text: [Themes: Science Fiction]
  
  > look around
  The exhibiton ends to the south of here.
  
  An original 20th century golf cart stands here, obviously on the way
  to some exhibition or other.
  
  There is a 5th dimensional forge here.
  
  There is a statue here, an actual life-sized statue. It shows Alex, sitting cross-legged on a rock, looking thoughtfully.The statue has cracks all over. There is a small plaque at the base.
  
  You can also see Gleipnir here.
  
  > examine Gleipnir
  Gleipnir is as thin as a silken ribbon and stronger than any iron chain. It was made to hold the Fenriswolf to delay Ragnarök, but you suppose it will work for your needs in the meantime. You idly wonder
  if this means that in this game world nothern mythology is true and
  how it will handle other world religions.
  
  > Tie Gleipnir to statue
  You tie Gleipnir to the statue. Now to find something for the other end...
  
  > Tie Gleipnir to cart
  You tie the other end of Gleipnir to the cart.
  
  > Go south
  You put the pedal to the medal! With an incredible 15 mph, you drive through the exhibition.
  CRACK!
  The statue breaks aparts, and something small catches your eye among the debris. Gleipnir snaps in half and dissapates.
  
  Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls.
  
  Junction (in the golf cart)
  This is the intersection of two corridors. To the west is a exhibition called "QUEER ART 2100-2433". Unfortunately, it's closed. To the east is an an exhibition called "BEST FANFICTION OF THE 20th CENTURY. Fortunately, it's closed. The corridor to the south is blocked by a sign saying "ESCAPED JENNOSAURUS."
  
  > Leave
  You get out of the golf cart.
  
  This is the intersection of two corridors. To the west is a exhibition called "QUEER ART 2100-2433". Unfortunately, it's closed. To the east is an an exhibition called "BEST FANFICTION OF THE 20th CENTURY. Fortunately, it's closed. The corridor to the south is blocked by a sign saying "ESCAPED JENNOSAURUS."
  
  An original 20th century golf cart stands here, obviously on the way
  to some exhibition or other.
  
  > Go north
  The exhibiton ends to the south of here.
  
  Something small lies aorund here.
  
  Bits and pieces of the statue lie around.
  
  There is a 5th dimensional forge here.
  
  > examine small
  The name tag reads " Dr. Juliana F. Ross. MERCURY STATION MEDICAL RESEARCH.
  
  > get the name tag
  So this is Alex' big secret? Some weird name tag? Maybe he is creepier than you thought?
  
  You're distracted by a loud -SWOOOOOSH- sound as a portal opens before you and someone shouts:
  "HALT! TIME RANGERS!"
  
  A woman in a ranger uniform and a man in an old-fashioned tweed suit jump out. You instinctinvely hide the name tag behind your back.
  
  "Hi" says the woman. "I'm Samantha, and this is my husband Jack. We
  are Time Rangers."
  
  "You just said we are, dear, and I'm just a consultant."
  
  "Yes, dear. We are here because you are the husband of the worst criminal of all times, and we need your help!"
  
  "Can I just say", says Jack, "that I'm really happy that your the hero for once? The fact that you were always the damsel in distress put a somewhat uncomfortable classic gender binary role dynamic on the way your marriage was portrayed."
  
  Samantha pats him on the back. "Yes, darling. Anway, Paul - can I call you Paul? Ten games in is a little late to invent a last name in any case - will you help us save the world from your husband?"
  
  "Sure" you say, "we just need to intercept him at an earlier time then his terror regime, right?"
  
  "Yeah" begins Samantha, "well, the thing is, due to chronoton
  poisoning time travel has become a bit problematic lately ..."
  
  "Wait, how can time travel even have a temportal frame?"
  
  "Nevermind the plot holes" says Jack, "we need your ring and with that we'll extract your husband."
  
  You slip the ring, small and golden, from your finger. After a
  moment's hesitation you hand it to Samantha. She adjusts her hat. "Thanks. See we need it because certain objects, from key points in time, are loaded with temporal energy and these are the last things that allow us to time travel. Luckily the museum is full of that stuff so we can always come back here."
  
  "Wait, let me come with you -"
  
  Jack shakes his head. "Sorry, we can't allow you to come with us.
  There was no time to code the interaction between 3 NPCs and the player."
  
  "So what am I supposed to do?"
  
  "Just wait here, we have some nice exhibits."
  
  You slump your shoulders. Jack pats you on the shoulder and slips you
  a small device. "I'm sure you'll find some way to pass the time."
  
  They wave to you, another SWOOOOOOSH and they are gone.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a scanner
  a name tag
  a wikipedia printout
  a plasma gatling
  a letter
  
  > Examine scanner
  Aha, a scanner.
  
  > Scan tag
  The display reads:
  TEMPORAL RESIDUE DETECTED.
  
  Opening portal to 2578.
  
  > look
  The exhibiton ends to the south of here.
  
  A swirling grey portal is, er, swirling here.
  
  Bits and pieces of the statue lie around.
  
  There is a 5th dimensional forge here.
  
  > examine the portal
  Like a lava lamp, only worse.
  
