  
 
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction. |
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| Jacqueline says, "Okay, let's do this thing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load eas3" | ||||
Floyd | > Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | E A R T H Floyd | Floyd | A N D Floyd | Floyd | S K Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Episode 3: Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Welcome to LUMINOUS HORIZON! Floyd | Floyd | 1) Information about this game Floyd | 2) If you've played other Earth And Sky games... Floyd | 3) Disable conversation menus Floyd | 4) Restore a saved game Floyd | 5) Start a new game Floyd | 6) Quit the game Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "2" | ||||
Floyd | Please make a selection: 2 Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | It's Continuity Time! Please answer a few questions to help establish Floyd | what happened in your sessions with earlier Earth And Sky games: Floyd | Floyd | Have you played Part 1, Earth And Sky, to completion? | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "y" | ||||
Floyd | Please answer yes or no.> Floyd | Great! Was Aunt Nina blinded at the end of your game session? | Jacqueline asks, "Oh, um... yes, right?" | |||
| Nitku says, "Yeah we fogged her" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | Please answer yes or no.> Floyd | Floyd | Have you played part 2, Another Earth, Another Sky, to completion? | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | Please answer yes or no.> Floyd | Excellent! Were Emily and Austin together at the end of your game Floyd | session? | Paul says, "Not on the first playt-- oh, nevermind." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "heh. Oh, well." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And yes on this question, too, right?" | ||||
| Paul says, "Yeah, it only affects some plot-resolution messages" | ||||
| Paul says, "Yes, she traveled through the curtain" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | Please answer yes or no.> Floyd | Floyd | And that marks the end of the continuity questions. Thanks for your Floyd | participation! Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline clears the save counter. | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Welcome to LUMINOUS HORIZON! Floyd | Floyd | 1) Information about this game Floyd | 2) If you've played other Earth And Sky games... Floyd | 3) Disable conversation menus Floyd | 4) Restore a saved game Floyd | 5) Start a new game Floyd | 6) Quit the game Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "5" | ||||
Floyd | Please make a selection: 5 | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | There is heat. There is glaring light outside your closed eyes. You Floyd | are aware of uneven, rocky ground beneath you, its prickles and points Floyd | muffled by the thick earthsuit that covers your body. You slowly sit Floyd | up, opening your eyes to an arid landscape of rocks and scrub. How did Floyd | you get here? Floyd | Floyd | Then the memories erupt. Your parents' disappearance a month ago. Your Floyd | discovery of their creations, suits that give you and your sister Floyd | Emily fantastic superpowers. Using those powers to save your campus Floyd | when longtime family friend Nina Icolari turned into a raging Floyd | behemoth, transformed by a prehistoric bacteria sample gone amok. When Floyd | Aunt Nina recovered, she also recovered memories that had been Floyd | suppressed by mysterious interlopers, memories that led you and Emily Floyd | to Professor Thaddeus Andrews' remote observation post in the Sierra Floyd | Nevadas. There, you found an astonishing teleportation device, Floyd | apparently built by your parents. The device took you to another world Floyd | entirely, an artificially constructed planetoid built solely for the Floyd | purpose of testing hyper-evolutionary bacteria, perhaps related to the Floyd | microbes that affected Aunt Nina. Floyd | Floyd | Emily was transported to the other side of the planetoid's outer Floyd | structure, where you found the alien scientist in charge of the Floyd | experiment. That scientist explained to the two of you that his rival Floyd | Esrrua had stowed a spy-creature aboard the experiment, and that Floyd | Andrews had tried to intervene in the ensuing fight, only to be Floyd | captured by Esrrua himself. Your parents had followed to rescue Floyd | Andrews, pursuing the spy-creature through another teleportation Floyd | portal... the same one that brought you here. But although Emily is Floyd | beside you, struggling to her feet and no doubt reliving her own Floyd | memories, your parents are nowhere to be seen. In fact, besides the Floyd | bushes and the distant mountains, the area is quite featureless. Floyd | Floyd | Where are you? Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | Earth And Sky: Episode 3 Floyd | Serial interactive fiction by Paul O'Brian Floyd | First-time players should type INFO or read the eas3info.txt file Floyd | Release 1 -- 2004 IF Comp version Floyd | Serial number 040929 / Inform v6.21(G0.36) Library 6/10 Floyd | Floyd | High Plains Floyd | Scrub bushes and sparse grasses provide a little ground cover for the Floyd | otherwise rocky, sandy soil of this area. Other than the jagged Floyd | mountains looming a few miles to the east, this spot seems entirely Floyd | barren. Floyd | Floyd | A damaged road sign lies at your feet. Floyd | Floyd | Emily hovers a few inches above the ground here. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read sign" | ||||
Floyd | >This highway sign reads ALAMOGORDO 23. Its steel post appears to have Floyd | been twisted and deformed by some incredible force, so much so that Floyd | you can't tell where the sign originally stood. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | >Sporting your earthsuit, you look every inch the superhero. Well, Floyd | except without the caricatured physique. Floyd | | Paul says, "FWIW, this game was released with a (virtual) comic book feelie -- 8 pages of art by Rob and script by me. You can see it starting at [LINK]" | |||
| Firion arrives, full of fun and funk. | Jacqueline says, "Oh hey, I'd forgotten about that." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Except in that image it *does* look like we have the physique." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though Emily would need bigger breasts to be a believable superheroine." | ||||
| lunasspecto asks, "Alamogordo, huh?" | ||||
| Paul says, "Nah, it's just a puffy suit." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Oh. Okay. Then why isn't it puffy in Emily's chest region, too?" | ||||
| Firion says, "Search me..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I have seen the comic books. I know how these things go." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >"That teleportation thing is so strange, isn't it?" you say. "I feel Floyd | like I just woke up from this amazing dream right into another dream." Floyd | Floyd | Emily snorts. "Yeah, some amazing dream. I pretty much spent the Floyd | entire time in a prison cell." Floyd | Floyd | "Okay, sure, but come on, how often do you see aliens and robots and Floyd | space stations and all that kind of stuff?" Floyd | Floyd | "I guess," she says sullenly. Floyd | Floyd | Time to change the subject. "So," you ask, "any ideas on what we Floyd | should do next?" Floyd | Floyd | "Well, if it were me, I'd probably explore around this area a bit Floyd | first, at least do what we can to figure out where we are." Floyd | Floyd | "What do you mean, if it were you? You planning to just hang out and Floyd | let me do all the work again?" Floyd | Floyd | Emily glares at you. "Fine. We should explore this area first. I think Floyd | we were sent here for a reason, and we just need to find out what's Floyd | special about this spot." Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | > Floyd | High Plains Floyd | Scrub bushes and sparse grasses provide a little ground cover for the Floyd | otherwise rocky, sandy soil of this area. Other than the jagged Floyd | mountains looming a few miles to the east, this spot seems entirely Floyd | barren. Floyd | Floyd | A damaged road sign lies at your feet. Floyd | Floyd | Emily hovers a few inches above the ground here. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x grasses" | ||||
Floyd | >This vegetation clings tenaciously to life, and while that makes it Floyd | sort of admirable, it's by no means pretty. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x mountains" | ||||
Floyd | >The mountains are a few miles distant. Their sharp, jagged peaks feel Floyd | different, harsher than the solemn ridges of your familiar Sierra Floyd | Nevadas. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search bushes" | ||||
Floyd | >The vegetation is too thin and scraggly to conceal much, but you make Floyd | a cursory search anyway, finding nothing. Floyd | | Firion asks, "Belatedly, what are we playing?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "This is our third week of playing the Earth and Sky series." | ||||
| Firion says, "I should've remembered." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, it's either that I'm a park ranger, or just a complete hippy, but every time I try to type the word Earth, I type 'Earthy' and then have to backspace to get rid of the Y." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I find that sort of amusing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x ground" | ||||
Floyd | >You see nothing special about the ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "I can't think of anything to do except to go check out those mountains." | |||
| Paul says, "Earthy And Skyy. The advetures of a magical hippie and his vodka-powered sister." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "HA" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That'll be the next sequel, or else a wonderfully silly parody that someone will write after reading this transcript." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So, unless anyone objects, I'm gonna go look at them there mountains." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Hm, but how?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "jump toward mountains" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
| Bert arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
Floyd | >You consider heading towards the mountains, but something just feels Floyd | wrong about that. If you were supposed to find your parents there, why Floyd | wouldn't the teleporter have sent you there to begin with? Floyd | Floyd | What the--? For a second there you could swear you saw the air shimmer Floyd | in the heat, except that there's no heat. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Oh, it's one of THOSE situations." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x shimmer" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >You can see nothing but more scrub in that direction. You take a few Floyd | steps, then turn around when you realize the uselessness of aimless Floyd | wandering. Floyd | | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x air" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | >You consider heading towards the mountains, but something just feels Floyd | wrong about that. If you were supposed to find your parents there, why Floyd | wouldn't the teleporter have sent you there to begin with? Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | >You can see nothing but more scrub in that direction. You take a few Floyd | steps, then turn around when you realize the uselessness of aimless Floyd | wandering. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >You can see nothing but more scrub in that direction. You take a few Floyd | steps, then turn around when you realize the uselessness of aimless Floyd | wandering. Floyd | | lunasspecto asks, "Might throwing dust in the air reveal something?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. Peraps." | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | >You leap straight up to get a higher perspective on your Floyd | surroundings. At the zenith of your leap, you can see a black, winding Floyd | stripe of road some distance to the west. The mountains to the east Floyd | are craggy and forbidding, and the rest of the landscape is desolate. Floyd | Then gravity pulls you back down to where you started. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take dirt" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "jump west" | ||||
Floyd | >With practiced ease, you launch yourself up and westwards, soaring Floyd | over acres of terrain and landing by a decaying road. Emily follows Floyd | your trajectory, and lands alongside you. Floyd | Floyd | Road Floyd | You are standing on a decrepit country highway, just barely paved, and Floyd | even that probably happened twenty years ago. The road is deserted -- Floyd | it's obviously seldom used, if at all. The crumbling asphalt leads Floyd | north and south in a distracted, wandering fashion. Floyd | Floyd | Emily stands here, looking around. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Wait just a damn second." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I can't go west, but we can jump west?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hrm." | ||||
| Firion says, "Bug." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to F), "Maybe." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Paul), "?" | ||||
| Paul says, "Not a bug." | ||||
| Paul It's too far to walk, but you can jump or fly there | Paul says, "Also, the aimless wandering statement is still true." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I wanted to do that, but it didn't work the way I tried it, I guess." | ||||
| Paul says, "Oh, right -- it didn't parse "Jump toward mountains". That you can call a bug." | ||||
| Nitku says, "And the mountans are to the east but we jumped west." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, no matter." | ||||
| Paul says, "Yeah, I think it would have handled "jump e"." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x asphalt" | ||||
Floyd | >If you were hoping to give some new shock absorbers a really good Floyd | test, this is the road you'd want to visit. It's twisty, uneven, and Floyd | littered with potholes. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Twisty little potholes." | |||
| Lucea says, "heh" | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x potholes" | ||||
Floyd | >If you were hoping to give some new shock absorbers a really good Floyd | test, this is the road you'd want to visit. It's twisty, uneven, and Floyd | littered with potholes. Floyd | | ||||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >"This doesn't make any sense!" you exclaim. "Why would our parents Floyd | have followed Professor Andrews into the middle of nowhere? Why would Floyd | he have been here in the first place?" Floyd | Floyd | "Danged if I know," says Emily, "but maybe there's more here than Floyd | meets the eye. We are talking about aliens, after all -- maybe they're Floyd | able to conceal things in ways we don't understand. You know, like the Floyd | Klingon cloaking device or something." Floyd | Floyd | "Better not tell any of your academia friends you know that much about Floyd | Star Trek." Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, it's okay. I can just claim I'm being a cultural critic." Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >It's likely you'd find somebody after following the road, but it Floyd | might take a long, long time, and would probably take you off the Floyd | trail of your parents, too. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >"I hate to admit it," you say, "but I'm stumped." Floyd | Floyd | Emily smirks. "Well, even though you know more about superheroes and Floyd | science than I do, looks like it's up to me to get us out of this one. Floyd | Lucky for you, I have an idea. Floyd | Floyd | "Follow me," she says, and flies back to your original landing place. Floyd | With a prodigious leap, you arrive next to her a moment later. Floyd | Floyd | High Plains Floyd | Scrub bushes and sparse grasses provide a little ground cover for the Floyd | otherwise rocky, sandy soil of this area. Other than the jagged Floyd | mountains looming a few miles to the east, this spot seems entirely Floyd | barren. Floyd | Floyd | A damaged road sign lies at your feet. Floyd | Floyd | She closes her eyes, and fog begins to coalesce around her. Within Floyd | moments, a thick cloud of vapor swirls around you both, thinning a Floyd | minute or two later to a light mist, refracting the sunlight and Floyd | clinging persistently to the outlines of a structure you can just Floyd | barely see. Floyd | | ||||
| inky arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jacqueline says, "Aha. Fog, not dirt." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Shoulda thought of that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nice touch, Paul." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x structure" | ||||
Floyd | >The remnants of your sister's fog cloud cling tenaciously to the Floyd | outlines of a mid-sized fortress, cloaked almost imperceptibly among Floyd | the shrubs and grasses. The fog is particularly thick around the Floyd | doors, which look quite solid indeed. Floyd | | Paul smiles. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter structure" | ||||
Floyd | >Not while those doors bar your way. Floyd | Floyd | What the--? For a second there you could swear you saw the air shimmer Floyd | in the heat, except that there's no heat. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | >The doors seem to be quite locked. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "smash door" | ||||
Floyd | >SLAMMO! You rear back and direct a roundhouse punch at the doors, Floyd | which fly open and warp on their hinges with the force of your blow! Floyd | The cloak of invisibility around the fortress flickers, then blinks Floyd | out altogether, revealing the entirety of the building, standing Floyd | incongruously in the middle of the empty landscape. Floyd | | inky asks, "punching: are there any problems it can't solve?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Was SLAMMO! a textual substitution for the graphic?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "I think not." | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "Yes" | ||||
