text: [Themes: Western, gay, Gay/queer protagonist, mute protagonist, cyborg, western, homosexual, steampunk]
  
  > Look around
  Rowdy Juanita's Saloon is a homely place, and mostly clean. A shady refuge from the wasteland sun, a shaft of harsh light shines in through the doorway, enveloping countless dancing motes of dust in its glare. A multitude of round tables are dotted around the carefully polished bar, and sturdy wooden beams criss-cross the high ceiling.
  
  The floor is littered with splinters of wood and broken glass.
  
  Rowdy Juanita stands behind the bar, a six shooter in each of her upper set of hands, a third being reloaded by her lower arms.
  
  A whisky bottle on a nearby table explodes as a bullet hits it. "Damn it," Juanita grumbles.
  
  > examine the beams
  The ceiling is criss-crossed with thick wooden beams. Suspended among the beams you see a chandelier.
  
  A bullet strikes the leg of a table, causing it to collapse explosively. Juanita sighs. "Fixing all this is gonna cost me."
  
  > shoot the chandelier
  You take careful aim at the rope anchoring the chandelier to the ceiling, and fire. For a second it seems to hang suspended in thin air. And then it drops down on Juanita with a terrifying crash. You race over to her, worried that you've done her permanent damage.
  
  Pinned beneath the chandelier, her weapons scattered across the bar, Juanita looks up at you and offers a vinyl-lipped smile. "Nice work, Mute. Now get moving and stop that execution!"
  
  > Kiss juanita
  You kiss Juanita affectionately on the cheek. She sighs. "You always treated me right, Mute. I never could figure out why you seemed so immune to my charms."
  
  > F.
  You're on a simple wooden platform next to the train tracks that run through the town. Standing on thick tripod legs, a water tower casts its shadow over you, ready to supply coolant to nuclear-powered locomotives. The only train in sight, however, is a single open railroad car, a gyro-controlled, multi-barrelled turret anchored to it with fat iron bolts.
  
  Gatling Gun Fiona sits at the controls of the turret, staring at you with fierce, emerald green eyes.
  
  "I been waiting for you!" Fiona says, shouting over the whine of the turret's motors. "I'm gonna make you into Swiss Cheese!"
  
  > Shoot tower
  It doesn't look like that would achieve much.
  
  With the earth-shuddering sound of screaming servos, the turret turns to aim its fat bundle of barrels directly at you. Slowly but surely, the barrels begin to spin.
  
  "You just stand right there," Fiona tells you.
  
  > B.
  Fiona has all your potential exits covered with her monstrous turrets.
  
  With the earth-shuddering sound of screaming servos, the turret turns to aim its fat bundle of barrels directly at you. Slowly but surely, the barrels begin to spin.
  
  "You just stand right there," Fiona tells you.
  
  > shoot fiona
  You aim carefully at Fiona and squeeze the trigger. The perspex shield protecting her deflects the bullet without even a scratch to show for it.
  
  "Hey," Fiona yells, "you should learn when to just roll over and die!"
  
  With the earth-shuddering sound of screaming servos, the turret turns to aim its fat bundle of barrels directly at you. Slowly but surely, the barrels begin to spin.
  
  "You just stand right there," Fiona tells you.
  
  > climb tower
  There's no way up the water tower, and you'd be completely exposed up there anyway.
  
  With a sound like thunder splitting a mountain in two, Fiona's huge turret explodes into action. The fast moving, high calibre bullets distintegrate you so fast you don't even notice it happening.
  
  > F.
  You're on a simple wooden platform next to the train tracks that run through the town. Standing on thick tripod legs, a water tower casts its shadow over you, ready to supply coolant to nuclear-powered locomotives. The only train in sight, however, is a single open railroad car, a gyro-controlled, multi-barrelled turret anchored to it with fat iron bolts.
  
  Gatling Gun Fiona sits at the controls of the turret, staring at you with fierce, emerald green eyes.
  
  "I been waiting for you!" Fiona says, shouting over the whine of the turret's motors. "I'm gonna make you into Swiss Cheese!"
  
  > hide
  (behind the water tower's legs)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the water tower's legs.
  
