text: > look around
  There's no one here, and most of the aisles are in shadow; the only light is in the checkout area by the exit to the southwest.
  
  > look at the checkout area
  The checkout area is still lit, but you can't see why; there's no one there.
  
  > go to the southwest
  With great care, you step back out through the jagged hole and into the street.
  
  You turn off the torch to save its battery.
  
  The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit, and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.
  
  The burglar alarm is ringing.
  
  > go north
  High Street (by Post Office)
  This part of the High Street contains some of the oldest buildings in the city, and the old shop fronts have been mercifully preserved from the depredations of three generations of philistine post-war planners. The main post office on the west side of the street is a particularly fine example of Victorian architecture, but all the shops retain a measure of charm here, even when they're only selling mortgages or computer games. The High Street continues to north and south, while a narrow lane runs off to the west just by the post office.
  
  > go north
  High Street (by your office)
  The High Street continues to north and south past rows of shops and small offices. One of the latter, directly to the west, is the office where you work.
  
  > look up the Metro Alarms
  (on the computer)
  You google for "metro alarms", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > look up the spasiba
  (on the computer)
  You google for "spasiba", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > read the chocolates
  On it is written "The car-park delivery is fine. The contents will settle the final installment. Spasiba".
  
  > look in it
  The box is empty, but there's something written on the inside lid.
  
  > Google abisaps
  (on the computer)
  You google for "abisaps", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > Google puzhalsta
  (on the computer)
  You google for "puzhalsta", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > Google hacker
  (on the computer)
  You google for "hacker", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > Google spasibo
  (on the computer)
  You google for "spasibo", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > Google lafayette'S
  (on the computer)
  You google for "lafayette's", but it turns up nothing of immediate interest.
  
  > Go west
  (first opening the restaurant door)
  It turns out to be unlocked, so you have no trouble letting yourself in and strolling inside.
  
  Lafayette's (in the dark)
  It's too dark to see much in here, apart from the exit to the east. There's probably a light switch near the door.
  
  You once brought Kate here for a meal a few weeks after her twenty-first birthday. You weren't sure you wanted a relationship with Kate, but you weren't sure you didn't want one either. She was frighteningly clever, but she was also kind, warm-hearted and extraordinarily perceptive. Above all, she was someone you could really talk to, more than anyone else you knew at the time.
  
  You can't remember much of what you talked about that evening, but you vividly recall one snippet of the conversation.
  
  "Do you wish it was her with you here tonight?" she asked quietly.
  
  It was obvious to both of you whom she meant, so you didn't bother to query it. Instead you replied, "She's an interesting enough woman, I suppose, but I'm very happy with the company I've got."
  
  "So am I," Kate smiled wistfully, "But I can see you fancy her all the same. You shouldn't go so much on externals."
  
  > turn on the light
  You fumble around by the door and manage to find the light switch, which you turn on.
  
  The rather small tables and slightly gaudy red mock-leather chairs hardly make this the grandest restaurant in town, but in your opinion it offers the best value for money, as well as a relaxed friendly atmosphere. It's rather sad to see it so deserted tonight.
  
  On the serving counter are a steak knife and an old radio.
  
  > take the knife
  (the steak knife)
  You pick up the steak knife and examine it.
  
  It looks pretty sharp.
  
  > examine Radio
  It certainly looks like an old model, unless it's just a particularly convincing retro imitation. It has a large dial, and the cable running from it suggests that it's meant to run off mains power.
  
  The old radio is currently switched off.
  
  > turn on Radio
  Nothing happens; perhaps the radio is broken, or perhaps there's no power.
  
  > plug in Radio
  You plug the cord into the socket.
  The radio comes to life, with the broadcast of an overture by Elgar.
  
  > listen
  From the radio comes the sound of a symphony by Beethoven.
  
  > examine dial
  It's a large circular dial that can be turned to tune the radio.
  
  > Tune Radio
  Try turning the dial.
  
  > turn the dial
  You turn the dial, tuning into some kind of game show. One of the contestants has just been challenged to sing an impromptu song about Icelandic cod fishing to the tune of Land of Hope and Glory.
  
  > Continue
  You turn the dial, tuning into a piece of rock.
  
  > Continue
  You turn the dial, tuning into the news. Apparently, England has lost yet another test match.
  
