text: [Themes: Space Adventure, sci-fi, science fiction]
  
  > look at disc
  The disc is slightly smaller in diameter than the column and is made of a black metal with a matte finish. It has seven circular apertures in it, arranged in a regular heptagon. The apertures are about ten centimeters in diameter. Each has a small label etched into the metal below it. Going clockwise from the point closest to the column, the labels say "White", "Red", "Violet", "Blue", "Green", "Yellow", and "Black".
  
  The apertures are all empty.
  
  > put the gunmetal in red
  (the second aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  "My next deathtrap will be inescapable!" Lord Infamy barks.
  
  > put the slate in the green
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put the iron in the black
  (the seventh aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You are carrying:
  some lenses with glass of different colors (taupe, pewter, black and white)
  a uniform (being worn)
  
  > put the taupe in the white
  (the lens with taupe-colored glass in the first aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put pewter in the black
  (the seventh aperture)
  You can only fit one lens in the aperture at a time.
  
  "You won't ruin my triumph," Infamy states coldly.
  
  > put the black in the blue
  (the lens with black-colored glass in the fourth aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put white in violet
  (the lens with white-colored glass in the third aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying:
  a lens with pewter-colored glass
  a uniform (being worn)
  
  > look at disc
  The disc is slightly smaller in diameter than the column and is made of a black metal with a matte finish. It has seven circular apertures in it, arranged in a regular heptagon. The apertures are about ten centimeters in diameter. Each has a small label etched into the metal below it. Going clockwise from the point closest to the column, the labels say "White", "Red", "Violet", "Blue", "Green", "Yellow", and "Black".
  
  Looking closer, you see:
  The first aperture (labeled White) contains a lens with
  taupe-colored glass.
  The second aperture (labeled Red) contains a lens with gunmetal-colored glass.
  The third aperture (labeled Violet) contains a lens with
  white-colored glass.
  The fourth aperture (labeled Blue) contains a lens with
  black-colored glass.
  The fifth aperture (labeled Green) contains a lens with
  slate-colored glass.
  The sixth aperture (labeled Yellow) is empty.
  The seventh aperture (labeled Black) contains a lens with
  iron-colored glass.
  
  > put pewter in the yellow
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  You hear Infamy's hollow laugh echo from all around you.
  
  > examine the taupe button
  The button is taupe-colored, and it's really big - about the size of your balled-up fist. Having seen it, you know that it's your destiny to push this button.
  
  > read the safety
  Hello, fussbudget!
  
  Please follow these safety precautions when using your Acme Mark III Deluminator:
  
  1) Do not immerse the deluminator. There is a small danger of chromaticution.
  2) The Acme Mark III Deluminator is designed only for use with type G white starlight. Do not use with other star types.
  3) Never look directly into the chromatic integrator.
  4) Do not use on inhabited planets. This may cause the extinction of life on the deluminated planet.
  5) Never use the deluminator to generate anything other than pure darkness. This may cause the deluminator to overheat. (For other colors, try the new Acme Mark IV Illuminator!)
  6) Do not use the deluminator in the vicinity of a gas leak.
  
  Failure to follow these safety precautions will void the warranty for the Acme Mark III Deluminator.
  
  "You'll regret the day you crossed Lord Infamy!" Infamy howls.
  
  > look at the disc
  The disc is slightly smaller in diameter than the column and is made of a black metal with a matte finish. It has seven circular apertures in it, arranged in a regular heptagon. The apertures are about ten centimeters in diameter. Each has a small label etched into the metal below it. Going clockwise from the point closest to the column, the labels say "White", "Red", "Violet", "Blue", "Green", "Yellow", and "Black".
  
  Looking closer, you see:
  The first aperture (labeled White) contains a lens with
  taupe-colored glass.
  The second aperture (labeled Red) contains a lens with gunmetal-colored glass.
  The third aperture (labeled Violet) contains a lens with
  white-colored glass.
  The fourth aperture (labeled Blue) contains a lens with
  black-colored glass.
  The fifth aperture (labeled Green) contains a lens with
  slate-colored glass.
  The sixth aperture (labeled Yellow) contains a lens with pewter-colored glass.
  The seventh aperture (labeled Black) contains a lens with
  iron-colored glass.
  
  > take all lens
  lens with taupe-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with gunmetal-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with white-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with black-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with slate-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with pewter-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture. lens with iron-colored glass: The lens snaps out of the aperture.
  
  > put the Black in the white
  (the lens with black-colored glass in the first aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  "You can't escape the Midnight Horde!" Infamy gloats.
  
  > put white in the red
  (the lens with white-colored glass in the second aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put the taupe in the violet
  (the lens with taupe-colored glass in the third aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put slate in violet
  You can only fit one lens in the aperture at a time.
  
  > put the slate in blue
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  Suddenly, you know who Infamy reminds you of. He sounds like that new actor, Vincent Price. You and Rosalind saw him last year in "Tower of London". Except without the charm.
  
  > put the gunmetal in the green
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  > put iron in Black
  (the seventh aperture)
  The lens snicks into place.
  
  "My next deathtrap will be even more lethal," Infamy remarks dryly.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a uniform (being worn)
  
  Out of one corner of your eye, you think you see the tube shift minutely. You swivel your head and study it carefully, but whatever happened isn't happening now.
  
