text: [Themes: Superhero, conversation, supernatural]
  
  It's raining out. You lean your head against the window, the glass cold against your cheek, and watch the world slide by. The city is as grey as the skies, but rainbows catch in the trembling drops of water. The swish-slap of the windshield wipers and low hum of the air conditioner covers up the faint sound of his breathing. If you close your eyes, you can almost be somewhere else. Maybe if you try...
  
  You tremble inside like a raindrop on the verge of falling, fighting to spread yourself out, let yourself drift away into the sky, away from this car, away from him, away from the fate ahead. But even with the fear, it's so hard to move on... or maybe because of the fear. Metal snugs around your wrist as he tightens the cuff, shattering your concentration. "None of that," he says. His voice isn't even cold, it's just empty. He touches a panel on the car's dashboard. "We'll be there soon," he adds. Soon.
  
  IFComp ver 1.0
  Players new to this game should type ABOUT. Hints are also available.
  
  I see no more than you do
  Believe me, I've tried
  To find what is missing, to find what is wrong
  To write the words to my happy-ending November song
  
  - "November Song," Mark Henley
  
  The car is large and comfortable, but it's still just a traveling cage, upholstered in sleek grey. The control panel on his side flashes discreet symbols you never learned to read, but in the center of the dashboard is the stereo, and above it hangs a mirror. The car has a back seat as well as a front; usually his kind comes in groups. There's only a plain black briefcase back there, though.
  
  Your backpack is on the floor.
  
  Galen is driving the car.
  
  [Author's Note: I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning, help me to breathe...]
  
  > examine Galen
  From your dreams, you always thought he'd be tall. Big. Enormous.
  He cast such a shadow in your dreams. But when you looked up in the park and saw him standing there in front of you, just a man, you could barely believe it. This is what had been hunting you, night and day, across world and wane? Not so tall, almost slight in build, unremarkable brown hair. But then his hand closed around your arm, stronger than the silver band there now, and you knew him. "Your grandfather asked me to find you, Enra," he said, and caught you as your knees buckled.
  
  He's wearing an expensive-looking pair of shades that scrape across your nerves. His suit is very fine, although it bears the signs of being driven in for many hours. It's typical Man In Black garb. Silver glints at his neck.
  
  > look at the backpack
  When he caught you, he peeled it off of you like you were a child, holding your arm in one hand. After he had you cuffed, attached securely to him, he went through it. He took your caheris and stepped on it, breaking it into a thousand glittering pieces, and he took the rose pin that Bobby had given you, snorted, and tossed it into the undergrowth. He looked at your battered mystery novels, your dice, your lensless eyeglasses, laughed humorlessly, and left them in the backpack.
  
  It's raining steadily out.
  
  > look at the silver
  (the cuff)
  The silver cuff can loosen and tighten around your wrist like a training collar on a dog when he pulls on it, which is easy for him to do, because the other end is around his own wrist. It's closed.
  
  > talk to Galen
  He glances at you expectantly.
  
  > ask Galen about the grandfather
  "What does my grandfather want?" you ask.
  
  "The usual," he says. "Power and immortality."
  
  > ask Galen about the caheris
  "Why did you break my little crystal?" you ask thoughtfully.
  
  He gives you a look. "Instructions from your grandfather."
  
  > ask Galen about the grandfather
  "My grandfather told you to break my stone, specifically?"
  
  "Yes."
  
  Galen touches the control panel and a symbol flashes. It's still raining.
  
  > Drift
  The word "drift" is not necessary in this story.
  
  (If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your next command.)
  
  > examine the control panel
  You never learned to read the symbols. You've never had to drive yourself anywhere before. First there were Daddy's people, and then Stephan, and then Bobby. And now Grandfather's people, apparently. But not for long. Soon you won't go anywhere ever again.
  
