text: [Themes: Science Fiction]
  
  > look around
  Skycar, in vehicle dome
  The interior of the skycar is fairly cramped compared to a modern altiwing or dropship. There's a control console directly in front of you, and a viewshield through which you can see the vehicle dome. The exit hatch to your side is open; in the rear of the car is an access panel (currently open).
  
  You see a Frisbee Helipta, a white vat, and a magprobe here.
  
  > look at the coil
  It's a thin coil of some heavily corroded metal, about ten centimetres long and three across.
  
  > Examine box
  It's a small box made from some decay-resistant pressed fibre, possibly spun carbon or silicon. A label reads "Surefire palladium ignitor coils, contents 6". The white box is closed.
  
  > ask Marie about the coil
  Marie shrugs, indicating either ignorance or unwillingness to answer.
  
  "Well, let's go!" says Marie.
  
  > open box
  Opening the white box reveals a transparent bag.
  
  "Well, let's go!" says Marie.
  
  > look at the bag
  It's a small bag made from transparent polymer sheeting, about the size of your hand. In the transparent bag you see a shiny metal coil.
  
  > open bag
  Opened.
  
  > put the new coil in the panel
  You'll need to be more specific; there are several places to put things in the access panel.
  
  "Well, let's go!" says Marie.
  
  > examine the panel
  The access panel is open. In the access panel you see a triangular hole, a power cell, and a round hole.
  
  > put the new coil in the round hole
  The shiny metal coil screws neatly into the round hole.
  
  > pull lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. An electronic voice says "Please close the hatch before ignition." The lever clicks forward again.
  
  "Duh," grins Marie. "Better get that."
  
  > close the door
  The exit hatch swings closed.
  
  "Ready to go yet?" asks Marie.
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. An electronic voice says "Please close the access panel before ignition." The lever clicks forward again.
  
  "Duh," grins Marie. "Better get that."
  
  > Close panel
  Closed.
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. The skycar's engine ignites with a deep vibrating hum.
  
  The skycar begins to lift into the air.
  
  Marie grins. "Nice liftoff. Now comes the tricky part. Open up the throttle some more, and take us out of here - but be ready to hit it when I tell you. I can't handle both steering and power at the same time. I'm having enough trouble just computing myself as it is."
  
  > pull throttle
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's hum increases to a whine.
  
  The skycar accelerates up and out to the southwest, grazing the edge of the vehicle dome's ceiling in a shower of sparks.
  
  Marie's image flickers. "Sorry about that. Okay, I've got it now. Watch out for the turn, I'm going to need full throttle in a moment."
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The skycar skims through the courtyard, heading directly for the southern wall.
  
  "This is it!" shouts Marie, her hands flicking across the console. "Full throttle, now!"
  
  > pull the throttle
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's whine increases to a shriek.
  
  The skycar banks sharply to the south and east, pulling hard into a near-vertical turn across the glowgrass lawn. Through the viewshield, you see the pool and vehicle dome, tilted at a freakish angle.
  
  "Excellent!" shouts Marie. "I didn't think we were going to make that one. Okay, slacken back a bit and I'll try to staighten us up."
  
  > open the door
  An electronic voice says, "For your comfort and safety, the hatch will not open while the vehicle is in motion."
  
  The skycar continues to follow the valley's curve, gradually heading towards a forested ridge. Below, you get a clear view of the jungle: tall green palms with leafy fronds, clustering thornbushes, strange contorted ferns. All of them glowing, a soft pale green.
  
  Marie looks down at the jungle, wonderingly. "This was a city," she breathes. "All this was city. Suburbs, housing estates, skycars, towers... all gone. I don't believe it." She turns away, as if unwilling to reveal any more emotion.
  
  > take the yellow
  You already have the yellow disk!
  
  The skycar reaches the end of the valley, approaching the ridge. To the west, the sun is sinking behind the mountains; golden light gives everything a dreamlike aura, like one single fading moment of innocence.
  
  Marie takes one last look back at the valley, as if fixing it in her mind.
  
  > take Green
  Taken.
  
  Marie's image vanishes.
  
  The skycar falters, losing height.
  
  > kiss marie
  Marie kisses you briefly on the lips. "Mmmm," she says, "But I don't have the processor power for this right now. And besides, you don't want me. You want a girl who's alive."
  
  The skycar tops the ridge and breaks through into a scene of devastation. A smouldering crater, carved out of the jungle by the doomed dropship's crash. There's no wreckage; a turbine implosion never leaves more than scattered plasma. You watch silently as the crater passes by beneath. If your team were lucky, they had a few seconds to activate the escape wormhole, and make their own way home. If not...
  
  Marie looks over at you, her face gentle. "So, it was true. You had friends too." She looks back at the console for a moment, then at you. "Lost? Or... no. There's still hope, isn't there?"
  
  > Yes
  That was a rhetorical question.
  
  The skycar leaves the crater, passing over a sheer cliff - recently fractured by the dropship's blast wave - into a river valley that winds its way out towards more familiar territory. The setting sun slowly drops out of sight, leaving a trail of soft green light as the glowgrass jungle switches on its full bioluminescence. Bright moving dots mark the passage of birds and predators. You hope Marie doesn't ask about the taller ones; or notice the drop of greenish, sparkling, blood oozing from the tiny cut on your arm. Tommorow will be time enough for everything.
  
