text: [Themes: Science Fiction, Espionage]
  
  > Look around
  A set of wooden barricades, painted with orange stripes and topped
  with flashing orange lights, stand blocking the road to the east to vehicles, and "Detour" signs point to the intersecting road leading south. Beyond the signs, trucks and construction machinery sit idle on the road, presumably awaiting the return of workers in the morning. Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > look at the machinery
  The barricades block vehicle travel to the east, and direct traffic along the road to the south.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  You can't see much detail from here, but all of the equipment looks idle.
  
  > Go south
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The road runs north and south. To the north, you can just make out
  the dim lights of the detour barricades.
  
  > Go south
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A light fog hangs over the road in the still night air. The road continues into the darkness to the north. To the south, distant lights glow weakly through the fog.
  
  > look at the fog
  It's a thin fog, not dense enough to obscure nearby objects very much, but it gives the night air a damp chill.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > Go south
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The road ends at the gated entrance to a huge industrial complex sprawling over the foggy landscape to the south. A tall chain-link fence surrounds the complex; the fence is interrupted only by a sliding section of fence that serves as a gate (currently closed) across the road. Narrow paths run along the outside of the fence east and west of the road. The road continues into the darkness to the north.
  
  "That's curious," Teeterwaller mumbles. "Why would they set up a detour that just comes to a dead end?"
  
  > examine the lights
  The complex must be a chemical factory, or an oil refinery, or perhaps a power plant. Towering smokestacks and fat vertical tanks are wrapped in a thick tangle of pipes, which run up the towers, between smokestacks, alongside each other, grouped together in wide sets of parallel cylinders for hundreds of yards and then suddenly parting ways, bending abruptly up, down, around one other, joining new groups for a while then bending away again. Atop the towers are flashing lights to warn off aircraft, dozens of lights slowly flashing to their own rhythm, twinkling sometimes with their neighbors and often on their own.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > open gate
  The gate is securely closed.
  
  > press button
  I don't know the word "fense".
  
  "Click."
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > examine the fence
  The fence is huge, easily twenty feet high, and topped with loops of razor wire.
  
  In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > examine path
  It's not much of a path; just a narrow band along the fence where no vegetation is growing. One path leads east, and another leads west.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
  
  > look at the gate
  The gate is merely a separate section of the fence that slides across the road. It's currently closed.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > go to the east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  fence, creating this path. The road is just to the west, and the enormous plant complex is beyond the fence to the south. The terrain slopes up to the east.
  
  Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
  
  > Go east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some distance to the west. Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here, making it too difficult to travel further to the east. The elevation gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation. The sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the path leads west along the fence.
  
  From the direction of the plant, you hear three short, low-pitched electronic beeps, distant and echoing but still loud, then a deep male voice, broadcast through a public address system in the plant.
  
  "Section blue, section green, clear sector S, stand by stations. Section black, target approaching, commence operation."
  
  From the road to the north, faint lights come into view, moving down the road toward the gate. The lights come closer and you see that several large vehicles are approaching.
  
  The gate in the fence starts slowly sliding open. A group of men wearing dark jumpsuits and black helmets and carrying machine guns trot out through the gate; some take up positions along the shoulder of the road, others run out into the underbrush alongside the road. The men keep pouring out of the gate until at least a couple hundred have emerged.
  
  The first few of the approaching vehicles rumble to a stop near the gate. You can now see that the vehicles are large semi trucks, painted a uniform white, without any markings you can see.
  
  > search the bushes
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The last of the trucks rolls to a stop up the road; you count eight trucks. Some of the armed men start moving in groups towards the trucks, while others remain crouched along the sides of the road.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller crouches behind the bushes, watching the road intently. "Get down! Get down!" he whispers at you urgently. You move to conceal yourself a little better.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  One by one, the truck drivers emerge from their cabs, holding their arms up while the armed men lead them away from the trucks, towards the plant gate.
  
  The fourth truck in line suddenly lurches forward, pulls out of the line, and starts picking up speed, sending everyone on the road scrambling to get out of its way. Gunfire immediately erupts from the men flanking the road, and the truck is engulfed in a shower of sparks and flying metal. The cab of the truck suddenly lurches sideways; half a moment later a deafening boom sounds. The truck rolls off the road and stops as the engine compartment bursts into flames; two figures jump out of the cab and flee in opposite directions.
  
