text: > Go downwards
  The TV provides just enough light for you to look around this small room. You're hunched over in a tiny cabin. The room isn't much bigger than a large closet, and you wonder how people can spend the night here. The entire eastern wall is taken up by a twin bed and there is a small dresser near the opposite wall. An open hatch leads up to the boat deck.
  
  Sitting on the dresser table is a key.
  
  > Go up
  At the Dock, In the Boat
  You're in a decent size boat, which is currently docked. You're not very familiar with boats and most of the features of this craft are not recognizable. There is no sail, so you quickly determine that it must be powered. But then again, that's why you put some gas in the tank.
  
  An open hatch, which leads down into the cabin, is here. Just beyond the hatch is the boat's control panel. At the rear of the boat is the outside casing of the gas tank. The opening to the tank is currently secured by a gas cap.
  You see a two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle and a two-liter plastic
  Sprite bottle here.
  
  > turn off the tv
  You turn off the TV.
  
  > turn the key
  You turn the key and the boat engine roars to life.
  
  The boat rocks gently back and forth.
  
  > examine the panel
  The control panel is the brain center of the boat. There are many dials, displays and buttons, but the ones that you're most concerned with are the ignition, throttle, steering wheel and speedometer.
  
  The boat rocks gently back and forth.
  
  > look at the throttle
  The throttle is used to indicate which speed and which direction the boat should travel. It has four settings: reverse, neutral, slow and fast. The throttle is currently set to neutral.
  
  The boat rocks gently back and forth.
  
  > set throttle to the slow
  You move the throttle to slow. The engines rev up a bit and the boat starts to move forward. After a few moments, the boat glides along at about ten knots. The boat slowly pulls away from the dock. You put your hand on the steering wheel and guide the craft away from the shore, toward the open water. With your other hand you move the throttle to fast; you've spent enough time at Bobby's and Tommy's cabin. Just as the boat appears to hit its stride, you hear gun shots.
  
  Your instincts take over and you dive to the floor, your possessions scattering on the deck floor. You roll onto your stomach and cover your head with your hands, desperately trying to take cover from the gun fire. You lift your head slightly and catch a glimpse of an older man at the edge of the dock, firing away at the boat. You surmise that it's Jimmy, but can't be sure.
  
  The attack only lasts for a few seconds before the speeding boat is out of reach. You slowly get to your feet and look around. You can't believe your eyes. One of the bullets hit the steering wheel dead center. There's practically nothing left of it.
  
  The boat continues to speed away from the shore at about 25 knots, that's the good news. The bad news is that without a steering wheel, who knows where you're headed.
  
  > Hint
  The hint system in this game will slowly nudge you along. Depending where you are and what you've done, it'll display minor hints accordingly. If you're stuck, consult the walk-through or send me a note at msousa@efortress.com. You'll only see this message once.
  
  Let's get out of here!
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > wait awhile
  Time passes...
  
  The rain picks up and is now pelting you constantly. You see several flashes of lightning and a few moments later, they are followed by the sound of thunder echoing in the distance. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy waters.
  
  > wait for a while
  Time passes...
  
  The driving rain is making it very hard for you to see. More flashes of lightning illuminate the dark skies and the waves are starting to reach the boat deck. The storm is upon you. The boat catches a couple of waves and actually goes airborne for a moment. The impact knocks you back and you hold onto the railing for dear life.
  
  A huge wave spills across the deck and picks up the two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle. You watch it float to the back of the boat where it disappears into the dark waters.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The storm has reached its peak. The rain is actually falling horizontally, at least in theory it should be falling. The wind has probably reached hurricane status and is so loud that you can't hear yourself think. A tremendous wave knocks you down to the boat deck but you quickly bounce back up to your feet.
  
  The boat engines sputter and come to a stop; they apparently are out of gas. The boat continues to rock back and forth and comes awfully close to capsizing. You hang on to the railings as you get pummeled with driving rain, ferocious wind and buckets of sea water. Water continues to fill up the boat cabin below.
  
  A huge wave spills across the deck and picks up the note. You watch it float to the back of the boat where it disappears into the dark waters.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  A tremendous surge of water breaks over the port side and carries you into the savage water. You manage to tread water for several minutes before you are dragged into a watery grave. All goes dark. There is no pain. Just silence.
  
  > Awe4
  Lost at Sea, in the Boat
  You're in a decent size boat, which is currently speeding toward the open, albeit turbulent, sea. You're not very familiar with boats and most of the features of this craft are not recognizable.
  
