AllThingsJacq.com - Interactive Fiction | ClubFloyd - November 12, 2023


ToyShop & Floyditorium		#ClubFloyd Discussion


DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask beatwitch"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| The emergency responders move like yellow ghosts through the smoke.
CF \|
CF \| The group banded together before you could get away. Now you find
CF \| yourself in the middle, an unwilling participant in a silent parade
CF \| that marches past cars that won't start and shops that are eternally
CF \| closed.
CF \|
CF \| In the darkness, you seem like the others. You even adopt their
CF \| attitude of ignoring the piles of smoldering dead.
CF \|
CF \| The group stops near a high school gymnasium. One by one, you move
CF \| past the electric generators, through plastic sheets, and into the
CF \| light of the staging area.
CF \|
CF \| When the last of you has stepped through the final veil, the door
CF \| seals, and the scrubbers whir.
CF \|
CF \| The one in charge -- Dr. Steve, everyone affectionately calls him --
CF \| takes off his hazmat helmet and motions everyone to do the same.
CF \|
CF \| You're done for.
CF \|
CF \| Beat Witch
CF \| An interactive loneliness by Robert Patten
CF \| Release 1 / Serial number 230928 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
CF \| 6/12N)
CF \|
CF \| This story occasionally plays music if supported by your
CF \| interpreter. It is on by default. To toggle hearing it, type
CF \| MUSIC.
CF \|
CF \| Type HELP if you have never played interactive fiction
CF \| before.
CF \|
CF \| Staging Area
CF \| Translucent plastic veils enclose what was once a basketball court.
CF \| Hoops and bleachers are faint shadows. High above you, the scrubbers
CF \| sterilize any intruding air. A door is magnetically sealed against any
CF \| invisible danger outside.
CF \|
CF \| Dozens of tables bear medical equipment. In front of them is a
CF \| whiteboard.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve wipes his brow, gestures to the tables, and clears his
CF \| throat.
CF \|
CF \| You can only half-hear with this bulky helmet on your head.
CF \|
CF \| " ... pathology team ... not found ... source ... disease," he says.
CF \|
CF \| The news is a surprise to no one, but shoulders slump.
CF \|
CF \| You're feeling despair for a different reason -- Dr. Steve is standing
CF \| between you and the door.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
		Jade says, "oh, the witch...lol"
		Lancelot says, "hazmat suits? hmm"
		DavidW says, "um, I'm always clumsy when thrown into the deep end at the start of a game."
		Lancelot asks, "x stuff?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| Your arsenal is limited.
CF \|
CF \| • You have your conversational notepad.
CF \| • Your most prized possession is a Walkman (closed and silent), which
CF \| is attached to earphones.
CF \| • You are sweating under a yellow hazmat suit and are wearing a bulky
CF \| helmet.
CF \|
CF \| "... few more tests ..." Dr. Steve is trying to sound encouraging.
CF \| "... Jessica?"
CF \|
CF \| "... disposing of the bodies with fire ..." Jessica says. Her voice is
CF \| quivering, but she forces the report from her lips. "... didn't know
CF \| the scale. With all ... need ... bigger crew ... can only focus ...
CF \| streets ... parks ... can't ... anything indoors ..."
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve nods.
CF \|
CF \| "No one understood ... sheer numbers of deceased ... will radio ...
CF \| more personnel ... Dave?"
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "Should we remove our helmet?"
		Lancelot says, "I guess we can hear better then"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "remove helmet"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > REMOVE HELMET
CF \|
CF \| You reach up to your helmet and hesitate. Maybe you can get away with
CF \| looking comfortable with the helmet on.
CF \|
CF \| Dave mutters something you probably wouldn't have been able to hear,
CF \| even if your helmet were off.
CF \|
CF \| "Dave?"
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't look up. "... riots ... looting."
CF \|
CF \| "None?"
CF \|
CF \| Dave's voice rises and cracks.
CF \|
CF \| "No panic ... people ... parents ... children. Just ..." He trails off
CF \| into what could be swearing or a prayer. "... silence. No one."
CF \|
CF \| He looks down again.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x whiteboard"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X WHITEBOARD
CF \|
CF \| It reads:
CF \|
CF \| Timeline:
CF \| March 2, 11:31 p.m. - Power goes out - all devices, entire city - EMP
CF \| device?
CF \| March 2, approx. 1:00 p.m. - First signs of plague appear - business
CF \| district
CF \| March 3 - Plague firmly in residential areas
CF \| March 4 - Quarantine in place
CF \|
CF \| Terrorists? Bacterium, virus, fungus?
CF \| Spread: Airborne?
CF \| Known symptom: Sudden death, no external or internal signs of injury
CF \|
CF \| "I'm seeing the same ... and Alisha ... safe ... can take off ..."
CF \|
CF \| At first you think Dr. Steve's pretending to pop off his head, but
CF \| he's actually demonstrating how to remove the headgear.
CF \|
CF \| You jolt. He's looking at you.
CF \|
CF \| Everyone is.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "we still didnt take of the helmet we hesitated"
		DavidW asks, "Right. We don't want to, but I think we have to?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Because we are not part of the team."
		DavidW says, "well, it's the start of the game. We might learn something if we take the helmet off."
