text: [Themes: Science Fiction, post-apocalyptic]
  
  > look around
  Twilight Lawn, in the sculptured chair
  The neat square of grass shines with a pale green glow, almost as bright now as the last ray of sunset afterglow. Dark shapes of buildings loom comfortably all around, while evening stars, mere pinpoints of light, appear in the deep blue sky.
  
  The young Ancient, Marie, stands facing you, her eyes wary.
  
  > kiss her
  Marie slaps you. "I didn't kiss strangers when I was alive," she says. "Why should I start now?"
  
  > ask her about the sculpture
  Marie smiles. "It's a nice chair."
  
  > ask her about yourself
  Marie listens as you explain again who you are and how you came to be here.
  "I believe you," she says, but her eyes are troubled. "Just leave me alone. I need to grieve."
  
  Marie looks around, cautiously. "I wish I could see something else," she says. "Something else from home."
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're no longer in the sculptured chair. The image evaporates from your mind, leaving you slightly dizzy.
  
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  A tiny flicker of light and sound dances frustratingly around your vision.
  
  You see a black cable (linking the black cube to the power cell) and a power cell here.
  
  > Go east
  You can only go west into the building or out to the southwest.
  
  > Go southwest
  This appears to be some kind of courtyard in the centre of an Ancient dwelling. The building itself swings around to the north and west, terminating in a crumbling retaining wall due south. A smaller domed construction opens to the northeast, through a wide metal door (open). To the east is a flat space that could bear further exploring.
  
  You see a Frisbee Helipta here.
  
  > go to the east
  You're standing in a square area of neatly trimmed green lawn, shimmering faintly in the afternoon light. To the west, the lawn gives way to courtyard, and beyond it to the west and north are buildings. An odd, paved rectangular depression in the ground leads down to the southeast; the encroaching jungle vegetation further back is kept at bay by a barrier of translucent sheeting.
  
  > go west
  This appears to be some kind of courtyard in the centre of an Ancient dwelling. The building itself swings around to the north and west, terminating in a crumbling retaining wall due south. A smaller domed construction opens to the northeast, through a wide metal door (open). To the east is a flat space that could bear further exploring.
  
  > go west
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  A tiny flicker of light and sound dances frustratingly around your vision.
  
  You see a black cable (linking the black cube to the power cell) and a power cell here.
  
  > sit
  (the sculptured chair)
  Okay, you're now sitting on the sculptured chair. The polymer loops sway beneath you, distributing your mass until you feel nearly weightless. The black cube is now directly centred in your field of vision.
  
  The flicker of light and sound suddenly takes form, merging into an experience that swells through your mind.
  
  Twilight Lawn, in the sculptured chair
  The neat square of grass shines with a pale green glow, almost as bright now as the last ray of sunset afterglow. Dark shapes of buildings loom comfortably all around, while evening stars, mere pinpoints of light, appear in the deep blue sky.
  
  The young Ancient, Marie, stands facing you, her eyes wary.
  
  Marie looks around, cautiously. "I wish I could see something else," she says. "Something else from home."
  
  > show Frisbee to Marie
  Marie looks at the Helipta. "I remember this," she says with a trace of a smile. "Throwing it on the lawn. I remember being young and alive."
  
  Marie seems to relax a little, but still remains cautious.
  
  > look at Marie
  Marie is young, probably in her late teenage years taking into account the difference in aging rates between Ancient and modern biochemistries. She has deep blue eyes and reddish-brown hair; you're struck by such an unusual colour, which is only accentuated by the black jumpsuit she wears. The girl's image is chunky and pixellated, as if stretching the computational power of the projector system to its limit. She looks at you, taut and wary, an arm's reach away.
  
  > throw Frisbee
  The Frisbee Helipta spins furiously as it leaves your hand, hovers briefly before shooting straight up into the air, then hits the ceiling and tumbles awkwardly to the floor. Guess it wasn't designed for use indoors. Dropped. The Frisbee Helipta vanishes from the illusion.
  
  Marie looks around, cautiously. "I wish I could see something else," she says. "Something else from home."
  
  > check your inventory
  You have a set of holograms, a clump of glowgrass, a magprobe, a printout, a white vat, a white box, and a yellow disk.
  
  > stand
  Okay, you're no longer in the sculptured chair. The image evaporates from your mind, leaving you slightly dizzy.
  
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  A tiny flicker of light and sound dances frustratingly around your vision.
  
  You see a black cable (linking the black cube to the power cell), a power cell, and a Frisbee Helipta here.
  
