text: [Themes: Science Fiction, Espionage]
  
  > Look around
  This cavernous space is broken up only by a few vertical steel beams supporting the roof high above. A diffuse yellow glow from pale lights suspended from above filters down through the thick dust hanging in the air.
  Rows of drab gray metal desks extend off in all directions,
  separated by just enough space to form aisles. On each desk is a ragged pile, several feet high, of assorted papers, and a small machine of some kind. Some of the piles of paper are narrow, precariously balanced columns, others are mounds; a few have fallen over, scattering papers across the floor.
  A large door (currently open) to the south leads out of the
  building. The area near the door, where you're standing, is clear of desks, and instead is mostly open, except for a huge workbench.
  Several huge burlap sacks full of envelopes are piled alongside the workbench.
  Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
  
  > look at the workbench
  The workbench is very wide, and dominates the entire open area near the door. On closer inspection, you see that it's not merely a workbench, but is actually a machine of some kind. In the center of surface of the workbench is a rectangular depression, about the size of a coffee-table book and about four inches deep, lined at the bottom with little gears and wheels; it's currently empty. Sticking out of the front of the workbench, roughly under the top depression, is a metal basket, of roughly the same dimensions as the depression, placed in front of a chute coming out of the workbench; the basket contains a deck of punched cards.
  
  On top of the workbench, near the depression, is a knob that looks like the channel dial on a really old television; the knob can be set to values from 0 to 7, and is currently set to 0. Next to the knob is a black push-button.
  
  There's nothing on the workbench.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > examine the cards
  The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
  The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.
  
  Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
  
  > take the cards
  Taken.
  
  > look at the knob
  The knob looks like the mechanical channel dials on old televisions.
  It can be set to positions numbered from 0 to 7; it's currently set to 0.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > Inventory
  You have your temporary ID card, a map, a garage opener, a jacket, a Project Tyche manual, a DUFON journal, a battery, a flashlight, a Blottnian textbook, a hand pump, a dog harness, a portable hand-held scanner, a looseleaf page, and a deck of punched cards.
  
  > examine the deck
  The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
  The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.
  
  Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > put the cards in the depression
  Done.
  
  > look up 20300273 in the deck
  The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 20300273 should be. You find a card that looks like this:
  
  20300273        2.15
  
  > press the button
  (the black push-button)
  The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
  
  The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...
  
  Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.
  
  The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > look at the cards
  The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
  The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.
  
  Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the first group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
  
  > put the cards in the depression
  Done.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
  
  > press the button
  (the black push-button)
  The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
  
  The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...
  
  Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.
  
  The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > look at the cards
  The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
  The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.
  
  Glancing through the deck, you notice that the cards are sorted by the second group of numbers, which would make it easy to find a particular number of that group in the deck.
  
  > turn the knob to 2
  Okay, it's now turned to 2.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > put the cards in the depression
  Done.
  
  > look at the cards
  The deck is ten inches thick and must contain thousands of cards--far too many to examine individually. Each card has numerous neat little square holes randomly dispersed across the card, and a series of numbers printed across the top, corresponding to the punched holes.
  The numbers are arranged into groups: the first group has eight digits; the second group has one or two digits, then a decimal point, then two more digits.
  
  Glancing through the deck, you can detect no apparent ordering; they're just randomly arranged in the deck, which would make it next to impossible to find a particular number in the deck.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
  
  > press button
  Done.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  There are words after your command that I couldn't use.
  
  > examine the switches
  Eight tiny slide switches are lined up next to each other. On the side of each switch, eight small notches show the possible positions; each switch can be set to a number from 0 to 7. Currently, the switches are in the following positions: 55567562. Just above the switches, someone has written "55567562".
  
  > press the button
  (the black push-button)
  The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
  
  The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...
  
  Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.
  
  The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
  
  > look up 55567562 in the deck
  The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 55567562 should be. You find a card that looks like this:
  
  55567562        2.57
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > 57 in the envelopes
  You can't look up anything in the envelopes.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > look up 12345678 in the deck
  Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where 12345678 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > look up 12345670 in the deck
  Since the cards are sorted, you easily flip through the deck to where 12345670 should be, but you don't find a card with that value.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > look at the envelopes
  There are far too many envelopes for a thorough examination, but you pick a few at random, and find that they're all addressed to different products' rebate offers: Healthy Concern Low-Fat Crème Brûlée Frozen Dessert $1.51 Rebate Offer, Gazette SonarTrac Razor 3-Pack $2.15 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Sergeant Sweet's Peanut Butter Sweet with Chocolaty Chips and Macadamia Nuts 44 Ounce Breakfast Cereal $3.77 Rebate Offer, ToxiCola 24-Pack $1.01 Mail-In Rebate Offer, Mrs. Palfrey's Olde-Tyme Naturally and Artificially Flavoured Snacking Cones $2.35 Rebate Offer, Blowiger's Very Fine Teas $0.90 Rebate Offer, Shane's No-Spill Men's 100% Cotton Briefs $2.80 Mail-In Rebate Offer, and many more. Even though each envelope is for a different product's rebate offer, they all have the same address: PO Box 2004, Conners City.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > turn the dial to 1
  Okay, it's now turned to 1.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > press the button
  (the black push-button)
  The machine inside the workbench grinds into action. Waves of motion start rippling through the cards sitting in the depression, and they all vibrate rapidly. The machinery makes more and more noise until the whole workbench is vibrating wildly. Suddenly, the cards start disappearing into the machinery, and after a few moments the entire deck has been sucked inside the workbench.
  
  The workbench impossibly gets even louder, and starts making bangs and clunks at irregular intervals--clunk... whir... bang-bang-bang-clunk... whir... clunk-bang... clunk... bang-bang... whir...
  
  Suddenly, the cards start issuing from the chute at incredible speed and lining up neatly in the basket. It only takes a few seconds before the entire deck has been reassembled.
  
  The noise from the machinery starts to subside, falling in both pitch and volume as the gears and flywheels coast to a halt within the workbench. The machine eventually becomes quiet and still.
  
  > 77 in the deck
  The cards are sorted, so you easily flip through the deck to where 3.77 should be. You find a card that looks like this:
  
  41531454        3.77
  
  > go to the south
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A huge dog is here, happily puttering around.
  
  > Pet Dog
  The dog wags his tail at you happily, and returns to his puttering around.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > Go northeast
  It's too dangerous to attempt to travel the off-road terrain on foot in this darkness.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > go east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  > go to the northeast
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.