		Lancelot says, "I dont know the backstory... are we like incognito?>"
		DavidW says, "I don't know either."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "remove helmet"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > REMOVE HELMET
CF \|
CF \| No sense in postponing the inevitable.
CF \|
CF \| You sigh and remove the helmet.
CF \|
CF \| More than one person gives a startled yell. Dave draws a pistol.
CF \|
CF \| "Who are you, and what did you do with Alisha?" Dr. Steve demands.
CF \| "TALK TO me!"
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "so just try"
		Lancelot says, "okay so we were supposed to be Alisha"
		Lancelot asks, "undo?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to steve"
CF \| >
CF \| > TALK TO STEVE
CF \|
CF \| You prepared the notepad to be your voice for any number of situations
CF \| you might encounter here. Which page do you show Dr. Steve?
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Polly.
CF \| 2) If you do not cooperate, more will die.
CF \| 3) Stop the music, please. It hurts me.
CF \| 4) You must end this suffering. Have mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad)
CF \| >>		Lancelot says, "lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF \| >>
CF \| > 1
CF \|
CF \| "People here call me Dr. Steve. I'm afraid you're in quite a bit of
CF \| trouble, young lady. This is a quarantined area, and --"
CF \|
CF \| The color leaves Dr. Steve's cheeks, and his eyes narrow. He diagnosed
CF \| the situation faster than you expected. Woman with a perfectly
CF \| proportioned face, can't speak, appears unexpectedly amid death ... it
CF \| makes sense.
CF \|
CF \| "Beat witch!" he shouts.
CF \|
CF \| The others cry out in fear and press against the walls, as though you
CF \| were a bomb. The now-trembling gun is still aimed at you, though Dave
CF \| seems to have forgotten it in his panic.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve fumbles in his pockets and produces an iPhone. He can't
CF \| swipe fast enough.
CF \|
CF \| "This is for Ruby, Faith, and Ivy. Eat music, witch!"
CF \|
CF \| And it starts.		Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
		Lancelot says, "oh we cannot speak ... nats a neat trick to avoid conv"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) Staging Area Dying
CF \| And it starts.It happens to be a lively instrumental tune featuring a
CF \| viola, it's on full blast, and it has no lyrics to soften the musical
CF \| blow.
CF \|
CF \| You collapse. Your entire body shakes in painful spasms.
CF \|
CF \| You don't have much time.
CF \|
CF \| The melody burrows into your mind in fiery needles. Your shrieks are
CF \| soundless.
CF \|
CF \| "You are all safe now," Dr. Steve tells his colleagues. "Observe the
CF \| subject's loss of balance, the dry-heaving, the drooping gaze. Yes, we
CF \| are witnessing the beginning of a beautiful aneurysm."
CF \|
CF \| You barely overhear a couple of scientists muttering about how they
CF \| have never heard of a beat witch killing so many, so suddenly, but
CF \| here you are. You being the cause of the plague seems obvious in
CF \| retrospect.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Geeze."
		Lancelot asks, "so we have to avoid music.... but didnt we have something plugged in?"
		Lancelot asks, "a walkman or sth can we drown out the sound?"
		DavidW asks, "So, we're a witch who can't stand music?"
		Lancelot asks, "maybe the wrong type of music?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wear earphones"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) Staging Area Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > WEAR EARPHONES
CF \|
CF \| You slip on the earphones. They do nothing to block out the music.
CF \|
CF \| The world crashes into itself like a whirlpool.
CF \|
CF \| Every note you hear brings you one beat closer to your brain bursting.
CF \| You cradle the helmet against your chest.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wear helmet"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) Staging Area Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > WEAR HELMET
CF \|
CF \| The helmet is normally a snug fit. You can't wear it with the
CF \| earphones on.
CF \|
CF \| Your head is a pain-spewing fountain. If you can't find a way to block
CF \| out the sound, you're not going to last any longer.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "play walkman"
CF ] Deep silence Dead
CF \| >
CF \| > PLAY WALKMAN
CF \|
CF \| Don't forget your purpose here. The music in that Walkman is for one
CF \| person only.
CF \|
CF \| Fluid dribbles from your ears, and you have a hallucination of musical
CF \| notes ripping flesh from your bones.
CF \|
CF \| The helmet drops from your unfeeling fingers. The last thing you hear
CF \| is applause.
CF \|
CF \| A monster is dead.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| * You die *
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, or UNDO the
CF \| last command?
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "ouch game bug? because no sound support?"
		DavidW says, "perhaps"
		Lancelot asks, "I think we can just restart it? or want to undo?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "restart"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| The emergency responders move like yellow ghosts through the smoke.
CF \|
CF \| The group banded together before you could get away. Now you find
CF \| yourself in the middle, an unwilling participant in a silent parade
CF \| that marches past cars that won't start and shops that are eternally
CF \| closed.
CF \|
CF \| In the darkness, you seem like the others. You even adopt their
CF \| attitude of ignoring the piles of smoldering dead.
CF \|
CF \| The group stops near a high school gymnasium. One by one, you move
CF \| past the electric generators, through plastic sheets, and into the
CF \| light of the staging area.
CF \|
CF \| When the last of you has stepped through the final veil, the door
CF \| seals, and the scrubbers whir.
CF \|
CF \| The one in charge -- Dr. Steve, everyone affectionately calls him --
CF \| takes off his hazmat helmet and motions everyone to do the same.
CF \|
CF \| You're done for.