  > examine the mattress
  Aside from the Ancient skeleton, there's a fabric animal on the mattress.
  
  > examine the fabric animal
  It appears to be a colourful replica of a koala bear, one of the animal species from the Ancient era, extinct until very recently. The fabric has remained almost intact, probably made from the same resilient material as the mattress.
  
  > look at the headset
  The device is possibly a recording or playback instrument of some kind; it has a slot for a ten-centimetre disk, a common Ancient data storage format. Words embossed into its polymer surface read "Kodak Synapsit (tm) Neural Transfer System." Judging by the corrosion stains seeping from inside the device, it's completely non-functional. The disk slot is empty.
  
  > get the headset
  The skeleton is clutching the device so tightly, it would be impossible to remove without risking severe damage. You'll have to find another way of learning more about it.
  
  > leave
  You'll have to be more specific; there's more than one direction to leave this area.
  
  > go to the north-east
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  A tiny flicker of light and sound dances frustratingly around your vision.
  
  You see a black cable (linking the black cube to the power cell), a power cell, and a Frisbee Helipta here.
  
  > sit
  (the sculptured chair)
  Okay, you're now sitting on the sculptured chair. The polymer loops sway beneath you, distributing your mass until you feel nearly weightless. The black cube is now directly centred in your field of vision.
  
  The flicker of light and sound suddenly takes form, merging into an experience that swells through your mind.
  
  Twilight Lawn, in the sculptured chair
  The neat square of grass shines with a pale green glow, almost as bright now as the last ray of sunset afterglow. Dark shapes of buildings loom comfortably all around, while evening stars, mere pinpoints of light, appear in the deep blue sky.
  
  The young Ancient, Marie, stands facing you, her eyes wary.
  
  > show the animal to Marie
  Marie looks at the fabric bear, and a shiver runs down her body.
  "Miss Kelli," she says. "I had her with me. The last thing I saw..." She turns away, unable to continue.
  
  Marie pauses, as if she's finally coming to some internal decision. Then she steps forward and places one arm on your shoulder. Her touch is warm; apparently the simulation includes tactile response. Ancient technology must have been more advanced than even the Institute had realised.
  
  "I believe you," she says, struggling to keep a tear from appearing again. "You're really here. Walking through my home."
  
  Marie looks into your eyes, pain and hope colliding.
  
  "But there's nothing left for me now. Everything I knew is gone."
  
  > ask her about Ancients
  "Ancients?" says Marie sadly. "Yes, I suppose we are to you. I'd love to tell you everything I know about my world, but I don't think we have the time right now."
  
  > touch marie
  Marie leans against your arms. "Mmmm," she says softly. "But we don't have time to waste like this."
  
  > ask her about the car
  Marie gasps. "The skycar! Of course! I don't know if it could still work, but it's probably our best chance of getting out of here.
  You'll need a password to start the electrical system - just 'say dolphin' when the voice asks you. And there's an onboard VR projector, too - you can keep me live."
  
  Marie grips your hand. "Please. Take me with you."
  
  > Yes
  That was a rhetorical question.
  
  > 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."
  
  Marie grips your hand. "Please. Take me with you."
  
  > examine cube
  The cube is black and nearly featureless, apart from a blue button marked with a lightning bolt symbol, a hexagonal socket, and a ten-centimetre disk slot. There's a green disk in the slot. Black words embossed on the cube's polymer face spell out the legend "Sonjitsu 2100 Immersive Entertainment System", whatever that means.
  
  > get Frisbee and the disk
  Which disk do you mean, the Frisbee Helipta, or the green disk?
  
  > unplug the cable
  What do you want to unplug it from?
  
  > take the green disk
  You already have the green disk!
  
  > Cube
  The black cable unplugs easily from the cube's socket.
  
  > unplug the cable from the cell
  The black cable unplugs easily from the power cell's socket.
  
  > take the cell
  You've already got your hands full.
  
  > Inventory
  You have a set of holograms, a clump of glowgrass, a magprobe, a printout, a white vat, a white box, a yellow disk, a fabric bear, a green disk, and a Frisbee Helipta.
  
  > leave
  You'll have to be more specific; there's more than one direction to leave this area.
  
  > Go east
  This domed construction is fairly small compared to the building proper, and open to the air at the southwest. Given today's scholarly confusion about many Ancient living habits, it could serve any number of functions. But the giveaway is the vehicle stationed in the middle of the floor. An interior door, currently open, leads west to to the living area.
  
  The vehicle, a primitive skycar, rests under the centre of the dome.
  