  > examine the briefcase
  It probably has terrible weapons in it. Bombs. Nerve poisons. Battery swords. Laser nunchunks. Tasers. Smooth black tronic devices for unlocking doors and people equally well. It's closed.
  
  > examine the door
  This is the kind of door where all the useful functions- the window, the lock, the handle- are controlled from the driver's side. There's a handy ashtray, though. Too bad you don't smoke. It's closed.
  
  Galen turns his head to look at you directly for a moment. The clouds directly ahead are darker.
  
  > look at the ashtray
  Absolutely spotless. Of couse.
  
  > open the door
  The car door seems to be locked.
  
  Galen scowls at the storm ahead.
  
  > ask Galen about the storm
  "Do you like the rain?" you ask.
  
  He turns to look at you, his mirrored gaze discomfiting. Then he turns back to the front again. "It suits my mood."
  
  > examine the mirror
  Yourself. You usually avoid mirrors because they always make you feel like you're falling, like if you don't hang on you'll slip to the other side and never find your way back.
  
  Definitely nasty weather ahead.
  
  > touch the mirror
  You feel nothing out of the ordinary.
  
  You finish passing the great bulk of the city.
  
  > ask Galen about the immortality
  His eyes flick towards you and then back outside.
  
  > open the cuff
  The cuff seems to be locked.
  
  Galen taps his fingers on his leg thoughtfully.
  
  Ahead, the sky is even darker, and flashes of light dance between clouds.
  
  > examine the galen's neck
  Half-hidden by his hair and collar, the links of the necklace are thin and wide. There seems to be a pendant of some sort but it's tucked under his shirt. When he moves his head, you can see that the skin under the chain is a chafed and fiery red.
  
  > ask Galen about the chain
  "Will you take this cuff off me?" you ask.
  
  He doesn't bother responding.
  
  A big truck passes, sending up a wave of spray that washes over the car.
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "So, where'd you get the necklace from?" you ask.
  
  His mouth curves up in a humorless smile. "It was a... gift... from your grandfather."
  
  There's a flash of lightning in the distance.
  
  > get the necklace
  You lean back in your seat, stretching your hands out so wide. He moves his head to his left as you threaten his personal space, leaving his neck open. Quick as a fish, you dart your hand in, wrap your fingers around the chain and yank. He recoils, which helps, because the surge of energy that tingles through you almost makes you lose your grip. You fight back- and with a snap, the chain is in your hand.
  
  "Oh," he says quietly. "Oh."
  
  His hands go up to the weal around his neck. There's a pulse of white around you, and for a moment for a moment you are overcome by a wild, sourceless joy. From the pendant in your hand there sings an answering note. And then-
  
  The car is large and comfortable, but it's still just a traveling cage, upholstered in sleek grey. The control panel on his side flashes discreet symbols you never learned to read, but in the center of the dashboard is the stereo, and above it hangs a mirror. The car has a back seat as well as a front; usually his kind comes in groups. There's only a plain black briefcase back there, though.
  
  Your backpack is on the floor.
  
  Galen is driving the car.
  
  There's a click as ordinary vision returns, and the cuff drops off your wrist. Galen gives you a long, steady look, and then returns to driving.
  
  > examine the necklace
  The pendant is a flat, seven-sided crystal, in which a tiny downy feather has been imprisoned. The chain melds organically to the pendant, the links narrowing to a tiny filigree as they intersect the pendant. Holding it in your hand, you can feel the quiet thrum of an alien power in the artifact.
  
  > ask Galen about Grandfather
  You're certain, based on recent events, that he hates your grandfather as much as you do. Maybe even more.
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "Where did this come from?" you ask, holding the pendant.
  
  "Your grandfather had it crafted from certain materials he gathered. Then he collared me with it." His voice is almost entirely even.
  
  Galen mutters something under his breath.
  
  > Break necklace
  You move to swing the pendant sharply against the door. As you do, Galen says sharply, "Don't!" and reaches over to take hold of the chain just long enough to check its momentum.
  