| Lucea says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Cool, so they do appear here, as you'd hoped. Huzzah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x structure" | ||||
Floyd | >Now that it's visible, the fortress doesn't look nearly as Floyd | mysterious, though it certainly still looks quite solid. Basically, Floyd | it's more or less a large bunker, made of the same indestructible Floyd | polymer that constituted the cat-alien's research station. The Floyd | fortress doors have been smashed open. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter structure" | ||||
Floyd | >You and Emily step into the fortress, hoping for the best. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Maerr's ears swiveled to attention at the distant crash. He locked Floyd | eyes with Science Master Esrrua, and leaned towards the microphone. Floyd | "Should we halt the procedure?" Floyd | Floyd | "Of course not, you tail-raiser," hissed Esrrua over the com-link. Floyd | "It's likely nothing, and besides, there are security robots. Seal the Floyd | room." Floyd | Floyd | Maerr's eyes narrowed. He growled low in his throat, but said nothing. Floyd | His gaze still on Esrrua, he moved the vertical lever downwards. The Floyd | sound of servos and a resonant thump told him that the lab was now Floyd | sealed from the outside world, even as the glass partition separated Floyd | himself and Esrrua. "Sealed." Floyd | | Paul says, "Yeah, eas2 was glulx too, so that question got answered last week." | |||
| Paul exclaims, "And huzzah indeed!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I guess it did. For some reason it didn't stand out to me last week like it did just now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | E A R T H Floyd | Floyd | A N D Floyd | Floyd | S K Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Episode 3: Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | Floyd | Part One Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press green" | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | The instant you cross the threshold, an earsplitting, discordant Floyd | screech begins repeating through the corridor, and security robots Floyd | emerge at the end of the hall, skittering towards you with alarming Floyd | rapidity! Floyd | Floyd | "Holy crap!" shouts Emily over the din. "I'll keep the robots busy, Floyd | Austin -- you figure out a way to shut off that godawful noise!" With Floyd | that, she goes to work, frying robot after robot with her electrical Floyd | blasts, even as more and more emerge to replace their fallen comrades. Floyd | Floyd | Entry Corridor Floyd | The entry corridor of the fortress looks innocent enough, just a Floyd | simple passageway leading north, with some mangled iron doors at the Floyd | south end. At the moment, though, what with the rampaging horde of Floyd | security robots, maybe it doesn't seem so innocent after all. Down the Floyd | length of the corridor, alarms shriek and red lights flash in perfect Floyd | synchronization. Floyd | Floyd | A transparent bubble on the wall protects a panel of electronics and Floyd | urgent-looking lights, lights that pulse with the rhythm of the Floyd | screeching alarm. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Man, I hate loud noises." | |||
| Paul exclaims, "This is the wrong game for you!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "Quit yelling!" | ||||
| Jacqueline smiles. | ||||
| Paul says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | >You can't think of a compelling reason to wreck the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Lucea says, "this seems like a timed section.." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x robots" | ||||
Floyd | >The robots are insectile and frightening, gliding swiftly towards you Floyd | on four articulated limbs attached to a central platform. Rising from Floyd | this platform is a central body-stem, from which extend two arms that Floyd | end in glittering needle points. There seems to be an inexhaustible Floyd | supply of these things. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline asks (of Lucea), "What's your thought?" | |||
| inky says, "my thought is you should punch something" | ||||
| Lucea says, "oh, I was just wondering if we wanted a driver" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "x bubble" | ||||
Floyd | >The bubble is clear but looks quite strong. It completely covers the Floyd | panel, and shows no sign of being openable. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "punch it" | ||||
Floyd | >CRRASH! Your piledriver fist shatters the bubble into thousands of Floyd | tiny shards! Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says (to inky), "Well, I guess that's one problem punching actually didn't solve. Bummer." | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x panel" | ||||
Floyd | >The lights of the panel flash in perfect synchronization with the Floyd | sounds of the alarm. Although you can discern no obvious operating Floyd | mechanism, you have a hunch that this panel somehow controls the Floyd | alarm. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | Floyd | Emily slips for a moment, almost slamming to the ground before finally Floyd | catching herself and floating upward again! Floyd | | inky says, "ok, I did my part" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Thank you, inky." | ||||
| Lucea asks, "how didn't it help?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "now the panel's open" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, true. I just wanted the noise to stop, too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But I guess that's inside the panel." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe." | ||||
| Lucea asks, "can we punch the panel>?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf1" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "punch panel" | ||||
Floyd | >THUNK! You put a significant dent in the alarm panel, but the alarm Floyd | plays on. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Oh NOES" | |||
| Lucea says, "hm. again." | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "punch panel" | ||||
Floyd | >THUNK! You put a significant dent in the alarm panel, but the alarm Floyd | plays on. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >THUNK! You put a significant dent in the alarm panel, but the alarm Floyd | plays on. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >THUNK! You put a significant dent in the alarm panel, but the alarm Floyd | plays on. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Okay, maybe not." | |||
| inky says, "hmm" | ||||
| Lucea says, "or not" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "switch to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | inky asks, "what's the command?" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "switch" | ||||
Floyd | >What do you want to switch? Floyd | | Paul says, "Switch" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "That seems counter-intuitive to everything I know about punching." | ||||
| inky says, "switch emily" | ||||
| inky says, "er" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "switch switch" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "switch emily" | ||||
Floyd | >She's not something you can switch. Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Your sister is here, fiercely tossing lightning bolts and fogging the Floyd | robots. The automatons are piling up, but there seems to be an endless Floyd | stream of replacements, and Emily can't manage to gain any ground. Floyd | | Paul says, "nope, sorry. Change" | |||
| Paul says, "or c" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Entry Corridor Floyd | The entry corridor of the fortress looks innocent enough, just a Floyd | simple passageway leading north, with some mangled iron doors at the Floyd | south end. At the moment, though, what with the rampaging horde of Floyd | security robots, maybe it doesn't seem so innocent after all. Down the Floyd | length of the corridor, alarms shriek and red lights flash in perfect Floyd | synchronization. Floyd | Floyd | An alarm panel adorns the wall here, its lights flashing in perfect Floyd | synchronization with the sounds of the alarm despite a few dents from Floyd | Austin's fists. Floyd | Floyd | Austin shouts, "Let me fight the robots for a while -- try to stop Floyd | that alarm!" Floyd | Floyd | SKREE! SKREE! SKREE! Floyd | Floyd | Austin is fighting the robots ably, knocking them to bits against the Floyd | walls of the corridor and sending them flying into one another. Floyd | Unfortunately, he's only staying even with the replacements that flow Floyd | endlessly into the corridor. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "blast panel" | ||||
Floyd | >KER-POW! ZZZORK! The alarm panel's casing splits with the force of Floyd | your lightning bolt, and for a moment all the lights in the corridor Floyd | flash at strobe intensity. Then they go out, and the alarm sound Floyd | abruptly stops as the lights flicker back to life. Instantly, the Floyd | security robots cease their attack and scuttle out of sight, leaving Floyd | their fallen comrades behind. Floyd | Floyd | The last dead robot clanks to the ground, and then the corridor is Floyd | silent, except for a low hum that seems to come from far beneath you. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Oh, *that* kind of switch." | |||
| Lucea says, "aha" | ||||
| inky says, "I forgot that sometimes you have to solve problems with blowing stuff up instead of punching them" | ||||
| inky says, "silly me" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Paul says, "I didn't want to overload "switch" in the library." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I can guess that'd be weird." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x robots" | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | When the alarm stopped, Science Master Esrrua flicked his tail in Floyd | Maerr's direction without looking up from his work. "You see? The Floyd | security bots have solved whatever problem was occurring." Floyd | Floyd | "I regret that you are wrong, pridemate. My displays indicate that Floyd | living, non-iueeoorr creatures roam the first level." Floyd | Floyd | Esrrua scowled. "Piss! Very well, then, let us make sure they remain Floyd | there. This procedure is too important to interrupt. Shut down the Floyd | transport tubes!" Floyd | Floyd | Maerr's paws raced over the panel. "They are disabled," he said. Floyd | Floyd | "Good! Now, let us continue. Open containment chamber." Floyd | Floyd | Maerr moved the horizontal lever from left to right, and the Floyd | containment chamber on the other side of the glass partition between Floyd | Esrrua and himself slid open. "Opening." Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Mwuahaha" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | E A R T H Floyd | Floyd | A N D Floyd | Floyd | S K Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Episode 3: Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | Floyd | Part Two Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Entry Corridor Floyd | The entry corridor looks quite the worse for wear from the recent Floyd | battle. Not only are the southern doors warped and mangled, but the Floyd | extent of the passageway leading north is scorched, scratched, dented, Floyd | and littered with nonfunctional security robots. Floyd | Floyd | An alarm panel adorns the wall here, thoroughly fried by your Floyd | lightning bolt. Floyd | Floyd | Austin taps his foot nervously beside you. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take robot" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Aw. I wanted to hurl dead robots at kitties." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >Austin follows you. Floyd | Floyd | T Junction Floyd | Here, away from the battle scars of the entry corridor, it's easier to Floyd | see the patterns that dance along the walls: graceful black swirls Floyd | laid over a softly glowing grey background. From where you stand, Floyd | paths lead east, west, and south. Floyd | Floyd | Austin is alongside you, his earthsuit nearly blending in with the Floyd | surroundings. Floyd | Floyd | Directly opposite the southern corridor, a tall cylinder interrupts Floyd | the north wall. The tube runs floor to ceiling, with an opening in the Floyd | front, a foot or two taller than you are. Floyd | | Paul says, "I think that was a puzzle planned for Activision's graphical Planetfall game." | |||
| Nitku says (to Floyd), "x cylinder" | ||||
Floyd | >The tube is made of the same material as the walls, and is the same Floyd | color, light grey with black swirls. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf2" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter tube" | ||||
Floyd | >Confidently, you step into the tube. You stand there. You wait. Floyd | Nothing happens, and there's no space above or below you to fly into, Floyd | so you step back out again. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "I was hoping to fly while inside the tube, to push it upward." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Darn." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >"Nice job on that bubble," you say. Floyd | Floyd | "And my compliments on your panel-electrocution," replies Austin. Floyd | Floyd | An awkward silence follows. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "change" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | T Junction Floyd | From where you stand, paths lead east, west, and south. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is nearby, waiting for you to do something interesting. Floyd | Floyd | Directly opposite the southern corridor, a tall cylinder interrupts Floyd | the north wall. The tube runs floor to ceiling, with an opening in the Floyd | front, a foot or two taller than you are. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >"So listen," you say, "about this tube... the design of it looks a Floyd | little familiar to me. I think it might be related to these Floyd | transportation tubes I saw on the alien sphere. You step inside it and Floyd | some kind of gravity control mechanism raises or lowers you to another Floyd | level. It's really a rather fascinating technology, and I have some Floyd | ideas as to how it might have been accomplished. Certain subatomic Floyd | particles have been theorized, and to some extent observed, to have Floyd | anti-gravitic properties, and it's possible that--" Floyd | Floyd | "So," Emily interrupts, "you're saying we should step into this tube?" Floyd | Floyd | "We already tested the tube, remember? I have a feeling that it won't Floyd | be taking us anywhere. We'll have to find some other way into the Floyd | lower levels." Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | >You can't think of a compelling reason to wreck the ceiling. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "punch floor" | ||||
Floyd | >THOOM! You bring your mighty foot down on the ground, causing a minor Floyd | tremor. Nothing useful seems to result. Floyd | Floyd | "Whoa!" says Emily, settling back down to the ground. "Thought you Floyd | could knock me off my feet, huh? Too bad for you I can fly." She Floyd | sticks her tongue out at you. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | > Floyd | T Junction Floyd | From where you stand, paths lead east, west, and south. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is here, watching you. Floyd | Floyd | Directly opposite the southern corridor, a tall cylinder interrupts Floyd | the north wall. The tube runs floor to ceiling, with an opening in the Floyd | front, a foot or two taller than you are. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | East Corridor Floyd | This is a short corridor, leading west to the T junction and Floyd | dead-ending in a blank wall to the east. Light in these corridors is Floyd | ambient, radiating evenly from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is nearby, waiting for you to do something interesting. Floyd | Floyd | An archway leads south into shadow. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Hangar Floyd | This is a huge room, thousands of square feet, with its ceiling high Floyd | enough to be invisible in the darkness -- in other words, a room very Floyd | much like your parents' lab back home, and pain pierces you at the Floyd | thought. However, where your parents' lab is occupied by clutter and Floyd | machinery, this room is rather bare, except for the large device in Floyd | the center. At least, you suppose it's bare, but the only light in Floyd | here is what leaks through the archway leading north; shadows rule Floyd | everywhere else. Floyd | Floyd | Emily stands a few feet away from you, looking stricken for a moment, Floyd | then composing herself. Floyd | Floyd | A sizable machine dominates the room, two stories tall and covered in Floyd | a nest of pipes. It has the unmistakable appearance of a vehicle. You Floyd | tell Emily so, and she just nods and says, "Whatever you say, Austin," Floyd | in that way she has. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x vehicle" | ||||
Floyd | >The vehicle is large and sleek, roughly rectangular in shape but Floyd | tapering a bit at one end. Its entire surface is covered in a mazy Floyd | tangle of pipes. Pipes wind around each other and down every side and Floyd | edge, some terminating in a flare at the ground and others opening Floyd | dark holes at the ship's untapered end. The whole thing looks a bit Floyd | like an unfortunate collision between a shoebox and a French horn. No Floyd | entrance is apparent anywhere. Floyd | | Lucea asks, "can we punch it?" | |||
| Lucea says, "no, I'm serious" | ||||
| Lucea says, "if there's no entrance..." | ||||
| lunasspecto asks, "...make one?" | ||||