  > Go south
  But all the action's here!
  
  Fwooosh! Clouds of steam erupt from motivators on the periphery of the vast mirror and the entire structure shudders slightly. Now there's a definite element of fear in Infamy's voice as he cries out, "What have you done?"
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  The hum of capacitors charging comes from every direction. It starts as a thrum that you feel through the soles of your shoes, but quickly passes from bass to treble, and ends as a long dog whistle. As it rises, you feel a prickle of charge fill your body and your hair lift away from your head.
  
  > wait
  Time passes.
  
  Jagged shafts of lightning streak between the outer rim of the mirror and the Martian sky as the capacitors discharge! The sound reaches you a moment later, not as a boom, but as a sustained crackling in the thin atmosphere. The entire structure begins to shudder slightly as the titanic energies of the Ray of Night begin to release.
  
  Through the loudspeakers, you hear Infamy gibbering in fear, but can't make out his words.
  
  > Wait
  Time passes.
  
  With a piercing shriek that permeates your body and vibrates your bones, the Ray of Night erupts! An almost-solid shaft of pure white lances out of the tube towards the gray pinpoint far above. For long moments, the Earth is bathed in wholesome white light.
  
  ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 
  
  Far, far away, half a world is illuminated. Some rise from their beds, blinking sleep from their eyes. Workers drop their hammers, shovels and slide rules. Drivers stop on freeways and emerge from their automobiles. Lovers pause in their caresses. Families drop their books, forget their radios and rise from their tables. Children forget their games and leave their toys. Time pauses, and for frozen moments the people of Earth look wonderstruck to the sky and an unexpected dawn.
  
  ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 
  
  You marvel after the beam as it plays harmlessly over your home planet. Tension drains from you as you realize you've thwarted Lord Infamy's plot and defanged the Ray of Night!
  
  For several breaths, you stand stunned in the silent Martian landscape. Then Infamy screams from the loudspeakers: "Noooooo!"
  
  > Wait
  You start to do that, but events are moving too quickly now.
  
  The tube is radiating incandescent waves now, and you can feel the heat from the grating through your shoes. The black tube beside you glows silver, then white hot, and begins to slump into a liquid puddle. The complex lenses fracture into kaleidoscopes from the heat, showering you with fine glass particles. The platform itself melts and dips. The semi-liquid mass sags and falls toward the mirror below. The hole left behind glows silver at the edges and is ringed with liquid metal. You cling to the handrail to prevent sliding into the gravity well.
  
  Suddenly, a new cataclysm shakes the platform. You stumble against the handrail, and hold on for dear life. The oscillations increase in amplitude until the whole structure is shaking like Galloping Gertie on a windy day. To the north, a gantry crane gives way, and falls across the gap to the northern catwalk.
  
  > go north
  Ignoring everything else, you head for the only escape route!
  
  You scramble across the fallen crane, then stumble down the northern catwalk as it convulses beneath you, lurching from railing to railing like a broken-field runner avoiding tacklers. Behind you, the platform itself falls into the abyss with a howl of tortured steel.
  
  At the end of the catwalk is Lord Infamy's mighty imperial dreadnought, Conquest. Its powerful coal-fueled engines are
  already warming up, and sparks are spitting from the jet igniters.
  
  The ship's heavy steel mooring lines are falling free, and, far above, you can hear sirens sounding and hatches clanging shut as Infamy's minions prepare the spaceship for takeoff.
  
  Desperately, you cast about for some way to stop the departure - you mustn't let Infamy escape! Then, you spot it; there's an open hatch leading into the cargo compartment at the base of the ship! Hidden by the choking black smoke billowing from the jet igniters, you make a running dive through the hatch and roll into the steel compartment. Behind you, the hatch springs shut, and locking pins seal it in place.
  
  Leaping to your feet, you seek desperately for the ladders that will take you forward to the crew compartments. Then you realize: this is no cargo compartment! You've entered the combustion chamber for the spaceship!
  
  Looking up, you see Lord Infamy peering through a hatch into the engine compartment, far out of reach. He gestures to unseen workers and commands "Fire the jets!" With a smile seeping malice, he slams the hatch shut, and you hear the wheel spin and lock.
  
  With only moments before the jets fire and incinerate you, you spin around, looking for an escape route. The crew has obviously been using this chamber as a recreation area. In their haste to prepare for takeoff, they've left a half-finished game of Monopoly on the floor in the center of the chamber. A pile of Mars Bars is nearby, as are several cans of Krueger's Special Beer, each with a bendy straw protruding from it. A "Frying Pan" electric guitar leans against a wall. An unopened can of Nescafé freeze-dried coffee and a half-empty tube of Burma-Shave lie discarded on the floor. A standing lamp with an ultraslate bulb casts an un-Earthly glow over the area.
  
  Fuel jets begin to spew finely-divided coal dust. With a whoomp, the jets ignite, illuminating your upturned face and casting harsh, shifting shadows. You stare into the flames of imminent death. Then... 
  
  You've won this round! But don't forget to play... 
  
  "Boom! Goes the Dynamite!"
  
  Episode 8 of "Dynamite Powers vs. the Ray of Night!"