Text will now be saved to the script file. Type UNSCRIPT to discontinue scripting. >[oops, accidental reboot] Noted. >u You spit on your hands and shimmy athletically up the tree. In The Trees From your new vantage point, you can see across the tops of the jungle: miles of seething deep-green foliage in every direction. The air is warmer and more oppressive up here, above the shade, and the trees seem to squirm even though there isn't a breath of wind. When you squint, you can make out, several miles to the west, the massive trunk and bright steel cage-domes of the Xavian base. Doris is here. “Looks like it's off to the west,” you shout down. “Probably most of a day's hike.” >d You slide down the tree trunk and land softly on the jungle floor. Crash Site This place is noteworthy for two reasons: one, because it's a clearing in the midst of thick jungle, and two, because your spaceship has crash-landed here. These two facts are not entirely unrelated, as the scorched vegetation and blackened earth[2] attest. Doris is here. >w You shove aside a giant fern frond and set off into the jungle. Going is rough at first but you eventually get the hang of it: stepping around the pools of sucking mud, wiping off the sweat that pours down your forehead and into your eyes, looking back to make sure Doris hasn't gotten herself lost. In the Foliage Making your way through the Venusian jungle is a bit like working security in the front rows of a rock concert mobbed by giant broccoli[3]. Every direction that isn't blocked by actual treetrunk is accounted for in vines, overhanging fruit, or (worst) the Venusian atmosphere. Nevertheless, you've got to keep heading west. Doris is here. The heat is really starting to get to you. You wipe away the sweat from your forehead with the back of one hand. >w You travel only a short distance more before being brought to a halt by a sudden onset of geography. Edge of Gorge The foliage abruptly parts here, leaving you in the clear air — and a short distance from the edge of a steep gorge, with walls of sheer rock. The lack of dirt is presumably the only reason the gorge is not also overgrown with concealing vegetation; even so, vines cling to every ledge, and hang from the trees on both sides of the gorge. At the bottom you can make out a trickle of water. The far side of the gorge is perhaps fifteen feet away — definitely too far to jump. Doris is here. >set dial to rod You set the dial on the forcefield generator to 'rod'. Doris strips off the jacket of her uniform, leaving her arms bare. A whistle trembles on your lips, but fortunately your native instinct for self- preservation kicks in and you manage to change it to “Weather's kind of hot here, isn't it.” “Nice save,” you congratulate yourself. >turn on generator You turn on the forcefield device. A shimmering rod of force appears. Doris thumbs the control on the rocket belt, and the thrusters flame to life. She drifts a little unsteadily in her flight but touches down neatly on the far cliff. >vault You jump a little, and land back where you started. >vault over gorge Backing up as far as possible, almost into the jungle, you begin a quick run towards the gorge. At the last possible moment you slam down the pole; the edge of the cliff crumbles at the impact but you are flying, barely maintaining your grip as you slam a short arc through the air and crash down into the jungle on the other side. You pick yourself up, rather painfully, and brush bits of greenery off as best you can. >w You return to the westward march. The ground level drops a bit and the jungle floor becomes soggier, which doesn't help your mood any. You have stepped over yet another tree root and are about to step into a small clearing, when suddenly you notice something in the middle of the clearing. “Wait!” you shout, as Doris foolishly attempts to enter. Man, it's a good thing you're here to watch out for her. Jungle Clearing A particularly large tree grew here until recently (bearing in mind that trees have a different definition of “recently” than humans do). Now all that remains are the rotting remains of the trunk, a stump slowly returning to earth, and a clearing in the jungle, not yet reclaimed by the surrounding vegetation. Doris is here. A dangerous vine snake lies in wait here, stretched across the clearing. “What's the hold-up?” Doris asks, irritably. >1 “For your information, you were just about to step into the clearing. Straight into the clutches of that vine snake!” you say. You point out the snake's position to her, since she's obviously failed to notice it. “Um, that's a vine.” >1 “Are you saying I don't know a vine snake when I see one?” you ask, indignantly. “It's a snake!” “It's a vine!” Doris gives you a scornful look and walks toward the snake. >1 “Snake!” you shout, taking a cautious step or two closer. >shoot snake (with your blaster) You start to take a step, adjusting your position, only to realize that you can't do that. Because, in fact, you are standing in a pool of quicksand. Nuts. >1 “I'm sinking in quicksand!” “Not only is he a master biologist, he's also Sherlock Holmes,” Doris remarks to the air. >give rod to doris You stretch out the rod of force as far as you can reach, and Doris grabs the other end. With her help, you are able to struggle out of the quicksand. Doris watches you climb out with interest. Such interest, in fact, that Doris fails to notice the vine snake until it suddenly lunges at her. >shoot snake (with your blaster) You flip the blaster off your belt and into your hand. Barely stopping to take aim, you fire, hitting the snake's head spot-on. “Max Blaster, at your service,” you bow, and replace the gun with a flourish. Doris throws off the now-limp snake and struggles to her feet. “Well,” she says finally. “I suppose it was a snake.” “Too bad you missed the XenoGeology and Biodomes Special,” Doris says. “It showed just what quicksand looked like.” >get snake Taken. >1 “Mmf.” >w You cough slightly as you two start to set off into the jungle again. “I hate to say it,” you say, “but I told you so. I told you early and I told you repeatedly. I told you loudly and I told you quietly. I told you—” Doris glares at you and snaps, “Next time I'm letting you sink, buster.” The ground firms again as it begins to slope upwards, and after only another hour or so of walking, you are in sight of your goal. Hill Outlook This small hill is the jungle's last outpost. Not covered with trees and creepers, as it would be further back, it is instead dotted with low bushes and halfhearted patches of grass. The grass begins to win out on the downslope of the hill, however, and as the ground drops and widens into a great natural bowl, the grass holds undisputed reign. This is a bit worrying, as it suggests the land has been kept artificially clear and free of hiding-places, but you have little attention for that as your gaze is drawn irrevocably towards that which grows in the center of the bowl: the tree. Impossibly tall, branches bowed with the weight of a dozen silver cage-domes, the tree encompasses your vision and surpasses it. And then, at the top of the tree, dark against the setting sun, movement catches your eye. Doris is here. >w Eventually the shadows are thick enough that it seems safe to start heading for the tree. *** “There's no cover, so we'll just have to be as quick and quiet as we can,” you say. Doris rolls her eyes. “What, did you think I was going to walk in there playing a flugelhorn?” But you are already walking on ahead and her voice vanishes in the darkness. (Max has raised the score by ten points.) (If you'd prefer not to be notified about score changes in the future, type NOTIFY OFF.) >z You freeze. >d You drop to the ground, pressing your face against the grass. >z You freeze. >z You freeze. >z You freeze. >z You freeze. >z You freeze. >z You freeze. >roll w The word “roll” 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.) >w You walk for a few minutes. The night is quiet on Venus: no crowded city streets, no robot vendors hawking electropop, no space-cars folding up into space-briefcases for easy parking. Just the rustle of grass at your feet, the wind whispering through the leaves above, and Doris's quiet cursing as she keeps tripping over rocks. Something grabs your right shoulder, hard. >d You struggle, but are gripped firmly. From the darkness ahead comes Doris's voice: “Hey! Get off me!” Something (the same thing?) grabs your other shoulder, there is a jerk, and suddenly you are airborne. You catch a brief glimpse of Doris, firmly gripped in the claws of a dark- winged bird with huge eyes, and then you are carried away through the night. Silent wing-beats drag you onwards towards your final destination: one of the steel cages hung from the Xavian tree. *** Stern-beaked guards strip you of your equipment and force-march you through the corridors inside the dome, before eventually depositing you in the Interrogation Room (lying on the floor) This room is bare-walled and probably not really intended to receive visitors, or at least not the kind of visitors who write polite notes afterward explaining how much they enjoyed their visit and that they are looking forward to another. The main features of note in the room are a large viewscreen on one wall, a large doorway in another, and well-armed guards making sure you watch the one and don't exit through the other. The guards shove Doris into the room. “Hands off, featherface!” she snaps, as she stumbles in. >3 “Hey, wait a minute — if they took away all our equipment where'd you get a change of pants?” “Emergency pants,” Doris says smugly. “I —” The viewscreen flickers, and the image of Ch'awww-k'pot appears on the screen. He appears to be smirking[4] as