CF \|
CF \| Beat Witch
CF \| An interactive loneliness by Robert Patten
CF \| Release 1 / Serial number 230928 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
CF \| 6/12N)
CF \|
CF \| This story occasionally plays music if supported by your
CF \| interpreter. It is on by default. To toggle hearing it, type
CF \| MUSIC.
CF \|
CF \| Type HELP if you have never played interactive fiction
CF \| before.
CF \|
CF \| Staging Area
CF \| Translucent plastic veils enclose what was once a basketball court.
CF \| Hoops and bleachers are faint shadows. High above you, the scrubbers
CF \| sterilize any intruding air. A door is magnetically sealed against any
CF \| invisible danger outside.
CF \|
CF \| Dozens of tables bear medical equipment. In front of them is a
CF \| whiteboard.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve wipes his brow, gestures to the tables, and clears his
CF \| throat.
CF \|
CF \| You can only half-hear with this bulky helmet on your head.
CF \|
CF \| " ... pathology team ... not found ... source ... disease," he says.
CF \|
CF \| The news is a surprise to no one, but shoulders slump.
CF \|
CF \| You're feeling despair for a different reason -- Dr. Steve is standing
CF \| between you and the door.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "if we drop the headphones we can wear helmet"
		DavidW says, "well, simpler not to wear the headphones at all."
		Lancelot says, "true"
		DavidW says, "But I have no idea what to do about the gun."
		DavidW asks, "If we're a witch, what powers do we have?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x me"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X ME
CF \|
CF \| Your features are hidden under the hazmat helmet.
CF \|
CF \| "... few more tests ..." Dr. Steve is trying to sound encouraging.
CF \| "... Jessica?"
CF \|
CF \| "... disposing of the bodies with fire ..." Jessica says. Her voice is
CF \| quivering, but she forces the report from her lips. "... didn't know
CF \| the scale. With all ... need ... bigger crew ... can only focus ...
CF \| streets ... parks ... can't ... anything indoors ..."
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve nods.
CF \|
CF \| "No one understood ... sheer numbers of deceased ... will radio ...
CF \| more personnel ... Dave?"
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "spells"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > SPELLS
CF \|
CF \| Please rephrase that.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x suit"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X SUIT
CF \|
CF \| (the hazmat suit)
CF \| Bulky, yellow, and a useless means of keeping people safe from this
CF \| "plague."
CF \|
CF \| Dave mutters something you probably wouldn't have been able to hear,
CF \| even if your helmet were off.
CF \|
CF \| "Dave?"
CF \|
CF \| He doesn't look up. "... riots ... looting."
CF \|
CF \| "None?"
CF \|
CF \| Dave's voice rises and cracks.
CF \|
CF \| "No panic ... people ... parents ... children. Just ..." He trails off
CF \| into what could be swearing or a prayer. "... silence. No one."
CF \|
CF \| He looks down again.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Witch may just be a derogatory term."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You can't go anywhere with Dr. Steve in your way. And the door's
CF \| magnetically sealed.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm seeing the same ... and Alisha ... safe ... can take off ..."
CF \|
CF \| At first you think Dr. Steve's pretending to pop off his head, but
CF \| he's actually demonstrating how to remove the headgear.
CF \|
CF \| You jolt. He's looking at you.
CF \|
CF \| Everyone is.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "I guess we use that conversational notepsad for talking then"
		DavidW says, "yes"
		DavidW asks, "Should we remove our helmet again? What other options do we have?"
		DavidW asks, "Do we talk to Steve first instead?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess it's either remove it ourselves or get it removed."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to steve"
CF ] No music Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > TALK TO STEVE
CF \|
CF \| Attempting to communicate with others would give you away.
CF \|
CF \| "What's ... matter with ... Alisha?" Dr. Steve asks. "Alisha?"
CF \|
CF \| "Let me," Dave says. He's right behind you.
CF \|
CF \| He yanks the helmet off your head.
CF \|
CF \| You grab the helmet back, but it's too late.
CF \|
CF \| More than one person gives a startled yell. Dave draws a pistol.
CF \|
CF \| "Who are you, and what did you do with Alisha?" Dr. Steve demands.
CF \| "TALK TO me!"
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to Steve"
CF \| >
CF \| > TALK TO STEVE
CF \|
CF \| You prepared a notepad to be your voice for any number of situations
CF \| you might encounter here. Which page do you show Dr. Steve?
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Polly.
CF \| 2) If you do not cooperate, more will die.
CF \| 3) Stop the music, please. It hurts me.
CF \| 4) You must end this suffering. Have mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad)
CF \| >>
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "2"
CF \| >>
CF \| > 2
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve scowls.
CF \|
CF \| "Was that a threat?"
CF \|
CF \| The color leaves Dr. Steve's cheeks, and his eyes narrow. He diagnosed
CF \| the situation faster than you expected. Woman with a perfectly
CF \| proportioned face, can't speak, appears unexpectedly amid death ... it
CF \| makes sense.
CF \|
CF \| "Beat witch!" he shouts.
CF \|
CF \| The others cry out in fear and press against the walls, as though you
CF \| were a bomb. The now-trembling gun is still aimed at you, though Dave
CF \| seems to have forgotten it in his panic.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve fumbles in his pockets and produces an iPhone. He can't
CF \| swipe fast enough.
