary (in dimness)
The corridor angles here, and crosses a boundary of some sort as it does. A few strides down the southeast branch, a dotted red line crosses the floor. You can retreat from the boundary to the west.
You go west
White Junction (in dimness)
You are in a bare tiled corridor, white tiles and cold white walls.
The ceiling is acoustical panelling divided by barely-illuminated strips of plastic. The hall runs north and east, with a branch curving away to the southeast.
Go north
Corner At Doors (in dimness)
The hallway runs both east and south from here. There's a featureless metal door to the west, which is closed; a more normal one stands closed to the north.

One of the ceiling panels is missing, leaving a rectangular gap above you.
You open the vent
You shift your weight to one hand and reach out -- almost... you swing yourself desperately, kicking. Your fingers brush the grille. You claw at it, a wild swipe -- and the grille flops open.

Inside, you can see your gun.
You get the gun
(with one hand, hanging by the other)
Taken.

You move your hands a bit, one at a time, to ease the strain.
Go east
Corridor Boundary (in dimness)
The corridor angles here, and crosses a boundary of some sort as it does. A few strides down the southeast branch, a dotted red line crosses the floor. You can retreat from the boundary to the west.

You're about to run out of options -- the intersection to the
southeast is occupied. The guards there are not moving. They're watching in both directions, with their backs to a closed metal door. They don't seem to have seen you; you slide deeper into the shadows nonetheless.
You shoot the guards
(with the gun)
You smile in the darkness.

Two of the guards are unconscious in as many heartbeats. You shift
your gun, straining for a better target among the shadows, and fire again. A third figure jerks and collapses. Then pulses are raining up the corridor at you, and you flatten yourself into cover.
Go southeast
Sharp Corner (in dimness)
The corridor cuts around a sharp angle, from the northwest to the north. To the south, in the end wall, is the standard featureless
metal door; it is closed.

Three guards are standing in the angle, with three more motionless on the floor.

You hit the corner at a dead run. The remaining guards break and fall aside, trying to aim and roll for cover simultaneously.
Go north
Lab Junction (in dimness)
The white corridor runs south and east from here, with a wide branch curving northwest towards the laboratory.

You can see brighter light shining around the curve to the northwest.

You tear up the hall, chased by pulse-fire.

You freeze; there is movement up the corridor, to the south. It sounds like yet another group of guards, moving slowly but steadily in the darkness.
You go northwest
The hallway curves west until it reaches the black door.

The corridor from the east ends here, and a single door looms to the west. It's no larger than the doors you've seen elsewhere; but it somehow looks... heavy. Unyielding. Reinforcing struts cross the
door's face, and the surface is sheathed with some black coating.

The end of the hallway is still well-lit.

You spin around, ready for pursuit, but no one appears.
You put the rod on the plate
The pick locks itself rigidly to the black plate by the door. Its status dot flashes to yellow.

You hear a voice from around the curve: "Wait."
Wait
Time passes.

You hear a startled "What?" from the southeast.

The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.

Your legs still itch. Just a bit.
Wait
Time passes.

Voices drift up the hall. "It's only one..." "...armed, took down nearly..." There appears to be some little debate.

The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

"Look then, we'll get a pulse grenade, is that...?"

The lockpick's status dot fades to pure green, and flicks steady blue.

There is a hollow clunk somewhere. A moment later, the door swings towards you. The scent of ozone brushes through the doorway.
You get the rod
The pick comes free with a faint magnetic snap.

The door begins to swing shut as soon as the pick loses its link.

"Fine." "Fine then." "...Fine." Some of the guards sound a bit peeved.
Go west
You duck through the closing door, keeping the lockpick firmly in
hand.

There is no question what this place is. The room is high, brightly
lit -- this part of the building must have its own power supply -- and filled with arcane, half-built, and unlabelled machinery. The heavy door stands open to the east; there is a small white pad and an access panel beside it.

At the center of the chaos, and its focus, is a great silver platform which is wrapped in a glittering cage of scan-web. A control console stands next to it. Cables run out across the floor, from the platform to the console, from the console to the walls, and tangle around a low cabinet off to one side.

Much paper and clutter rests on a long wooden table against one wall. The table also supports a notably large black device. By the other
wall is a clear space ringed with red, with some sort of mat inside
it. A steel cube sits on the mat.

The door booms shut.
You open the panel
You pull the panel open, revealing a layer of subcircuitry.
You shoot the circuitry
(with the gun)
The layer of subcircuitry showers a corona of sparks. Blue light crackles along the subcircuit paths.
Tangle2
Enter saved game to store: Ok.
You examine table
There is a long wooden table against one wall. It is covered with astonishing piles of paper -- scraps, notes, diagrams, all spread unevenly around in varying stages of sortedness and immediacy.