| lunasspecto says, "You could punch something vital." | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "punch it" | ||||
Floyd | >It's possible you may be able to smash your way into the vehicle, but Floyd | it almost certainly wouldn't function with a giant hole in its side, Floyd | so you refrain. Floyd | | Lucea says, "Oh. Well then." | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >Based on their configuration, you surmise that these pipes must have Floyd | something to do with propulsion and stabilization of the craft. Floyd | | ||||
| lunasspecto says (to Floyd), "enter pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >Unless you manage to acquire a shrinking power, the pipes are too Floyd | small to enter. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "snrk" | |||
| Jacqueline just finished reading the crazy comic. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, furries." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(kidding)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(except not entirely)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >You've said all you can think of to say to Emily for the moment. Floyd | | Paul says, "That's waiting for the AIF version" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Taleslinger arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jacqueline says, "Let's go look at the other end of the T-junction." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | East Corridor Floyd | This is a short corridor, leading west to the T junction and Floyd | dead-ending in a blank wall to the east. Light in these corridors is Floyd | ambient, radiating evenly from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is here, watching you. Floyd | Floyd | An archway leads south into shadow. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | T Junction Floyd | From where you stand, paths lead east, west, and south. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is nearby, waiting for you to do something interesting. Floyd | Floyd | Directly opposite the southern corridor, a tall cylinder interrupts Floyd | the north wall. The tube runs floor to ceiling, with an opening in the Floyd | front, a foot or two taller than you are. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "Hello!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | West Corridor Floyd | This is a short corridor, leading east to the T junction and Floyd | dead-ending in a blank wall to the west. Light in these corridors is Floyd | ambient, radiating evenly from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Emily leans against the wall here. Floyd | Floyd | A tall archway provides an exit to the south. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Hello, Taleslinger." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >Before you break the plane of the archway, you look where you're Floyd | going, and what you see stops you cold. The room beyond the archway is Floyd | home to rank upon rank of security robots. There must be hundreds of Floyd | them, standing alertly in thick regiments. The robots have clearly Floyd | noticed you -- their bodies swivel to follow your every movement, but Floyd | they do not advance. Down one of the aisles formed by the regiments, Floyd | far at the back of the room, the lights of a large machine march in Floyd | perfect rhythm. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x machine" | ||||
Floyd | >The machine is at the back of a big room, so you can't make out much Floyd | -- mostly just that it's large and festooned with flashing lights. The Floyd | whole thing is maybe the size of a concession stand, with yellow Floyd | sliding doors on its front, flanked by black walls that curve smoothly Floyd | away. Given its placement and its shape, you suspect that it serves Floyd | the purpose of creating the security robots, and perhaps controlling Floyd | them as well. Floyd | | ||||
| schep arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Jacqueline says, "Recent peer-interaction is making me want to punch the machine, of course." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "inky and Lucea = bad influences" | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "Is this still unwinnable?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How so?" | ||||
| inky says, "I bet this is going to involve dance-fighting" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Erm, I actually mean not being able to be made unwinnable." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Interpretive dance fighting, maybe." | ||||
| lunasspecto asks, "Ununwinnable?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "bad influences? it worked!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to lunasspecto), "The other E&S games can't be accidentally placed in an unwinnable state." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And I'm guessing this one can't be, either." | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x lights" | ||||
Floyd | >The machine is at the back of a big room, so you can't make out much Floyd | -- mostly just that it's large and festooned with flashing lights. The Floyd | whole thing is maybe the size of a concession stand, with yellow Floyd | sliding doors on its front, flanked by black walls that curve smoothly Floyd | away. Given its placement and its shape, you suspect that it serves Floyd | the purpose of creating the security robots, and perhaps controlling Floyd | them as well. Floyd | | Paul says, "That is true. Unless you count immediately losing as an unwinnable state. But that's what UNDO is for." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Right." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to paul), "I love these games. Unfortunately, I couldn't be here for various reasons the last two times." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "punch machine" | ||||
Floyd | >The large machine is too far away. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "go to machine" | ||||
Floyd | >The large machine is too far away. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >"Austin!" shouts Emily. "What's the matter with you? You saw how Floyd | tough it was to fight off those robots in a narrow corridor -- Floyd | stepping into that room would be suicide!" Floyd | Floyd | Please select a reply: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "Oh, right. Good point." Floyd | 2) "I can take 'em! I've got SUPER-POWERS!" Floyd | 3) "But how do we know they'll attack?" Floyd | | Paul says (to Taleslinger), "Hey, thanks. I love hearing that." | |||
| inky says, "hee hee" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "2" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 2 Floyd | Floyd | "Super-powers maybe, but you're not invincible, dummy. Those robots Floyd | would massacre you, and I'd like you around for a while longer." Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf3" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily just says, "Think again, Austin." Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | West Corridor Floyd | This is a short corridor, leading east to the T junction and Floyd | dead-ending in a blank wall to the west. Despite their somewhat Floyd | antiseptic appearance, these hallways have a warmth and a slightly Floyd | pungent smell that reminds you of the zoo on a summer day. Floyd | Floyd | Austin stands next to you, his eyes taking in everything. Floyd | Floyd | A tall archway provides an exit to the south. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "Maybe as Em, we can fly over them?" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "blast machine" | ||||
Floyd | >You look at the machine. It seems so far away, but the robots prevent Floyd | you from getting any closer. If you're going to blast it, you'll have Floyd | to do it from here. Floyd | Floyd | You thrust your hand toward it, willing the skysuit to do its Floyd | lightning bolt thing. There's a tiny tingle, then a little more, but Floyd | no lightning. Dammit. Just too far away. You drop your hand. Floyd | Floyd | No! You've come through an incredible amount of craziness to find your Floyd | parents, and here you are, and you are not going to be stopped by Floyd | this! You thrust your hand out again, and this time you keep your arm Floyd | extended, feeling yourself starting to sweat within the skysuit. Floyd | Floyd | "My God, of course!" says Austin. "You're holding the charge, aren't Floyd | you? But Emily, be careful! I think your suit's insulation should Floyd | protect you, but don't push it too far! What you're doing could be Floyd | dangerous!" Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly, with a crackle and a bright flash of light, arcs of Floyd | electricity are dancing between your fingers and the floor near the Floyd | machine. They're still a few yards away from the big device, but they Floyd | begin to creep closer... closer... Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | >I beg your pardon? Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >You can't bear to let the charge build any further, and you drop your Floyd | arm, steeling your resolve to start over. The electrical arcs vanish, Floyd | and you can breathe again. So you take a deep breath, close your Floyd | eyes, and extend your arm. Floyd | Floyd | "Careful, Em," says Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly, with a crackle and a bright flash of light, arcs of Floyd | electricity are dancing between your fingers and the floor near the Floyd | machine. They're still a few yards away from the big device, but they Floyd | begin to creep closer... closer... Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >You can't bear to let the charge build any further, and you drop your Floyd | arm, steeling your resolve to start over. The electrical arcs vanish, Floyd | and you can breathe again. So you take a deep breath, close your Floyd | eyes, and extend your arm. Floyd | Floyd | "Careful, Em," says Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly, with a crackle and a bright flash of light, arcs of Floyd | electricity are dancing between your fingers and the floor near the Floyd | machine. They're still a few yards away from the big device, but they Floyd | begin to creep closer... closer... Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fly" | ||||
Floyd | >You can't bear to let the charge build any further, and you drop your Floyd | arm. The electrical arcs vanish, and you can breathe again. Floyd | Floyd | The ceiling is low enough that all you could do is hover a foot or so Floyd | above the ground, so you don't bother. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "meh" | |||
| Paul says, "Try Z. Should've caught that." | ||||
| Paul says, "Instead of g, i mean." | ||||
| inky says, "I remember Paul posted a thread on the newsgroup on how to do this scene" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Oh?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blast machine" | ||||
Floyd | > So you take a deep breath, close your eyes, and extend your arm. Floyd | Floyd | "Careful, Em," says Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Suddenly, with a crackle and a bright flash of light, arcs of Floyd | electricity are dancing between your fingers and the floor near the Floyd | machine. They're still a few yards away from the big device, but they Floyd | begin to creep closer... closer... Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | >You wait, letting the charge build, and soon the air swims with acrid Floyd | ozone. Your tongue feels like it's been coated in copper, and your Floyd | breath comes in quick gasps. The electrical arcs brighten, inching Floyd | ever closer to the machine, until they're just a few feet away from Floyd | making contact. Floyd | | Jacqueline asks, "Why z instead of g?" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | >You can barely keep your arm straight as your muscles begin spasming Floyd | of their own accord. The buzz of the electricity drones relentlessly Floyd | in your ears, and through the red mist that's rapidly obscuring your Floyd | vision, you can see that your electrical charge is just inches away Floyd | from the huge machine. Floyd | Floyd | Distantly, you can hear Austin shouting encouragement. "You're almost Floyd | there, Emily! If you can just hang on a few seconds more, you'll get Floyd | it!" Floyd | | Paul says, "You're letting the charge build, rather than starting over." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Details, details. heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Makes sense." | ||||
| olethros arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Paul says, "But I should've recognized the intention of g in this scene." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | >ZZZORK! Floyd | KA-BOOM! Floyd | Floyd | Your blast reaches the machine, which explodes in a gratifying shower Floyd | of sparks, like a special effect on the old Star Trek. I did this Floyd | amazingly hard thing, and the image that comes to my mind is of Star Floyd | Trek? These are your last thoughts as you slip out of consciousness. Floyd | Floyd | [now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | West Corridor Floyd | This is a short corridor, leading east to the T junction and Floyd | dead-ending in a blank wall to the west. Light in these corridors is Floyd | ambient, radiating evenly from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | A tall archway provides an exit to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The bright current flowing from Emily's fingertips vanishes, and she Floyd | crumples to the floor. Floyd | Floyd | "Emily!" you cry, rushing to her. She doesn't respond. You reach down Floyd | to pick her up -- she feels light as a sheet of paper in your Floyd | earthsuited arms. Her head lolls, and then her eyelids begin to Floyd | twitch. Floyd | Floyd | "All that electroshock, and I'm still in a rotten mood," she says, Floyd | opening her eyes and smiling weakly up at you. You release the breath Floyd | you didn't know you were holding, and lower her back down to the Floyd | ground, steadying her until she can stand up on her own. She looks Floyd | tired, but none the worse for wear after her ordeal. Floyd | Floyd | The same can't be said for the distant machine, its lights Floyd | extinguished and smoke pouring from between its doors. Every robot in Floyd | the room seems to have been affected by the machine's destruction -- Floyd | they all slump slightly forward in the same inactive, defeated pose. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Security Robot Headquarters Floyd | The lights are still ambient and sourceless but much brighter in this Floyd | room, a cavernous space housing hundreds of security robots. The sound Floyd | and vibration you felt in other rooms of the fortress is quite a bit Floyd | stronger here, so much so that you can't hear or feel your own Floyd | footsteps. At the south end of the room, a ruined robot controller Floyd | sends plumes of noisome black smoke up to the high ceiling. A tall Floyd | archway leads north. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is here, watching you. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "x controller" | ||||
Floyd | >This machine is about the size of a concession stand, with yellow Floyd | double-doors in the front and black polymer walls that curve smoothly Floyd | away. It is structurally intact, more or less, but it is obviously Floyd | quite defunct. Its lights have gone out, and black smoke seeps from Floyd | between its doors. Now that you're closer to it, you can see that the Floyd | machine isn't just resting on the ground, but instead rises up from Floyd | it, almost as if it were a part of the floor. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open doors" | ||||
Floyd | >You step up to the doors, prying your fingers into the seam between Floyd | them. With muscles made mighty by the power of the earthsuit, you Floyd | pull, and the doors slide apart with an earsplitting SKREEEK! of Floyd | protest, releasing a cloud of evil-smelling black smoke directly into Floyd | your face. By the time your coughing fit ends, the smoke has Floyd | dissipated, and you can see a small, dim space beyond the open doors. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Damn. Another loud noise!" | |||
| Jacqueline puts in ear plugs. | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "Told you this game was full of 'em." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter controller" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Inside The Robot Fabricator Floyd | Here in the guts of the former robot controller, there's barely room Floyd | for two people to stand up, and even then, they have to be hunched Floyd | over. Disappointingly, the walls are just more reflective polymer, Floyd | betraying no information about the inner workings of the device. In Floyd | fact, the only complicated-looking thing in here at all is the floor, Floyd | which is a small metropolis of gleaming, interlocking metal pieces, Floyd | with handle-like protrusions rising prominently from each edge. It's Floyd | hard to find anywhere to put your feet where you won't be crushing Floyd | something. The noise and vibration you felt in the outer room are even Floyd | stronger in here. You can exit through the aperture made by the Floyd | wrenched-open doors. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is alongside you, resplendent in blue and white. Floyd | | schep says, "and us without our fancy glulx comic book fonts" | |||
| olethros asks, "is this E & S 3?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "What? I can't--" | ||||
| Jacqueline takes out her ear plugs. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh." | ||||
| Paul says, "hee" | ||||
| inky says (to olethros), "yep" | ||||
| inky says (to Jacqueline), "psst, you have a banana in your ear" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "pull handle" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "pull potrusions" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | Jacqueline says (to inky), "What? I can't hear you - I have a banana in my ear." | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | >You're inside a tiny room -- there's no up to go to. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "smash floor" | ||||