he swings on his perch, in front of a desk on which your equipment is sitting. “Ah, and who do we have here? Max Blaster, eh? So pleased we can finally meet. And, er—” Ch'awwwk glances in some confusion at Doris. “Who is she?” he hisses to an aide off-screen. “Just some earth-girl we found along with Max Blaster, sir. I think she's his sidekick.” “I am not his sidekick,” Doris snaps. “No, you're our prisoner,” Ch'awwwk says, preening himself. “And so's he. I expect you interfering spies are here in an attempt to foil our secret weapon, eh?” >3 “Yes, now that you mention it, we were.” you say. “Well, you're too late,” Ch'awwwk laughs. “In a mere twelve hours, unless the ransom is paid, we put the secret weapon into action. And speaking of which, I suppose since you've come all this way and all for naught, you'd at least like to know what the secret weapon is, eh?” >2 “Nah, that's fine, we like a little mystery,” you say. Ch'awwwk looks stricken. “Eh? What? What do you mean? Of course you want to know about my forbidden secret weapon of mystery!” >1 “No, really, I'm sure it's not all that interesting,” you yawn. “Curse it all!” shouts Ch'awwwk. “What good is it to have a secret weapon if nobody wants to know about it? Guards, seize them! Make them listen eagerly! Damn it, I want enthrallment!” The Xavians jab you in the back with their gaussrifles. “Look interested, you!” The vidscreen cuts to a view up on top of the tree, as Ch'awwwk's voice continues to narrate in the background. “Behold! The Aerial Vast Intergalactic Area Neurocontroller Cannon! Xavian scientists have labored for years to design this, and at last it is complete. It is capable of projecting its rays all the way to Earth and (this is the clever bit) thereby controlling the mind of every bird on your planet! With this billion-bird army, we will swiftly seize control of every human city and cement Xavian dominance of the solar system!” The image cuts back to Ch'awwwk, looking amused at the horrified expression on your faces. >t birds You can't think of anything to say about that. >t me You can't think of anything to say about you. >t doris (Changing the topic to Doris) >1 “So, tell me about yourself, Doris. How did you get into this line of work?” you ask. Her eyes rest on you distrustfully for a minute or two. “What, did someone tell you it was good PR to show interest in others?” Doris responds. So much for that avenue. The woman is as easy to talk to as a Neptunian Spikeworm, and only half as friendly. >t earth You can't think of anything to say about Earth at the moment. >t me You can't think of anything to say about you. >1 “You fiend! You'll never get away with this!” you shout. Doris is (uncharacteristically) tongue-tied and aghast at what has been revealed. Ch'awwwk turns to you. “And what exactly is going to keep me from ‘getting away with this’, as you so quaintly put it?” >1 “Because we're going to stop you!” you retort. “I'm afraid that'll be a little difficult with you both locked securely away,” sighs Ch'awwwk. “And once you have witnessed the total destruction of Earth, you will both be executed! Ah-ha-ha-haawwwwwk—” Overcome by laughter, Ch'awwwk topples backwards off his perch. He grabs frantically at one of the bars, only to have it snap off in his claw and send his whole perch crashing down, onto the desk with your equipment on it. Eventually he extricates himself from the rubble long enough to shout “Take them away!” and the guards drag you off. As you are being pulled from the room, you hear Ch'awwwk's final words: “And send these Earth-possessions to the examination room for analysis — hey, look at — ooh, shiny!” *** The guards march you out of the room, down some corridors and (eventually) out onto a branch of the tree. You struggle, but the guards' claws have a firm grasp of your biceps. “What are we going to do with him, R'okokcret?” one asks, bobbing his head in that characteristic Xavian way. “The same thing we...” R'okokcret stops to think. “Er, I mean, Ch'awww-k'pot said to put him someplace safe and make sure to guard him carefully. That Max Blaster is a tricky one.” “You bet!” you interject. “I'm the toughest agent in the Patrol!” “Oh really?” R'okokcret cocks his head sideways and looks at you. “I have the perfect place for you, then.” There is a sharp jab in your shoulder and you stumble dizzily forward; as everything goes black you have the faint sensation of falling. When you wake up, the early morning sunlight is shining on your face. Nursery Nest (lying on the ground) Xavians are currently very into natural childbirth. Arguably this is a poor plan, since sticking a bunch of newly-hatched Xavians in a nest on the end of a branch leads inevitably to some of them finding out they aren't old enough to fly. That may explain why this nest is unoccupied, or the previous fledglings may have just gotten old enough to be sent to boarding school. In any case, this nest is well-stocked with a variety of cute, fuzzy toys and one (1) hardened space-adventurer. Leaf-covered twigs above and a Xavian guard with a gaussrifle down below complete the scene. You see a mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww-k'pot, a teething corknut, and a Max Blaster action figure here. >get all mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww-k'pot: Taken. teething corknut: Taken. Max Blaster action figure: Taken. >1 You lean over the edge and shout. “Hey! Lemme out of here!” “You ain't going nowhere, buddy!” the guard squawks, spinning around to wave her rifle in your direction. >1 “As a prisoner of war, I demand proper accomodation under the relevant intergalactic treaties! Uh, whatever they are.” The guard preens herself in a distracted manner. “I don't know what that accomoglomeration thing is, but I got orders, and they say to keep you here until that planet of yours surrenders, and that's exactly what I intend to do.” >1 “That could be quite a while. You look like you might get bored,” you say. She looks a little dubious. “My orders are my orders,” she squawks. A drop of dew falls from a twig on a nearby branch. It falls into the hole in the trunk, echoing hollowly as it vanishes. >1 “What, and no time for breaks?” you ask. “We do get our lunches delivered,” she says. “But no, I have to stay right here. The only reason for me to leave my post would be if you were to escape, which we know to be impossible based on our researches! You Earthlings cannot escape a baby's nest! Ha! Ha!” >x hole The hole in the trunk is pretty big; maybe even big enough for you to fit inside, but that's not much help since it's at least twenty feet away. >pull cord You yank the cord on the doll. “Pkaw pkaw! Awk awk-clicka-toktok!” says the Max Blaster doll (“Har har har! I have just tied another innocent Xavian fledgling to the rocket-shuttle tracks!”). Hunh, this must be one of those new localized models. Your agent was telling you he was getting more aggressive about the marketing, but you thought that just meant the dolls would be shipping with Baby's First Plasma Cannon (tm). >throw doll into hole You take careful aim and toss the Max Blaster action figure into the hole. It vanishes into the darkness, there is a faint rattling sound as it falls downwards, and then silence. The guard doesn't appear to have noticed. “Yok yok ke-poik zik! Yik-yik-awwk-pwee-toko-bick!” echoes forth hollowly from the hole (“You've outwitted me again! My puny wits are no match for Xavian brains!”). “Hey, who said that?” The guard spins around, trying to locate the source of the noise. >z Time passes... “Yiku mox tokka-ti-tokka wob wob bnock grik grok plock,” echoes forth hollowly from the hole (“Remember, kids, if you don't mind your elder birds, you'll grow up weak and funny-looking like me.”). A drop of dew falls from a twig on a nearby branch. It falls into the hole in the trunk, echoing hollowly as it vanishes. >undo Taking back one turn: “z”. Nursery Nest (lying on the ground) Xavians are currently very into natural childbirth. Arguably this is a poor plan, since sticking a bunch of newly-hatched Xavians in a nest on the end of a branch leads inevitably to some of them finding out they aren't old enough to fly. That may explain why this nest is unoccupied, or the previous fledglings may have just gotten old enough to be sent to boarding school. In any case, this nest is well-stocked with a variety of cute, fuzzy toys and one (1) hardened space-adventurer. Leaf-covered twigs above and a Xavian guard with a gaussrifle down below complete the scene. >undo Taking back one turn: “throw doll into hole”. Nursery Nest (lying on the ground) Xavians are currently very into natural childbirth. Arguably this is a poor plan, since sticking a bunch of newly-hatched Xavians in a nest on the end of a branch leads inevitably to some of them finding out they aren't old enough to fly. That may explain why this nest is unoccupied, or the previous fledglings may have just gotten old enough to be sent to boarding school. In any case, this nest is well-stocked with a variety of cute, fuzzy toys and one (1) hardened space-adventurer. Leaf-covered twigs above and a Xavian guard with a gaussrifle down below complete the scene. >undo Taking back one turn: “pull cord”. Nursery Nest (lying on the ground) Xavians are currently very into natural childbirth. Arguably this is a poor plan, since sticking a bunch of newly-hatched Xavians in a nest on the end of a branch leads inevitably to some of them finding out they aren't old enough to fly. That may explain why this nest is unoccupied, or the previous fledglings may have just gotten old enough to be sent to boarding school. In any case, this nest is well-stocked with a variety of cute, fuzzy toys and one (1) hardened