At one end of the table is a notable black device.
You look at the papers
You quickly sort through the papers, as best you can from your
briefing lectures. In a few moments, you have piled up a single stack of the most critical diagrams, tables, formulae, and notes. Everything else is left scattered across the table in more disarray than when you started.

While sorting, you discovered a logic plate buried under a spread of scribbled diagrams.
You look at the plate
It's a logic plate like most, though fairly large -- wider than your two spread hands. Circuit paths are dimly visible inside the smoky resin, and the edges sparkle with link bands.

You hear voices outside. "Well?"
You get the papers
(the stack of important papers)
Taken.

"The lock circuitry is knotted," comes a mumble from outside the door. "...must have done something..."
You read the papers
(the stack of important papers)
You have no notion what any of it means, but it all matches the
profile you were given of material relevant to the work done here.

"We've got shock grenades. Should we blast?" There is a pause, and someone replies, "No, wait on that. Whatever's in the lab, the tech crowd will burst themselves if we fill it full of shrapnel."
You examine the device
The black device doesn't have the half-built, rigged quality of the other machinery nearby. It is curved, polished, and sleek. It has faired vents along the top. There is a round alcove in its front,
which contains a glass pot. The only control is a tiny black switch.
You get the pot
Taken.

A voice says, "Someone ask around for a gas cutter."
You examine the pot
It's a fat glass pot with a spout and a close-fitting lid, which
leaves the spout open. There is a wooden handle on one side. The pot
is empty; but the inside bottom surface seems to be crusted with some burnt substance.
Smell the pot
It smells faintly burnt.
You put the papers in the alcove
(the stack of important papers in the notable device)
You put the stack of important papers into the notable device.

"Got anywhere with the lock?" you hear. There is an irritated mutter
in reply.
You open the cabinet
Opened. The cabinet is stuffed with blocks of subcircuitry and nests
of ribbon-wiring. There is a gap at one point, however, as if a single logic plate had been removed.
You put the plate in the cabinet
You slide the logic plate into the gap in the cabinet.

The stack of important papers is yellowing with the heat.
Close cabinet
You close the cabinet.

"One of the techs thinks there's a cutter in South Storage," someone reports.

Smoke begins to curl from the stack of important papers.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

A corner of the stack of important papers flares alight.
You get the papers
(the stack of important papers)
Taken.

The stack of important papers is burning brightly now.
You put all on the table
stack of important papers: Done.
glass pot: Done.
lockpick: Done.
gun: Done.
radio module: Done.
pen: Done.
toolcase: Done.
toggle switch: Done.
scan scrambler: Done.
minilamp: Done.
key transmitter: Done.
voice transmitter: Done.

"Right, bring that over here."

The stack of important papers has set one of the other papers on the table alight.
You examine the console
There is a free-standing console next to the cage, facing it, with a view off to the side of the padded mat. On the console are two
buttons, a grey oval of contact-pad substrate, a small rectangular display above the oval, and a readout strip. Hand-written labels are marked by each control.

The readout strip says, "Shut down for logic adjustment."

You hear a faint pop from the other side of the door. It is followed
by vicious swearing.

More of the papers on the table are burning now.

Half of the stack of important papers has burned away.
You examine the display
The display shows a complex waveform. Several different components slice across the rectangle, like a rainbow of mountain ranges. You haven't the least understanding of what they mean.

The flames on the table spread.
You open flap
You peel the flap of web away from its magnetic seals; it hangs open.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

You catch, "...could be doing in there?" "Cursed if I know. They don't tell me what kind of toys they play with."

With a hiss, fire leaps to another pile of paper. Most of the papers
on the table are now aflame.

The stack of important papers is submerged in the greater fire.
You wait a while
Time passes.

"Got it!" you hear. The door does not move. "Or, perhaps not," the voice continues irritably.

The surface of the table is a sheet of fire, in-swept and pulled high in the center.
You wait
Time passes.

The flames crackle.
Wait
Time passes.

"Understand, it's been too long. Are there any explosives, things of that sort in there?" Someone farther away replies, "No, not that we've been told of."
You wait awhile
Time passes.

The wall above the table is beginning to catch. You can feel heat shining on your skin.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

You hear running footsteps outside. "Found another one!" Someone exhales in relief.
You wait a while
Time passes.

There is a tight hiss from outside. "There it runs," someone says.
You wait
Time passes.

"Keep it steady, understand. We only need a hole big enough to fire through."

The table itself is burning hotly now.
You enter the platform
You step through the open flap and onto the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 4. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"Yes, he cursed has." The tone is dry and amused, but the familiar voice chills you. "What's the situation?"

Flames are crawling up the wall. Smoke is thick across the ceiling -- fortunately, high enough that you are still below it.
Close flap
You pull the flap back against its seals, closing yourself in the
cage.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 3."

"It's under control, with'," someone says calmly. "The target is trapped in the lab. We're bringing up a cutter."
You wait a while
Time passes.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 1."