  With the earth-shuddering sound of screaming servos, the turret turns to aim its fat bundle of barrels directly at you. Slowly but surely, the barrels begin to spin.
  
  Fiona peers at you around the water tower. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." she coos.
  
  > shoot the car
  You can't get a good shot while you're taking cover.
  
  With a sound like thunder splitting a mountain in two, Fiona's huge turret explodes into action. Bullets strike the water tower's legs with frightening power, but the sturdy metal seems to withstand the onslaught.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  The entire train station flickers with the muzzle flash from the turret - a glare brighter than the wasteland sun.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  You notice that Fiona seems to be uttering a constant stream of inaudible expletives as she douses the water tower with ammunition.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes...
  
  With the shriek of metal on metal, the spinning barrels suddenly come to a juddering halt.
  
  "Gods damn it!" Fiona screams. She looks down at the stationary barrels, which are glowing dull red and emitting noxious black smoke. "Hang on a moment," she tells you, almost apologetically, "I'll get back to killing you in a jiffy..."
  
  Fiona looks down at the turret's control panel and begins pressing buttons.
  
  > look at the control panel
  It's difficult to see from this angle, but you're sure it has all sorts of neat buttons.
  
  The large chemical tank behind Fiona begins to tremble and groan. She takes hold of the controls again and grins.
  
  With a tremendous hiss of steam, the hoses emerging from the tank douse the barrels in some sort of liquid. When the steam has cleared, the barrels are no longer glowing.
  
  > Shoot tank
  You can't get a good shot while you're taking cover.
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  The large chemical tank behind Fiona begins to tremble and groan. She takes hold of the controls again and grins.
  
  With a tremendous hiss of steam, the hoses emerging from the tank douse the barrels in some sort of liquid. When the steam has cleared, the barrels are no longer glowing.
  
  > Shoot tank
  You fire off a shot at the chemical tank. The bullet richochets off of it harmlessly.
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > shoot the gyro
  Your bullet bounces harmlessly off the turret's thick metal hide.
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > hide in the car
  You can't take cover behind that.
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > hide
  (behind the water tower's legs)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the water tower's legs.
  
  With a sound like thunder splitting a mountain in two, Fiona's huge turret explodes into action. Bullets strike the water tower's legs with frightening power, but the sturdy metal seems to withstand the onslaught.
  
  > examine the platform
  Better than standing on dirt as wait for a train. Must make it easier to board as well.
  
  Fiona clings to the controls as the turret judders with the recoil of its own insane firepower.
  
  > examine the platform
  Better than standing on dirt as wait for a train. Must make it easier to board as well.
  
  Bullets whip either side of you in a terrifying stream of sparks, ricocheting off of the water tower and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
  
  > examine the car
  A flat bed of metal on wheels, sitting on the train tracks. It would have to be towed by a locomotive to actually get anywhere.
  
  The railroad car is currently home to a gyro-controlled, multi-barrelled turret.
  
  With the shriek of metal on metal, the spinning barrels suddenly come to a juddering halt.
  
  "Gods damn it!" Fiona screams. She looks down at the stationary barrels, which are glowing dull red and emitting noxious black smoke. "Hang on a moment," she tells you, almost apologetically, "I'll get back to killing you in a jiffy..."
  
  Fiona looks down at the turret's control panel and begins pressing buttons.
  
  > Examine tank
  A fat metal cylinder is mounted on the train carriage behind the turret. A number of colourful warning signs are plastered to its sides.
  
  The large chemical tank behind Fiona begins to tremble and groan. She takes hold of the controls again and grins.
  
  With a tremendous hiss of steam, the hoses emerging from the tank douse the barrels in some sort of liquid. When the steam has cleared, the barrels are no longer glowing.
  
  > read the signs
  "Warning! Extremely cold! Handle with care! Danger of severe injury!"
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > examine the hoses
  Thick, rubbery hoses, covered in a pale frost. They're connected to a valve on the cylinder and disappear somewhere under the turret.
  
  With a sound like thunder splitting a mountain in two, Fiona's huge turret explodes into action. Bullets strike the water tower's legs with frightening power, but the sturdy metal seems to withstand the onslaught.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The barrels of the turret are a blur as they spit hundreds of rounds of high calibre ammunition at you.
  