space-adventurer. Leaf-covered twigs above and a Xavian guard with a gaussrifle down below complete the scene. >i You are carrying a mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww-k'pot, a teething corknut, and a Max Blaster action figure. >pull cord You yank the cord on the doll. “Pkaw pkaw! Awk awk-clicka-toktok!” says the Max Blaster doll (“Har har har! I have just tied another innocent Xavian fledgling to the rocket-shuttle tracks!”). Hunh, this must be one of those new localized models. Your agent was telling you he was getting more aggressive about the marketing, but you thought that just meant the dolls would be shipping with Baby's First Plasma Cannon (tm). >unzip doll You unzip the doll, revealing a small dial and a switch. “Yok yok ke-poik zik! Yik-yik-awwk-pwee-toko-bick!” says the Max Blaster doll (“You've outwitted me again! My puny wits are no match for Xavian brains!”). The dial clicks forward a notch. A drop of dew falls from a twig on a nearby branch. It falls into the hole in the trunk, echoing hollowly as it vanishes. >flip switch You flip the doll's switch. “Your puny twelve legs are no match for my two large fists!” says the Max Blaster doll. The dial clicks forward a notch. >pull cord You yank the cord on the doll. The dial rotates back to 1. “So, Doctor Forehead-Laser, we meet again! Let's rumble!” says the Max Blaster doll. The dial clicks forward a notch. >throw doll at hole You take careful aim and toss the Max Blaster action figure into the hole. It vanishes into the darkness, there is a faint rattling sound as it falls downwards, and then silence. The guard doesn't appear to have noticed. “Remember, junior crime-fighters, Max Blaster says smart kids don't do drugs!” echoes forth hollowly from the hole. “Max Blaster? He's escaped?!?” Fluttering her wings in alarm, the guard runs for the hole and flies up to grab the lip and lean in. “Are you in there, Max? Oh, man, the captain will have my tail-feathers for this ... Come out, I can see youuuuu ... please, let's just get back in the nice nest and nobody will have to be on KP duty for a year. Now, how about if—” The guard breaks off abruptly, not so much by choice as by the fact that she has leaned too far forward and fallen head-first into the hole. There is a confused noise from inside the trunk and then silence (or at least the guard's squawks have dropped to a less-audible level). >u (first standing up) You climb down from the nest. Below the Nest If this branch were a fork with two tines that was tilted sideways, you'd be standing on the lower one, and the nest would be on the upper one. Forks don't really have two tines, so this is a lousy metaphor, but they're also too small to hold you anyway[5] so it's probably all for the best. Anyway, the main part of the branch is to the south; this part of the branch continues, but it bends upwards and then peters out into a spray of twigs. >footnote 5 Although once you did live for a week on a can of astro-beans. >d The branch runs south; anywhere else except climbing back up into the nest would lead to a longish fall (like the time the galactic calendar had to have a leap-November). >s You move stealthily along the branch, keeping an eye out for more guards. Alongside a Cage-Dome The branch runs from the north and curves east here, where it quickly terminates in a flurry of leaves. But within a few feet of the bend in the branch is the side of one of the cage-domes that hang from the tree. Promisingly, there is a door set into the side of the dome; less promisingly, the door has some sort of attached security system. >x system The security panel is simply laid out: a light, below which is a roughly- conical hole, below which are the instructions “PHRENOLOGICAL SCAN — AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”. >put mask in hole You place the mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww-k'pot into the hole, the beak on the mask fitting neatly into the space. There is a pause, and then the light begins to glow green. Silently, the security door slides open. >in What do you want to enter? >door You walk through the open doorway into the dimly-lit dome beyond. At Base of Ramp The lights here are not as bright as the daylight outside, but it's not hard to see the ramp that rises upwards and to the south. Slightly more obscure but still visible to your keen-eyed gaze is the door in the east wall. A third exit leads north through the security door (somewhere in between the previous two on the obscurity scale) and outside the dome. The security door quietly slides shut behind you. (Max and Doris have raised the score by ten points.) >e The door slides open as you approach and closes after you go through. Closet This is a small, dark, musty closet used for storage. It manages to convey the impression that it might store a vacuum cleaner or winter coats[6] without actually containing any. But one thing it does contain is a mop. >get mop Taken. >footnote 5 Although once you did live for a week on a can of astro-beans. >footnote 6 Xavians got on for hundreds of years of their evolution just by fluffing their feathers when it got cold out, but eventually their civilization reached the point where they could admit it was chilly and would somebody please turn the heat up. >w The door slides open as you approach and closes after you go through. At Base of Ramp The lights here are not as bright as the daylight outside, but it's not hard to see the ramp that rises upwards and to the south. Slightly more obscure but still visible to your keen-eyed gaze is the door in the east wall. A third exit leads north through the security door (somewhere in between the previous two on the obscurity scale) and outside the dome. >s Outside the Kitchen Double doors to the south are labelled “kitchen”, leaving little doubt as to what lies on the other side unless the Xavian mind is even more sinisterly devious than you had imagined. A ramp leads down and to the north, and a hallway heads east, but the kitchen doors are clearly the architectural keystone of this particular bit of floor, and everything else merely an attempt to encourage people to come here and observe them. >s The door slides open as you approach and closes after you go through. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. >x panel The panel has a row of ten lights across the top (of which the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth are lit). Below the lights are a green lever and a black switch. The green lever can be set to one of four positions, which are helpfully numbered 1 to 4 (it's currently set to 4), while the black switch is off. To the right of those controls are a silver button, a red button, and a small speaker. If everything about cooking is this complicated, no wonder most Xavians don't survive the first year of chef school. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. >set lever to 4 You slide the green lever to 4. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. >s (First climbing under the conveyor belt) Southern Part of Kitchen The southern part of the kitchen is similar to the northern part in that it is full of shiny machinery, but unlike the northern part, it has a door to the east marked “BREAK ROOM”. Through a window in the door you can see three Xavians in chef hats sitting around a table. A factory whistle is mounted on the wall, across the room from the window. A tablecloth-covered lunch cart, as big as you, rests in the corner. It would be fairly unnoticable were it not for the the chef-hat-wearing bird head mounted on top of the cart. The chef head performs three quick revolutions and then swivels to focus on you. Its eyes light up (literally). >x chef Which chef do you mean, the robot's head, or the Xavians? >xavians The Xavians seem to be looking at a book, although you can't read what it says from here. “Greetings Earth-humanoid or other class AAAA life-form!” says the lunch robot in badly-synthesized Xavian. “Please allow me to access my databanks and algorithmically determine which of the tasty snacks in my compartment are most suitable for a/an Earth-humanoid or other class AAAA life-form.” >chef, e Which chef do you mean, the Xavians, or the robot's head? >head The robot spins its head around to focus on you. It doesn't appear to actually hear anything you are saying, however. >wear mask Okay, you're now wearing the mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww-k'pot. “Scanning ... processing nutritional information ... rejecting: cuttlefish a la king ... rejecting: hamsters over easy ... rejecting: Jibaldoian flavor- crystals ... rejecting: micro-instant noodles ...” says the lunch robot. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head around and regards you in beamingly paternal fashion. “Meal needs identified,” says the robot. “Synthsteak, astral fries, and galactobeer, each lovingly prepared to the highest standards of cuisine and style.” >z Time passes... A large metal arm ending in a white claw-glove emerges from the front of the lunch cart. It bends around backwards, reaches through a side hatch into the cart, and seems to feel around for a bit. “My apologies,” says the robot, “No lunch materials detected in cart. Giving up on meal for now.” The arm retracts back into the cart. >z Time passes... The lunch robot watches you alertly. >z Time passes... >n (First climbing under the conveyor belt) Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. The lunch robot rolls in from the south. >s (First climbing under the conveyor belt) Southern Part of Kitchen The southern part of the kitchen is similar to the northern part in that it is full of shiny machinery, but unlike the northern part, it has a door to the east marked “BREAK ROOM”. Through a window in the door you can see three Xavians in chef hats sitting around a table. A factory whistle is mounted on the wall, across the room from the window. The lunch robot rolls in from the north. >z Time passes... >z Time passes... >x robot The lunch robot consists mostly of a wheeled metal cart-body (tastefully covered with a white tablecloth), attached to the front of which is a metal- and-plastic animatronic Xavian head complete with chef's hat. Its eyes blink on at off at intervals and the head rotates all the way around to follow your movements, although it's not clear exactly what it understands. Still, that alone makes it more than qualified to be middle management back at HQ. The lunch robot scans the room for snack-like items. >n (First climbing under the conveyor belt) Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. The lunch robot rolls in from the south. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >x lever The lever is green and can be set to one of four positions. It's currently in position 4. As the first slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the first slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >x panel The panel has a row of ten lights across the top (of which the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth are lit). Below the lights are a green lever and a black switch. The green lever can be set to one of four positions, which are helpfully numbered 1 to 4 (it's currently set to 4), while the black switch is off. To the right of those controls are a silver button, a red button, and a small speaker. If everything about cooking is this complicated, no wonder most Xavians don't survive the first year of chef school. The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. As the second slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the second slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >push red button You push the button. It clicks in and an alarm rings out from the panel. The lunch robot scans the room for snack-like items. The conveyor belt abruptly reverses direction and zips backwards towards the metal box at high speed. There is a brief pause as the contents of the belt vanish, and then the belt resumes normal motion. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. >set lever to 21 The green lever has no such setting. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. >set lever to 4 You slide the green lever to 4. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lunch robot watches you alertly. >set dial to 2 You see no dial here. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. As the first slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the first slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the first slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. As the second slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the second slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the second slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. As the third slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the third slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. The blender appliance activates as the first slice of bread slides under it. There is some grinding, a ZZZZZIP and, helicopter-style, the mechanism shoots out of the blender and flies into the air, blades spinning frantically. They continue to spin as it drills through the ceiling and disappears. The second slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the third slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. >z Time passes... The lunch robot blinks its eyes on and off. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. (Doris has raised the score by ten points.) >z Time passes... The lunch robot scans the room for snack-like items. Triggered by the arrival of the first slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the first slice of bread, which sizzles under the ray as the tofu worms defrost and melt into a paste, although the bread itself seems unharmed. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The third slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. >z Time passes... The guidance extenders slide out and hold the first slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, neatly slicing off the tofu coating. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the first slice of bread continues. Triggered by the arrival of the second slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the second slice of bread, which sizzles under the ray as the tofu worms defrost and melt into a paste, although the bread itself seems unharmed. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The pressor appliance slams down onto the first slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the first slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the second slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, neatly slicing off the tofu coating. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the second slice of bread continues. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the second slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the second slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the third slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, scraping the worms off the bread. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the third slice of bread continues. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the third slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the third slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. >set dial to 3 You see no dial here. >set lever ot 3 The word “ot” is not necessary in this story. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. >z Time passes... The third slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. The two pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >set lever to 4 You slide the green lever to 4. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... Triggered by the arrival of the first slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the first slice of bread, which goes from nicely-toasted to blackened in a matter of seconds. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. Triggered by the arrival of the second slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the second slice of bread, which goes from nicely-toasted to blackened in a matter of seconds. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >z Time passes... The pressor appliance slams down onto the first slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the first slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The second slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. Triggered by the arrival of the third slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the third slice of bread, which goes from nicely-toasted to blackened in a matter of seconds. >z Time passes... As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Mustard drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the second slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the second slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Mustard drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the third slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the third slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. >set dial to 2 You see no dial here. >o lever You can only use OOPS to correct a misspelling immediately after the story points out a word it doesn't know. The lunch robot scans the room for snack-like items. The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Mustard drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. >undo Taking back one turn: “o lever”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. A piece of bread is stuck to the ceiling. There are two pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp, flattened, and covered in mustard. The third slice of bread has been burned to a crisp and flattened. The lunch robot looks around alertly, spinning its head to watch you. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Chocolate sauce drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. >z Time passes... The third slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The two pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot blinks its eyes on and off. The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The guidance extenders slide out and hold the first slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, reducing the bread to near-crumbs. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the first slice of bread continues. The second slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >z Time passes... The pressor appliance slams down onto the first slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the first slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the second slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, reducing the bread to near-crumbs. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the second slice of bread continues. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the second slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the second slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the third slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, reducing the bread to near-crumbs. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the third slice of bread continues. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the third slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the third slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. >z Time passes... The third slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. >z Time passes... >push silver button You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >get bread You can't do that because the case over the conveyor belt is closed. The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the first slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. As the second slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the second slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the second slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. As the third slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the third slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The second slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the third slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. >z Time passes... The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The lunch robot rotates its head to follow your movements around the room. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the first slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, scraping the worms off the bread. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the first slice of bread continues. Triggered by the arrival of the second slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the second slice of bread, which sizzles under the ray as the tofu worms defrost and melt into a paste, although the bread itself seems unharmed. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the second slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, neatly slicing off the tofu coating. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the second slice of bread continues. Triggered by the arrival of the third slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the third slice of bread, which sizzles under the ray as the tofu worms defrost and melt into a paste, although the bread itself seems unharmed. >z Time passes... As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Chocolate sauce drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The second slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the third slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, neatly slicing off the tofu coating. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the third slice of bread continues. >z Time passes... The lunch robot blinks its eyes on and off. The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Chocolate sauce drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Chocolate sauce drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The third slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... As the first slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the first slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >undo Taking back one turn: “z”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Six pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There is one piece of bread on the conveyor belt. It looks newly-sliced. The lunch robot looks around alertly, spinning its head to watch you. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 2 You slide the green lever to 2. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The panel in the dispenser appliance suddenly slides open with a PSHHHT, dropping a load of what look like french fries onto the first slice of bread. As the panel slides shut, you get a second look: they're actually tofu worms, individually quick-frozen for your convenience. As the second slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the second slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The first slice of bread and the second slice of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. As the third slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the third slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. >z Time passes... The lunch robot rolls over to you to get a better view. The first slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The third slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread and the second slice of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >z Time passes... The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >set lever to 4 You slide the green lever to 4. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Mustard drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the second slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the second slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The lunch robot watches you alertly. The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, sticking with a moist flerp. As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Mustard drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the third slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the third slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. >ask chef about sandwich (This game uses a topic/menu-based conversation system. See “ABOUT” for details.) You can't think of anything to say about that. >n The door slides open as you approach and closes after you go through. Outside the Kitchen On second thought, I guess they probably just put the doors here to mark off the kitchen. You can go through them to the south, east along the hall, or north down the ramp. >e Hallway Junction Two smaller hallways sprout off to the north and south here. Possibly you are not the first to stand here wondering which way to go, as there are neat labels on the walls, indicating that the north exit heads to 'Mess Hall', the south to 'Kitchen Storage', the west to 'Kitchen', and the east to not only 'Main Storage' but also 'Data Center'. >s The corridor runs for a short distance and then leads, through a doorway, into a storage room. Kitchen Storage This room looks designed to hold spare equipment from the kitchen. Either there was a sudden run on ginsu knives or else the Xavian suppliers didn't order as many spares as the architects expected, as this room seems pretty much empty. The shelves seem pretty much bare, and the cabinets could be rifled, but their doors hang half-open in a don't-get-your-hopes-up sort of way. On the dusty shelves are a box of chocolates and a corkscrew. >get chocolates Taken. >get corkscrew Taken. >x chocolates This is one of those flat chocolate boxes designed to hold a number of expensive chocolates. It's closed. >open it Opening the box of chocolates reveals six chocolates. >x chocolates chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. box of chocolates: This is one of those flat chocolate boxes designed to hold a number of expensive chocolates. It's open, and contains six chocolates. chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. chocolate: It's a small, round, tasty-looking chocolate. >eat a chocolate (the chocolate) (first taking the chocolate from the box of chocolates) You pop the chocolate into your mouth. Hmm, meaty. >undo Taking back one turn: “eat a chocolate”. Kitchen Storage This room looks designed to hold spare equipment from the kitchen. Either there was a sudden run on ginsu knives or else the Xavian suppliers didn't order as many spares as the architects expected, as this room seems pretty much empty. The shelves seem pretty much bare, and the cabinets could be rifled, but their doors hang half-open in a don't-get-your-hopes-up sort of way. >x cabinets The cabinets are screwed firmly to the walls and covered with a thin layer of dust. The doors are in that state between open and closed that makes you think their hearts are no longer in the job, probably because there's nothing good inside anyway. >open cabinets You swing the doors of one cabinet wide open, and they stay that way as long as you're holding them, only to swing back to their half-open state as soon as you let go. After some searching, you eventually determine the only occupant is a lonely tube of corknut butter, tucked away in the corner of one cabinet. >get butter Taken. >x tube Xavian claws aren't really built to take off jar lids, so they tend to put things in tubes instead. Of course, their claws also aren't built to squeeze tubes without poking holes in them, but there you go. The tube has a label on one side with a picture of a happy Xavian child eating a CBJ sandwich, underneath which is written “CAPTAIN ALEX'S CRUNCHY — contains no hydrogenated oils or gyro-stabilizers.” In smaller writing underneath that it says “Insect parts not to be below 21 parts per million”. >[yay alex!] Noted. >n Hallway Junction Two smaller hallways sprout off to the north and south here. Possibly you are not the first to stand here wondering which way to go, as there are neat labels on the walls, indicating that the north exit heads to 'Mess Hall', the south to 'Kitchen Storage', the west to 'Kitchen', and the east to not only 'Main Storage' but also 'Data Center'. >n Outside Mess Hall The corridor ends here with a door, labelled “Mess Hall” in large letters. A mess is evidently in progress, to judge by the noise filtering in from the north. >n Hoping the Xavians inside will be too busy eating to notice you, you adjust your mask and step inside. “Haw haw, look at the funny-lookin' new recruit!” a guard just inside the door says. Then she takes a second look, and squawks an alarm. *** Max has been recaptured and Earth will be conquered by the Xavians *** Your score is 30 of a possible 100, in 168 moves. This gives you the rank of Planetary Patroller. Would you like to RESTORE a saved position, RESTART the story, UNDO the last move, or QUIT? >undo Taking back one turn: “n”. Outside Mess Hall The corridor ends here with a door, labelled “Mess Hall” in large letters. A mess is evidently in progress, to judge by the noise filtering in from the north. >s Hallway Junction Two smaller hallways sprout off to the north and south here. Possibly you are not the first to stand here wondering which way to go, as there are neat labels on the walls, indicating that the north exit heads to 'Mess Hall', the south to 'Kitchen Storage', the west to 'Kitchen', and the east to not only 'Main Storage' but also 'Data Center'. >e You walk east, following the corridor as it zigs south for a bit and then zags to bend east again. You're about to follow it, but then you see, up ahead, the door to the data center and a well-armed guard. Normally, since there's just the one of him, you'd say you've got him outnumbered, but with the length of the corridor between the two of you and you (temporarily) unarmed, the chance of you getting to him before he can shoot you seems pretty minimal. That room must be important if it's got a guard outside, but how are you supposed to get in? >w Outside the Kitchen On second thought, I guess they probably just put the doors here to mark off the kitchen. You can go through them to the south, east along the hall, or north down the ramp. >s The door slides open as you approach and closes after you go through. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >set dial to 3 You see no dial here. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. >push red button You push the button. It clicks in and an alarm rings out from the panel. The conveyor belt abruptly reverses direction and zips backwards towards the metal box at high speed. There is a brief pause and then the belt resumes normal motion. >push silver button You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The two pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The first slice of bread and the second slice of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. As the third slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the third slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. >put butter in blender The tube of corknut butter tumbles down through the cylinder, onto the belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and tube of corknut butter below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The first slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >undo Taking back one turn: “put butter in blender”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread has been mangled. >squeeze butter into blender That corknut butter looks too tasty to waste. The first slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >squeeze butter into blender That corknut butter looks too tasty to waste. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >[hey!] Noted. >undo Taking back one turn: “squeeze butter into blender”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread has been mangled. >squeeze butter onto bread Multiple objects aren't allowed with that command. >squeeze butter on bread Multiple objects aren't allowed with that command. >squeeze butter into bread Multiple objects aren't allowed with that command. >[huh?] Noted. >get bread second slice of bread: You can't do that because the case over the conveyor belt is closed. third slice of bread: You can't do that because the case over the conveyor belt is closed. first slice of bread: You can't do that because the case over the conveyor belt is closed. bread stuck to the ceiling: The bread stuck to the ceiling is too far away. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >push red (the red button) You push the button. It clicks in and an alarm rings out from the panel. The conveyor belt abruptly reverses direction and zips backwards towards the metal box at high speed. There is a brief pause as the contents of the belt vanish, and then the belt resumes normal motion. >i You are carrying a teething corknut, a mop, a box of chocolates (which contains six chocolates), a corkscrew, the lid of the chocolate box, and a tube of corknut butter. You are wearing a mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww- k'pot. >x corkscrew Some Xavians do collect wine and keep wine cellars, although most still prefer the traditional opening method of flying up with the bottle and then dropping it on some rocks. >x tube Xavian claws aren't really built to take off jar lids, so they tend to put things in tubes instead. Of course, their claws also aren't built to squeeze tubes without poking holes in them, but there you go. The tube has a label on one side with a picture of a happy Xavian child eating a CBJ sandwich, underneath which is written “CAPTAIN ALEX'S CRUNCHY — contains no hydrogenated oils or gyro-stabilizers.” In smaller writing underneath that it says “Insect parts not to be below 21 parts per million”. >squeeze tube What do you want to put it on? >bread There's no good surface on the bread stuck to the ceiling. >unco The word “unco” is not necessary in this story. >undo Taking back one turn: “squeeze tube”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >undo Taking back one turn: “x tube”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >undo Taking back one turn: “x corkscrew”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >undo Taking back one turn: “i”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >undo Taking back one turn: “push red”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread has been mangled. >undo Taking back one turn: “get bread”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread has been mangled. >undo No more undo information is available. >squeeze tube into blender That corknut butter looks too tasty to waste. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >undo Taking back one turn: “squeeze tube into blender”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread has been mangled. >squeeze tube What do you want to put it on? >first piece of bread There's no good surface on the first slice of bread. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >[oh, you big liar.] Noted. >put tube in blender The tube of corknut butter tumbles down through the cylinder, hits the second slice of bread, and falls off the belt. An alarm rings on the control panel and the red button clicks in. The conveyor belt abruptly reverses direction and zips backwards towards the metal box at high speed. There is a brief pause as the contents of the belt vanish, then the belt suddenly shoots forward, dumping the tube of corknut butter off the end, and then the belt resumes normal motion. >get tube Taken. >i You are carrying a teething corknut, a mop, a box of chocolates (which contains six chocolates), a corkscrew, the lid of the chocolate box, and a tube of corknut butter. You are wearing a mask of fearless Xavian leader Ch'awww- k'pot. >put corknut in blender The teething corknut tumbles down through the cylinder, onto the belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and teething corknut below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >undo Taking back one turn: “put corknut in blender”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. >squeeze tube on corknut That corknut butter looks too tasty to waste. >[OK, Jota tells me I can't dispense the butter by hand. This would have been nice to learn through error messages or some such. But now I get it.] Noted. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. A first slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A second slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. > I beg your pardon? >z Time passes... The two pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. A third slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >put butter in blender The disk on top of the blender is closed, sealing it off. The three pieces of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >undo Taking back one turn: “put butter in blender”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread looks newly-sliced. >undo Taking back one turn: “z”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The second slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The third slice of bread looks newly-sliced. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The first slice of bread and the second slice of bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. As the third slice of bread passes beneath the mixer appliance, the beaters begin to spin faster and extend a few inches downward. There is an angry WHIRRRR noise, but eventually the third slice of bread emerges on the other side of the beaters, somewhat the worse for wear. The beaters lift up again. >put butter in blender The tube of corknut butter tumbles down through the cylinder, onto the belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and tube of corknut butter below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The first slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The tube of corknut butter continues to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and first slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The second slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. >z Time passes... The first slice of bread and the tube of corknut butter continue to move along the conveyor belt. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and second slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. The third slice of bread proceeds uneventfully under the now-empty blender cylinder. >set lever to 4 You slide the green lever to 4. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The pressor appliance slams down onto the tube of corknut butter with an enormous KA-THUNK. Corknut butter squirts from the tube onto the first slice of bread. The pressor lifts up and the tube of corknut butter continues, somewhat flatter. The first slice of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. Triggered by the arrival of the second slice of bread, the ray gun appliance engages with a BZZZAP. A glowing red beam flashes out from the gun and plays over the second slice of bread, which goes from nicely-toasted to blackened in a matter of seconds. The dome of the sprinkler appliance abruptly rotates a quarter-turn, exposing the holes. Dozens of little bugs tumble out of the holes and onto the conveyor belt and third slice of bread below, clicking loudly. They scurry around madly for a few seconds and then swarm off the belt and disappear. >set lever to 1 You slide the green lever to 1. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the first, fourth, fifth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance pops open. The three pieces of bread and the tube of corknut butter continue to move along the conveyor belt. >set lever to 9 The green lever has no such setting. The tube of corknut butter slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a sad HONK. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT BREAD” as the tube of corknut butter is dropped onto another ramp and slides onto the end of the conveyor belt. The rest of the bread continue to move along the conveyor belt. >undo Taking back one turn: “set lever to 9”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread has been covered in corknut butter. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp. The third slice of bread has been mangled. Also on the belt is a tube of corknut butter. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The lid on top of the blender appliance snaps shut. The tube of corknut butter slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a sad HONK. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT BREAD” as the tube of corknut butter is dropped onto another ramp and slides onto the end of the conveyor belt. As the first slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the first slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the second slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the second slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. The guidance extenders slide out and hold the third slice of bread in place long enough for the grater to lower down on top of it. The grater zips back and forth with a FWISH-FWISH, reducing the bread to near-crumbs. Eventually the guidance extenders retract and the third slice of bread continues. >z Time passes... The tube of corknut butter falls off the end of the belt and into the bin. The first slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a pleased DING and seems to stash the slice away. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “TOP HALF.” As the second slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the second slice of bread. The pressor appliance slams down onto the third slice of bread with an enormous KA-THUNK. The pressor lifts up and the third slice of bread continues, somewhat flatter. >push silver You push the button. There is a click and then a faint thumping from the metal box. The second slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. As the third slice of bread passes underneath, there is a loud SPLORT from the condimentator appliance. Jelly drizzles out from one of the nozzles, covering the third slice of bread. A fourth slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. >set lever to 3 You slide the green lever to 3. The lights on the control board flicker for a bit and then the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth light up. The third slice of bread slides up the ramp and into the last appliance on the belt, which makes a disapproving BOOP. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “NOT TO SANDWICH STANDARDS,” as the bread is ejected with a SPROING. The slice flies upwards and collides with the ceiling, exploding in a shower of crumbs. The other piece of bread continues to move along the conveyor belt. A fifth slice of bread flops out of the hole in the metal box onto the conveyor belt. A panel on the side of the machine lights up briefly, illuminating the words “404 BOTTOM HALF NOT FOUND.” A slice of bread is ejected from the last appliance with a SPROING. It flies upwards and sticks to the ceiling with a moist flerp. >[crap!] Noted. >restore Canceled. >[crap!] Noted. >undo Taking back one turn: “restore”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Ten pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are two pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The fourth slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The fifth slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The shallow bin contains a tube of corknut butter. >undo Taking back one turn: “set lever to 3”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are two pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The third slice of bread has been mangled, zested, flattened, and covered in jelly. The fourth slice of bread looks newly-sliced. The shallow bin contains a tube of corknut butter. >undo Taking back one turn: “push silver”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are two pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp, flattened, and covered in jelly. The third slice of bread has been mangled, zested, and flattened. The shallow bin contains a tube of corknut butter. >undo Taking back one turn: “z”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread has been covered in corknut butter and covered in jelly. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp and flattened. The third slice of bread has been mangled and zested. On the end of the conveyor belt is a tube of corknut butter. >undo Taking back one turn: “set lever to 3”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread has been covered in corknut butter. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp. The third slice of bread has been mangled. Also on the belt is a tube of corknut butter. >undo Taking back one turn: “set lever to 1”. Northern Part of Kitchen This is the northern part of a large kitchen built to the most modern standards of automation: in addition to the various pieces of machinery, there's a covered conveyor belt that curves around the room and enables even the most complex meal to be prepared with ease. Completing the scene are the doors to the north, providing a transition to (presumably) less kitchen-appliance- enabled areas. The conveyor belt emerges from a metal box attached to the west wall, winds crazily through several pieces of machinery (no doubt controlled by the control panel on the wall here), and then moves south, ending over a bin on the floor. Then the kitchen continues south, even if the belt doesn't. Nine pieces of bread are stuck to the ceiling. There are three pieces of bread on the conveyor belt. The first slice of bread has been covered in corknut butter. The second slice of bread has been burned to a crisp. The third slice of bread has been mangled. Also on the belt is a tube of corknut butter. >undo No more undo information is available. >undo No more undo information is available. >restart Do you really want to start over? (Y is affirmative) > y Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venusby Press S to skip the intro, R to restore a saved game, or any other key to begin the game In this game you can take the role of either Max Blaster or Doris de Lightning; it is possible to complete the game as either but the experience will be somewhat different. Which character would you like to play, (M)ax or (D)oris? m Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venusby The landing is not going well. The jungle swings wildly towards the viewscreen, back, left, right, then zooms in like a Canon-3000. You fight desperately with the steering controls, arm-muscles bulging as you struggle to pull it off of a collision course. “Cut the thrust on my count, Doris!” you say through gritted teeth. “Three .. two .. one .. GO!” Doris slams her hand down on the button, even as she mutters “This better work, Blaster”. There is the shriek of tearing metal, a terrible heat, and smoke surrounds the cockpit windows as the jungle burns. *** But hey, any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. And “walk” is definitely the operative word here[1], because you're somewhere in the middle of the jungle, and there ain't no road between here and the Xavian base. You and Doris climb out of the ship and take stock. Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus Copyright 2003 by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short [First-time players should type “about”] Crash Site This place is noteworthy for two reasons: one, because it's a clearing in the midst of thick jungle, and two, because your spaceship has crash-landed here. These two facts are not entirely unrelated, as the scorched vegetation and blackened earth[2] attest. Doris is here. (A number in [square brackets] like the one above refers to a footnote, which you can read by typing FOOTNOTE followed by the number: FOOTNOTE 1, for example. Footnotes usually contain added background information that might be interesting but isn't essential to the story. If you'd prefer not to see footnotes at all, you can control their appearance by typing FOOTNOTES.) >u You spit on your hands and shimmy athletically up the tree. In The Trees From your new vantage point, you can see across the tops of the jungle: miles of seething deep-green foliage in every direction. The air is warmer and more oppressive up here, above the shade, and the trees seem to squirm even though there isn't a breath of wind. When you squint, you can make out, several miles to the west, the massive trunk and bright steel cage-domes of the Xavian base. Doris is here. “Looks like it's off to the west,” you shout down. “Probably most of a day's hike.” >d You slide down the tree trunk and land softly on the jungle floor. Crash Site This place is noteworthy for two reasons: one, because it's a clearing in the midst of thick jungle, and two, because your spaceship has crash-landed here. These two facts are not entirely unrelated, as the scorched vegetation and blackened earth[2] attest. Doris is here. >w You shove aside a giant fern frond and set off into the jungle. Going is rough at first but you eventually get the hang of it: stepping around the pools of sucking mud, wiping off the sweat that pours down your forehead and into your eyes, looking back to make sure Doris hasn't gotten herself lost. In the Foliage Making your way through the Venusian jungle is a bit like working security in the front rows of a rock concert mobbed by giant broccoli[3]. Every direction that isn't blocked by actual treetrunk is accounted for in vines, overhanging fruit, or (worst) the Venusian atmosphere. Nevertheless, you've got to keep heading west. Doris is here. The heat is really starting to get to you. You wipe away the sweat from your forehead with the back of one hand. >w You travel only a short distance more before being brought to a halt by a sudden onset of geography. Edge of Gorge The foliage abruptly parts here, leaving you in the clear air — and a short distance from the edge of a steep gorge, with walls of sheer rock. The lack of dirt is presumably the only reason the gorge is not also overgrown with concealing vegetation; even so, vines cling to every ledge, and hang from the trees on both sides of the gorge. At the bottom you can make out a trickle of water. The far side of the gorge is perhaps fifteen feet away — definitely too far to jump. Doris is here. >set dial to rod You set the dial on the forcefield generator to 'rod'. Doris strips off the jacket of her uniform, leaving her arms bare. A whistle trembles on your lips, but fortunately your native instinct for self- preservation kicks in and you manage to change it to “Weather's kind of hot here, isn't it.” “Nice save,” you congratulate yourself. >vault You jump a little, and land back where you started. Doris thumbs the control on the rocket belt, and the thrusters flame to life. She drifts a little unsteadily in her flight but touches down neatly on the far cliff. >vault over gorge You doubt you can clear the gorge unassisted. >turn on force You turn on the forcefield device. A shimmering rod of force appears. >vault over gorge Backing up as far as possible, almost into the jungle, you begin a quick run towards the gorge. At the last possible moment you slam down the pole; the edge of the cliff crumbles at the impact but you are flying, barely maintaining your grip as you slam a short arc through the air and crash down into the jungle on the other side. You pick yourself up, rather painfully, and brush bits of greenery off as best you can. >w You return to the westward march. The ground level drops a bit and the jungle floor becomes soggier, which doesn't help your mood any. You have stepped over yet another tree root and are about to step into a small clearing, when suddenly you notice something in the middle of the clearing. “Wait!” you shout, as Doris foolishly attempts to enter. Man, it's a good thing you're here to watch out for her. Jungle Clearing A particularly large tree grew here until recently (bearing in mind that trees have a different definition of “recently” than humans do). Now all that remains are the rotting remains of the trunk, a stump slowly returning to earth, and a clearing in the jungle, not yet reclaimed by the surrounding vegetation. Doris is here. A dangerous vine snake lies in wait here, stretched across the clearing. “What's the hold-up?” Doris asks, irritably. >1 “For your information, you were just about to step into the clearing. Straight into the clutches of that vine snake!” you say. You point out the snake's position to her, since she's obviously failed to notice it. “Um, that's a vine.” >1 “Are you saying I don't know a vine snake when I see one?” you ask, indignantly. “It's a snake!” “It's a vine!” Doris gives you a scornful look and walks toward the snake. >1 “Snake!” you shout, taking a cautious step or two closer. >shoot snake (with your blaster) You start to take a step, adjusting your position, only to realize that you can't do that. Because, in fact, you are standing in a pool of quicksand. Nuts. >1 “I'm sinking in quicksand!” “Not only is he a master biologist, he's also Sherlock Holmes,” Doris remarks to the air. >give rod to doris You stretch out the rod of force as far as you can reach, and Doris grabs the other end. With her help, you are able to struggle out of the quicksand. Doris watches you climb out with interest. Such interest, in fact, that Doris fails to notice the vine snake until it suddenly lunges at her. >shoot snake (with your blaster) You flip the blaster off your belt and into your hand. Barely stopping to take aim, you fire, hitting the snake's head spot-on. “Max Blaster, at your service,” you bow, and replace the gun with a flourish. Doris throws off the now-limp snake and struggles to her feet. “Well,” she says finally. “I suppose it was a snake.” “Too bad you missed the XenoGeology and Biodomes Special,” Doris says. “It showed just what quicksand looked like.” >get snake Taken. >w You cough slightly as you two start to set off into the jungle again. “I hate to say it,” you say, “but I told you so. I told you early and I told you repeatedly. I told you loudly and I told you quietly. I told you—” Doris glares at you and snaps, “Next time I'm letting you sink, buster.” The ground firms again as it begins to slope upwards, and after only another hour or so of walking, you are in sight of your goal. Hill Outlook This small hill is the jungle's last outpost. Not covered with trees and creepers, as it would be further back, it is instead dotted with low bushes and halfhearted patches of grass. The grass begins to win out on the downslope of the hill, however, and as the ground drops and widens into a great natural bowl, the grass holds undisputed reign. This is a bit worrying, as it suggests the land has been kept artificially clear and free of hiding-places, but you have little attention for that as your gaze is drawn irrevocably towards that which grows in the center of the bowl: the tree. Impossibly tall, branches bowed with the weight of a dozen silver cage-domes, the tree encompasses your vision and surpasses it. And then, at the top of the tree, dark against the setting sun, movement catches your eye. Doris is here. >w Eventually the shadows are thick enough that it seems safe to start heading for the tree. *** “There's no cover, so we'll just have to be as quick and quiet as we can,” you say. Doris rolls her eyes. “What, did you think I was going to walk in there playing a flugelhorn?” But you are already walking on ahead and her voice vanishes in the darkness. (Max has raised the score by ten points.) (If you'd prefer not to be notified about score changes in the future, type NOTIFY OFF.) >w You walk for a few minutes. The night is quiet on Venus: no crowded city streets, no robot vendors hawking electropop, no space-cars folding up into space-briefcases for easy parking. Just the rustle of grass at your feet, the wind whispering through the leaves above, and Doris's quiet cursing as she keeps tripping over rocks. Something grabs your right shoulder, hard. >1 “Mmf.” From the darkness ahead comes Doris's voice: “Hey! Get off me!” Something (the same thing?) grabs your other shoulder, there is a jerk, and suddenly you are airborne. You catch a brief glimpse of Doris, firmly gripped in the claws of a dark- winged bird with huge eyes, and then you are carried away through the night. Silent wing-beats drag you onwards towards your final destination: one of the steel cages hung from the Xavian tree. *** Stern-beaked guards strip you of your equipment and force-march you through the corridors inside the dome, before eventually depositing you in the Interrogation Room This room is bare-walled and probably not really intended to receive visitors, or at least not the kind of visitors who write polite notes afterward explaining how much they enjoyed their visit and that they are looking forward to another. The main features of note in the room are a large viewscreen on one wall, a large doorway in another, and well-armed guards making sure you watch the one and don't exit through the other. The guards shove Doris into the room. “Hands off, featherface!” she snaps, as she stumbles in. >1 “Have a nice flight?” “I just flew in from the hilltop, and boy are my arms tired. No, but seriously, I—” The viewscreen flickers, and the image of Ch'awww-k'pot appears on the screen. He appears to be smirking[4] as he swings on his perch, in front of a desk on which your equipment is sitting. “Ah, and who do we have here? Max Blaster, eh? So pleased we can finally meet. And, er—” Ch'awwwk glances in some confusion at Doris. “Who is she?” he hisses to an aide off-screen. “Just some earth-girl we found along with Max Blaster, sir. I think she's his sidekick.” “I am not his sidekick,” Doris snaps. “No, you're our prisoner,” Ch'awwwk says, preening himself. “And so's he. I expect you interfering spies are here in an attempt to foil our secret weapon, eh?” >1 “Oh, no, wouldn't dream of it,” you say innocently. “You aren't fooling me for an instant,” Ch'awwwk sneers. “In a mere twelve hours, unless the ransom is paid, we put the secret weapon into action. And speaking of which, I suppose since you've come all this way and all for naught, you'd at least like to know what th