  > Continue
  You turn the dial, tuning into the evening play. It appears to be a dramatization of War and Peace, but you can't quite place the actor playing General Kutuzov, even though his voice sounds vaguely familiar.
  
  > listen to Radio
  From the radio comes the sound of the evening play. It appears to be a dramatization of War and Peace, but you can't quite place the actor playing Andrei, even though his voice sounds vaguely familiar.
  
  > listen to Radio
  From the radio comes the sound of the evening play. It appears to be a dramatization of War and Peace, but you can't quite place the actor playing Napoleon, even though his voice sounds vaguely familiar.
  
  > turn the dial
  You turn the dial, tuning into some long Russian opera.
  
  A clock chimes half past the hour. It can't be much more than an hour to dawn; surely the Enemy will have arrived by then. Time really is running out.
  
  > open the recorder with knife
  Which do you mean, the steak knife or the sharp kitchen knife?
  
  > go east
  You leave the restaurant and walk back out into York Street.
  
  York Street (north)
  York Street continues to north and south. On the west side of the street stands Lafayette's, an intimate little restaurant you used to frequent when you went out more.
  
  > Go north
  Beyond the point where York Street meets Hythe Bridge Street, it runs on into a residential suburb. Hythe Bridge Street runs off to the southeast, while York Street runs south towards the railway station.
  
  > Go south
  (first opening the large steel door)
  
  This seems to be a large space, but you can see virtually nothing here apart from the faint outline of the window up to the west and of the desk just beneath it.
  
  > examine toolbox
  The green metal toolbox looks quite big and heavy.
  
  In the green metal toolbox are some tools.
  
  > Search tools
  There's a hammer, some screwdrivers, and a selection of spanners.
  
  > take the screwdriver
  You pick up the small screwdriver and examine it.
  
  It's a small screwdriver with a narrow blade and a yellow plastic handle.
  
  > pry the recorder with the screwdriver
  You pry the tiny cassette-recorder open with the small screwdriver, revealing a black cassette within. You then throw away the now useless pieces of the broken cassette recorder.
  
  > look at the cassette player
  It's a small, basic tape cassette player, black and silver in colour, with buttons marked PLAY, STOP, REWIND and EJECT.
  
  > open the cassette player
  You press the EJECT button and the cassette player pops open.
  
  > put the black cassette tape in cassette player
  (first taking the blue cassette)
  You put the black cassette into the portable cassette player.
  
  > Close cassette player
  You close the portable cassette player.
  
  > press play
  Nothing happens, beyond the faintest of whirring sounds.
  
  > press rewind
  There's a brief whirring while the tape rewinds, and then a click when it comes to a stop.
  
  > press play
  The recording is tinny and a bit muffled. There are two voices, one male, one female.
  
  "Hello" says the male voice, "You came. But why here?"
  
  "This is where it all started to go wrong, all those years ago, so it seemed fitting -- but you wouldn't understand. You betrayed me," says the woman, "why?"
  
  "Just doing my public duty," says the man.
  
  "You mean I woudn't pay your price for silence," the other replies.
  
  "It was hardly an unreasonable price, all things considered," says the man.
  
  "I didn't need to pay it. I already had an insurance policy," says the woman.
  
  "I can't imagine what," the man replies, with a slight chuckle.
  
  "I knew I couldn't trust you, so I lied," the woman answers, "Fortunately you've passed my disinformation on to the authorities. They're looking for it in the wrong place."
  
  "Why tell me that now?" he asks.
  
  "I wanted to you to know how badly you'd failed," the woman replies, "before you die."
  
  "Oh no, I'm out of here." says the man.
  
  "On no you're not." The recording is too poor to be able to identify either voice with certainty. You don't want the female voice to be hers, and you fervently hope that it isn't. It may not be; but you're forced to admit that it could be.
  
  The conversation breaks off. There's a series of bangs and crashes, which could be the sounds of a scuffle, then silence. The tape comes to an end and the cassette player stops with a click.
  
  > remember University Hall
  In the University Hall you remembered:
  You attended three or four quite unmemorable lectures here when you were a student, but you mainly remember this hall for the two University rites of passage: matriculation and graduation. You can't even recall seeing her at the former, but she was definitely at the latter, and quite out of sorts that day -- you could scarcely get a cold nod out of her, let alone a word.
  
  > think
  You're beginning to run out of ideas. You're fairly sure she's been moving round the city even while you've been trying to find her, almost as if she's deliberately been trying to avoid you. But it does occur to you that you haven't yet tried Carlton Terrace.
  