  More gunfire from up the road. Soldiers in full battle gear have come storming out of the backs of two of the trucks and are scrambling around the trucks looking for cover, and trying to fire back through the hailstorm of bullets coming from the sides of the road.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The gunfire starts to trail off. Soon the soldiers seem to be the only ones firing; they quickly notice this and stop firing, looking warily around.
  
  A deep rumbling sound draws your attention to the plant gate, where you see a tank come rolling out onto the road. The tank rumbles to a stop just past the first truck. The tank's turret swings slowly around until the protruding cylinder of its cannon is pointed at one of the trucks the soldiers are using for cover. Almost in unison, the soldiers around the truck bolt from their positions and scatter across the road; only a moment later, flames shoot out of the tank's cannon and the truck explodes in a huge fireball.
  
  The attackers waste no time rounding up the scattered soldiers, and the remaining soldiers quickly surrender and are marching toward the plant gate with their hands in the air.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The last of the soldiers march into the plant, a large contingent of their attackers escorting them at gunpoint. A few dozen of the armed men continue patrolling around the edges of the road, but most are heading back towards the gate.
  
  Electronic beeps echo from the direction of the plant, followed by a voice on the PA system. "Section blue, section green, all clear. Section white, initiate containment procedures."
  
  From up the road, several vehicles that look like road construction equipment--dump trucks,bulldozers,and the like--roll toward the wreckage. At the same time, a few dozen people wearing blue hard hats and tool belts, making them look like construction workers, walk out of the complex's gate and start heading purposefully toward the trucks.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes...
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The trucks that are still intact start moving into the plant, one by one, as the bulldozers clear a path through the wreckage.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The construction workers continue clearing the wreckage out of the road.
  
  "Did you see that?" Teeterwaller says, talking very quietly. "What could that have been about?"
  
  > Xyzzy
  Poof! In a cloud of orange smoke, you're magically transported to...
  
  The terrain is considerably elevated above the road, which lies some distance to the west. Scrubby bushes grow almost up to the fence here, making it too difficult to travel further to the east. The elevation gives you a clear view of the road through the vegetation. The sprawling plant complex lies to the south, beyond the fence, and the path leads west along the fence.
  Your boss Mr. Teeterwaller is here.
  
  (Okay, it wasn't that magical.)
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The construction workers continue to clear the wreckage from the road.
  
  "Look," Teeterwaller says, "I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I think we should try and find out what's going on here.
  I think we need to get inside there," he says, indicating the industrial complex beyond the fence. "I think this could be really important."
  
  > go west
  Teeterwaller stops you. "Let's stay here for a moment," he whispers. "We need to figure out what's going on before we walk into the middle of this."
  
  In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  The construction workers clear the last of the wreckage from the road. The construction equipment and workers withdraw into the complex, leaving only a few of the armed men still out on the road.
  
  "I could really use your help getting in there," Teeterwaller says. "I know it could be dangerous, so if you don't want to join me, if you just want to return to the car and wait for help, I'll understand. But I'm not sure I can do it alone."
  
  > ask Teeterwaller about the plant
  "All I can tell is that it looks like a chemical plant."
  
  Teeterwaller nervously watches the road through the bushes.
  
  You hear the rumbling of approaching trucks, this time from the complex. Out of the gate comes a large, white truck, exactly like the ones that arrived before the fighting. The truck accelerates up the road to the north. Another truck follows, then another, until the trucks number eight. These obviously aren't the original eight, though, since several of those were badly damaged in the fighting.
  
  "I used to fancy myself something of an amateur sleuth," Teeterwaller tells you, looking a little sheepish and little smug at the same time. "This will give me a chance to get back in practice."
  
  The trucks travel away to the north until they're out of sight. The remaining men on the road withdraw into the complex, and the gate slides shut.
  
  > go west
  You start back towards the road, staying alert for anyone who might still be patrolling.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  > Go west
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
  
  > go west
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The path ends abruptly to the west with a wall of tall, thorny
  bushes growing out of a deep ditch. The road is just to the east, and the plant complex is on the other side of the fence to the south.
  A metal framework under the fence inside the ditch is visible
  through the bushes.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  > look at the framework
  The framework is inside the ditch, under the fence, so you can't easily see the whole thing through the bushes. Two vertical rails, one on each side of the ditch, are connected at the top by a crossbar. A winch is in the center of the crossbar, and a pair of cables lead down from the winch.
  