  > look at the tower
  It's difficult to get a sense of what it looks like from up so close. You just get an impression of something large and metal blotting out a big chunk of the sky.
  
  The water tower's thick legs look like they could offer good cover from the turret.
  
  You can feel the staggering noise of the turret firing as it seems to rattle the whole desert.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes...
  
  With the shriek of metal on metal, the spinning barrels suddenly come to a juddering halt.
  
  "Gods damn it!" Fiona screams. She looks down at the stationary barrels, which are glowing dull red and emitting noxious black smoke. "Hang on a moment," she tells you, almost apologetically, "I'll get back to killing you in a jiffy..."
  
  Fiona looks down at the turret's control panel and begins pressing buttons.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  The large chemical tank behind Fiona begins to tremble and groan. She takes hold of the controls again and grins.
  
  With a tremendous hiss of steam, the hoses emerging from the tank douse the barrels in some sort of liquid. When the steam has cleared, the barrels are no longer glowing.
  
  > shoot the hose
  The bullet passes easily through one of the hoses, throwing up a little puff of snow.
  
  "Back in business!" Fiona growls, as the barrels begin to spin back up to speed.
  
  > hide
  (behind the water tower's legs)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the water tower's legs.
  
  With a sound like thunder splitting a mountain in two, Fiona's huge turret explodes into action. Bullets strike the water tower's legs with frightening power, but the sturdy metal seems to withstand the onslaught.
  
  > look at the hose
  Thick, rubbery hoses, covered in a pale frost. They're connected to a valve on the cylinder and disappear somewhere under the turret. A little spray of something seems to be emerging from the hoses.
  
  The barrels of the turret are a blur as they spit hundreds of rounds of high calibre ammunition at you.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  You can feel the staggering noise of the turret firing as it seems to rattle the whole desert.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  The large chemical tank behind Fiona begins to tremble and groan. She takes hold of the controls again and grins.
  
  And then the tank starts spurting a huge stream of coolant out of its side, up into the air and very far from the red hot gun barrels.
  Fiona spins round to watch this with wide-eyes, and then turns back to face you with a terrified, placating smile. "Let's talk about this like reasonable human beings," she says, standing up from the turret's control seat and holding up her empty hands.
  
  And then she jumps off of the turret, hitting the ground running. She's disappeared before you're even sure how to react.
  
  > Reload
  (your six shooter)
  You quickly empty the spent casings from your six shooter and replace them with live bullets.
  
  > F.
  Between cold stone walls, orderly rows of wooden pews face the pulpit ahead. Vengeful angels peer down on the absent congregation from lofty stained-glass windows.
  
  Reverend Gun-Arm Joe stands in the pulpit.
  
  "We thought we'd never see you again, child," the reverend says. His voice is quiet, but it echoes profoundly through the expanse of the church. "Let us speak as equals. Allow me to show you the path to happiness through peace. Please, my son, put away your weapon."
  
  > Holster
  (your six shooter)
  You slip your six shooter back into its holster.
  
  "Now," Reverend Joe says, "allow me to show you the true peace delivered by the Hand of Wrathzor..."
  
  He holds his right arm out to the side as something inside it seems to whir and click. In a single smooth, mechanical motion, the preacher's arm splits in two, divulging a sleek, nickel-plated machinegun. He aims his arm at you, bracing himself against the pulpit. "May Wrathzor have mercy on your soul," he intones, solemnly.
  
  > hide
  (behind the pews)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the pews.
  
  Reverend Joe's machinegun arm spits out gunfire to a deafening staccato rhythm that rattles harshly against the stone walls. Bullets rip through the pews, cracking and splintering the wood. You throw your arms over your head defensively.
  
  "There is no point hiding, my son," the reverend booms, "for it is Wrathzor's judgement that you die, and you cannot hide from Him."
  
  > draw
  You whip your gun out of its holster in a single fluid motion.
  
  The powerful recoil of the reverend's gun arm sends his aim climbing too high. For a moment, he totters on his feet, blasting chunks of stone out of the ceiling.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  The reverend stops firing for a moment to regain his footing.
  
  > shoot reverend
  You aim at Reverend Joe. He ducks behind the pulpit at the last moment, and your shot goes wide.
  