  "Hope," continues Marie, quietly, watching the jungle swallow the night. "Yes. I guess that's all any of us has."
  
  You nod, silently. There doesn't seem anything else to say.
  
  > About yourself
  You're a world-renowned xenohistorian and student of Ancient artifacts. And you're in reasonably good shape, given the mess this field trip has turned into.
  
  The skycar leaves the crater, passing over a sheer cliff - recently fractured by the dropship's blast wave - into a river valley that winds its way out towards more familiar territory. The setting sun slowly drops out of sight, leaving a trail of soft green light as the glowgrass jungle switches on its full bioluminescence. Bright moving dots mark the passage of birds and predators. You hope Marie doesn't ask about the taller ones; or notice the drop of greenish, sparkling, blood oozing from the tiny cut on your arm. Tommorow will be time enough for everything.
  
  "Hope," continues Marie, quietly, watching the jungle swallow the night. "Yes. I guess that's all any of us has."
  
  You nod, silently. There doesn't seem anything else to say.
  
  > pull green
  Which green do you mean, the green button, or the green disk?
  
  > take the green disk
  Taken.
  
  Marie's image vanishes.
  
  The skycar falters, losing height.
  
  > put in the yellow disk
  What do you want to put?
  
  > put the yellow disk in the slot
  Done.
  
  A projected image of a rainforest appears on the seat beside you.
  
  Helplessly out of control, the skycar plunges down into the jungle.
  
  Trapped in the wreckage, you desperately race to free yourself, but it's too late. The car's electrics die, sending a last surge of unregulated power through the fusion ignitors. Everything within a thirty metre radius explodes.
  
  The recovery team, six months later, finds no trace of your body. Had you lived, you would have warned them to may more attention to instructions.
  
  > put Green in the slot
  Done.
  
  Marie's projected image appears on the seat beside you.
  
  The skycar leaves the crater, passing over a sheer cliff - recently fractured by the dropship's blast wave - into a river valley that winds its way out towards more familiar territory. The setting sun slowly drops out of sight, leaving a trail of soft green light as the glowgrass jungle switches on its full bioluminescence. Bright moving dots mark the passage of birds and predators. You hope Marie doesn't ask about the taller ones; or notice the drop of greenish, sparkling, blood oozing from the tiny cut on your arm. Tommorow will be time enough for everything.
  
  "Hope," continues Marie, quietly, watching the jungle swallow the night. "Yes. I guess that's all any of us has."
  
  You nod, silently. There doesn't seem anything else to say.
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's hum increases to a whine.
  
  The skycar accelerates up and out to the southwest, grazing the edge of the vehicle dome's ceiling in a shower of sparks.
  
  Marie's image flickers. "Sorry about that. Okay, I've got it now. Watch out for the turn, I'm going to need full throttle in a moment."
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's whine increases to a shriek.
  
  The skycar skims through the courtyard, heading directly for the southern wall.
  
  "This is it!" shouts Marie, her hands flicking across the console. "Full throttle, now!"
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  The skycar banks sharply to the south and east, pulling hard into a near-vertical turn across the glowgrass lawn. Through the viewshield, you see the pool and vehicle dome, tilted at a freakish angle.
  
  "Excellent!" shouts Marie. "I didn't think we were going to make that one. Okay, slacken back a bit and I'll try to staighten us up."
  
  > take Green
  Taken.
  
  Marie's image vanishes.
  
  The skycar continues to hover a few feet above the ground.
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's hum increases to a whine.
  
  The skycar accelerates up and out to the southwest, grazing the edge of the vehicle dome's ceiling in a shower of sparks.
  
  > pull the lever
  You pull the lever back one notch. The engine's whine increases to a shriek.
  
  The skycar skims through the courtyard, heading directly for the southern wall. You wrestle with the controls, but find that you have no steering!
  
  A moment later, the skycar collides with the wall, shearing up and nearly over before flipping and plunging nose-first into the ground. The electrics die; fusion ignitors spark in a final unregulated surge of power, and then the vehicle and everything within a thirty metre radius explodes.
  
  The recovery team, six months later, finds no trace of your body. But had you survived, you would have warned them against flying an unknown craft without competent assistance.
  
  > put Green in the slot
  Done.
  
  Marie's projected image appears on the seat beside you.
  
  The skycar skims through the courtyard, heading directly for the southern wall.
  
  "This is it!" shouts Marie, her hands flicking across the console. "Full throttle, now!"
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The skycar banks sharply to the south and east, pulling hard into a near-vertical turn across the glowgrass lawn. The engines struggle for power, but there isn't enough; the car stalls, spins, and crashes out of the sky into the concrete pool.
  
  Trapped in the wreckage, you desperately race to free yourself, but it's too late. The car's electrics die, sending a last surge of unregulated power through the fusion ignitors. Everything within a thirty metre radius explodes.
  
  The recovery team, six months later, finds no trace of your body. Had you lived, you would have warned them to may more attention to instructions.
  
  *** Your expedition has failed ***
  
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