  > examine the crumpled piece of the paper
  It's her degree certificate, showing that she graduated with an excellent first class degree. Despite your best efforts to straighten it out, the certificate remains a bit scrumpled.
  
  > examine the photograph
  It shows the climax of the graduation ceremony, with Kate shaking hands with the Vice-Chancellor as she receives the award for the best degree result of the year. A little way over to the left a group of graduands in academic robes stand looking on and applauding; among them are Jeremy, Nick, yourself - and her. It's her you look at, every bit as beautiful at twenty-one as she is today. She's applauding and smiling with the rest, but the smile looks a little forced.
  
  > examine the key
  Which do you mean, the large iron key, the small flat metal key, the large car key, the small brass key or the office key?
  
  > Piece
  The handwriting is as small as the piece of paper it's written on, but you still recognise it as hers. It reads, "Sorry, couldn't wait - just discovered I've lost something I must recover: a small, grey, flat metal key. I may have dropped it when I went for a run (in the usual place) or when I went to the knowledge factory. We must make sure they don't get it. It would be a big help if you could search those two places while I look elsewhere. See you later."
  
  Just below that you see a crease that you missed before - you must have been in too much of a hurry, or maybe the light was too bad. Anyway, you unfold the crease and see that she has written:
  
  "I'll meet you where we first met at twenty to four. Don't be late!"
  
  I beg your pardon?
  
  > go to Hospital
  (going to the Hospital Reception)
  (going north)
  You turn off the torch to save its battery.
  
  Hythe Bridge Street (south)
  Hythe Bridge Street is quite narrow, being one of the oldest parts of the city. It narrows even further as it approaches an old stone bridge to the northwest; to the southeast it runs towards a junction with the High Street. On the south side of the street stands a large haulage depot, round the side of which a narrow alley runs to the southwest.
  
  > Go south
  The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit, and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.
  
  The burglar alarm is ringing.
  
  > Go west
  Mandlebury Road (West)
  At this point Mandlebury Road is a broad, well-lit street, bordering the shadowy entrance to Mandlebury Park just to the north, and a traditional fish and chip shop to the south. The street continues east towards the city centre and west over Mandlebury Bridge.
  
  > Go west
  It's strange - almost unnatural - to see this bridge so deserted. You're more used to seeing it jammed with slow-moving rush-hour traffic, or at least a steady flow. But now there's nothing here apart from the bare tarmac, the street lights (one of which now has a large placard attached to it), the stone parapet, and the river sliding silently past below.
  
  > go to the west
  The Embankment is the name given to this short stretch of road by Mandlebury Bridge, which spans the river to the east. To the west the Embankment is lined by a row of shops; to the north it becomes York Street, while to the south it runs into Sussex Street.
  
  > go to the south
  Sussex Street (north)
  A row of large Edwardian town houses lines the west side of the street, overlooking the river to the east. The houses are all in darkness, and the street deserted, making it all seem not quite real. Sussex Street continues north to the Embankment and south towards the junction with Gladstone Terrace.
  
  > go south
  Junction of Sussex Street and Gladstone Terrace.
  This junction would be well-lit even without the moonlight. Sussex Street continues to north and south while Gladstone Terrace leads off to the west. Further north the street runs along the west bank of the river, but just here the river bends towards the southeast and parts company with the road.
  
  > Go south
  Sussex Street (south)
  Although so far as you know this part of the city never suffered any bomb damage, some group of town planners rapidly made up for the negligence of the Luftwaffe by tearing down whatever was here before and replacing it with a mass of soulless fifties architecture seemingly inspired by Soviet brutalism. The most striking eyesore is the City Hospital, which lies immediately to the east. Sussex Street continues to north and south.
  
  > Go east
  Hospitals can be depressing places at the best of times, and considerable effort has been put into ensuring that this one is no exception. The flickering light from a couple of fluorescent tubes does nothing to help, but the drab seating in the waiting area is the clincher. Opposite this seating stands the reception desk, currently unstaffed. Corridors lead off in all directions to operating theatres, offices, and wards, but the only one that looks at all tempting is the one that leads back out to the west.
  
  On the reception desk is a brown telephone.
  