CF \|
CF \| "This is for Ruby, Faith, and Ivy. Eat music, witch!"
CF \|
CF \| And it starts.
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "3"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) Staging Area Dying
CF \| And it starts.It happens to be a lively instrumental tune featuring a
CF \| viola, it's on full blast, and it has no lyrics to soften the musical
CF \| blow.
CF \|
CF \| You collapse. Your entire body shakes in painful spasms.
CF \|
CF \| You don't have much time.
CF \|
CF \| The melody burrows into your mind in fiery needles. Your shrieks are
CF \| soundless.
CF \|
CF \| "You are all safe now," Dr. Steve tells his colleagues. "Observe the
CF \| subject's loss of balance, the dry-heaving, the drooping gaze. Yes, we
CF \| are witnessing the beginning of a beautiful aneurysm."
CF \|
CF \| You barely overhear a couple of scientists muttering about how they
CF \| have never heard of a beat witch killing so many, so suddenly, but
CF \| here you are. You being the cause of the plague seems obvious in
CF \| retrospect.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wear helmet"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Staging Area Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > WEAR HELMET
CF \|
CF \| You put on your helmet.
CF \|
CF \| The music is muffled now, and you feel better instantly. Your skin
CF \| tingles with anticipation. There's no way you can make it out of here
CF \| without ... doing what you do.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve's blocking the door. He won't once you DRAIN him.
CF \|
CF \| Everyone freezes, waiting for the mistress of death to take action.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "drain gmmm"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain steve"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Staging Area Strong
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN STEVE
CF \|
CF \| With a thought, you drain life from Dr. Steve.
CF \|
CF \| You love the sensation of new life -- your body inhaling steady rhythm
CF \| from other flesh, converting it to power. Your senses sharpen, your
CF \| muscles tighten, and a nearly blinding surge of energy bursts into
CF \| your veins. You love it so much, you find it disgusting, like gorging
CF \| on chocolate.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve crashes to the floor.
CF \|
CF \| You were careful not to take too much, though. He'll be better in a
CF \| day, as long as you don't drain him again when he's like this.
CF \|
CF \| You are strong enough to deal with the door.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "custom verb"
		Lancelot says, "whoa some action"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "open door"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN DOOR
CF \|
CF \| You give the magnetically sealed door a superhuman punch. It squeals
CF \| and shoots into the street. You run outside.
CF \|
CF \| Street
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| You bound over cars and burn piles like an impossible gazelle.
CF \|
CF \| Although you're still wearing the helmet, you can make out the
CF \| panicked shouts behind you.
CF \|
CF \| "Stop staring! Shoot her!"
CF \|
CF \| Deeper in City
CF \| CRACK.
CF \|
CF \| A sudden numbness engulfs your leg.
CF \|
CF \| "Bring Dr. Steve's phone! Don't worry about him right now -- she's
CF \| getting away!"
CF \|
CF \| You careen into a school-crossing sign and barely catch yourself from
CF \| falling. You gulp air and force yourself to move.
CF \|
CF \| Your augmented strength wears off faster than usual to deal with your
CF \| bullet wound, which only half-heals. Running slows to limping,
CF \| strength to weakness. You are a delirious rat in an asphalt maze.
CF \|
CF \| You've never been in this city before, and you have lost your sense of
CF \| direction. But you feel an itching, a howling in your mind that
CF \| crescendos as you get closer to the other beat witch.
CF \|
CF \| It's quiet here -- except for your breathing, which is heavy and fast.
CF \| You have to walk.
CF \|
CF \| You are among the shadows of apartment buildings, all dark, all
CF \| teeming with death. Somewhere in the distance, a dog howls -- you hate
CF \| to think what it's been surviving on.
CF \|
CF \| You pass reddish embers in the dark. It didn't take you long to become
CF \| accustomed to piles of burning corpses -- but this one strikes you as
CF \| unusual. A single body appears to have rolled off the pile before it
CF \| could ignite.
CF \|
CF \| You note with dismay that you have left a trail of blood behind you.
CF \| The bullet must have hit an artery. So much for losing this mob.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "can we use that body to hide"
Knight_Otu says (to ClubFloyd), "music"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > MUSIC
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| Music is off.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "would have been nice if this game had some option to turn sound off? lose those error messages?"
		Lancelot says, "nvm"
		Knight_Otu asks, "In theory it should be off now?"
		DavidW says, "I'm not sure what to do with the body."
		Jade says, "I don't know"
		Lancelot says, "x"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x body"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > X BODY
CF \|
CF \| (the corpse)
CF \| Slightly bloated, one of the corpses is a young man in his 20s wearing
CF \| rollerblades.
CF \|
CF \| You wish you could GIVE LIFE to him, but you've tried this kind of
CF \| thing before, and nothing.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Let's see if that fixes the error message."
		Knight_Otu says, "It doesn't. :/"
		Lancelot asks, "give life?"
		Lancelot says, "so we have drain and give :D"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to body"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO BODY
CF \|
CF \| (the corpse)
CF \| Giving life to the lifeless is beyond your ability.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "can we give life to ourself"
		Lancelot asks, "like heal?"
		DavidW says, "Or take his rollerblades."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to me"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO ME
CF \|
CF \| You can't give life from yourself, to yourself, as much as your leg
CF \| pains you.
CF \|
CF \| You sense the disquiet from other beat witch. She's so close.