  > enter the portal
  You step into the portal and while you swirl through the vortex you have some time (!?!) to think. This name tag belongs to someone on Mercury station, where Alex went in the last game to get the use of
  his legs back. He told you that the med bay went bust after he used
  it. If they do medical research there, maybe the fact that the bay was unusable means that someone or other couldn't be cured. So maybe this whole journey wasn't about Alex but someone else.
  
  Dr. Juliana F. Ross.
  
  The Queen of Hurts and Maladies.
  
  And so you arrive at Mercury Station.
  
  This corridor is incredibly clean, and incredibly white. The future is awesome. The corridor ends to the northeast at a door marked in Chinese, and continues to the southwest. There is a huge window here, looking out on Mercury.
  
  THE EMERGENCY SIREN BLARES!
  
  Xonathan Xask says, "What if the Time Rangers grab Alex from a time when he hadn't broken his legs so we could use the med bad after all
  to -
  SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
  Two portals must've opened behind you. You twirl around.
  
  Oh no! Two Alexes have arrived!
  
  The one on the left wears a surprisingly convincing caveman costume.
  
  The other one wears a nice shirt, slacks and saddle shoes.
  
  Two copies of your husband have arrived. What do you, Paul, wanna do about it?
  
  > look at the left alex
  His hair is slicked back, he wears a neat white shirt, no tie, brown slacks and matching saddle shoes. You always wanted him to try that look, but now that you actually see it, it just isn't him. OR IS IT?
  
  "Quick" says left Alex, "shoot him! He's the evil Alex from the
  future! He's here to make sure the Queen comes to power just as expected, so his reign is assured."
  
  "No, that's him!" says right Alex. "Don't make a mistake, darling!"
  
  Two copies of your husband have arrived. What do you, Paul, wanna do about it?
  
  > look at the right alex
  He did once spent 10 years as a caveman, so the outfit speaks for him, on the other hand, it's totally something a post-apocalyptic dictator would wear.
  
  "Okay, I want an explanation from each of you why the Time Rangers didn't come with you. Leftie, you go first."
  
  "They had been called away because of a pet emergency."
  
  "Righty?"
  
  "Their shift was over and they couldn't be bothered."
  
  Hm.
  
  > Kiss left Alex
  The left Alex might not like that.
  
  "Oh-okay, I have secret birthmark on my ..."
  
  "Trick question" they answered in unison. "You have no birthmarks whatsover."
  
  "Your skin is perfect" says leftie.
  
  "As I've often said" says rightie.
  
  > kiss right alex
  The right Alex might not like that.
  
  "Name all our games in order!" you scream, on the edge of despair.
  
  "Stop it with this self-indulgent bullshit" says Leftie. "Yeah, Clubfloyd won't like it." Rightie turns to wave at you, the player. "Hey Clubfloyd!"
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  "C'mon, quickly now" says Rightie, you need to shoot either of us! Otherwise we will run out of text and that will break the tension and the immersion!"
  
  Left nods. "I agree with my evil copy from the future."
  
  > Kiss left Alex
  The right Alex has better things to do.
  
  "so, um..." says Lefty. "How many major bugs did this game have?"
  
  "So, um, we're not even trying with the meta stuff anymore?" says Rightie.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes.
  
  Both stare at you blankly. Oh no! Your immersion
  
  > Shoot left
  You shoot the left Alex!
  You shoot the left Alex!And ...
  Oh no! Right Alex shoots you.
  
  > Shoot right
  You shoot the right Alex!
  You shoot the right Alex!And ...
  Oh no! Left Alex shoots you!
  
  > Grenade alex
  Who do you mean, the left Alex or the right Alex?
  
  > Grenade left Alex
  "Sorry" you say, "Whatever Cosmo says, I'm not intro threesomes!"
  
  "Get him!" shouts left Alex, "I'm tired of being the good guy!"
  
  Right Alex pulls out a blaster and fires at you, but misses!
  
  "ARGH!" says Xonathan Xask behind you. Oh no, you think, what a pointless way to go.
  
  As Right Alex takes aim again and left Alex gets ready to tackle you, you press the grenade button and -
  FLUMP!
  - a second later the whole hallway is lít up by a toxic green plasma explosion! Both versions of your husband are engulfed by it instantly.
  
  There is an eerie silence. You drop the plasma gatling with something like disgust. It's over, and it's not over.
  You look down at the blue emergency release button, then push it.
  
  Later, as they carry young, dorky Doctor Ross out on a stretcher, you look at that young, kind face. To imagine she would turn into that
  foul creature who hunted you and Alex for so long.
  
  And then there's Alex himself  who turned evil enough to send two versions of himself here, to keep you from stopping the creation of
  the Queen of Hurts and Maladies.
  You reflect that there is a thin line between us and those we deem ourselves worthy to condemn as evil.
  
  And then station security has some questions.
  
  You spent the last 3 months on this rock out in the middle of nowhere. Time should mean little to a temperologist like yourself, but personal time still advances. Maybe you'll give the you from 3 months ago some pointers where to dig. You can usually get away with minor paradoxes
  if Director Lambbost at the Temporal Institute feels or will have felt like it. But you need to find the urn. Who knows where and when it
  will be unearthed otherwise, and what new horrors will be wraught.