  > look at the desk
  The reception desk is a long, flat surface behind which there would normally be situated a receptionist busily engaged in keeping visitors from patients, patients from doctors, and useful information from absolutely everyone (with the possible exception of the police and security services). Right now, however, it is as deserted as everywhere else.
  
  On the reception desk is a brown telephone.
  
  > Sing
  I didn't understand that sentence.
  
  You sing a few bars of "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?", but your performance impresses no one but yourself.
  
  > continue
  You sing a few bars of "Rule, Britannia!", but your performance impresses no one but yourself.
  
  > think
  "Where we first met?" Does she mean when you were both very young?
  
  > remember Playground
  In the Playground you remembered:
  This was a co-ed school, and this playground was where you first saw her, all those years ago. Perhaps your recollection of that first encounter has been coloured by events of the last two decades, but as you recall it, when your eyes met across the playground it was as if everything else around receded into two-dimensional monochrome, and she was the only three-dimensional technicolour object left in your field of view. Again, as you recall, she smiled shyly at you, and you went and introduced yourself in your earnest six-year-old fashion, but so much fantasy and wishful thinking has surrounded the frequent rehearsal of that memory that you can't really remember what either of you actually said.
  
  > read the piece
  Which do you mean, the small piece of paper or the crumpled piece of paper?
  
  > Small
  The handwriting is as small as the piece of paper it's written on, but you still recognise it as hers. It reads, "Sorry, couldn't wait - just discovered I've lost something I must recover: a small, grey, flat metal key. I may have dropped it when I went for a run (in the usual place) or when I went to the knowledge factory. We must make sure they don't get it. It would be a big help if you could search those two places while I look elsewhere. See you later."
  
  Just below that you see a crease that you missed before - you must have been in too much of a hurry, or maybe the light was too bad. Anyway, you unfold the crease and see that she has written:
  
  "I'll meet you where we first met at twenty to four. Don't be late!"
  
  > go north
  You turn off the torch to save its battery.
  
  Hythe Bridge Street (south)
  Hythe Bridge Street is quite narrow, being one of the oldest parts of the city. It narrows even further as it approaches an old stone bridge to the northwest; to the southeast it runs towards a junction with the High Street. On the south side of the street stands a large haulage depot, round the side of which a narrow alley runs to the southwest.
  
  > go south
  High Street (by your office)
  The High Street continues to north and south past rows of shops and small offices. One of the latter, directly to the west, is the office where you work.
  
  > go south
  High Street (by Post Office)
  This part of the High Street contains some of the oldest buildings in the city, and the old shop fronts have been mercifully preserved from the depredations of three generations of philistine post-war planners. The main post office on the west side of the street is a particularly fine example of Victorian architecture, but all the shops retain a measure of charm here, even when they're only selling mortgages or computer games. The High Street continues to north and south, while a narrow lane runs off to the west just by the post office.
  
  > Go south
  The junction where the High Street crosses Mandlebury Road is generally reckoned to be the central point of the city. From here the High Street runs north up past your office and south towards Preston Bridge and the ring road, while Mandlebury Road runs east towards the police station and west towards the river. Most of the buildings on the junction are closed up, but the supermarket on the northeast corner is partly lit, and lights are blazing from Morgans Bank to the southwest.
  
  The burglar alarm is ringing.
  
  > Go east
  Mandlebury Road (East)
  A large car park lies immediately to the south, while Church Street forks off to the northeast. Mandlebury Road continues to both east (past the Police Station) and west (back to the City Centre).
  
  > Go east
  Mandlebury Road (outside Police Station)
  Mandlebury Road continues to east and west, while the main city police station stands just to the south, and Church Road runs off to the north.
  
  > go east
  Mandlebury Road (east of the Crossroads)
  From the crossroads, Mandlebury Road runs on straight to east for half a mile or more between rows of neat suburban houses.
  
  > go east
  Mandlebury Road continues out of town into a residential suburb; you're pretty sure she won't be there.
  
  > Go north
  You can't go that way. The obvious exits are east and west (to Crossroads).
  
  > go north
  School Lane is a relatively short street running north up to the junction with Church Street and south to Cornwallis Avenue. It's mainly residential, but the primary school you attended is on this street; its playground is just to the east.
  
  You hear a footfall slowly approaching down the street, and turn to see a figure walking towards you. As the figure passes under a street light, you see it's a slender young woman with long dark hair. You feel sure it must be her even before you can see her properly. You start walking towards her, eager yet apprehensive at finally meeting her. She walks on a few paces, then stops in a dark place between lamp posts, waiting for you to reach her.
  