  Reverend Joe steadies himself against the pulpit and aims at you with his machinegun arm.
  
  > shoot reverend
  You aim at Reverend Joe. He ducks behind the pulpit at the last moment, and your shot goes wide.
  
  Reverend Joe's machinegun arm spits out gunfire to a deafening staccato rhythm that rattles harshly against the stone walls. Bullets whack into you, passing through your body and leaving you gasping for breath in a pool of blood on the floor.
  
  Reverend Joe leaves the pulpit to stand over your broken form. "Allow me to complete your journey to the Almighty," he says, aiming his gun-arm at your head.
  
  > Duck
  (behind the pews)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the pews.
  
  Reverend Joe's machinegun arm spits out gunfire to a deafening staccato rhythm that rattles harshly against the stone walls. Bullets rip through the pews, cracking and splintering the wood. You throw your arms over your head defensively.
  
  "You can find peace only through acceptance," the reverend intones. "Show yourself and receive your judgement."
  
  > examine the ceiling
  You see nothing unusual about it.
  
  The powerful recoil of the reverend's gun arm sends his aim climbing too high. For a moment, he totters on his feet, blasting chunks of stone out of the ceiling.
  
  > examine the window
  The stained-glass windows depict warrior angels brandishing swords and cutting down swathes of wretched unbelievers. Their eyes seem to follow you around the room.
  
  The reverend stops firing for a moment to regain his footing.
  
  > look at the ceiling
  You see nothing unusual about it.
  
  Reverend Joe steadies himself against the pulpit and aims at you with his machinegun arm.
  
  > examine the pulpit
  A raised wooden platform from which a man of Wrathzor can preach his message of fear and judgement.
  
  Reverend Joe's machinegun arm spits out gunfire to a deafening staccato rhythm that rattles harshly against the stone walls. Bullets rip through the pews, cracking and splintering the wood. You throw your arms over your head defensively.
  
  "Wood is but a thin veil for the hand of Wrathzor to part," the reverend booms.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes...
  
  The powerful recoil of the reverend's gun arm sends his aim climbing too high. For a moment, he totters on his feet, blasting chunks of stone out of the ceiling.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  The reverend stops firing for a moment to regain his footing.
  
  > shoot the glass
  You blast one of the stained-glass windows with your six shooter. It shatters spectacularly, multi-coloured shards of glass raining down on the pulpit.
  
  Joe screams as the glass cuts into him, ducking behind the pulpit. After the tinkling of glass on stone has ceased, he does not re-emerge.
  
  > look at Joe
  A pale form slumped in the pulpit among creased, blood-soaked robes. His right arm seems to consist of a hollow plastic shell that has split in two to reveal a shiny, high-calibre machinegun.
  
  > look at the window
  The stained-glass windows depict warrior angels brandishing swords and cutting down swathes of wretched unbelievers. Their eyes seem to follow you around the room. One of the windows has been shattered, perhaps explaining the angels' angry demeanour.
  
  > F.
  Chipped and crumbling headstones here sprout from the desiccated wasteland soil, their names obscured by weathering and dust.
  
  Metal-Skin Mickey stands among the graves, a six shooter clasped in his robotic hand.
  
  "TARGET IDENTIFIED," Mickey exclaims. "ENGAGING!"
  
  > shoot Mickey
  You blast Mickey with your six shooter. The bullet bounces harmlessly off of his thick metal skin.
  
  Mickey aims his single eye at you, a narrow thread of laser light projecting from it onto your forehead.
  
  "LOCK-ON ACQUIRED," Mickey states. "PREPARING TO FIRE..."
  
  > hide
  (behind the tombstones)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the tombstones.
  
  A thin beam of laser light from Mickey's eye sweeps back and forth over the top of the headstones, seeking you out.
  
  > examine Mickey
  A cylindrical war-bot, dressed in chipped and peeling desert camouflage paint. His face is featureless except for a single round, glassy eye.
  
  A thin beam of laser light from Mickey's eye sweeps back and forth over the top of the headstones, seeking you out.
  
  > shoot eye
  You can't get a good shot while you're taking cover.
  