Floyd | >THOOM! You flatten some of the gears and blocks with a potent stomp, Floyd | but the floor remains in place. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "pull protrusions" | ||||
Floyd | >These cramped quarters make it difficult for you to find a place to Floyd | stand where you can pull the floor up. The fact that Emily is crammed Floyd | in here with you makes it impossible. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "emily, out" | ||||
Floyd | >"Okay, but just this once, because it is way too cramped in here." Floyd | She floats serenely out. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "pull protrusions" | ||||
Floyd | >With one knee bent and your other foot resting almost all the way Floyd | outside the chamber, you lean forward, gripping the handles at the Floyd | furthest edge from the door. You brace yourself, and strain against Floyd | the floor, willing it upward with every ounce of power in your tired Floyd | muscles. At first, the floor seems immobile and your effort hopeless, Floyd | but then you hear the sounds of metal pieces grinding against each Floyd | other, and you feel the seam begin to give. There is a tearing, then Floyd | another, and suddenly, an enormously satisfying KKKKRRRKK! as Floyd | thousands of tiny clockwork pieces smash together and the floor peels Floyd | backwards like a banana skin, folding into an inviting carpet in front Floyd | of the robot controller. Floyd | Floyd | Security Robot Headquarters Floyd | The lights are still ambient and sourceless but much brighter in this Floyd | room, a cavernous space housing hundreds of security robots. The sound Floyd | and vibration you felt in other rooms of the fortress is quite a bit Floyd | stronger here, so much so that you can't hear or feel your own Floyd | footsteps. At the south end of the room is the robot fabricator, whose Floyd | former floor is now folded in front of it like a welcome mat. A tall Floyd | archway leads north. Floyd | Floyd | Emily leans against the wall here. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >Just because your codename is Earth doesn't mean you have to start Floyd | tunneling all over the place. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "in" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Inside The Robot Fabricator Floyd | Here in the guts of the former robot controller, there's barely room Floyd | for two people to stand up, and even then, they have to be hunched Floyd | over. Disappointingly, the walls are just more reflective polymer, Floyd | betraying no information about the inner workings of the device. Floyd | You're balancing precariously on a thin metal rafter joist, all that's Floyd | left of the floor you ripped away. Loud, constant machine noise comes Floyd | from below, where you can see small, blocky robots milling about Floyd | purposefully, on a floor that's at least five stories down from here. Floyd | As well as the obvious way down, you can also exit through the Floyd | aperture made by the wrenched-open doors. Floyd | Floyd | Emily hovers above the hole you've made in the floor. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "down?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Wait." | ||||
| Jacqueline puts her ear plugs back in. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, yeah." | ||||
| Paul says, "HA" | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >You step off the joist and plummet towards the floor below... Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Two sets of ears snapped alert. "Something has been torn," said Maerr. Floyd | Floyd | "Status," growled Esrrua, his back hunched and his narrow-slitted eyes Floyd | focused on the crystal held sterile in its transparent container. Floyd | Floyd | "The intruders have reached the drilling room." Floyd | Floyd | Science Master Esrrua emitted a strangled sound. "This is Floyd | intolerable!" he spat. "Reactivate the transport tubes and send the Floyd | simian-hunters through them. Instruct them to exterminate the prey Floyd | immediately. No sport." Floyd | Floyd | "I shall so instruct, though you know their independent natures." Floyd | Floyd | "They will obey or die. These interruptions must cease! Open transfer Floyd | chamber." Floyd | Floyd | Once again Maerr manipulated the panel, and a quick symphony of servos Floyd | played. "Simian-hunters released. Transfer chamber opened." Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Eep! Simian-hunters!" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | E A R T H Floyd | Floyd | A N D Floyd | Floyd | S K Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Episode 3: Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | Floyd | Part Three Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | You land on the floor with a WHUMP that you can barely hear due to the Floyd | incredibly high noise level in here. Floyd | Floyd | Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | The Drill Room Floyd | A low, teeth-rattling vibration and a deafening hum fill this room, so Floyd | loud you feel like you've got knitting needles jammed in your ears. Floyd | The sonic barrage makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else, Floyd | but the huge apparatus dominating the north half of the room demands Floyd | your notice. It's a giant, threaded cone, pointed towards the ground Floyd | and held by a sturdy frame -- obviously a drill, even if it wasn't Floyd | poised above an immense hole in the floor, which in fact it is. The Floyd | drill's operating mechanism isn't readily visible, as you're finding Floyd | is typical of this alien technology. On the opposite wall, a pile of Floyd | polished crystals reaches up towards the high ceiling. Between these Floyd | two monoliths, dozens of small, squarish robots buzz around you Floyd | constantly, frenetically working at various tasks. A wide archway Floyd | leads west, and a hole in the distant ceiling provides access to the Floyd | upper level of the fortress. Floyd | Floyd | Emily stands here, looking around. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x robots" | ||||
Floyd | >The robots mill around you constantly, each busily working at its Floyd | prescribed task. Some float up from inside the hole, hauling rocks; Floyd | others polish these rocks until crystal shines through; others cut the Floyd | larger crystals into rectangular blocks; and still others sort the Floyd | crystals into their respective piles. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x crystals" | ||||
Floyd | >The pile of crystals is actually two adjoining piles. One consists of Floyd | larger specimens, hewn roughly into rectangles, stacked atop one Floyd | another, and refracting the light quite beautifully. Oddly, the Floyd | crystals aren't particularly gemlike, looking more like polished glass Floyd | trinkets with air-bubbles trapped inside them. The other pile appears Floyd | to be remnants from the first, and ranges from fair-sized, irregularly Floyd | shaped hunks to powdery heaps. Floyd | | ||||
| Otto goes home. | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "search them" | ||||
Floyd | >You find nothing of interest. Floyd | | ||||
| schep says (to Floyd), "punch drill" | ||||
Floyd | >WHAM! You can't hear the impact, but you certainly feel it as you Floyd | slam a powerful fist into the frame that supports the drill. It bends Floyd | perilously, setting the auger at a crazy angle to the ground. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >WHAM! You can't hear the impact, but you certainly feel it as you Floyd | slam a powerful fist into the frame that supports the drill. It breaks Floyd | the rest of the way, and the drill topples to the ground with a CRRASH Floyd | that looks a lot more impressive than it sounds in this earsplitting Floyd | room. Your action seems to have affected neither the activity level of Floyd | the robots nor the noise level of the room. Floyd | Floyd | >WHAM! You can't hear the impact, but you certainly feel it as you Floyd | slam a powerful fist into the frame that supports the drill. It breaks Floyd | the rest of the way, and the drill topples to the ground with a CRRASH Floyd | that looks a lot more impressive than it sounds in this earsplitting Floyd | room. Your action seems to have affected neither the activity level of Floyd | the robots nor the noise level of the room. Floyd | | Jacqueline says (to Talelinger), "heehee" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Great minds..." | ||||
| Lucea says, "heh" | ||||
| Lucea says, "resilient robots" | ||||
| Taleslinger high-fives jacq. | ||||
| schep says, "wow, you toppled it twice" | ||||
| Paul says, "D'oh. That shouldn't print twice." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We're *just* that good." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x drill" | ||||
Floyd | >The apparatus is obviously a drill | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | > Floyd | The Drill Room Floyd | A low, teeth-rattling vibration and a deafening hum fill this room, so Floyd | loud you feel like you've got knitting needles jammed in your ears. Floyd | The sonic barrage makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else, Floyd | but the huge apparatus dominating the north half of the room demands Floyd | your notice. It's a giant, threaded cone, pointed at the wall and Floyd | lying on its side, thanks to the action of your super-strength and Floyd | violent tendencies. Apparently, it used to be a drill, but it seems Floyd | unlikely that it'll be doing any drilling in the near future. The Floyd | results of its handiwork are still evident in the immense pit that it Floyd | dug. On the opposite wall, a pile of polished crystals reaches up Floyd | towards the high ceiling. Between these two monoliths, dozens of Floyd | small, squarish robots buzz around you constantly, frenetically Floyd | working at various tasks. A wide archway leads west, and a hole in the Floyd | distant ceiling provides access to the upper level of the fortress. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is nearby, waiting for you to do something interesting. Floyd | | Jacqueline steps away for a quick moment. | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "look in pit" | ||||
Floyd | >Darkness. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "say echo" | ||||
Floyd | >(to Emily) Floyd | There is no reply. Floyd | | schep says, "ah, super-strength and violent tendencies. solves so much." | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "push crystals" | ||||
Floyd | >You give the pile a shove, and a few crystals topple from its Floyd | heights, smashing to powder on the floor below. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "get crystal" | ||||
Floyd | >It would be easy enough to haul around one of these big hunks of Floyd | crystal. It would be difficult to find a reason to do so. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "push machine" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "push drill" | ||||
Floyd | >You are unable to. Floyd | | ||||
| schep says (to Floyd), "take drill" | ||||
Floyd | >That's hardly portable. Floyd | | ||||
| schep says (to Floyd), "take robot" | ||||
Floyd | >They're hardly portable. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "push crystals" | ||||
Floyd | >You give the pile a shove, and a few crystals topple from its Floyd | heights, smashing to powder on the floor below. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >You give the pile a shove, and a few crystals topple from its Floyd | heights, smashing to powder on the floor below. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "punch crystals" | ||||
Floyd | >You aim a devastatingly powerful blow at one of the crystals, which Floyd | shatters dramatically into fragments. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | The Drill Room Floyd | A low, teeth-rattling vibration and a deafening hum fill this room, so Floyd | loud you feel like you've got knitting needles jammed in your ears. Floyd | The sonic barrage makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else, Floyd | but the huge apparatus dominating the north half of the room demands Floyd | your notice. It's a giant, threaded cone, pointed at the wall and Floyd | lying on its side, thanks to the action of your brother's Floyd | super-strength and violent tendencies. Apparently, it used to be a Floyd | drill, but it seems unlikely that it'll be doing any drilling in the Floyd | near future. The results of its handiwork are still evident in the Floyd | immense pit that it dug. On the opposite wall, a pile of polished Floyd | crystals reaches up towards the high ceiling. Between these two Floyd | monoliths, dozens of small, squarish robots buzz around you Floyd | constantly, frenetically working at various tasks. A wide archway Floyd | leads west, and a hole in the distant ceiling provides access to the Floyd | upper level of the fortress. Floyd | Floyd | Austin taps his foot nervously beside you. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "blast crystals" | ||||
Floyd | >You extend your hand, and a sizzling bolt of bright blue electricity Floyd | arcs between you and the crystals. With a thundering KER-POW, one of Floyd | the crystals disintegrates, leaving only a smoking scorch mark. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "I think we can ascertain the crystals are indeed destroyable." | |||
| Lucea says, "I was trying to see if punching it knocked the whole pile over" | ||||
| schep says, "but alas, only one or two at a time" | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "West?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | >Austin follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a wide archway emits Floyd | loud, droning noise. Floyd | Floyd | SLAM! says the archway, and suddenly an implacable black barrier fills Floyd | it, blocking your way back to the drill room. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh dear," says Austin. Floyd | Floyd | There is a WHOOSHing sound at both ends of the corridor, and bright Floyd | colors overpower the hall's neutral tones. At the north end, it's a Floyd | petite Asian woman hovering just above the floor in a bodysuit of Floyd | fiery orange and yellow, intricate flame patterns curling across it Floyd | that mirror the fire dancing around her hands. Opposite her, at the Floyd | corridor's south end, stands a tall, fair-skinned man, also in a Floyd | bodysuit, this one a swirling grey latticed with thin streaks of Floyd | bright purple. Floyd | Floyd | At this point, three realizations hit you. One, these bodysuits are Floyd | just like yours, right down to the cowls and masks. Two, if you and Floyd | your brother represent air and earth, these two must represent fire Floyd | and water. And three, these are your parents. You've found your Floyd | parents at last. Alive. But your joy turns to dread as you see the Floyd | malice in their eyes. Floyd | Floyd | "Humans!" shouts your mother imperiously, "You have invaded the Floyd | facilities of Science Master Esrrua! Prepare to suffer the Floyd | consequences! You will meet your death at the hands of FIRE AND RAIN! Floyd | Floyd | Please select a reply: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "Mom! It's us! It's Austin and Emily! We're here to rescue you!" Floyd | 2) "Snap out of it, you guys! You're Claire and Scott Colborn! We're Floyd | your kids!" Floyd | 3) "Wait. What?" Floyd | 4) "You named your super-team after a James Taylor song? That is so Floyd | Baby Boomer!" Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "4" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 4 Floyd | Floyd | A burst of flame from your mother's hands is her only answer, and you Floyd | dodge just in time. Floyd | Floyd | | Lucea says, "ha ha" | |||
| Taleslinger says, "ha ha ha" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "get oedipal" | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father Floyd | from behind you. Floyd | | Lucea asks, "but did they ever think they'd see us again?" | |||
| inky says, "I think FIRE AND RAIN also gets a graphic" | ||||
| Paul says (to inky), "yes" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "cf4" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "kill mum" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "kill fire" | ||||
Floyd | >(Mom) Floyd | That action doesn't fit your code of ethics. Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blast fire" | ||||
Floyd | >(Mom) Floyd | A blast of lightning from you would stop her, alright. It would Floyd | probably kill her. The thought sickens you; even though she's out of Floyd | her mind, she's still your mother. You have to find another solution. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and a gout of flame shoots Floyd | outward from it. You manage to avoid the brunt of the blast, but some Floyd | of the flames still touch your shoulder! The skysuit seems to be Floyd | holding up pretty well so far, but the sooner you can get out of this, Floyd | the better. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from behind you. Apparently Mom and Dad have spent Floyd | the last month enrolled in a crash course at the School Of Floyd | Supervillain Clich?s. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "fog mom" | ||||
Floyd | >You concentrate, but even as the mist forms around your mother, the Floyd | waves of heat that pulsate from her burn it off immediately. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | From behind you comes the sound of water swirling and crashing, like a Floyd | waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | Lucea asks, "is there a chandelier or something we can take out?" | |||