  > search the bushes
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > Down
  The bushes are too thick.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
  
  > Go north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  In the distance, a flash of lightning glows in the sky.
  
  > Go north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The main road leads east and west here. A smaller intersecting road leads south.
  
  "Isn't this where the detour was?" Teeterwaller mumbles to himself.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  > go to the east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The brush alongside the road is crushed against the ground, and deep tracks from heavy machinery are pressed into the soil. The road continues east and west; you can see only darkness in either direction.
  
  > examine tracks
  The tracks are from several different types of trucks or tractors; they're wide and deep, clearly from heavy equipment. They don't lead anywhere, but just meander on and off the road for a stretch, as though the equipment was turning around at this spot.
  
  You notice a flashlight partially hidden by some of the flattened brush. You reach down and pick up the flashlight.
  
  > turn on flashlight
  You switch on the flashlight.
  
  Lightning flashes for a moment on the horizon.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > turn off the flashlight
  You switch off the flashlight.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > go east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  The road continues east and west. It's too dark to see much in
  either direction.
  
  > go east
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A small, dilapidated building is just north of the road, which continues east and west. In the darkness, you can just barely make out a sign by the side of the road.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  > examine the sign
  Milltown   51 mi
  
  > go to the north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  This one-room schoolhouse has clearly been out of use for many
  years. A chalkboard is on one wall, and a single desk remains. Exits lead north and south.
  
  > look at chalkboard
  The blackboard is chipped and warped with age.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller looks around.
  
  > examine the desk
  It's the type that combines a desk and a chair into one unit. The top of the desk can be opened to get at a storage area. The top is currently closed.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
  
  > open the desk
  Opening the desk reveals a book.
  
  Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
  
  > read the book
  Taken.
  
  It seems to be an elementary Blottnian textbook, for learning Blottnian as a foreign language. Despite its age ("copyright 1967, The Horton, Merfin Company, New York"), it's still intact. It has chapters numbered 1 through 5 that you can read.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > read 1
  Inshna Hojdzunshchk!
  
  Welcome to your introductory Blottnian course! In this book, we will learn not only how to speak and write the Blottnian language, but much about the rich history and colorful culture of the nation of Blottnya.
  
  (The chapter goes on at length about how to use the textbook and accompanying audio tapes; a quick scan of the chapter reveals little of note.)
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > read 3
  This chapter discusses the culture of Blottnya. You scan a few of the passages.
  
  A picture of a dog, which looks very much like the guard dog you encountered earlier, is accompanied by a caption:
  
  Years ago, herders used the Blottnian Moose Dog to help control their herds. Centuries of careful breeding have made the Moose Dog extremely intelligent and hard-working. Today, the same herding instinct that once served moose herders now serves Blottnian government security police, who use the Moose Dog to help control the cheerful citizens. Blottnya even trains Moose Dogs for service abroad; guard dogs are the country's second largest export.
  
  Teeterwaller reads the book over your shoulder. "I've never heard of anyone in this country studying Blottnian before," he says.
  
  > ask Teeterwaller about the blottnya
  "I went there on a business trip once," he says. "That was years ago, back when they had a government. It was a little scary--they had undercover police following us around everywhere, and you could hear them listening in on the phone. I wouldn't want to go back."
  
  > read 5
  This is a chapter on culture, focusing on how children in Blottnya are raised. For example, it points out that parents in Blottnya are very fond of using reverse psychology, always telling children just the opposite of what they want them to do. Apparently this practice applies to road signs as well, making driving in Blottnya extremely confusing for foreigners.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > Go north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  This school yard must always have been a modest playground at best,
  but is now little more than a dirt patch overgrown with weeds. The schoolhouse building is to the south.
  You see a hand pump here.
  
  > look at the pump
  Taken.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  It's a small hand-operated pump, probably for inflating basketballs or something similar.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller watches you expectantly.
  
  > go to the east
  Teeterwaller stops you. "Look at the sign!" he says, flustered. "We can't walk twenty-five miles. We'll miss our meeting!"
  
  > go to the west
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
  
  > Go north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  A huge dog chained to the side of the building eyes you warily.
  
  > Azdrupu
  The dog stands up on his hind legs for a few moments, then resumes his guarding posture.
  
  > Yijtgu
  The dog sits down for a moment, then resumes his guarding posture.
  