  A thin beam of laser light from Mickey's eye sweeps back and forth over the top of the headstones, seeking you out.
  
  > read the headstones
  Jagged, worn, broken, crumbling, in some cases even completely collapsed. The tombstones are all made of stone, however, and might be sturdy enough to afford you some cover.
  
  You are taking cover behind the tombstones.
  
  A thin beam of laser light from Mickey's eye sweeps back and forth over the top of the headstones, seeking you out.
  
  > Forward
  Chipped and crumbling headstones here sprout from the desiccated wasteland soil, their names obscured by weathering and dust.
  
  Metal-Skin Mickey stands among the graves, a six shooter clasped in his robotic hand.
  
  "TARGET IDENTIFIED," Mickey exclaims. "ENGAGING!"
  
  > Reload
  (your six shooter)
  You quickly empty the spent casings from your six shooter and replace them with live bullets.
  
  Mickey aims his single eye at you, a narrow thread of laser light projecting from it onto your forehead.
  
  "LOCK-ON ACQUIRED," Mickey states. "PREPARING TO FIRE..."
  
  > shoot eye
  You aim at Mickey's eye and squeeze the trigger. The eye shatters with a brittle crack, and Mickey freezes in place, sparking and whirring.
  
  > Reload
  (your six shooter)
  You quickly empty the spent casings from your six shooter and replace them with live bullets.
  
  > examine Mickey
  A cylindrical war-bot, dressed in chipped and peeling desert camouflage paint. His face is featureless except for a single round, shattered eye.
  
  Mickey stands perfectly still.
  
  > take Gun
  You've already drawn your gun.
  
  > F.
  You're on a sturdy platform beneath a huge dome of cracked concrete, an expansive pool of off-colour, steaming water stretching out far below. An ancient control panel sits by the edge of the platform.
  
  A broken catwalk hangs from the ceiling.A mass of tree roots protrude from one of the larger cracks in the concrete.A girder juts up from the toxic pool.
  
  Glow-in-the-Dark Earl stands on the rickety catwalk.
  
  "You!" Earl rasps, hoarsely. "Execution or no, this is my reactor, and ain't no-one passing through here long as I breath!"
  
  > look at the panel
  Rusted right through and glowing faintly. It's encrusted with strange dials and buttons.
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  Earl sends an arrow flying over your head. "I know you're still in here! You can't hide from me!"
  
  > look at the roots
  Having broken through the concrete dome over slow years of growth, the tree roots now seem strangely sinister and monstrous: as if frozen in the act of an intelligent writhing motion. Various objects from the reactor complex seem to have been snatched up by the roots over time, including a large, bright orange canister.
  
  Earl clucks like a chicken until his hoarse voice breaks down into a coughing fit.
  
  > examine the canister
  A bright orange canister of some sort is caught up in the curled and grasping tree roots.
  
  > read the canister
  The bright orange canister is too far away.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes...
  
  You hear an arrow ping uselessly off the other side of the control panel.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > Shoot canister
  You sight down your barrel at the bright orange canister, and squeeze the trigger. The canister erupts into a sizeable fireball, consuming the tree roots and burning them to a crisp.
  
  Earl jumps clear of the tree roots and lands on the catwalk.
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > shoot the catwalk
  There's a small splash of radioactive water, but no other evidence you're having an effect on the submerged catwalk.
  
  Earl draws back the string on his bow, taking aim at you.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  "Come out of there!" Earl yells.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes...
  
  Earl growls with frustration.
  
  > look at the catwalk
  Corroded in strange and unpleasant ways, it doesn't seem like it can keep up the fight against gravity for long. It hangs from crooked bolts that half protrude from the ceiling.
  
  Glow-in-the-Dark Earl is standing on the rickety catwalk.
  
  Earl clucks like a chicken until his hoarse voice breaks down into a coughing fit.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  "Come out of there!" Earl yells.
  
  > Shoot panel
  You can't get a good shot while you're taking cover.
  
  Earl sends an arrow flying over your head. "I know you're still in here! You can't hide from me!"
  
  > shoot earl
  As you aim at Earl, he tenses his grotesquely long legs. After you fire, but before the bullet hits him, he jumps up, high into the air, and lands on the girder.
  