  > examine the car
  You recognise the Ancient vehicle from Institute file fragments. If this one is anything like the reconstructions you examined, it uses a solid-state power cell to jumpstart deuterium-hydrogen fusion, ejecting its clean-burning fuel directly as accelerated reaction mass. A clumsy system, compared to today's gravitic drives, but possibly more reliable in the short term. The skycar's sleek angular lines are marred by ugly thermal scars, as if the vehicle was caught in some kind of blast before being landed here. An entrance hatch in the vehicle's side is open.
  
  > open the car
  The skycar's entrance hatch is already open.
  
  > drop the yellow
  Dropped.
  
  > Go west
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  You see a black cable and a power cell here.
  
  > Go east
  This domed construction is fairly small compared to the building proper, and open to the air at the southwest. Given today's scholarly confusion about many Ancient living habits, it could serve any number of functions. But the giveaway is the vehicle stationed in the middle of the floor. An interior door, currently open, leads west to to the living area.
  
  The vehicle, a primitive skycar, rests under the centre of the dome.
  
  You see a yellow disk here.
  
  > put the green disk in the slot
  There's already a red disk in the disk slot.
  
  > examine the red disk
  The red disk is in the disk slot; you'd have to take it out to examine it further.
  
  > get it
  You've already got your hands full.
  
  > drop Frisbee
  Dropped.
  
  > go outside
  You step out into the vehicle dome.
  
  This domed construction is fairly small compared to the building proper, and open to the air at the southwest. Given today's scholarly confusion about many Ancient living habits, it could serve any number of functions. But the giveaway is the vehicle stationed in the middle of the floor. An interior door, currently open, leads west to to the living area.
  
  The vehicle, a primitive skycar, rests under the centre of the dome.
  
  You see a yellow disk here.
  
  > Exit
  This appears to be some kind of courtyard in the centre of an Ancient dwelling. The building itself swings around to the north and west, terminating in a crumbling retaining wall due south. A smaller domed construction opens to the northeast, through a wide metal door (open). To the east is a flat space that could bear further exploring.
  
  > Go inside
  This domed construction is fairly small compared to the building proper, and open to the air at the southwest. Given today's scholarly confusion about many Ancient living habits, it could serve any number of functions. But the giveaway is the vehicle stationed in the middle of the floor. An interior door, currently open, leads west to to the living area.
  
  The vehicle, a primitive skycar, rests under the centre of the dome.
  
  You see a yellow disk here.
  
  > Go west
  You're in what seems to be the central space of the dwelling, a wide living area that still retains the awe and innocence of the Ancient age. The room is now mainly bare, apart from shreds of mouldered textile on the decayed timber floor, and a sculptured chair poised opposite a two-metre black cube. There is a door to the east (open), and hallways leading west and southwest.
  
  You see a black cable here.
  
  > put the disk in the slot
  Which disk do you mean, the green disk, or the red disk?
  
  > connect the cable to the cell
  (first taking the cable)
  The black cable plugs neatly into the power cell's socket. The other end of the cable remains free.
  
  > connect the cable to the cube
  (first dropping the cable)
  (also dropping the power cell)
  The black cable plugs neatly into the cube's socket, linking the black cube to the power cell.
  
  > sit on the chair
  Okay, you're now sitting on the sculptured chair. The polymer loops sway beneath you, distributing your mass until you feel nearly weightless. The black cube is now directly centred in your field of vision.
  
  The flicker of light and sound suddenly takes form, merging into an experience that swells through your mind.
  
  Stadium, in the sculptured chair
  Crowds of screaming fans stand all around you, reaching out toward the rock group playing on the centre stage.
  
  Harsh white spotlights converge on the lead singer, while smoke and lasers spell out the band's name: "Fleischman Tokamak."
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The lead singer steps up to the hovering cam-bot, taps his implant mike, and begins. "This one goes out to everyone who has ever logged into the cube in the morning, seen their own reflection... and wept. Biofeedback." The crowd falls silent.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The band kicks up, a grating metallic beat that devours the singer's voice.
  
  "Bright annihilation
  Chaos is my nation
  In too far too deep too high
  to ever fly away"
  
  > Inventory
  You have a set of holograms, a clump of glowgrass, a magprobe, a printout, a white vat, a white box, a fabric bear, and a green disk.
  
  "Biofeedback
  Biofeedback
  Take my dreams back
  Give me something new and strange"
  
  > examine Green
  It appears to be a thin metallic polymer disk around ten centimetres in diameter, with a green tint. You recognise the object from Institute files as an Ancient data storage device.
  
  "Global destination
  A silicon creation
  Who am I are you are we
  are what am I today"