| inky says, "fly up and see" | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "blast pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >Your lightning powers don't normally work on objects that far away. Floyd | You know now that if you hold a charge for a very long time, you can Floyd | sometimes go further, but in this instance it hardly seems worth it. Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! You can hear one of Dad's water jets behind you, and there's Floyd | a WHOOSH as Austin leaps upward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that means Floyd | that the water jet hits you squarely in the back, sending you Floyd | sprawling towards Mom! You manage to recover in the air and float Floyd | backwards again, but your bones are still aching from the impact. The Floyd | skysuit seems to be holding up pretty well so far, but the sooner you Floyd | can get out of this, the better. A moment later, Austin returns to his Floyd | former location. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "Thanks, bro!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "The plans they're laying might put an end to us." | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "HA HA HA" | ||||
| Jacqueline bows. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, facing Emily. Floyd | Floyd | You and Emily are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | >You launch yourself upward, and at the zenith of your leap, you grab Floyd | one of the pipes that runs along the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You, in turn, hang suspended from the pipes. The earthsuit Floyd | lets you grip them tirelessly, but you still need both arms to do it. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! You can hear one of Mom's flame jets behind you, and there's a Floyd | WHOOSH as Emily flies upward to avoid it. A moment later, Emily Floyd | returns to her former location. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father Floyd | from below you, and while he speaks, moisture coalesces seemingly from Floyd | nowhere to form an aura around his body, covering everything except Floyd | his head in a watery shell. As it collects, the water spins with Floyd | incredible speed, effectively becoming kinetic armor. Floyd | Floyd | "And I thought they repeated themselves a lot before they turned into Floyd | supervillains!" shouts Emily. Floyd | | Lucea says, "heh at emily" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "blast pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >You unleash a shocking torrent of verbal abuse at the thick pipes, Floyd | but the effect is disappointingly minimal. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from behind and below Floyd | you. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones up at you, "and Floyd | now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | Lucea says, "oh, we're not Emily" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Your brother is above your head, hanging onto one of the ceiling Floyd | pipes. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, and Austin's departure has left your back Floyd | totally exposed to her. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "blast pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >Your lightning powers don't normally work on objects that far away. Floyd | You know now that if you hold a charge for a very long time, you can Floyd | sometimes go further, but in this instance it hardly seems worth it. Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from behind you. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "Maybe we can make them hit each other, so their suits cancel each other out?" | |||
| Lucea says, "hm. so much for the "destroy the pipes and maybe something catastrophic will happen" idea" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "That is prolly it, yeah." | ||||
| schep says (to Lucea), "Earth is currently "up" and Sky is currently "down"" | ||||
| Lucea says, "ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The whole world is upside down!" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I must have missed that part" | ||||
| Lucea says, "went afk in the middle to refill tea" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to em" | ||||
Floyd | >It's true that lots of the great superheroes talk to themselves, but Floyd | you don't have any exposition you need to do at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and a gout of flame comes too Floyd | fast to avoid, nailing you square in the chest! Cracks are beginning Floyd | to show in the skysuit's outer covering as its insulation wears away Floyd | under the strain of the attacks. Floyd | Floyd | From behind you comes the sound of water swirling and crashing, like a Floyd | waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >He is too far away. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! You can hear one of Dad's water jets behind you, and there's Floyd | a WHOOSH as Austin drops downward to avoid it. A moment later, Austin Floyd | returns to his former location. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fly" | ||||
Floyd | >Easily, you soar upwards. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You're floating just beneath them. Floyd | Floyd | Austin is next to you, hanging onto one of the pipes that runs along Floyd | the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little further to the north, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father Floyd | from behind and below you. Floyd | | Jacqueline asks, "Okay, how do we get them into a crossfire situation?" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "blast pipes" | ||||
Floyd | >KER-POW! Lightning arcs from your fingers to the pipes, but they are Floyd | unaffected. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you and fire jets upward. There's no Floyd | room to maneuver up here, and the fire hits you directly in the legs! Floyd | Cracks are beginning to show in the skysuit's outer covering as its Floyd | insulation wears away under the strain of the attacks. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind and Floyd | beneath you, "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "We need to get close to Austin, perhaps?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We are close to Austin" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I flew up to the ceiling to meet him." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Go up as Em, then go up as him" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, that's done." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >"Austin!" you cry, "I don't know what to do!" Floyd | Floyd | "I know!" he shouts in an anguished voice. "They're obviously being Floyd | controlled somehow! We can't use our powers against them! We have to Floyd | find a way to snap them out of this state!" Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from below you, as Floyd | the flames from her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from the ground behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >"What did you have in mind?" you yell over the din. Floyd | Floyd | "Try talking to them!" Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little further to the north, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | Underneath you and to the south comes the sound of water swirling and Floyd | crashing, like a waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to mom" | ||||
Floyd | >She is too far away. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you and fire jets upward. There's no Floyd | room to maneuver up here, and the fire hits you directly in the legs! Floyd | A few pieces of the skysuit's insulation have started to flake off Floyd | altogether, revealing a freaky mesh of organics and circuitry beneath. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! You can hear one of Dad's water jets behind you, and there's Floyd | a WHOOSH as Austin drops downward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that Floyd | means that the water jet hits you squarely in the back, sending you Floyd | sprawling towards Mom! You manage to recover in the air and float Floyd | backwards again, but your bones are still aching from the impact. A Floyd | few pieces of the skysuit's insulation have started to flake off Floyd | altogether, revealing a freaky mesh of organics and circuitry beneath. Floyd | A moment later, Austin returns to his former location. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "mum is ...down?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Not sure." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think so, though." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >With a mental command, you descend. Taking his cue from you, Austin Floyd | plummets back to the floor. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father Floyd | from behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to mum" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to mom" | ||||
Floyd | >"Mom!" you cry. "Wait! Wake up! Stop!" Floyd | Floyd | "SILENCE!" shouts your mother. "None may command us save Esrrua Floyd | himself!" Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | >You already know how useless that is. Better think of something else. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and you just manage to dodge the Floyd | gout of flame that flies out from it! Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to dad" | ||||
Floyd | >You'd have to be facing him to do anything like that. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | From behind you comes the sound of water swirling and crashing, like a Floyd | waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Emily are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, facing Emily. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | >Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to dad" | ||||
Floyd | >"Dad!" you cry. "Wait! Wake up! Stop!" Floyd | Floyd | "SILENCE!" shouts your father. "None may command us save Esrrua Floyd | himself!" Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! Dad leans forward, thrusting both arms towards you, and the Floyd | ball of suspended above his head elongates itself, coming at you with Floyd | the force of a firehose! You just barely manage to dodge the Floyd | waterspout, and it rains harmlessly to the ground. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Okay, now I hate our parents." | |||
| Taleslinger asks, "ball of suspended...?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was teetering on the edge, and now I've decided to just go ahead and hate them." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "they're possessed and not themselves. it's like reverse puberty." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "Yeah, there's a word missing... probably 'water'" | ||||
| Paul says, "Bleah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "I reserve to not hate them anymore later, of course." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >It's true that lots of the great superheroes talk to themselves, but Floyd | you don't have any exposition you need to do at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! You can hear one of Mom's flame jets behind you, and there's a Floyd | WHOOSH as Emily flies upward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that means Floyd | that the firebolt hits you squarely in the back, its heat washing over Floyd | the earthsuit! The earthsuit seems to be holding up pretty well so Floyd | far, but the sooner you can get out of this, the better. A moment Floyd | later, Emily returns to her former location. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father, Floyd | and while he speaks, moisture coalesces seemingly from nowhere to form Floyd | an aura around his body, covering everything except his head in a Floyd | watery shell. As it collects, the water spins with incredible speed, Floyd | effectively becoming kinetic armor. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "talk to em" | ||||
Floyd | >"Talking didn't work!" you say. "What else you got?" Floyd | Floyd | "Okay, okay -- wait! Look at Dad's costume!" Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from behind you. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones, "and now you Floyd | will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x mom's costume" | ||||
Floyd | >You'd have to be facing her to do anything like that. Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x dad's costume" | ||||
Floyd | >Dad's superhero suit is designed like yours, a skintight body Floyd | stocking with a cowl and mask attached. Unlike the firesuit, its Floyd | patterns don't directly represent its powers, but the thin streaks of Floyd | bright purple on its opalescent grey background suggest rainfall well Floyd | enough. One thing looks out of place, though: a black circle covering Floyd | the top of his head, looking like nothing so much as a thick plastic Floyd | yarmulke. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! You can hear one of Mom's flame jets behind you, and there's a Floyd | WHOOSH as Emily flies upward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that means Floyd | that the firebolt hits you squarely in the back, its heat washing over Floyd | the earthsuit! Cracks are beginning to show in the earthsuit's outer Floyd | covering as its insulation wears away under the strain of the attacks. Floyd | A moment later, Emily returns to her former location. Floyd | Floyd | Dad throws his arms high into the air, and the water that had Floyd | coalesced around his body gathers itself into a gravity-defying ball Floyd | above his head. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "aha!" | |||
| (from Taleslinger) Taleslinger, "Good thing girls are so much into clothing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So, um... what? Punching the black spot seems... painful for dad." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "punch yarmulke" | ||||
Floyd | >Which do you mean, Dad's skullcap or Mom's skullcap? Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "dad's" | ||||
Floyd | >Your muscles tense, but you know you can't do it. Even though he Floyd | seems to have gone insane, he's still your father; a hit from you Floyd | might kill him, and you're not that Oedipal. You have to find a way to Floyd | save him instead. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from behind you. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! Dad leans forward, thrusting both arms towards you, and the Floyd | ball of water that was suspended above his head elongates itself, Floyd | coming at you with the force of a firehose! There's no time to dodge, Floyd | and the blast hits you directly in the chest! You don't feel the Floyd | impact of the water, but you have a feeling that it's wreaking havoc Floyd | on the parts of the earthsuit whose insulation has been burned away by Floyd | Mom's firebolts. Cracks are beginning to show in the earthsuit's outer Floyd | covering as its insulation wears away under the strain of the attacks. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take dad's yarmulk" | ||||
Floyd | >Which do you mean, the rainsuit or Dad's skullcap? Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >I only understood you as far as wanting to take Dad's skullcap. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take dad's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >You lunge at Dad, trying to snatch the cap from his head, but he Floyd | pivots fluidly, and your hand snatches at air. Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father, Floyd | and while he speaks, moisture coalesces seemingly from nowhere to form Floyd | an aura around his body, covering everything except his head in a Floyd | watery shell. As it collects, the water spins with incredible speed, Floyd | effectively becoming kinetic armor. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take mom's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >You lunge at Mom, trying to snatch the cap from her head, but she Floyd | flies neatly and rapidly out of your way, leaving you grasping at air. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and you just manage to dodge the Floyd | gout of flame that flies out from it! Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blast mum's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blast mom's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >A blast of lightning from you would stop her, alright. It would Floyd | probably kill her. The thought sickens you; even though she's out of Floyd | her mind, she's still your mother. You have to find another solution. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | >You are carrying: Floyd | a skysuit (being worn) Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | From behind you comes the sound of water swirling and crashing, like a Floyd | waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to emily" | ||||
Floyd | >It's true that lots of the great superheroes talk to themselves, but Floyd | you don't have any exposition you need to do at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and a gout of flame shoots Floyd | outward from it. You manage to avoid the brunt of the blast, but some Floyd | of the flames still touch your leg! The skysuit is definitely being Floyd | affected by Mom and Dad's attacks. The sense of lightness you usually Floyd | feel is wavering intermittently and you can feel your command of fog Floyd | and electricity slipping from you. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! You can hear one of Dad's water jets behind you, and there's Floyd | a WHOOSH as Austin leaps upward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that means Floyd | that the water jet hits you squarely in the back, sending you Floyd | sprawling towards Mom! You manage to recover in the air and float Floyd | backwards again, but your bones are still aching from the impact. The Floyd | skysuit is definitely being affected by Mom and Dad's attacks. The Floyd | sense of lightness you usually feel is wavering intermittently and you Floyd | can feel your command of fog and electricity slipping from you. A Floyd | moment later, Austin returns to his former location. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "er" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >"What are you talking about?" you bellow. Floyd | Floyd | "They're bearing attachments that are obviously foreign to the Floyd | powersuits! The skullcaps! Look!" Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father Floyd | from behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to austin" | ||||