  "What's the matter, Mute?" Earl says, "too fast for you?"
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > Shoot bolts
  You take aim at one of the ancient metal bolts and fire. It shatters into a cloud of rust. The catwalk creaks, and begins to move. One by one, the rusted bolts pop out of the ceiling and the catwalk curls downward, sinking into the steaming nuclear waste below.
  
  Earl jumps clear of the catwalk and lands on the girder.
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  Earl growls with frustration.
  
  > examine girder
  The thick iron girder juts up at a crooked angle. It seems to be propped up on a thick pipeline that traverses the dome.
  
  Glow-in-the-Dark Earl is standing on the girder.
  
  > examine the pipeline
  Blackened and heavily corroded, the pipeline emerges from a delicate husk of machinery and winds its way across the dome, disappearing into the distance.
  
  You hear an arrow ping uselessly off the other side of the control panel.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're now standing.
  
  Earl holds out his bow and notches an arrow to it.
  
  > Shoot pipeline
  You put a bullethole in the corroded metal of the pipeline. It quivers slightly, but remains otherwise intact.
  
  Earl draws back the string on his bow, taking aim at you.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  Earl clucks like a chicken until his hoarse voice breaks down into a coughing fit.
  
  > Shoot pipeline
  You put a second bullethole in the pipeline, close to the first. The pipeline creaks loudly, but stays in one piece.
  
  Earl looses the arrow. You look down and aren't entirely surprised to it sticking out of your chest. You feel yourself falling off the platform as if it were happening somewhere very far away.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  > Reload
  (your six shooter)
  You quickly empty the spent casings from your six shooter and replace them with live bullets.
  
  Earl growls with frustration.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  Earl clucks like a chicken until his hoarse voice breaks down into a coughing fit.
  
  > Shoot pipeline
  You put a second bullethole in the pipeline, close to the first. The pipeline creaks loudly, but stays in one piece.
  
  Earl draws back the string on his bow, taking aim at you.
  
  > hide
  (behind the control panel)
  Okay, you're now taking cover behind the control panel.
  
  You hear an arrow ping uselessly off the other side of the control panel.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes...
  
  Earl sends an arrow flying over your head. "I know you're still in here! You can't hide from me!"
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes...
  
  You hear an arrow ping uselessly off the other side of the control panel.
  
  > Shoot pipeline
  You put a third bullethole in the pipeline, in between the first two. For a moment, nothing happens. And then the pipeline shatters into disparate shards of rust. The girder leaning on it tips slowly to one side, smashing into the dome with the sound of heavy masonry shattering like glass.
  
  Earl jumps clear of the girder and flails uselessly in the air for longer than seems possible. Then, inevitably, he drops - falling into the radioactive slime below with an infuriated yell.
  
  > F.
  On the bank of a thick black river, you're surrounded on all sides by corroded tin shacks and heaps of rotting garbage.
  
  It's awfully quiet around here.
  
  > look at the garbage
  Dirty rags, rotten food, human excrement... other things you don't want to look too closely at.
  
  > look at the shacks
  Home to the physically diseased and the socially reviled.
  
  > look at the river
  The river is black and viscous, emitting a fine, yellowish vapour.
  
  > listen
  It's very quiet. The river burbles quietly.
  
  > look at the vapour
  You try not to breath too deeply. The river's noxious vapour probably does little to promote good health.
  
  > F.
  You start looking for a good route to move through the dreary shanty town, when a rhythmic pistoning reaches your ears from somewhere ahead. Atomic April strides out from behind one of the shacks, blocking your path with her enormous metallic form.
  
  April's distorted voice booms from the metallic grill she has for a mouth. "I'm gonna pummel you good, Mute."
  
  April raises her great metal fist into the air, blotting out the sun.
  
  > look at April
  A towering metal figure, topped with a transparent brain jar, her right fist obscenely huge. She totters on stilt-like mechanical legs. A bright yellow symbol adorns her chest.
  
  April's shoulder clunks loudly, letting out bursts of steam.
  
  > shoot april
  You blast April right in the middle of the archaic symbol on her chest. The bullet richochets without leaving a mark.
  
  April's massive form is knocked backwards. She drops her arm and regains her footing in a slow and ungainly motion.
  