  "Don't," he says again. "It's not a good idea."
  
  > Wear necklace
  You slip the chain over your head.
  
  Galen takes the next exit, which is an interchange. You're now running parallel to the storm rather than driving into it.
  
  > 1
  Saved.
  
  > open the briefcase
  You reach in the back seat and haul the briefcase forward into your lap. Galen watches this, raising his eyebrows. Fortunately you've learned a lot from this journey and ignore him quite successfully as you fiddle with the clasp. Locked, of course. You glare at it. A globular field sparkles around the clasp and there's a click as it unlocks and opens.
  
  Inside, socks and toothpaste share space in a tiny overnight kit with a pair of neatly folded boxers. In the main compartment of the case there's a slim laptop and on top of it- aha! A battery sword!
  
  Galen takes the next exit, which is an interchange. You're now running parallel to the storm rather than driving into it.
  
  > get the sword
  Almost certainly contaminated by MIB cooties. But you study it for a while, and suspect that with some time to digest the information, you could create one for yourself later.
  
  > look at the sword
  These show up in video games and spy novels all the time, but you've never seen a real one. Wow.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a cuff and a necklace.
  
  > get backpack
  You pick up your backpack.
  
  Galen adjusts his sunglasses. It looks like the freeway is curving back around to the city.
  
  > examine the laptop
  Very sleek, very nice. Certainly top of the line, although you don't really pay attention to that stuff anymore.
  
  > ask Galen about Bobby
  "Why did Bobby act so strangely when you came to get me? Why didn't he help me?" He'd stood back, practically cowering, with your other friends when Galen showed up.
  
  "I've been in his dreams, too. He doesn't remember them, but they probably made him uneasy. But, let's face it, anyone that might hurt him makes him uneasy."
  
  > ask Galen about the dreams
  "Why did I see you in my dreams?" you ask him.
  
  "You're special," he says. "Most people don't."
  
  > ask Galen about special
  He has nothing but silence to offer you.
  
  Galen watches you for a long moment.
  
  > ask Galen about the destination
  "Where are we going?" you ask.
  
  "A park," he says. "I thought I'd drop you off at a park."
  
  The car takes the upcoming offramp.
  
  > ask Galen about park
  "When we were at the park, you showed up practically out of nowhere. How did you find me?" you ask.
  
  He hesitates and then says, "By visiting you in your dreams, a temporary link was forged that gave me a directional heading when we were both awake."
  
  > ask Galen about the freedom
  You're free now, though you're not quite sure why.
  
  Now you're racing along the edges of the city again, back along the skeletal ribs of the city freeway system. This is a rather nice part of the city, but not where you would have expected to find yourself.
  
  > take the backpack
  You are already carrying the backpack.
  
  > look at the feather
  It's a tiny white feather, with a translucent, almost crystalline quill.
  
  As you pass by a park, the car turns into the parking lot. A moment later, Galen has parked the car. He turns toward you, inscrutable behind his sunglasses. Then he brushes his fingers on the panel and the door beside you clicks as well.
  
  "Go on, get out of here."
  
  > go outside
  (first opening the car door)
  You open the door.
  You slide out of the car.
  
  There's comfortable scent of wet sidewalk and shattered ozone. Whirling autumn leaves race down the gutter as the late afternoon sky brightens overhead. To the south, there's a park, and beyond that, the embrace of the city awaits.
  
  > look at car
  The car that took you so far... Man, it's dirty.
  
  It's open.
  
  > get on the car
  The car is large and comfortable, upholstered in sleek grey. The control panel on his side flashes discreet symbols you never learned to read, but in the center of the dashboard is the stereo, and above it hangs a mirror. The car has a back seat as well as a front; usually his kind comes in groups. There's only a plain black briefcase back there, though.
  
  Galen is lounging inside the car.
  
  A bird flies across the front of the car.
  