Floyd | >"What are you talking about?" you bellow. Floyd | Floyd | "They're bearing attachments that are obviously foreign to the Floyd | powersuits! The skullcaps! Look!" Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little higher into the air, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | DavidW says, "I hope you guys have a driver for this part." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Nah, be we saved." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We are sort of having our asses handed to us, though." | ||||
| DavidW says, "yeah, that's what happened to me." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "ram mom" | ||||
Floyd | >That's not a verb I recognize. Floyd | | schep says, "<hint> At least they seem pretty predictable </hint>" | |||
| DavidW says, "I remember the key involves noticing a particular detail. I think." | ||||
| DavidW says (to schep), "Yeah, that's relevant." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "I think I get it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | >Unsteadily, you soar upwards. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You're floating just beneath them. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! A fiery bolt from your mother cooks the spot where you were Floyd | just standing! Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from the ground behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "austin, jump" | ||||
Floyd | >Austin has better things to do. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from below you, as Floyd | the flames from her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | Underneath you and to the south comes the sound of water swirling and Floyd | crashing, like a waterfall in a fast river. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "change, then up" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I guess so." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Em floats high above your head, near the pipes. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, and Emily's departure has left your back Floyd | totally exposed to her. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x dad" | ||||
Floyd | >Dad was always the quieter parent, usually lost in his own thoughts Floyd | or deeply absorbed in his work. Now he's wearing a skintight grey Floyd | bodysuit with bright violet streaks, leaping about wild-eyed, and Floyd | shouting as if he's channeling Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. His attacks Floyd | may be robotic, but they are nonetheless ruthless; you have no doubt Floyd | that he will kill you if he can. Floyd | Floyd | Something about the rainsuit he's wearing seems a little odd. Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! Dad leans forward, thrusting both arms towards you, and the Floyd | ball of suspended above his head elongates itself, coming at you with Floyd | the force of a firehose! You nimbly dodge the brunt of the blast, but Floyd | part of the spout still hammers at your leg. You don't feel the Floyd | impact of the water, but you have a feeling that it's wreaking havoc Floyd | on the parts of the earthsuit whose insulation has been burned away by Floyd | Mom's firebolts. Cracks are beginning to show in the earthsuit's outer Floyd | covering as its insulation wears away under the strain of the attacks. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "I'll try it one more time this way, then probably restore." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "As I think we're nearly dead." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | >Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | >You launch yourself upward, and at the zenith of your leap, you grab Floyd | one of the pipes that runs along the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You, in turn, hang suspended from the pipes. The earthsuit Floyd | lets you grip them tirelessly, but you still need both arms to do it. Floyd | Floyd | Emily floats nearby. Floyd | Floyd | You feel increased heat radiate up at you from the north. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! The water that was above Dad's head shoots outward with the Floyd | force of a firehose into the spot you just vacated, then rains Floyd | harmlessly to the ground. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "aha" | |||
| Jacqueline asks (of Taleslinger), "Want to drive?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "well, i think it'S up at here, then up as him. without looking in between." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "at here = as her" | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >You let go of the pipes and plummet back down to the floor. Taking Floyd | her cue from you, Emily swoops down as well. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Emily are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, facing Emily. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! You can hear one of Mom's flame jets behind you, and there's a Floyd | WHOOSH as Emily drops downward to avoid it. A moment later, Emily Floyd | returns to her former location. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father, Floyd | and while he speaks, moisture coalesces seemingly from nowhere to form Floyd | an aura around his body, covering everything except his head in a Floyd | watery shell. As it collects, the water spins with incredible speed, Floyd | effectively becoming kinetic armor. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, but that's essentially what I just did (because I used undo)" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing north) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is in front of you, her firelit eyes glaring at you with Floyd | naked hatred. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >You're on the ground already! Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother, as the flames from Floyd | her hands spread to encompass the rest of her body. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | >Unsteadily, you soar upwards. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You're floating just beneath them. Floyd | Floyd | Mom floats a little further to the north, and throws her hands above Floyd | her head. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad from the ground behind you. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Emily floats high above your head, near the pipes. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, and Emily's departure has left your back Floyd | totally exposed to her. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||||
Floyd | >You launch yourself upward, and at the zenith of your leap, you grab Floyd | one of the pipes that runs along the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You, in turn, hang suspended from the pipes. The earthsuit Floyd | lets you grip them tirelessly, but you still need both arms to do it. Floyd | Floyd | Emily floats nearby. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! You can hear one of Mom's flame jets behind you, and there's a Floyd | WHOOSH as Emily drops downward to avoid it. Unfortunately, that means Floyd | that the firebolt hits you squarely in the back, its heat washing over Floyd | the earthsuit! A few pieces of the earthsuit's insulation have started Floyd | to flake off altogether, revealing a strange mesh of organics and Floyd | circuitry that would be fascinating if your life wasn't in immediate Floyd | danger. A moment later, Emily returns to her former location. Floyd | Floyd | Dad throws his arms high into the air, and the water that had Floyd | coalesced around his body gathers itself into a gravity-defying ball Floyd | underneath you. Floyd | | inky says, "I think there is one other thing you have to think of" | |||
| inky says, "I say unhelpfully" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Hm" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Is it a, like, 'Austin, follow me' thing?" | ||||
| schep says, "no, not a command trick" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Or maybe we're doing it the wrong way around" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I already used my idea" | ||||
| DavidW | "They're bearing attachments that are obviously foreign to the powersuits! The skullcaps! Look!" | ||||
| Lucea says, "so unless there's something else we can get to collapse" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we tried taking the skullcaps." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to dw), "well, we couldn't get at those" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And punching them, of course." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't see us blasting them, as that's dangerous." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And don't see fogging them as useful." | ||||
| schep says, "you did try fogging Mom" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Right, her as a whole." | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "have we tried switching opponents?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, not sure how." | ||||
| schep says (to Floyd), "switch places" | ||||
Floyd | >(with Emily) Floyd | Not while you're hanging on to the pipe. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from behind and below Floyd | you. Floyd | Floyd | SPLORSH! Dad thrusts his hands upward at you, and the ball of water Floyd | elongates itself, coming at you with the force of a firehose! Hanging Floyd | from the pipes, you can't avoid the waterspout, and it hits your legs! Floyd | You don't feel the impact of the water, but you have a feeling that Floyd | it's wreaking havoc on the parts of the earthsuit whose insulation has Floyd | been burned away by Mom's firebolts. A few pieces of the earthsuit's Floyd | insulation have started to flake off altogether, revealing a strange Floyd | mesh of organics and circuitry that would be fascinating if your life Floyd | wasn't in immediate danger. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >You let go of the pipes and plummet back down to the floor. Taking Floyd | her cue from you, Emily swoops down as well. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Emily are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, facing Emily. Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | "You have infected the outer layers of Science Master Esrrua's Mind Floyd | Outpost, but its core must remain inviolate!" declaims your father, Floyd | and while he speaks, moisture coalesces seemingly from nowhere to form Floyd | an aura around his body, covering everything except his head in a Floyd | watery shell. As it collects, the water spins with incredible speed, Floyd | effectively becoming kinetic armor. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "switch places" | ||||
Floyd | >What do you want to switch places with? Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "emily" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "emily" | ||||
Floyd | >"Emily!" you shout. "Change partners!" Floyd | Floyd | Your sister understands you immediately, and the two of you execute a Floyd | neat simultaneous turn, leaving you now facing Mom to the north, while Floyd | Emily looks south to square off against Dad. Floyd | Floyd | FSSSH! Mom aims an open hand at you, and a gout of flame comes too Floyd | fast to avoid, nailing you square in the stomach! The earthsuit is Floyd | definitely being affected by Mom and Dad's attacks. You're getting the Floyd | sense that sometimes it's impeding your movements rather than aiding Floyd | them, and the power in your limbs definitely seems to be waning. Floyd | Floyd | "You have awakened the Hounds Of Esrrua," Dad intones from behind you, Floyd | "and now you will face the consequences!" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor (facing south) Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | You and Austin are standing back-to-back, each of you facing off Floyd | against one parent. Floyd | Floyd | Your father is in front of you, his face flushed with bloodlust. Floyd | Floyd | Your mother is behind you, facing Austin. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "fog dad" | ||||
Floyd | >You concentrate, and a thick mist forms around your father, which he Floyd | immediately absorbs into his watery aura. Floyd | Floyd | "Those who dare to disturb the work of Science Master Esrrua must feel Floyd | the heat of his displeasure!" snarls your mother from behind you. Floyd | Floyd | "You shall feel the power of Science Master Esrrua rain down upon Floyd | you!" shouts Dad. Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "hmm" | |||
| inky says, "I don't actually remember why this is helpful" | ||||
| schep says, "I don't think it is helpful, but it's a neat touch." | ||||
| inky asks, "clearly you have to get them to blast each other, so maybe you have to be switched to coordinate that?" | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| inky says, "oh, it's not? I'd thought it was" | ||||
| schep says, "not sure. Maybe after the end we can see if we can win without switching places." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I still think the skullcaps have to be affected somehow first, then get mom and dad to blast each other." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Have you examined the skullcaps themselves?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I thought we did." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >Which do you mean, Dad's skullcap or Mom's skullcap? Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x dad's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >It's a black circle, maybe an inch thick and six inches in diameter, Floyd | crowning the top of Dad's head. Something about seeing him wearing Floyd | that little plastic yarmulke just strikes a deep chord of wrongness in Floyd | you. And it's not just the fact that you know he's an atheist. Floyd | Floyd | It feels a little hotter behind you. Floyd | Floyd | Dad throws his arms high into the air, and the water that had Floyd | coalesced around his body gathers itself into a gravity-defying ball Floyd | above his head. Floyd | | inky says, "well, the skullcaps are obviously the mindcontrolly bits, so if you could affect those I assume they'd just stop attacking" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "up" | ||||
Floyd | >Unsteadily, you soar upwards. Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You're floating just beneath them. Floyd | Floyd | SSSSSSS! Floyd | Floyd | Blazing flames meet the onrushing torrent below you, and steam boils Floyd | angrily upwards. In moments, the heat is intense, and you have to shut Floyd | your eyes as you try to protect your exposed facial skin from the Floyd | scalding vapor. Just as the pain reaches a crescendo, the hissing Floyd | sounds stop, replaced by peaceful silence and the gradual ebbing of Floyd | the mist. When you open your eyes, the corridor is clear of steam and Floyd | your parents lie below, unconscious. Floyd | | inky says, "hey hey" | |||
| inky says, "I don't know why that worked, though" | ||||
| Taleslinger stares at screen. | ||||
| DavidW says, "Save!" | ||||
| Paul says, "They were both just about to let loose, and you flew upwards." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "um. Huh." | ||||
| schep says, "I think it's a timing thing. They both have to be attacking on the same turn, and some of your actions delay them a bit." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf5" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "So, what did we do?" | |||
| inky says (to schep), "oh, hmm" | ||||
| Paul nods at schep. | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "repair suit" | ||||
Floyd | >(the skysuit) Floyd | The skysuit appears to be in perfect working order already. Floyd | | inky asks, "so changing places didn't actually help then?" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Above Deep Corridor Floyd | Smooth black pipes the diameter of SUV tires hang suspended from the Floyd | ceiling in this cramped space, running parallel down its length, north Floyd | and south. You, in turn, hang suspended from the pipes. The earthsuit Floyd | lets you grip them tirelessly, but you still need both arms to do it. Floyd | In the corridor below, your parents lie unconscious on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | Emily floats nearby. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "repair suit" | ||||
Floyd | >(the earthsuit) Floyd | Not while you're hanging on to the pipe. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | >You let go of the pipes and plummet back down to the floor. Taking Floyd | her cue from you, Emily swoops down as well. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor Floyd | You are at the bottom of a tall, narrow, north-south niche in the Floyd | earth, like a slice taken out of the warehouse-like drill room. The Floyd | slice gets narrower towards the top, though, where thick pipes run Floyd | along the length of the ceiling. To the east, a reflective black Floyd | barrier seals the archway. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is nearby, waiting for you to do something interesting. Floyd | Floyd | Both your parents are sprawled on the floor here, defeated and out Floyd | cold. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "repair suit" | ||||
Floyd | >(the earthsuit) Floyd | The earthsuit appears to be in perfect working order already. Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take dad's skullcap" | ||||