"There's only one entrance, with-commander. We're standing in front of it," the voice continues, a little nervously now. "The walls are armor plate underneath. The ventilation system is secure. We haven't been briefed on any explosive or cutting equipment in the lab inventory. There's simply nowhere to go."
Wait
Time passes.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant,
dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in
space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the light -- the flames that are devouring everything that you leave behind.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.
You open flap
You peel the flap of web away from its magnetic seals; it hangs open.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Unable to initiate: scan-web coverage not complete."

"Nowhere," the familiar voice begins, but someone interrupts: "The power is showing a dropoff, look at that."

"All right," the man continues after a moment. "All right. Blast the door down. Now, please."

Orders, apparently, are orders. There is a deafening roar; the door tears into flying shards of metal. A hail of pulse-gun fire follows
the blast in. You don't stand a moment's chance.
I just wanted to leave with the cool one-liner
Please give one of the answers above.
Tangle2
Enter saved game to load: Ok.
You shoot device
(with the gun)
The notable device showers a corona of sparks. Lacking a nervous system, however, it is unaffected by the pulse.
You shoot black device
(with the gun)
The notable device showers a corona of sparks. Lacking a nervous system, however, it is unaffected by the pulse.

You hear voices outside. "Well?"
Look around
There is no question what this place is. The room is high, brightly lit, and filled with arcane, half-built, and unlabelled machinery. The heavy door stands closed to the east; there is a small white pad and
an access panel beside it.

At the center of the chaos, and its focus, is a great silver platform which is wrapped in a glittering cage of scan-web. A control console stands next to it. Cables run out across the floor, from the platform to the console, from the console to the walls, and tangle around a low cabinet off to one side.

Much paper and clutter rests on a long wooden table against one wall. The table also supports a notably large black device. By the other
wall is a clear space ringed with red, with some sort of mat inside
it. A steel cube sits on the mat.
You look at the console
There is a free-standing console next to the cage, facing it, with a view off to the side of the padded mat. On the console are two
buttons, a grey oval of contact-pad substrate, a small rectangular display above the oval, and a readout strip. Hand-written labels are marked by each control.

The readout strip says, "Shut down for logic adjustment."

"The lock circuitry is knotted," comes a mumble from outside the door. "...must have done something..."
You open it
That's not something you can open.

"We've got shock grenades. Should we blast?" There is a pause, and someone replies, "No, wait on that. Whatever's in the lab, the tech crowd will burst themselves if we fill it full of shrapnel."
You look at the labels
Scribbled between the grey oval and the display is the phrase "Destination waveform." The upper button says "Ready," and the lower button is labelled "Light the fire."
You open the cabinet
Opened. The cabinet is stuffed with blocks of subcircuitry and nests
of ribbon-wiring. There is a gap at one point, however, as if a single logic plate had been removed.

A voice says, "Someone ask around for a gas cutter."
You shoot the cabinet
(with the gun)
A corona of sparks showers out of the cabinet. Blue light crackles along the subcircuit paths and across the ribbon wiring.
You look at the logic
(finding the logic plate under the papers)
It's a logic plate like most, though fairly large -- wider than your two spread hands. Circuit paths are dimly visible inside the smoky resin, and the edges sparkle with link bands.
You shoot logic
(with the gun)
A corona of sparks surrounds the logic plate. Blue light crackles
along the circuit paths.

"Got anywhere with the lock?" you hear. There is an irritated mutter
in reply.
You check your inventory
You are carrying a lockpick, your gun, a radio module, a pen, a toolcase (which is open but empty), a toggle switch, a scan scrambler (connected to a timer), a minilamp, a key transmitter and a voice transmitter.
Tangle2
Enter saved game to load: Ok.
Search table
You quickly sort through the papers, as best you can from your
briefing lectures. In a few moments, you have piled up a single stack of the most critical diagrams, tables, formulae, and notes. Everything else is left scattered across the table in more disarray than when you started.

While sorting, you discovered a logic plate buried under a spread of scribbled diagrams.
You get the papers
(the stack of important papers)
Taken.

You hear voices outside. "Well?"
You open the cabinet
Opened. The cabinet is stuffed with blocks of subcircuitry and nests
of ribbon-wiring. There is a gap at one point, however, as if a single logic plate had been removed.
You put the plate in the cabinet
You slide the logic plate into the gap in the cabinet.

"The lock circuitry is knotted," comes a mumble from outside the door. "...must have done something..."
Close cabinet
You close the cabinet.

"We've got shock grenades. Should we blast?" There is a pause, and someone replies, "No, wait on that. Whatever's in the lab, the tech crowd will burst themselves if we fill it full of shrapnel."
You look at the console
There is a free-standing console next to the cage, facing it, with a view off to the side of the padded mat. On the console are two
buttons, a grey oval of contact-pad substrate, a small rectangular display above the oval, and a readout strip. Hand-written labels are marked by each control.