  > Go south
  You head south, to the park. As you do, he gets out of the car and leans against it, taking his sunglasses off to watch you go.
  
  ***The end***
  
  > get the backpack
  You pick up your backpack.
  
  Galen turns his head to look at you directly for a moment. It's raining steadily out.
  
  > examine the shades
  You can see yourself in his sunglasses, all distorted and wavy. You don't like them. Nothing's real through sunglasses, everything is just a game with a wall between you and the world. You've been there.
  
  Galen scowls at the storm ahead. It's still raining.
  
  > take the shades
  You lunge at him, grabbing at the sunglasses. The metal tightens around your wrist again, but it can't do much to stop you. The car swerves for the briefest instant as he is distracted, his other hand coming up to fend you off. There's a brief tussle that ends with him holding your arm in an iron grip. But you are clutching his sunglasses. He looks at you impassively for a heartbeat, and then thrusts you away from him, back into your seat.
  
  You have his sunglasses. Triumph!
  
  > examine the shades
  Lightweight, sleek, partially reflective. He looked good in them. Well, intimidating, which is what his kind consider 'good'. Too bad for him. They're yours now.
  
  > wear the shades
  You put on his sunglasses. You can feel his warmth on your cheeks for a moment, and then you hastily take them off, embarassed that he saw you acting so frivolously.
  
  The clouds directly ahead are darker.
  
  > examine the galen's face
  The word "face" is not necessary in this story.
  
  (If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your next command.)
  
  > examine the galen's eyes
  His gaze is constantly moving, flicking down the road, over passing cars, and towards you. He meets your eyes expressionlessly and then something flickers- what was that? Something strong. Even without your caheris you can see that.
  
  > examine the glove compartment
  There's a hatch flush with the dash of the car. It's closed.
  
  > open it
  Opened.
  
  Galen rolls his head around his shoulders, stretching his neck. You catch a glimpse of his necklace.
  
  > ask Galen about the sunglasses
  "Do you want your sunglasses back?"
  
  He eyes you warily. "All right."
  
  "Tough!" you say gleefully. He snorts and turns his attention away from you.
  
  Definitely nasty weather ahead.
  
  > ask Galen about the caheris
  "Why did you break my little crystal?" you ask thoughtfully.
  
  He gives you a look. "Instructions from your grandfather."
  
  > ask Galen about instructions
  "My grandfather told you to break my stone, specifically?"
  
  "Yes."
  
  > look at the glove compartment
  There's a hatch flush with the dash of the car. It's open.
  
  Galen scowls at the road ahead.
  
  > look in it
  You see nothing in the glovebox.
  
  Galen turns a fierce look on you. You finish passing the great bulk of the city.
  
  > examine the necklace
  Half-hidden by his hair and collar, the links of the necklace are thin and wide. There seems to be a pendant of some sort but it's tucked under his shirt. When he moves his head, you can see that the skin under the chain is a chafed and fiery red.
  
  > ask Galen about yourself
  Quietly, you ask Galen, "Do you know the sort of things I can do?"
  
  He glances over at you, his voice flat as he recites. "Yes. You interface with reality on a subdimensional level as a result of prenatal modifications to your genetic and aethereal nature and catalyzed by a nanomechanistical substrate absorbed during adolescence. You require a focus item, and your generative capabilities can be externally suppressed." He sighs, but his eyes are burning.. "Or, as I imagine Bobby would say, some whacked out magic shit."
  
  You've never heard it expressed quite like that before.
  
  > ask Galen about Bobby
  "Why did Bobby act so strangely when you came to get me? Why didn't he help me?" He'd stood back, practically cowering, with your other friends when Galen showed up.
  
  "I've been in his dreams, too. He doesn't remember them, but they probably made him uneasy. But, let's face it, anyone that might hurt him makes him uneasy."
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "So, where'd you get the necklace from?" you ask.
  