  It is her; of course it is her. Even from a few yards away in the moonlight you're quite sure, and once you stop a couple of feet away no possible doubt remains: it's Emma.
  
  "Good - you made it!" she declares, "I don't suppose you managed to find the key, did you?"
  
  > say yes
  "Yes, miraculously enough, I did!" you reply triumphantly, handing her the key.
  
  "Thank heavens for that!" she replies, taking the key. She holds it up in the bright moonlight, then nods, "Yes, this looks like the one," she tells you. With a rapid motion she inserts the key into the small metal box she's holding and gives it a quick twist, "Oh yes," she declares, "That's definitely the one. Thank you!" Smiling her most alluring smile she adds, "Tell me David, do you trust me?"
  
  > say no
  "To be honest, I'm not sure I do," you reply.
  
  Amazingly, she doesn't seem in the least offended. "Really?" she asks, "You're learning at last! But you should trust me now, David, you really should. I'm your only hope of defeating the Enemy. Here ... " she holds out the small grey box to you, "Just push the button on that. Show that you trust me now. Will you do that?"
  
  > look at Emma
  She is tall, slender, and to your eyes, utterly beautiful, but the moonlight makes her look a little ghostlike, exaggerating both the palor of her skin and the darkness of her hair. She's carrying a small flat metal key and a small grey box.
  
  "What are you waiting for?" she demands, "Are you going to press that button for me or aren't you?"
  
  > say no
  "No, I won't do it," you reply.
  
  "No matter," she shrugs, "It's a missed opportunity, but I can just as easily do it myself."
  
  She pushes the button, but nothing obvious happens.
  
  Well, something obvious happens. She laughs out loud and punches the air in triumph, shouting, "Yes!" Beaming at you fondly she continues, "Dear David, I always knew you were my truest friend, the one person I could always rely on. That's why I had to share this with you. Would you like to kiss me? Yes, I can see in your eyes you would. Go on - kiss me - I know you've always been dying to, and now you're about to die with me!"
  
  She smiles at your mild bemusement, then goes on, "I'm afraid someone tipped them all off -- I suppose it must have been Danny, he was the only one who knew enough -- so they all got away, and I really wanted to take them all with me. Still, David, you stayed behind for me, and that's good because you're the only one who never rejected me, so you mustn't reject me now -- me or my nightfall."
  
  "Emma, what are you talking about?" you ask sadly.
  
  "We're about to reach Nightfall: final, ultimate, wonderful nightfall! This whole city is about to become a pile of radioactive ash!" she declares brightly, as if this were the best possible thing imaginable, "I have just detonated my bomb! At last I've achieved something that no one can ignore! This place never did value me properly, I've suffered far too many rejections! You do understand, don't you? I tried - I really tried - I always did my best, but other people kept stealing the prizes. That's why I had to kill Kate, of course - and why I have to destroy this city! Don't look so upset, David -- death is the most loving gift I have to give, and you of all people deserve my best! Just think what I'm sharing with you! I know you've always fancied me, and now I know I love you madly, so go on, take me: hug me, kiss me, make mad passionate love to me; I'm yours till death us do part!"
  
  > ask Emma about Kate
  "What really happened to Kate?" you ask.
  
  "Kate?" she replies, a little too shortly, "Oh - Kate. She stole too many things that should have been mine, so - she drowned. She had to. Now, how about answering my question: Will you kiss me while you can?"
  
  "Death, destruction, decay, these three things abide," she says, "but the greatest of these... Hang on. It's late!" She frowns momentarily, then relaxes into a smile, "I should not be so impatient - any moment now! Just give me one last kiss while you still can!"
  
  > kiss emma
  You kiss her on the lips and find yourself taken slightly aback at the enthusiasm of her response.
  
  "Something has definitely gone wrong," Emma frowns, "We should both be dead by now, and this city should be a radioactive crater. David, have you done something?"
  
  > go north
  > Other things to try
  Various places in the city trigger important memories. You didn't visit them all this time. Next time try visiting Carlton Terrace as well.
  You might want to take a closer look at the small grey box and the television. There are also several important objects you haven't found yet.
  How many tape cassettes did you find? There are five in all.
  
  > Other things to try
  
  > Other things to try