CF \|
CF \| It doesn't matter where you go -- your feet will take you to her.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wear rollerblades"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > WEAR ROLLERBLADES
CF \|
CF \| (first taking the rollerblades)
CF \| With your leg the way it is, there's no way you could move in
CF \| rollerblades.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "from other > from the other, I guess."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x leg"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > X LEG
CF \|
CF \| Your leg has been shot and is bleeding terribly.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "ah others... get those blades and ok"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "bandage leg"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > BANDAGE LEG
CF \|
CF \| Please rephrase that.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "fix leg"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > FIX LEG
CF \|
CF \| Please rephrase that.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "heal leg"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "heal leg"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > HEAL LEG
CF \|
CF \| You can't give life from yourself, to yourself, as much as your leg
CF \| pains you.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		DavidW says, "I'm not sure what to do."
		Lancelot asks, "can we drain that body?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain body"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN BODY
CF \|
CF \| (the corpse)
CF \| Taking life from the lifeless is beyond your ability.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "even if its dead..?"
		Lancelot says, "ah nvm"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "search body"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > SEARCH BODY
CF \|
CF \| (the corpse)
CF \| You can do nothing for the dead.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| Your arsenal is limited.
CF \|
CF \| • You have your conversational notepad.
CF \| • Your most prized possession is a Walkman (closed and silent), which
CF \| is attached to earphones.
CF \| • You are sweating under a yellow hazmat suit and are wearing a bulky
CF \| helmet.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x pile"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > X PILE
CF \|
CF \| Looking at the fires fills you with repulsive fascination. The flames
CF \| have almost finished consuming the blackened, twisted shapes that used
CF \| to be people.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "I would be tempted to dress up that body as me and get away but thats far fetched"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "put hazmat suit on corpse"
CF ] No music Deeper in City Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > PUT HAZMAT SUIT ON CORPSE
CF \|
CF \| Putting things on the corpse is a funny idea, but you're in no mood to
CF \| laugh.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "lol ok"
		Knight_Otu says, "Worth a try."
		DavidW says, "I am out of ideas except limping away."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] No music South Side of Skyscraper Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You follow the uneasiness before you. Exact directions mean nothing at
CF \| the moment.
CF \|
CF \| You hear the click clack of rollerblades behind you. When you
CF \| turn, you see only splotches of flame in the night.
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| The pain in your leg explodes. You stumble and black out for a few
CF \| seconds.
CF \|
CF \| When you awake, you find your fall knocked the helmet off. You manage
CF \| to stand, but you leave the helmet where it is. You can't summon the
CF \| strength to put it on.
CF \|
CF \| You take in your surroundings in the moonlight. You're a little more
CF \| lucid now and have a better sense of direction. You notice streets
CF \| downtown are laid out and labeled in a grid, though a winding gravel
CF \| path that goes northeast seems to be the exception. The entrance of
CF \| this office building is to the north. It's the tallest skyscraper
CF \| around and also happens to be where she is lurking.
CF \|
CF \| Lights on some of the floors flicker to life, and the front doors
CF \| appear to open on their own.
CF \|
CF \| She is waiting.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Huh. That person was still alive?"
		DavidW says, "I don't know."
		DavidW says, "Maybe the other beat witch can animate the dead."
		Lancelot says, "or at least heal us"
		Knight_Otu asks, "I'm gettng the feeling she's not our friend?"
		DavidW asks, "Should we head north inside, or check out the northeast path, or take some other street?"
		Lancelot says, "true but not sure if we have other options at present"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Main Lobby Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Main Lobby
CF \| The only clue the white-marbled lobby does not belong to a 5-star
CF \| hotel is the gigantic logo behind the desk.
CF \|
CF \| On one side of the desk is a doorless opening that is marked as TO
CF \| STAIRWELL. On the other side is an elevator.
CF \|
CF \| A pale man in a blue blazer and bright red tie sits at the desk. His
CF \| name is Ted Tau, if his badge is to be trusted. He motions you farther
CF \| in.
CF \|
CF \| As soon as you clear the doorway, he pushes something under the desk,
CF \| and the doors slam shut behind you.
CF \|
CF \| Just in time too -- the first responders have found you.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| They rattle the double doors. Fists pound on the thick glass, but the
CF \| doors hold.
CF \|
CF \| Booted feet kick your helmet down the sidewalk, as though being a
CF \| plague on humanity were contagious.
CF \|
CF \| One of the responders waves Dr. Steve's phone at you. From the other
CF \| side of the glass, it is weak and harmless.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Plagues can be quite contagious."
		Lancelot says, "I guess we are safe for a bit"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to ted"
CF \| >
CF \| > TALK TO TED
CF \|
CF \| Which page do you show Ted?
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Polly.
CF \| 2) If you do not cooperate, more will die.
CF \| 3) Stop the music, please. It hurts me.
CF \| 4) You must end this suffering. Have mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad)
CF \| >>
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "1"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Main Lobby Wounded
CF \| >>
CF \| > 1
CF \|
CF \| Ted nods and goes back to gazing into nothingness.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "I wonder if its really a plague but ok"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "in"
CF ] No music Bottom of Stairs Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > IN
CF \|
CF \| (entering the stairwell)
CF \| You've lost all sense of direction again. You stagger toward the
CF \| stairs. You trip, and Ted immediately catches you. As jarring as it is
CF \| for you to touch another person, you have no choice but to lean on his
CF \| stiff shoulder.