  His mouth curves up in a humorless smile. "It was a... gift... from your grandfather."
  
  Ahead, the sky is even darker, and flashes of light dance between clouds.
  
  > ask Galen about the focus item
  He just shakes his head, very slightly.
  
  > ask Galen about the magic
  Hah, magic. People always try to turn what they don't understand into magic. You're a product of technology.
  
  Galen frowns at the dashboard.
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "The old man really expects you to wear that thing even though it hurts?"
  
  He inclines his head.
  
  There's a flash of lightning in the distance.
  
  > ask Galen about the technology
  It's hard to describe your interface with computers and other machines in ordinary language, and not much fun to try. You've become pretty good at pretending you use all the normal methods, though.
  
  There's the thunder.
  
  > get the briefcase
  It's very awkward to get a hand into the back seat to fiddle with the briefcase, as there's a cuff around the hand closest. You'd have to do some pretty significant contortions to get to the briefcase.
  
  > examine cuff
  It's very shiny, and there's a fine texture on the metal. You don't like it. You don't like touching it. It's a leash and collar, with spikes on the inside. It's closed.
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "Where did this come from?" you ask, holding the pendant.
  
  "Your grandfather had it crafted from certain materials he gathered. Then he collared me with it." His voice deepens, anger roughening it.
  
  > ask Galen about Grandfather
  You're certain, based on recent events, that he hates your grandfather as much as you do. Maybe even more.
  
  Galen looks out the window.
  
  > get the briefcase
  You reach in the back seat and haul the briefcase forward into your lap. Galen watches this, raising his eyebrows. Fortunately you've learned a lot from this journey and ignore him quite successfully as you fiddle with the clasp. Locked, of course. You glare at it. A globular field sparkles around the clasp and there's a click as it unlocks and opens.
  
  Inside, socks and toothpaste share space in a tiny overnight kit with a pair of neatly folded boxers. In the main compartment of the case there's a slim laptop and on top of it- aha! A battery sword!
  
  > ask Galen about the sword
  "Why do you have a battery sword?"
  
  He sighs."It reminds me of home."
  
  > get the laptop
  Nah, you don't need it. It's very lightweight, sure, but nothing's as lightweight as what's between your ears.
  
  Maybe you should reconsider the phrasing on that before you say it aloud. Anyhow, it would slow you down.
  
  > ask Galen about the home
  "They make battery swords where you're from?" you guess.
  
  He smiles faintly. "Not battery swords, no."
  
  Galen takes the next exit, which is an interchange. You're now running parallel to the storm rather than driving into it.
  
  > read the laptop
  That's so last evolution.
  
  > open the backpack
  Opening the backpack reveals some mystery novels, a pair of eyeglasses, and some dice.
  
  Galen glances over at you, an odd look on his face.
  
  > look at the dice
  Six siders and twenty siders. Useful in work and play.
  
  > roll the dice
  Unfortunately, there's no good surface in the car to roll the dice.
  
  The car takes the upcoming offramp.
  
  > examine the eyeglasses
  Coppery round metal frames with iridescent butterflies dancing along the earpieces. They help you focus sometimes.
  
  It looks like the freeway is curving back around to the city.
  
  > Wear the eyeglasses
  (first taking the pair of eyeglasses from the backpack)
  You pull out your glasses.
  You put your glasses on. Ah, that's better.
  
  This is a rather nice part of the city, but not where you would have expected to find yourself.
  
  > ask Galen about laptop
  He has nothing but silence to offer you.
  
  Galen shifts in his seat.
  
  > examine the laptop
  Very sleek, very nice. Certainly top of the line, although you don't really pay attention to that stuff anymore.
  
  As you pass by a park, the car turns into the parking lot. A moment later, Galen has parked the car. He turns toward you, a half-smile on his face. Then he brushes his fingers on the panel and the door beside you clicks as well.
  
  "Go on, get out of here."
  
