text: [Themes: Science Fiction, Espionage, Guns, science fiction, spies]
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > hit door
  You scrape your knuckles without result. There isn't even any sound; it's like knocking on the side of a mountain.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.]
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the disc
  The lockpick widens at the top, ending in a coin-sized disc with the woven gleam of conductor-web matrix.
  
  > 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?"
  
  > say no
  "Naturally not. I look forward to examining the others. Not," he adds, "that they did you good in the end."
  
  > 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.]
  
  > examine the tiles
  The floor is featureless white tile.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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."
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > get the wrench
  Taken.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine larger
  Which do you mean, the larger crate or the smaller crate?
  
  You see nothing special about the larger crate.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine the door
  The door to the south is open.
  
  > open it
  The larger crate is nailed shut. You can't pry it open with your hands.
  
  > go west
  The metal door is very definitely closed.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > search the smaller crate
  The smaller crate is closed.
  
  > search the larger crate
  The larger crate is closed.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The lockpick's status dot is sliding towards green.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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.
  
  > examine black plate
  A featureless, dull black rectangle is embedded in the wall beside the metal door.
  
  > 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.
  
  > 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?"
  
  > 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.
  
  > climb smaller
  (getting off the larger crate)
  You climb up on the smaller crate.
  
  > 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.
  
  > get strip
  Those are a part of the panel ceiling.
  
  > get the panel
  That's hardly portable.
  
  > jump
  You bend and leap. Your hands slam against the ceiling panels, but they hold firm.