CF \|
CF \| Bottom of Stairs
CF \| You are at the base of what appears to be endlessly zigzagging stairs.
CF \|
CF \| A girl lies motionless on the floor. She clutches a gray book -- a
CF \| photo album -- in her arms, and a Polaroid camera hangs from her neck
CF \| by a strap. You believe she's breathing. Ted points at you, then her.
CF \|
CF \| You don't care how he knows that you aren't a force of destruction
CF \| only, that you can make life flow two ways ... but you are so weak!
CF \| You want to help, but you doubt you have much life to GIVE her -- it
CF \| would likely mean your death.
CF \|
CF \| On the other hand, taking what meager life must remain in the child is
CF \| a possibility. It would give you the strength you need to at least
CF \| limp up the stairs to face the beat witch. The girl would not be
CF \| strong enough to survive you draining her, though.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
		DavidW says, "well, this is an ugly choice."
		DavidW asks, "Can we partly drain Ted instead?"
		Lancelot says, "we can try good thinking"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain ted"
CF ] No music Bottom of Stairs Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN TED
CF \|
CF \| You are desperate. You try to drain life from Ted, but it's like
CF \| sipping from an empty cup. You sense no life rhythm inside him, only
CF \| silence.
CF \|
CF \| What's happened to you? You've never failed to do this before.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "hmm is ted even human"
		Knight_Otu says, "Ted's a robot or an animated corpse."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x album"
CF ] No music Bottom of Stairs Wounded
CF \| >
CF \| > X ALBUM
CF \|
CF \| You reach down to the ragged photo album, but Ted slaps your hand
CF \| away.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "cf10"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] No music Bottom of Stairs Wounded
CF \| > SAVESaved.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to girl"
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO GIRL
CF \|
CF \| You're not sure if this is going to work, but what choice do you have?
CF \| This is it. You will die. But how can you leave her like this?
CF \|
CF \| You will your life into her body. Her chest rises sharply. The world
CF \| fades into soundlessness ...		Lancelot says, "give life to"
		Lancelot says, "oh"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] No music Upper Lobby Healthy
CF \| fades into soundlessness ...
CF \| Upper Lobby
CF \| You awaken to fingers grasping your wrist.
CF \|
CF \| You leap to your feet. Your leg feels fine -- it's as if you were
CF \| never shot.
CF \|
CF \| In the undulating red light, you face a man in a soiled shirt and
CF \| ragged tie. His smile is wide but strained.
CF \|
CF \| "A pulse! I didn't think I'd meet another living person," he says. He
CF \| suffocates you in a hug. You can't remember the last time anyone
CF \| showed you affection, and you're not sure what to do.
CF \|
CF \| Why do you feel lighter?
CF \|
CF \| You shove him away and pat your pockets in a frenzy. Your Walkman and
CF \| notepad are gone.
CF \|
CF \| The man doesn't seem to notice your sudden panic.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm Hal, chief executive of this establishment," he says while
CF \| showing you his corporate badge, which is unreadable, chewed-off
CF \| plastic dangling from a lanyard. "Usually the witch gives me little
CF \| notes when I ... wake up, but I think this one's for you."
CF \|
CF \| Hal points to the only wall that hasn't been gnawed by flame.
CF \|
CF \| Scribbled in crayon are the words "BENNY ABANDONED YOU" accompanied by
CF \| a happy face.
CF \|
CF \| You are enveloped in a boiling nausea. How dare she listen to side B
CF \| of your tape!
CF \|
CF \| You look around you as you try to relax -- or at least stop shaking.
CF \|
CF \| You are in a lobby labeled as "32 - Research and Development."
CF \| Everything is lit in pulsing red emergency lights. Scorch marks twist
CF \| over the walls and furniture, and wires dangle from the ceiling.
CF \|
CF \| The floor bears a charred decorative compass that tells you the
CF \| stairway door behind you is to the west, and the hallway beyond the
CF \| lobby goes east. The elevator looks busted.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "this reminds me of my own game... looks like we do not have a lot of freedom"
ASchultz has arrived.		Knight_Otu says, "Convenient floor decoration."
		Lancelot says, "lol a literal compass on the floor :D"
		DavidW says, "hi ASchultz!"
		Lancelot exclaims, "Hi ASchultz!"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x Hal"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft)Upper Lobby Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > X HAL
CF \|
CF \| Hal is pale and seems to peer at you from the other side of a shadow.
CF \|
CF \| Judging from how loose his button-up shirt and slacks are, he recently
CF \| lost some weight. He wears a badge that has been chewed beyond
CF \| readability.
CF \|
CF \| Speakers hidden somewhere in the ceiling crackle and spew
CF \| easy-listening instrumental music. You claw your face in a mute wail.
CF \|
CF \| The music's volume has been set at precisely the right level -- the
CF \| notes are soft enough that their notes won't immediately kill you, but
CF \| they're loud enough to make your nerve endings burn.
CF \|
CF \| "Why are you --" Recognition clouds Hal's face. "Oh."
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hey."
		ASchultz says, "hey, good to be here even if I'm late"
		Jade says (to ASchultz), "Hello"
		Lancelot says, "we are playing beat witch"
		ASchultz says, "Ooh nice. That's one I didn't have time to look at fully."