  > examine Galen
  He's actually kind of attractive, now that you think about it. Not pretty, like Bobby, but there's something there that makes him not unpleasant to look at.
  
  His suit is very fine, although it bears the signs of being driven in for many hours. It's typical Man In Black garb. His hair has been tousled from its previous immaculate state.
  
  A bird flies across the front of the car.
  
  > examine the necklace
  The pendant is a flat, seven-sided crystal, in which a tiny downy feather has been imprisoned. The chain melds organically to the pendant, the links narrowing to a tiny filigree as they intersect the pendant. Holding it in your hand, you can feel the quiet thrum of an alien power in the artifact.
  
  > get novel
  Taken.
  
  Galen leans back in his seat. A gaggle of children races down the sidewalk into the park.
  
  > read the novel
  You're not really in the mood for reading now.
  
  Galen stretches his hand, watching as it closes into a fist.
  
  > ask Galen about Grandfather
  You're certain, based on recent events, that he hates your grandfather as much as you do. Maybe even more.
  
  > ask Galen about himself
  "So, what are you going to do now?" you ask.
  
  "Oh, I'll be paying one last visit to your grandfather. He won't like that very much at all." Galen smiles unpleasantly.
  
  > ask Galen about the recent events
  He just shakes his head, very slightly.
  
  > ask Galen about himself
  "Um. What will you do after you... visit... my grandfather?"
  
  He glances over at you. "I haven't decided."
  
  > ask Galen about the necklace
  "Did you really get this from my grandfather?" you ask, fingering the chain.
  
  "Oh yes," he assures you, his jaw clenching. "Oh yes. He brought me to him and bound it around my neck. Bound me to him."
  
  The cement is drying outside.
  
  > close the door
  The car door is already closed.
  
  > drive
  Galen just shakes his head.
  
  > Kiss galen
  The mood has to be right...
  
  > examine the sword
  These show up in video games and spy novels all the time, but you've never seen a real one. Wow.
  
  For a moment there's a bit of blue sky in the shifting clouds overhead.
  
  > ask Galen about the dreams
  "Why did I see you in my dreams?" you ask him.
  
  "You're special," he says. "Most people don't."
  
  > ask Galen about yourself
  "So," you say. "You're not mad at me or anything, right?"
  
  He gives you a quizzical look. "I'm very happy with you."
  
  > look under the seat
  You see nothing unusual under the front seat.
  
  A kid on a scooter zooms by.
  
  > turn on the stereo
  You tuck a strand of hair behind an ear and flick the stereo on. Running your fingers across the touchpad, you make haunting cello strains fill the vehicle.
  
  The beautiful sonorous chords of cello music flood the car.
  
  > examine the stereo
  State of the art, of course, but not much used, from the looks of it. The beautiful sonorous chords of cello music flood the car.
  
  > turn on Galen
  Not at the flip of a switch, you don't.
  
  Galen rubs a spot under his eye.
  
  > ask yourself about yourself
  Talking to yourself won't accomplish anything.
  
  A pair of teenagers wander by, sharing a cigarette.
  
  > About yourself
  Definitely feeling better now that the evil cuff has been removed.
  Not panicking was a great plan.
  
  > Break cuff
  Stomping on it won't work. And it'd be best if this sort of thing couldn't cage you ever again. So you decide to spend the time and focus yourself on the cuff, analyzing every aspect of it. When you're done, you tell the cuff to stop existing. With a puff of dust, it is gone.
  
  A dog races down the sidewalk, its leash trailing behind it. A shouting, grinning child chases after.
  
  > destroy the necklace
  You move to swing the pendant sharply against the door. As you do, Galen says sharply, "Don't!" and reaches over to take hold of the chain just long enough to check its momentum.
  
  "Don't," he says again. "It's not a good idea."
  
  > take the feather
  You can't have that; it's part of the necklace.
  
  A child carrying a pair of rollerblades marches past.
  