Floyd | >Gingerly, you kneel down and pull on the cap, trying not to exert too Floyd | much pressure on your father's body, which suddenly seems very fragile Floyd | in the face of your earthsuited strength. The adhesive resists at Floyd | first, but then the cap pops free, and your father's eyes flutter Floyd | open. You pull back, ready for another attack, but the hatred that was Floyd | in his face is gone, replaced by recognition and relief. Floyd | Floyd | "Kids!" he cries, embracing you each in turn. "Where's Claire?" he Floyd | says, turning around and answering his own question. "Austin, please Floyd | take that thing off of her." Floyd | Floyd | You oblige, and in moments, your mother is awake and herself again. Floyd | Floyd | "Austin, give me those skullcaps, please," says your mother in a tone Floyd | that permits no dissent. She takes them from you, lays them on the Floyd | ground together, and fires a fierce, sustained blast of heat at them, Floyd | melting both into one anonymous lump of black plastic. Floyd | Floyd | Please select a response: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "Don't you want to study those rather than destroy them?" Floyd | 2) "What were those things?" Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "that em for you, a caring child :-)" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "1" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 1 Floyd | Floyd | "I never, ever want to see those things again, Austin. I desperately Floyd | hope that humanity never discovers that particular technology." Floyd | Floyd | Then she turns to your father. "Are you okay, honey?" Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, I think so," he answers. "The worst part was having to call that Floyd | alien 'Science Master' -- he's anything but." Floyd | Floyd | Mom smiles. "Well, your ego seems to have survived the experience Floyd | intact." Her expression turns grim again. "Listen kids, something Floyd | terrible is going on here." Floyd | Floyd | Please select a response: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "You know, Mom, we are in college. We're not really kids anymore." Floyd | 2) "Wait, wait, wait. What happened to you guys? You've been missing Floyd | for a month!" Floyd | 3) "Yeah, what is going on here? What are these guys drilling for?" Floyd | | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "3" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 3 Floyd | Floyd | "Salt," she says, grimacing. "See, bizarre as this sounds, our Floyd | kidnapper is from an extraterrestrial, nonhuman race. He's named Floyd | Esrrua, and he thinks of himself as a scientist, though he seems to be Floyd | somewhat of a laughingstock in his own planet's scientific community. Floyd | He's formed a bizarre plan to redeem himself by perverting an Floyd | experiment your Aunt Nina was working on -- he's extracting ancient Floyd | bacterial samples from salt crystals, and plans to release them into Floyd | the Earth's atmosphere. We have no clue what effect this will have, Floyd | but it sure seems like a bad idea." Floyd | Floyd | Emily chimes in before you can say anything: "If they're the same Floyd | bacteria Aunt Nina was working with, they're liable to turn everybody Floyd | into gigantic green monsters!" Floyd | Floyd | "WHAT?!" say your parents in unison. You and Emily explain the Floyd | incident with the earthquake, the bacteria, the monster, the Floyd | antibiotic, and the crushed football stadium. Hesitantly, you also Floyd | explain that Emily fired lightning into Nina's eyes, and that she Floyd | remained blind even after she transformed back into her human self. Floyd | Floyd | Dad closes his eyes. "Oh. Oh, poor Nina. I don't know how I can ever Floyd | forgive myself for creating the thing that did this to her." Then he Floyd | snaps to attention again. "So this experiment is even more dangerous Floyd | than we knew. If those bacteria get out, it could mean the end of Floyd | humanity as we know it!" Floyd | Floyd | Please select a response: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "Oh man, I knew there was a downside to this superhero thing. Floyd | Couldn't we just call the Avengers at this point?" Floyd | 2) "Great Scott! We've got to stop him! Where is he?" Floyd | 3) "Does this have anything to do with the alien bacteria lab that I Floyd | inadvertently wrecked?" Floyd | 4) "What theory is he trying to test with this experiment?" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "3" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 3 Floyd | Floyd | "The what, now?" Floyd | Floyd | "Oh boy," says Emily, "I smell another recap." Floyd | Floyd | You quickly summarize your experiences on the artificial planetoid Floyd | with the different environments. Floyd | Floyd | "So that's what Mrrueao was working on!" exclaims Dad. "He was far too Floyd | arrogant ever to share any information with us. How fascinating that Floyd | both he and Nina... well, time enough to ponder that later." Floyd | Floyd | Please select a response: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "But Dad, the bacteria I saw didn't turn anything monstrous! They Floyd | just enhanced intelligence and dexterity!" Floyd | 2) "Point taken. What do we do next?" Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "1" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 1 Floyd | Floyd | "Really?" says Dad. "I wonder if the heightened radiation levels from Floyd | the nearby nuclear tests somehow--" Floyd | Floyd | "People, PLEASE!" says Mom. "Right now we've got to stop Esrrua, Floyd | rescue Thad Andrews, and get the heck out of here!" Floyd | Floyd | "Good point, dear." Dad examines your suits. "Austin, come here for a Floyd | moment. Emily, you too." Floyd | Floyd | Your father sizes up the damage to both your suits, and opens a Floyd | previously seamless panel on the back of each. He moves behind you Floyd | first, and though you can't feel anything, you know he is manipulating Floyd | parts of the suit that only he understands. Then he turns to Emily, Floyd | rapidly tapping relays and touchpads built into the skysuit and seeing Floyd | the muscles and tendons within the suit twitch in response. "There," Floyd | he says. "I've accelerated the self-healing process and run a quick Floyd | hack to restore functionality, albeit temporarily. We've got to get Floyd | you back home as quickly as possible, but first, we have some business Floyd | to take care of here." Floyd | Floyd | Mom says, "Honey, do you want to upload the--?" Floyd | Floyd | "Ah, right, of course," says your father. He faces each of you in Floyd | turn, pressing at the nape of each suit's neck until two ports open, Floyd | then plugging fingers into the ports for a few seconds each. As he's Floyd | doing this, he explains, "In the time that we stayed here, our suits Floyd | were upgraded with translation software that enabled us to understand Floyd | the alien's speech patterns. It cared little about ours, but wanted us Floyd | to understand its commands. We actually prototyped such a thing in Floyd | hardware, but that's been left in Thad's observatory back home. The Floyd | advantage of this software version is that I can transfer it directly Floyd | into your suits... and there, it's done. You'll need it, because I'm Floyd | afraid it's going to be up to you to face Esrrua." Floyd | Floyd | Please select a response: Floyd | Floyd | 1) "I understand. What would you like us to do?" Floyd | 2) "What? Why? Can't we at least face him together?" Floyd | 3) "What are you two going to do?" Floyd | | inky says, "hunh, I thought we managed to solve part one without blinding Nina" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "2" | ||||
Floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> 2 Floyd | Floyd | "The risk is too great, Austin," says Mom. "He's had us under mental Floyd | control for some time, and if he were to regain it at a crucial Floyd | moment, you two would be doomed. Besides, we know this fortress, and Floyd | can take care of some important tasks while you're stopping the Floyd | experiment. Thad Andrews has to be rescued from his prison, those salt Floyd | crystals need to be melted so that the bacteria inside can be killed, Floyd | and we need to prepare the vehicle in the hangar so that we can Floyd | finally get out of here." Floyd | Floyd | "So here are your tasks," says Dad. "Stop that experiment! Subdue and Floyd | capture Esrrua and his assistants, if you can. Then meet us in the Floyd | Hangar on the top level of the fortress -- we'll have the escape Floyd | vehicle ready." Floyd | Floyd | Each of your parents gives you one last hug, then they send you south, Floyd | down a final transport tube, finally to face the creature behind all Floyd | this. Floyd | Floyd | | Paul says, "There was a continuity question at the beginning about blinding Nina -- we said yes." | |||
| DavidW says, "We lied to the narrator? For shame!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We didn't blind her at first." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Then we went back and did." | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And I forgot which was which when answering questions." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So if we suck, it's my fault, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "But it's just a game. Try to get a full night's sleep tonight, okay, folks?" | ||||
| Paul says, "No suckage -- just a (slightly) different story fork." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "space" | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | "I have lost contact with the simian-hunters," said Maerr. "They are Floyd | either killed or free." Floyd | Floyd | The hairs rose on Science Master Esrrua's neck, and for the first Floyd | time, he detected a faint smell of fear on himself. "No!" he said. Floyd | "Not when the experiment is almost ready! Begin extraction!" Floyd | Floyd | Maerr keyed in a sequence on his control panel, and said, "Extraction Floyd | begun." Then his head whipped towards the door, ears at full alert. Floyd | Floyd | "Outside the door, Science Master Esrrua," he said. "I hear Floyd | something." Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | E A R T H Floyd | Floyd | A N D Floyd | Floyd | S K Y Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Episode 3: Floyd | LUMINOUS HORIZON Floyd | Floyd | Part Four Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Lab Door Floyd | This is a small, sterile room, about the size of a walk-in closet. The Floyd | floor here seems to be made of bare rock. You're facing a doorway Floyd | blocked by a smooth sheet of grey polymer. Behind you is a transport Floyd | tube entrance. Floyd | Floyd | Emily stands a few feet away from you, looking fierce. Floyd | | Jacqueline asks, "Oh, wait. We still need to do what? Track the cats and kill 'em?" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "push door. hold speech." | ||||
Floyd | >You brace yourself and push against the door, but it's no use -- the Floyd | polymer doesn't even begin to buckle. Floyd | Sorry, but that's either not here or not important. Floyd | | Jacqueline asks, "Banish em?" | |||
| Jacqueline Something? | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | >A smooth sheet of polymer completely fills the doorway to the north. Floyd | It even seems to have cut into the rock beneath it to create an Floyd | effective seal. Floyd | | schep says, "yeah, take care of the bad cats" | |||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Lab Door Floyd | This is a small, sterile room, about the size of a walk-in closet. The Floyd | floor here seems to be made of bare rock. You're facing a doorway Floyd | blocked by a smooth sheet of grey polymer. Behind you is a transport Floyd | tube entrance. Floyd | Floyd | Austin is alongside you, his earthsuit nearly blending in with the Floyd | surroundings. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "blast door" | ||||
Floyd | >KER-POW! Lightning arcs from your fingers to the grey polymer Floyd | barrier, but it is unaffected. Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "are just jacq an me playing?" | |||
| DavidW | "Stop that experiment! Subdue and capture Esrrua and his assistants, if you can. Then meet us in the Hangar on the top level of the fortress | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "knock on door" | ||||
Floyd | >There is no answer. Floyd | | Lucea says, "I'm lurking" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Lab Door Floyd | This is a small, sterile room, about the size of a walk-in closet. The Floyd | floor here seems to be made of bare rock. You're facing a doorway Floyd | blocked by a smooth sheet of grey polymer. Behind you is a transport Floyd | tube entrance. Floyd | Floyd | Emily leans against the wall here. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "slide door" | ||||
Floyd | >That's not a verb I recognize. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "push door" | ||||
Floyd | >You brace yourself and push against the door, but it's no use -- the Floyd | polymer doesn't even begin to buckle. Floyd | | DavidW says, "I haven't played this chapter." | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | >A smooth sheet of polymer completely fills the doorway to the north. Floyd | It even seems to have cut into the rock beneath it to create an Floyd | effective seal. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "x rock" | ||||
Floyd | >Unlike the other parts of the fortress, the floor here isn't made of Floyd | alien polymer. Instead, the walls seem to rest on bare, uneven rock. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "hit rock" | ||||
Floyd | >You drive your mighty fingers into the stone beneath the door, Floyd | pulling them back to cut deep grooves into the living rock. You could Floyd | easily grip the bottom of the door now. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "lift door" | ||||
Floyd | >You squat, reaching into the grooves you've made in the stone floor Floyd | to grip the polymer sheet's bottom edge. With a deep breath, you Floyd | unbend your knees and thrust your arms upward. The lab door resists Floyd | your efforts with incredible power, but you manage to create an Floyd | aperture large enough for you and Emily to go through. You're not sure Floyd | how much longer you can hold the door up, though. Floyd | | inky says, "sometimes I guess you have to smash something other than your main target to enable you to more fully smash the main target" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Emily] Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Lab Door Floyd | This is a small, sterile room, about the size of a walk-in closet. The Floyd | floor here seems to be made of bare rock, pitted by Austin's powerful Floyd | fingers. Austin is holding up a grey polymer barrier with great Floyd | effort, creating an aperture to the north. Behind you is a transport Floyd | tube entrance. Floyd | Floyd | All of Austin's attention is focused on holding up the polymer sheet. Floyd | | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >You scamper through the aperture, and Austin wrenches himself to the Floyd | other side of the door. It slams shut when he lets go of it. Floyd | Floyd | Esrrua's Lab Floyd | Even though this room is filled with clutter and equipment, it still Floyd | has about as much open floor space as half a basketball court. A large Floyd | window occupies much of its west wall, through which you can see Floyd | another room, where one of the cat-aliens stands before a broad Floyd | control panel. Byzantine machinery dominates all the other walls, and Floyd | at the far north end of both rooms, a teleportation curtain shimmers Floyd | and pulsates. Just behind you, to the south, the unbreakable polymer Floyd | sheet once again blocks the exit. A monitor window floats in the air, Floyd | displaying a view of the dilapidated road that winds just west of this Floyd | fortress. Several clear chambers, one of which is filled with a Floyd | swirling green cloud, reach to the ceiling. Floyd | Floyd | Austin stands next to you, his eyes taking in everything. Floyd | Floyd | In the center of the room stands another of the cat-aliens: a humanoid Floyd | figure, well over seven feet tall and heavily muscled. It whirls to Floyd | face you, and its oval-slitted eyes glare savagely. The creature bares Floyd | its teeth, flattens its ears, and drops into a crouch. This can be Floyd | none other than Esrrua. Floyd | Floyd | By Esrrua's side, a white, amorphous mass trembles, sending out eager Floyd | pseudopods in your direction. The thing is large, as tall as Esrrua Floyd | and half again as wide, but it is shapeless, constantly rippling its Floyd | boundaries like a gigantic, puffy amoeba. Floyd | Floyd | "SO!" shouts Esrrua imperiously. "Still more apelings come to plague Floyd | the progress of science! But you are too late! TOO LATE!" Floyd | Floyd | He turns toward the window and points at the control panel. "Maerr, Floyd | release the bacteria!" Floyd | Floyd | Turning back to you, he curls his lip. "I will not taint my paws with Floyd | your stink, dirty apelings, when my niarr can destroy you instead!" Floyd | Floyd | "DEVOUR THEM!" he shouts, and the white blob surges forward, long Floyd | pseudopods writhing at its perimeter! Floyd | | Paul says (to inky), "Heh" | |||
| Jacqueline has to buy more stuff to keep her internet going. | ||||
| Jacqueline returns with an Italian soda and a bagel, and recaps. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "zap blob" | ||||
Floyd | >KER-POW! Blue lightning flows from your fingertips into the niarr, Floyd | and for a moment, the creature grows rigid, processing the incredible Floyd | energy of your blast. Then it swells, expanding to almost double its Floyd | previous size. The niarr extends its tentacles again, apparently Floyd | hungrier than ever! Floyd | Floyd | Meanwhile, your brother is pummeling the niarr, and the creature seems Floyd | to swell with every blow. It's now about quadruple the size it was Floyd | when you came in. Floyd | Floyd | Simultaneously, Maerr's paws skitter rapidly across the control panel, Floyd | and a hissing sound fills the air. "Bacteria released!" he shouts Floyd | triumphantly over an intercom, and the green gas roils upwards, Floyd | disappearing from its chamber. A moment later, the monitor displays a Floyd | hidden hatch opening in the ground next to the road, and a noxious Floyd | cloud of viridian vapor spews forth! The cloud expands in all Floyd | directions, not dissipating but rather multiplying, heading inexorably Floyd | towards the towns and cities of New Mexico, ground zero for the Floyd | upcoming worldwide infection. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** Humanity is doomed *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move Floyd | or QUIT? | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | > Esrrua's Lab Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | | inky says, "wow, ok, that was less turns than I expected" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fog maerr" | ||||