		DavidW says, "We are vulnerable to all music, and we can DRAIN people of life energy or GIVE LIFE to someone else."
		Knight_Otu says, "Also we can't speak."
		DavidW says, "A second beat witch has assaulted the city, but the mob blamed us."
		DavidW says, "I'm again unsure what to do here."
		DavidW says, "Are our choices just west and east? We can't talk to Hal without our notepad."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft)Upper Lobby Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| Your inventory is pitiful.
CF \|
CF \| • You are sweating under a yellow hazmat suit.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "remove suit"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft)Upper Lobby Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > REMOVE SUIT
CF \|
CF \| You don't have time to undress.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| Hal cringes a little and follows you.
CF \|
CF \| "So you're a good monster -- but you're not here to kill the
CF \| other witch? What are you here for?"
CF \|
CF \| You get the uncomfortable feeling that despite the fact that Hal's
CF \| business empire is a tomb, he is starting to see you as a bad job
CF \| interview.
CF \|
CF \| "I know I can come off as harsh," Hal says. "It's just irritatingly
CF \| unprofessional when my employees don't tell me everything -- or can't,
CF \| I guess in your case. Do you even have human motivations?" He coughs
CF \| uncomfortably. His face relaxes with a sympathy that could be genuine.
CF \| "I didn't mean it like ... that is, I suppose ... it must have been
CF \| ... I can't imagine what it would have been like, being an adolescent
CF \| girl, waking up one morning to find you can't speak, and you have
CF \| powers so fearsome that -- did I say something wrong?"
CF \|
CF \| You shrug for him to forget it. It's been decades, and you wish you
CF \| could.
CF \|
CF \| Hal tries to help you, but you wave him away. Despite the music, you
CF \| can walk on your own, and you've spent so many years without physical
CF \| human contact that the idea of touching someone else fills you with
CF \| shivers. He stays with you anyway.
CF \|
CF \| Corridor
CF \| The northern wall is mostly crumbled and charred to reveal the remains
CF \| of a lab. The southern wall didn't fare much better, though an office
CF \| door is intact. A memo has been posted near the door.
CF \|
CF \| "I've lost count of how many times the beat witch has drained me," Hal
CF \| says. The words that must have been pent up in him during his
CF \| isolation rise in a rapid babble. "Sometimes I wake up feeling like
CF \| she's given me more life, more energy, than I had before, and others,
CF \| I can barely stand. Each time, I'm on a different floor with more
CF \| crayon graffiti taunting me or inviting me to worship her, and no way
CF \| to get out. I've never seen her. Even sunlight doesn't stop the night.
CF \| I don't know how long it's been since ... since the others were
CF \| alive." He gives his name tag a nibble. "But this time, I wake up to a
CF \| woman in a protective suit who looks and behaves like a beat witch.
CF \| But ... you can't be her, can you? Why would you torture yourself?"
CF \|
CF \| Hal's voice quivers beneath its steel. "I need to know, witch. Are you
CF \| here to kill the other one?"
CF \|
CF \| You can indicate YES or NO>		Knight_Otu says, "Oh, I missed that our notepad was also nicked."
		Lancelot says, "whoa text wall"
		Lancelot says, "oh critical question"
		Lancelot says, "ah"
		Lancelot says, "that music is that for the other witch"
		Knight_Otu says, "It does seem that we are here to kill her."
		Lancelot asks, "since we are vulnerable to music, I guess the other one is too?"
		DavidW says, "I need to use the bathroom. Help decide our choice."
		Knight_Otu says, "Hence the walkman."
		Jade says, "I don't know"
		Lancelot asks, "hmm what if we say yes? it seems this person is suffering because of her?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I would vote yes, but maybe she can control Hal in some way, and saying yes triggers that control."
		Lancelot says, "ouch that might be we do not know the extend of our powers"
		Knight_Otu says, "Hal is definitely suffering."
		Lancelot says, "then we better play it safe"
		Lancelot says, "yes making it easier to say yes I guess"
		DavidW says, "back. okay, YES it is."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "yes"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| You can indicate YES or NO>
CF \| > YES
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| You nod. Your original plan of begging her to stop is laughable now.
CF \| Your Plan B is to somehow put the earphones on her, press play on your
CF \| Walkman, and let the tuba music boom until she is just as dead as her
CF \| victims. That too is a childish hope. But what else is there?
CF \|
CF \| "Then lead on, witch!"
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Beat witches seem closer to vampires in my monster dictionary."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x memo"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > X MEMO
CF \|
CF \| Written on a clean piece of paper someone must have posted here after
CF \| the fire are the words:
CF \|
CF \| To all valued engineers:
CF \|
CF \| I am pleased to announce that last week's small-scale tests of the
CF \| Semper battery were a success. Although we are years away from using
CF \| it to power submarines and military bases, I am confident these
CF \| preliminary test results represent a step forward for this
CF \| company.
CF \|
CF \| A few of you have expressed concerns the full-sized prototype
CF \| would set off a reaction that would result in, and I quote, a
CF \| "localized fiery explosion as well as a massive electromagnetic pulse
CF \| that would have catastrophic effects on electronic devices in a
CF \| 20-mile radius."
CF \|
CF \| My brother Ted was opposed to further testing for this reason and
CF \| unfortunately did not hide that fact from lower-level employees.