  > examine the necklace
  Half-hidden by his hair and collar, the links of the necklace are thin and wide. There seems to be a pendant of some sort but it's tucked under his shirt. When he moves his head, you can see that the skin under the chain is a chafed and fiery red.
  
  > ask Galen about the destination
  "So, where exactly are you taking me?" you ask, trying to sound casual.
  
  He barely turns his head in your direction as he repeats calmly "Your grandfather asked me to return you to his estate."
  
  More lightning.
  
  > ask Galen about the estate
  He has nothing but silence to offer you.
  
  Galen shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The rain briefly becomes a downpour, reducing visibility, before returning to a steady drizzle.
  
  Thunder.
  
  > Wear the eyeglasses
  (first taking the pair of eyeglasses from the backpack)
  You pull out your glasses.
  You put your glasses on and stare defiantly out the front window. You're cute. You know it. Screw him.
  
  Galen glances over at you.
  
  Lightning.
  
  > read the novel
  You pick up one of the novels and flip restlessly through it before dropping it again, distracted by the rain.
  
  THUNDER!
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  Lightning, THUNDER!
  
  > Break cuff
  You can't. Every attempt you make to focus on the cuff slides off, and the cuff tightens around your wrist like a living thing.
  
  A big truck passes, sending up a wave of spray that washes over the car. The car turns right into what turns out to be a very long driveway,old-fashioned wrought-iron lamps illuminating the darkened afternoon, making rainbows sparkle in every raindrop on your window.
  
  > examine the rainbow
  Staring into the raindrop is a little like focusing on your caheris. You can feel your breathing deepen and sense the raindrop expanding to surround you. All you have to do is step inside...
  
  just let go of everything here...
  
  and go on to something...
  
  more...
  
  lightningTHUNDERYour concentration is shattered.
  
  > examine the raindrop
  They're wiped from the windshield almost as fast as they can land, but on your window, they cling to the glass. Inside them, a rainbow shivers.
  
  A large house comes into view around a gentle bend. Dread knots your stomach.
  
  > look at the rainbow
  "I can't!!" you shriek, and then whimper, "I'm afraid. I don't know what will happen..."
  
  "Don't be," Galen says gently.
  
  > examine the rainbow
  You take a deep breath and then let the vast layers of repressed comprehension buried in your brain unfold around you. You enter the rainbow and the rainbow enters you.
  
  Prismatic light spills out of your skin, your eyes, your mouth. You are going somewhere else, becoming something more as you stop resisting.
  
  You are no longer afraid.
  
  There are bells, cathedral bells.
  
  A faraway voice, very near, whispers, "I'm glad you're finally free..."
  
  ***You have transcended***
  
  > Break mirror
  Breaking that would serve no purpose.
  
  A large house comes into view around a gentle bend. Dread knots your stomach.
  
  > take the necklace
  You lean back in your seat, stretching your hands out so wide. He moves his head to his left as you threaten his personal space, leaving his neck open. Quick as a fish, you dart your hand in, wrap your fingers around the chain and yank. He recoils, which helps, because the surge of energy that tingles through you almost makes you lose your grip. You fight back- and with a snap, the chain is in your hand.
  
  "Oh," he says quietly. "Oh."
  
  His hands go up to the weal around his neck. There's a pulse of white around you, and for a moment you are overcome by a wild, sourceless joy. From the pendant in your hand there sings an answering note.
  And then-
  
  The car is large and comfortable, but it's still just a traveling cage, upholstered in sleek grey. The control panel on his side flashes discreet symbols you never learned to read, but in the center of the dashboard is the stereo, and above it hangs a mirror. The car has a back seat as well as a front; usually his kind comes in groups. There's only a plain black briefcase back there, though.
  
  Galen is driving the car.
  
  Galen gives you a long, thoughtful look, and then returns to driving.
  
  Galen leans back in his seat.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...