The readout strip says, "Shut down for logic adjustment."
You look at the display
The display shows a complex waveform. Several different components slice across the rectangle, like a rainbow of mountain ranges. You haven't the least understanding of what they mean.
You put all except the papers on table
lockpick: Done.
gun: Done.
radio module: Done.
pen: Done.
toolcase: Done.
toggle switch: Done.
scan scrambler: Done.
minilamp: Done.
key transmitter: Done.
voice transmitter: Done.

"Got anywhere with the lock?" you hear. There is an irritated mutter
in reply.
You open flap
You peel the flap of web away from its magnetic seals; it hangs open.
You enter the platform
You step through the open flap and onto the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 4. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"Yes, he cursed has." The tone is dry and amused, but the familiar voice chills you. "What's the situation?"
You read the papers
(the stack of important papers)
You have no notion what any of it means, but it all matches the
profile you were given of material relevant to the work done here.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
Wait
Time passes.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant,
dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in
space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the papers in your hand, the light.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.
You open the web
Which do you mean, the cage or the lockpick matrix disc?
Cage
You peel the flap of web away from its magnetic seals; it hangs open.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
You go outside
You step off of the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 1. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"There's only one entrance, with-commander. We're standing in front of it," the voice continues, a little nervously now. "The walls are armor plate underneath. The ventilation system is secure. We haven't been briefed on any explosive or cutting equipment in the lab inventory. There's simply nowhere to go."
Cage
You push the flap back against its seals.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out of the scan-web cage, a sourceless glow
that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

...and vanishes with a silent snap.

You shake your head in slow wonder. Unfortunately, a moment later, the guards outside recall you to yourself. There is a deafening roar; the door tears into flying shards of metal. A hail of pulse-gun fire follows the blast in. You don't stand a moment's chance.
You open flap
You peel the flap of web away from its magnetic seals; it hangs open.
You drop the papers
(the stack of important papers)
Dropped.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 4. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"Yes, he cursed has." The tone is dry and amused, but the familiar voice chills you. "What's the situation?"
You enter the platform
You step through the open flap and onto the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 3. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"It's under control, with'," someone says calmly. "The target is trapped in the lab. We're bringing up a cutter."
Close flap
You pull the flap back against its seals, closing yourself in the
cage.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
Wait
Time passes.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant,
dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in
space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the light.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying a lockpick, your gun, a radio module, a pen, a toolcase (which is open but empty), a toggle switch, a scan scrambler (connected to a timer), a minilamp, a key transmitter and a voice transmitter.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant,
dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in
space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the light.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.
You put the papers on the platform
(the stack of important papers on the platform)
You put the stack of important papers into the cage.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 4. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"Yes, he cursed has." The tone is dry and amused, but the familiar voice chills you. "What's the situation?"
Close flap
You push the flap back against its seals.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 3."

"It's under control, with'," someone says calmly. "The target is trapped in the lab. We're bringing up a cutter."
You wait a while
Time passes.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
You wait awhile
Time passes.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 1."

"There's only one entrance, with-commander. We're standing in front of it," the voice continues, a little nervously now. "The walls are armor plate underneath. The ventilation system is secure. We haven't been briefed on any explosive or cutting equipment in the lab inventory. There's simply nowhere to go."
Wait
Time passes.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out of the scan-web cage, a sourceless glow
that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

...and vanishes with a silent snap. The stack of important papers vanishes as well, leaving the cage empty.

You shake your head in slow wonder. Unfortunately, a moment later, the guards outside recall you to yourself. There is a deafening roar; the door tears into flying shards of metal. A hail of pulse-gun fire follows the blast in. You don't stand a moment's chance.
You drop all
stack of important papers: Dropped.
lockpick: Dropped.
gun: Dropped.
radio module: Dropped.
pen: Dropped.
toolcase: Dropped.
toggle switch: Dropped.
scan scrambler: You drop the scan scrambler (and the timer connected
to it.)
minilamp: Dropped.
key transmitter: Dropped.
voice transmitter: Dropped.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 4. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"Yes, he cursed has." The tone is dry and amused, but the familiar voice chills you. "What's the situation?"
You enter the platform
You step through the open flap and onto the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 3. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete."

"It's under control, with'," someone says calmly. "The target is trapped in the lab. We're bringing up a cutter."
Close flap
You pull the flap back against its seals, closing yourself in the
cage.

The console readout blinks; it now says, "Accumulators charging: pulse in 2."

There is a choking sound. "Trapped in the-- in--" In all the hours you spent in his chair, you never heard that voice lost for words.
Wait
Time passes.

"Nowhere..." the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, "Blast it down," he says, very quietly. And screams, "BLAST IT!"

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds...

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant,
dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in
space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the light.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.