  A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
  
  > Wurtru
  The dog suddenly becomes very friendly. He wags his tale and whines at you happily.
  
  "Whatever you said, it worked!" Teeterwaller exclaims. He cautiously approaches the dog and pets him, getting lots of licking and tail-wagging in return.
  
  > remove the clip
  The chain is securely bolted to the wall.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > unclip the harness
  You unfasten the chain from the harness.
  
  A lightning flash momentarily lights up the sky in the distance.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.
  
  > get the chain
  The chain is securely bolted to the wall.
  
  A corner of the sky glows briefly with a lightning flash.
  
  > examine harness
  The harness goes around a dog's chest. Even though it's meant for a dog, this one seems like it's big enough for a bear. At the top of the harness is a ring that's used to attach the harness to a chain or leash.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > Shchrudu
  The dog looks at you curiously, but seems to decide he'd rather stay friends.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > Go north
  Mr. Teeterwaller comes with you.
  
  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.
  Sitting on the workbench is a small plastic device and a looseleaf page.
  
  > examine the device
  The device appears to be a portable hand-held scanner of some kind.
  The boxy plastic body is mounted on top of a pistol grip with a trigger; at the front of the body is a little red window, and on top is an electronic display. Clearly, you are meant to hold the scanner by the grip, point it at an object to be scanned, and pull the trigger. The display is currently dark.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > look at the page
  Which page do you mean, the Project Tyche manual, or the looseleaf page?
  
  > examine the looseleaf
  Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page bar code?
  
  > examine the looseleaf page
  It's an 8½-by-11 page with holes punched in the margin; it must have fallen out of a three-ring binder.
  
  > examine the bar code
  Which bar code do you mean, the black box bar code, or the looseleaf page bar code?
  
  > take all
  portable hand-held scanner: Taken.
  looseleaf page: Taken.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > examine the looseleaf page bar code
  The bar code consists of a series of vertical bars of varying thickness, with the number 20300273 written just below the bars in computer-style block numerals.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > scan him
  (with the portable hand-held scanner)
  You can't reach that from here.
  
  > read the looseleaf page
  ITEM: Gazette SonarTrack Razor 3-Pack
  
  REBATE AMOUNT: $2.15
  
  UPC: 20300273
  
  IMPORTANT: Verify all UPC bar-code symbols with scanner.
  
  Below this is a bar code, of the same type that you see on packages in the supermarket, with the number 20300273 written in computer-style block numerals just below the vertical bars.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller seems to be lost in thought.
  
  > look at the sacks
  About ten large burlap sacks are piled haphazardly beside the workbench. They're all filled to overflowing with envelopes.
  
  > examine 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.
  
  > scan the looseleaf bar code
  (with the portable hand-held scanner)
  You point the scanner at the bar code and pull the trigger.
  Pencil-thin lines of red light vibrate across the bar code for a few moments, then the scanner emits a short bip, and the display lights up to show: 2.15.
  
  Teeterwaller looks around purposefully.
  
  > Search envelopes
  You find nothing of interest.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller starts telling you some office gossip, but stops, a little disappointed, when he realizes you don't know the people involved in the embarrassing parts.
  
  > get the looseleaf
  Which looseleaf do you mean, the looseleaf page, or the looseleaf page bar code?
  
  > get the looseleaf page
  You already have the looseleaf page!
  
  Teeterwaller tells you about the latest episode of his favorite TV show, "Shadow Man." You never liked the show very much--too much silly conspiracy theory stuff--but you listen politely.
  
  > examine the desks
  The desks are arranged in closely-spaced rows stretching off in all directions. Each of the desks has a huge heap of papers on one side, and a small machine on the other.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > examine the machine
  The machines look a little like typewriters, but they have strange keyboards, and the paper-feeding mechanisms don't look like they're for paper.
  
  "Those are card punch three-three-five's," Teeterwaller says, sounding surprised. It takes you a moment to figure out what he means, then you realize he's talking about a model number, something like Card Punch 335~. "I haven't seen one of these in years," he says. You're afraid he's going to go off on one of his tangents about the good old days of computing when real programmers had to key in the operating system in binary with their toes, but he just looks fondly at the machines.
  
  Teeterwaller looks through his pockets for something.
  
  > examine the piles
  The piles look random; they're composed of papers of all sizes and colors.
  
  > Search piles
  They're too far away.
  
  Mr. Teeterwaller mumbles something to himself.