  April booms with laughter. "A squishy meat-bag like you is no threat to a mechanical god!"
  
  > shoot brain
  You blast the see-through dome containing April's brain. The bullet richochets off, leaving a few hairline cracks.
  
  "This is like pulling the legs off a fly..." April muses.
  
  April raises her great metal fist into the air, blotting out the sun.
  
  > shoot brain
  You shoot April's brain jar again, fine cracks spreading across the dome.
  
  April laughs. "I splatter insects like you without even thinking about it!"
  
  April's shoulder clunks loudly, letting out bursts of steam.
  
  > shoot brain
  Your bullet completely shatters April's brain jar, showering glass over her shoulders.
  
  "Some meat-bags just don't know when they're obsolete." April booms.
  
  April brings her huge fist down in one swift, mechanical motion. It races down at you from the sky like a falling boulder.
  
  > shoot brain
  Your bullet strikes April's exposed brain straight on, splattering it over her shattered head. Her body suddenly goes limp and collapses into a heap with a loud metallic clattering, sliding slowly into the river, fumes rising where her body touches the acidic slime.
  
  > examine the symbol
  The bright yellow radiation symbol adorns April's great metal upper torso.
  
  > F.
  A dark little office. The bright sunlight shining through the window casts a perfect square of light on the polished floor, as if it were too timid to wander away from a straight line. Coffins stand in rows against one wall, funereal garbs against the other.
  
  Solemn Gertrude is here, in a black suit and top hat.
  
  When she sees you arrive, Gertrude stands up from her chair by the window and unrolls her tape measure.
  
  > examine gertrude
  A tall, thin woman with almost albinic pale skin. She wears a close fitting, jet-black suit and a shiny top hat. Her movements are small and carefully calculated. You remember Gertrude as being the one person in town more quiet than you.
  
  Gertrude steps lightly on one end of the tape measure, and holds it up to measure your height.
  
  > examine the hat
  A rather intimidating piece of headwear, really.
  
  Gertrude measures you across the shoulders.
  
  > Point to coffin
  You point at the coffins.
  
  Gertrude doesn't seem to notice.
  
  Gertrude quickly pulls out a notepad to jot down your measurements.
  
  > Point to garb
  you a renegade lawman. Your score consists of:
  1 point for drinking the plainswoman's potion
  7 points for killing members of the sheriff's posse
  1 point for trapping Juanita beneath the chandelier
  1 point for kissing Juanita
  1 point for scaring off Gatling Gun Fiona
  1 point for getting measured for your coffin
  
  You point at the funereal garbs.
  
  Gertrude doesn't seem to notice.
  
  Gertrude stands moderately far away from you and studies the floor.
  
  > take the hat
  You don't need to weigh yourself down with anything other than your trusty six shooter.
  
  Gertrude redirects her attention to the ceiling.
  
  > look in the coffin
  There's nothing unusual in the coffins.
  
  You catch Gertrude looking at you. She turns her head sharply.
  
  > look at the ceiling
  You see nothing unusual about it.
  
  "Mute..." Gertrude says, her voice almost a whisper. "No, never mind."
  
  > Point to coffin
  You point at the coffins.
  
  Gertrude doesn't seem to notice.
  
  Gertrude opens her mouth and then closes it again shortly after.
  
  > point to yourself
  You point at yourself.
  
  Gertrude doesn't seem to notice.
  
  Gertrude steps over to you, looking down at her feet. "Mute, I know that... you must have passed Fiona to get this far. I was just wondering, well, is she okay?"
  
  > Nod
  You nod your head.
  
  Gertrude remains absolutely impassive for quite a while. Slowly but surely, though, her lips start to form a smile. "Okay," she says, so quietly you have to strain to hear her. "I'm glad."
  
  > point to her
  You point at Solemn Gertrude.
  
  Gertrude just blushes.
  
  Gertrude smiles happily to herself.
  
  > kiss her
  You don't want to give her the wrong impression.
  
  Gertrude cheerfully writes out a notice for the funeral of Vicious Sue
  
  > listen
  You hear nothing out of the ordinary.
  
  Gertrude files the funeral notice away neatly, humming to herself.