  An open hatch is here, which leads down to the cabin. Just beyond the hatch, is the boat's control panel. At the rear of the boat is the outside casing of the gas tank. The opening to the tank is currently secured by a gas cap.
  You see a two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle, a two-liter plastic Sprite bottle, a window screen, a note, a portable TV, two bottle caps, and a funnel here.
  
  > set the throttle to neutral
  You move the throttle to neutral. The engines quiet down and the boat decelerates. After a few moments, the boat comes to a full stop.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > set the throttle to reverse
  You move the throttle to reverse. The reverse setting can't be engaged while the boat is moving forward.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > turn off the ignition
  Before you turn off the engine, you move the throttle to neutral. You turn the key and the boat engine stops running.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes...
  
  The rain picks up and is now pelting you constantly. You see several flashes of lightning and a few moments later, they are followed by the sound of thunder echoing in the distance. The boat sways back and forth in the rough water.
  
  > look at the antenna
  It's your standard twelve inch metal antenna. It is currently retracted.
  
  The sheets of rain are making it almost impossible for you to keep your eyes open. The thunder and lightning are no longer separated by time. Each bolt of lightning is immediately followed by a tremendous clap of thunder. It appears as if you're smack in the middle of a horrible storm.
  
  The boat rocks back and forth in the turbulent water. Enormous waves wash up onto the deck. Water pours down the hatch into the cabin.
  
  A huge wave spills across the deck and picks up the two-liter plastic Sprite bottle. You watch it float to the back of the boat where it disappears into the dark waters.
  
  > look at the tv
  It's a nine inch portable TV, with an antenna, which is extended, attached to the back. The TV is currently on and appears to be battery operated. On the back of the TV is a battery compartment.
  
  A TV dial is attached to the front of the portable TV. The TV dial can be turned to channels numbered from 2 to 13. It's currently set to 3.
  
  A tremendous surge of water breaks over the port side and carries you into the savage water. You manage to tread water for several minutes before you are dragged into a watery grave. All goes dark. There is no pain. Just silence.
  
  > raise the antenna
  You can't have the antenna.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > turn on the tv
  The TV is now on.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  > watch the tv
  The antenna is now extended.
  
  Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, a steady rain starts to fall. You glance up at the skies ahead and it doesn't look good. The wind is starting to swirl and the sea water is starting to get agitated. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy water.
  
  The TV is now on. A picture now appears on the small TV screen.
  
  The rain picks up and is now pelting you constantly. You see several flashes of lightning and a few moments later, they are followed by the sound of thunder echoing in the distance. The boat continues to speed straight out to sea as it pounds into the waves of the choppy waters.
  
  You see nothing but snow. The reception must be pretty bad out here.
  
  The driving rain is making it very hard for you to see. More flashes of lightning illuminate the dark skies and the waves are starting to reach the boat deck. The storm is upon you. The boat catches a couple of waves and actually goes airborne for a moment. The impact knocks you back and you hold onto the railing for dear life.
  
  A huge wave spills across the deck and picks up the two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle. You watch it float to the back of the boat where it disappears into the dark waters.
  
  > Down
  Taken.
  
  The sheets of rain are making it almost impossible for you to keep your eyes open. The thunder and lightning are no longer separated by time. Each bolt of lightning is immediately followed by a tremendous clap of thunder. It appears as if you're smack in the middle of a horrible storm.
  
  The boat speeds along and catches a large wave. The back of the boat becomes submerged in water as enormous waves wash up on the deck.
  Water pours down the hatch into the cabin. The boat rocks violently and you fall to the floor, causing you to let go of all your possessions. After a few moments, the boat rights itself and you stand back up.
  
  A huge wave spills across the deck and picks up the two-liter plastic Sprite bottle. You watch it float to the back of the boat where it disappears into the dark waters.
  
  It's pitch black.
  
  The boat continues to rock violently back and forth. Water continues to gush onto the cabin floor from the open hatch.
  
  > Awe4
  Restored.
  
  Lost at Sea, in the Boat
  You're in a decent size boat, which is currently speeding toward the open, albeit turbulent, sea. You're not very familiar with boats and most of the features of this craft are not recognizable.
  
  An open hatch is here, which leads down to the cabin. Just beyond the hatch, is the boat's control panel. At the rear of the boat is the outside casing of the gas tank. The opening to the tank is currently secured by a gas cap.
  You see a two-liter plastic Pepsi bottle, a two-liter plastic Sprite bottle, a window screen, a note, a portable TV, two bottle caps, and a funnel here.