Floyd | >You concentrate, and a thick cloud of grey fog envelopes Maerr. You Floyd | see the cloud moving frantically, and hear the alien's voice over an Floyd | intercom, crying, "Science Master Esrrua, I... I cannot see! I cannot Floyd | trigger the release sequence!" Floyd | Floyd | "NOOOOO!" screams Esrrua. "I cannot be thwarted when I am so close! Floyd | Apeling, I shall kill you myself!" With this, he springs forward, Floyd | claws extended and reaching for your face! Floyd | Floyd | Meanwhile, you hear Austin's fist slam into the niarr with a muffled Floyd | WHUMP! The skysuit's mask doesn't leave you much peripheral vision, Floyd | but it's enough to tell you that the white mass is growing at an Floyd | alarming rate, swelling in proportion to the force of your brother's Floyd | blows. It's now about double the size it was when you came in. So why Floyd | does he keep hitting it? Floyd | | Lucea says, "be back in a bit" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "[band-name] Eager Pseudopods" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fly" | ||||
Floyd | >The ceiling is low enough that all you could do is hover a foot or so Floyd | above the ground, so you don't bother. Floyd | Floyd | In an instant, Esrrua is upon you, his claws slashing through the Floyd | skysuit to tear open your throat with unerring precision. Floyd | Consciousness flows out of you as fast as the blood gushes from your Floyd | jugular vein. Your last sight is of Austin looking with horror at your Floyd | prone form and screaming, "NO!" Floyd | Floyd | Your brother's fists fly at your alien assassin... the bloated niarr Floyd | looms to consume him... blackness descends. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** You have fallen *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move Floyd | or QUIT? | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | > Esrrua's Lab Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "eeeagh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "zap esrrua" | ||||
Floyd | >You extend both your hands, and KER-POW! A huge blast of lightning Floyd | jumps from your fingers, hitting Esrrua directly in the chest! His Floyd | body flies backwards, its fur all stood on end, and lands in a heap Floyd | just short of the teleportation curtain, still convulsing. Floyd | Floyd | Simultaneously, your brother directs a fierce karate kick at the Floyd | niarr, and it lands with a booming WHUMP! Once again, the creature Floyd | absorbs his blow, expanding like a water balloon hooked to a firehose! Floyd | The niarr now takes up almost half the room, and it practically Floyd | vibrates with absorbed energy. A thousand pseudopods shoot out from Floyd | its edges, grasping at him! Floyd | Floyd | You hear an anguished, inarticulate scream over the intercom, and the Floyd | sound of shattering glass. The cloud of fog is on the move, flowing Floyd | through the broken window, and a screeching voice emerges from within Floyd | it. "I cannot see you, murdering simians, but your stench is Floyd | unmistakable!" Floyd | Floyd | "Okay, so powersuit fabric isn't very breathable!" shouts Austin. Floyd | Floyd | Then the cloud charges at you, covering the distance with alarming Floyd | speed! Floyd | | Taleslinger says, "have we saved" | |||
| inky says, "the world? not quite" | ||||
| Alex says (to inky), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that the world is pink." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We did, right when the parents died/" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, were knocked down, that is." | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "fog cloud" | ||||
Floyd | >(cloud of fog) Floyd | You concentrate on fogging cloud of fog, but nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | Simultaneously, your brother directs a fierce karate kick at the Floyd | niarr, and it lands with a booming WHUMP! Once again, the creature Floyd | absorbs his blow! The thing is standing still, vibrating, obscuring Floyd | your view of the entire room now, all of its attention apparently Floyd | focused on keeping itself intact. Floyd | Floyd | With astonishing speed, Maerr's claws reach your face. You feel Floyd | lacerating pain as your flesh splits and tears, you hear your Floyd | brother's distant shouts, and quickly enough, you slip into blessed Floyd | unconsciousness. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** You have fallen *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move Floyd | or QUIT? | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | > Esrrua's Lab Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "zap blob" | ||||
Floyd | >KER-POW! Blue lightning flows from your fingertips into the niarr, Floyd | and for a moment, the creature grows rigid, processing the incredible Floyd | energy of your blast. Then it swells, to fill almost the whole room! Floyd | The thing is standing still, vibrating, all of its attention Floyd | apparently focused on keeping itself intact. Floyd | Floyd | WHAM! Austin's fist hurtles into the cloud and connects with Maerr's Floyd | chest! The alien's body flies out the back of the fog cloud, Floyd | dispersing the vapor and skidding backwards to land alongside Esrrua. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | KA-BLAMMO! Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | | Taleslinger asks, "Maybe we should switch an stop Austin (ehem) enlargement plans?" | |||
| DavidW pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | The explosion was so sudden, so overwhelming that there was no time to Floyd | protect yourself, no time for anything but flying backwards into the Floyd | wall. When the blackness in your head lifts, the room is much changed. Floyd | Floyd | The niarr is gone, though the walls are smeared with white goo and a Floyd | sour smell hangs in the air. Gone as well are Esrrua and Maerr, Floyd | apparently blown through the teleportation curtain shortly before it, Floyd | too, disappeared. And now the room itself seems to be unraveling, Floyd | while a series of yowls repeat in the air, conveniently translated by Floyd | the software in your suit: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence commenced... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence commenced..." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Esrrua's Lab Floyd | All of the equipment that was in this room is gone, and even the walls Floyd | themselves seem to be rapidly dissolving, melting away before your Floyd | eyes like film over a candle. Chunks of dirt and large rocks are Floyd | falling through the rapidly opening holes, and the room seems to be a Floyd | hair's breadth from collapsing outright! Floyd | Floyd | One beneficial side-effect of the ongoing room-erasure is that the Floyd | passage to the south has reopened, and a lucky thing, too, since Floyd | that's the only way out of here. Floyd | Floyd | Austin is beside you, looking deeply alarmed. Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >Austin follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Outside The Lab Door Floyd | Holes are appearing in the walls of this room, but it's still more or Floyd | less retaining its shape for the moment. The doorway to the north is Floyd | blocked by thousands of tons of caved-in earth, but the transport tube Floyd | is unscathed, at least for now. Floyd | Floyd | Austin is running right behind you. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "enter tube" | ||||
Floyd | >You step into the tube, and there is a WHOOSH of air with the Floyd | sensation of upward motion; you step out into new surroundings. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor South Floyd | You were last in this corridor on your way to battle Esrrua, and now Floyd | it is unraveling along with the rest of the fortress. The dissolution Floyd | has begin with the transport tube, which pretty much disappeared the Floyd | moment you stepped out of it, and the walls continue to eat themselves Floyd | with each passing moment! The corridor continues north, at least for Floyd | the moment. Floyd | Floyd | Austin steps out of the tube a second behind you. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | DavidW says, "We need to go up, yeah" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >Austin follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor Floyd | The corridor has almost collapsed already -- the only things keeping Floyd | the ceiling from caving in are the pipes above you, which have bowed Floyd | to an alarming degree, dipping to less than a foot above your head. Floyd | Dirt and rocks fall between them in a constant rain. The south end of Floyd | the corridor has caved in completely. Even worse, a huge boulder has Floyd | rolled into the corridor, blocking your path completely! Floyd | Floyd | Austin is running right behind you. Floyd | Floyd | An enormous piece of rocky debris fills the corridor. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | ||||
| Taleslinger says (to Floyd), "save" | Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "Nope." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fdkjfkd" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf6" | ||||
Floyd | >Enter saved game to store: Ok. Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c" | ||||
Floyd | >[now controlling Austin] Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor Floyd | The walls are a little more than half gone now, and continuing to Floyd | disappear rapidly! Even worse, the pipes above are themselves Floyd | dissolving, and the incoming earth narrows your space every second. Floyd | There's still time to make it north or east if you hurry. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is flying right behind you. Floyd | Floyd | An enormous piece of rocky debris fills the corridor. Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hit debris" | ||||
Floyd | >SMASH! With a mighty blow, you shatter the great rock into gravel! Floyd | With the boulder gone, you can see that as the walls continue to Floyd | unravel, the barrier to the east has melted away. A northern route Floyd | into unknown territory is also open. Floyd | Floyd | The room is just seconds away from collapsing! Floyd | | Jacqueline says (to Taleslinger), "Type >PUSH SAVE (not to Floyd) to save sequentially." | |||
| Taleslinger says, "ah, i forgot" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "ooh. North or east?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Otherwise is screws up the numbering." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "north." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | Deep Corridor North Floyd | Like the rest of the fortress, this corridor is about to cease Floyd | existing. The self-consumption virus is spreading from the south, and Floyd | coming closer and closer to the transportation tube at the north end Floyd | of the corridor. Rubble blocks the path south, and what looks like it Floyd | might have been another tube on the west wall, so that remaining tube Floyd | is looking like your best and only option. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is flying right behind you. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "I wonder if that's being said in that sexy StarTrek female computer voice." | |||
| DavidW says, "Let's assume so." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter tube" | ||||
Floyd | >You step into the tube, and there is a WHOOSH of air with the Floyd | sensation of upward motion; you step out into new surroundings. Floyd | Floyd | T Junction Floyd | The decay has advanced considerably around you, and the entire Floyd | fortress looks on the verge of disintegration. Collapsed ceilings Floyd | block the way west and south, and the ongoing cave-in continues to Floyd | force you eastwards. The walls keep liquefying, and the ceiling here Floyd | is shuddering unsteadily. Floyd | Floyd | Emily floats out of the tube a second behind you. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | schep says, "yes, except the cat version of that" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "MeroOOW." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | >Emily follows you. Floyd | Floyd | East Corridor Floyd | Alarming holes keep blooming in the walls, and the ceiling sways Floyd | drunkenly. An archway offers escape to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Emily is flying right behind you. Floyd | Floyd | An archway leads south into shadow. Floyd | Floyd | The walls continue to dissolve before your eyes, and that eerily calm Floyd | alien voice keeps advising you: Floyd | Floyd | "Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues... Floyd | Critical state reached... Self-consumption sequence continues..." Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | >You and Emily dash through the archway as the room falls apart behind Floyd | you! Floyd | Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Crikey." | |||
| DavidW pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | [Please press a key to continue] Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | The fortress is disintegrating all around you, but the ceiling here is Floyd | open, and the pipe-covered vehicle hovers about eight feet off the Floyd | ground. The vehicle's floor is transparent, and through it you can see Floyd | Mom and Dad, along with an older man who must be Thaddeus Andrews, Floyd | urging you to enter via a large hatch. A quick jump and you're in, Floyd | with Emily swooping right behind you. The hatch closes, Dad Floyd | manipulates an alien device, and the vehicle rises higher. Through its Floyd | floor, you can see the last of the fortress consume itself into Floyd | nonexistence, with only a sinkhole in the desert to suggest anything Floyd | of Earth's first contact with an extraterrestrial species. Floyd | Floyd | "Austin!" says Emily, grabbing your arm, "We did it! We found Mom and Floyd | Dad, and basically saved the world in the process! The freaking world, Floyd | Austin! We are superheroes! We are a family of superheroes, and my Floyd | GOD, we rock!" Floyd | Floyd | Yeah. Saved the world. You did, didn't you? Floyd | Floyd | Life is going to be a whole lot different now. That's the thought that Floyd | keeps going through your head as you sail westward, in an alien Floyd | vehicle, with your super-powered family, into the luminous horizon. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** You have won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move Floyd | or QUIT? | Jacqueline says, "The FREAKING WORLD!" | |||
| inky says, "aw yeah" | ||||
| schep exclaims, "hooray!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We do indeed rock." | ||||
| schep asks, "dare I ask if there might be further adventures to come?" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "yes!" | ||||
| Skyy decides it's time for some Skyy. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "(Sadly, the name 'Sky' was taken.)" | ||||
| inky says (to Jacqueline), "yeah, try finger sky" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of schep), "Good question. Paul?" | ||||
| Paul says, "Not in the near future, at least. I would love to do it, but stupid real life is in the way." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I hate that. Yeah." | ||||
| inky says, "you need to train your kid to write IF" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Stupid RL." | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "I had ifMUD E & S avatars made for some xyzzy awards ceremony." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ahh.... hence the name being taken. Heh." | ||||
| Lucea says, "heh" | ||||
| Paul says (to inky), "That day may come. He is already amazing me by reading." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Now that I've played this game, I'm wondering if I couldn't find a way to train my cats to write IF. If cats can do science..." | ||||
| inky says, "awesome" | ||||
| inky says, "hee hee" | ||||
| inky says, "yeah, but based on this, your cats would write evil IF" | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "I would totally pay to play an IF game written by a cat." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "Thank you so much for showing up for all three of these." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "Commercial IF may yet be revived." | ||||
| Paul exclaims, "Thanks for inviting me, and more to the point, for choosing them to play!" | ||||
| Paul says (to Jacq), "We'll see." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It was neat to play a trilogy over three sessions." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "want sequels!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Paul), "No, seriously. All I have to do is teach Skookum to write and Taiya to beta test." | ||||
| schep has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Paul says, "It's so fun to watch a session in progress. Though I am a bit sore from multiple wincings during this one." | |||
| Taleslinger says (to taiya), "No, sleeping on the keyboard is not beta-testing!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "There are totally enough cats owned by Mudders. Maybe a Feline Whispers is in order." | ||||
| DavidW says, "IF Whiskers" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "YAY" | ||||
| Jacqueline cackles. | ||||
| Paul says (to DavidW), "Yay" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Lucy would look at the screen and run away." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "yay!" | ||||
| olethros disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | inky says, "ha ha" | |||
| inky has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
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