CF \| However, we had an extensive conversation yesterday, and he is now as
CF \| confident as I am that full testing will be a success and will be
CF \| harmless to ourselves and the surrounding area.
CF \|
CF \| To the naysayers among us, I say if a respected engineer like Ted
CF \| can change his opinion, consider re-evaluating yours.
CF \|
CF \| The first full-scale test will take place at 11 a.m. Join us in
CF \| the 32nd floor breakroom at noon for a celebratory luncheon.
CF \|
CF \| Regards,
CF \| Hal Tau
CF \| Chief Executive Officer
CF \| Tau Labs
CF \|
CF \| "I didn't leave that there," Hal mutters. He avoids eye contact. "I
CF \| wrote it, sure, but I would never have put my ... my lowest moment on
CF \| display."
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "I guess that was the right choice?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Seems so."
		Lancelot says, "hmm EMP would void our plan"
		Knight_Otu says, "So the corpse downstairs is Hal's brother."
		DavidW asks, "Where's the nearest steam-powered church organ?"
		Knight_Otu says, "I'm beginning to doubt Hal."
		Lancelot says, "lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You open the office door.
CF \|
CF \| What was once an office for middle management is now stuffed with
CF \| corpses. On the bottom of the pile are those with blistered flesh and
CF \| singed lab coats -- not from any purposeful cremation, but from how
CF \| they died. The unburned are on the top. They are so tightly packed,
CF \| you can't count them. That smell -- you're going to be sick.
CF \|
CF \| Hal dry heaves behind you.
CF \|
CF \| "There are offices stuffed like this all over the building," he says
CF \| between gasps. "But that doesn't make it any easier."
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x corpses"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > X CORPSES
CF \|
CF \| What was once an office for middle management is now stuffed with
CF \| corpses. On the bottom of the pile are those with blistered flesh and
CF \| singed lab coats -- not from any purposeful cremation, but from how
CF \| they died. The unburned are on the top. They are so tightly packed,
CF \| you can't count them. That smell -- you're going to be sick.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Eesh."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "search corpses"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > SEARCH CORPSES
CF \|
CF \| You can do nothing for the dead.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "close door"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > CLOSE DOOR
CF \|
CF \| You close the office door. Hal's breathing becomes more regular.
CF \|
CF \| "Let's not do that again," he says.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| Corridor
CF \| The northern wall is mostly crumbled and charred to reveal the remains
CF \| of a lab. The southern wall didn't fare much better, though an office
CF \| door is intact. A memo has been posted near the door.
CF \|
CF \| Hal can't seem to decide if you are a friend or an unspeakable terror
CF \| made flesh.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| The lab is a ruined mess of wires and equipment that leaves you no
CF \| room for you.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x lab"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > X LAB
CF \|
CF \| Among the smashed and burned remains of computers, tables, and
CF \| schematics is a rectangular, metallic thing the size of a bathtub --
CF \| this must be the battery.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x battery"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > X BATTERY
CF \|
CF \| It appears the fiery destruction emanated from the battery.
CF \|
CF \| Hal bites his mangled name tag -- he must be starving.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "If it's the size of a bathtub, I don't want to take it."
		DavidW asks, "so, we head back the other way?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (sofEnd of Corridor Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| Hal follows you.
CF \|
CF \| End of Corridor
CF \| This is where it ends.
CF \|
CF \| A tall figure emerges from red-tinged shadow to the east. According to
CF \| the company-issued name tag, the young woman is Margo Harris. She's
CF \| wearing earplugs.
CF \|
CF \| "You found me! Speechless, Polly?" She erupts into hollow
CF \| giggles. "You're so confused and underpowered -- oooh, and angry too!
CF \| Does little Polly Dolly get mad when someone listens to her tape?"
CF \|
CF \| Hal is wailing. "How can it be you, Margo? I weighed in on the hiring
CF \| process of everyone -- even interns like you. You didn't seem like a
CF \| beat witch at all! I mean, you -- you can talk!"
CF \|
CF \| "Toys must not squeak," Margo says with a click of the tongue.
CF \|
CF \| She nods to an arched opening to the east.
CF \|
CF \| "Come to the breakroom, Polly Dolly. I have sandwiches. And you can
CF \| come too, Hal, if you kindly shut up."
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "oh. Or do this."
		Lancelot says, "ah the witch... woth earplugs lol"
		Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
		Lancelot says, "and she can talk., hmmm"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "e"
CF ] ♪ Music from ceiling (soft) Breakroom Tortured
CF \| >
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| Breakroom
CF \| The flames left the breakroom untouched.
CF \|
CF \| This place was once ready to party: balloons are wilted rainbows on
CF \| the ceiling, and a counter next to a refrigerator is strewn with boxes
CF \| of sandwiches.
CF \|
CF \| Small, round tables and pale chairs are angled toward a wide window
CF \| that overlooks a gray twilight fog. Next to the window is a small but
CF \| bulky TV set controlled by a black remote on a table.
CF \|
CF \| "Did you miss him, Hal?"
CF \|
CF \| In the room's darkest corner, Ted stands at one of the tables, staring
CF \| through you as he did in the first-floor lobby. This time, his hands
CF \| are over his ears.
CF \|
CF \| Hal bounds to him and gives him a hug tighter than he gave you. Ted
CF \| stays rigid.
CF \|
CF \| "It's me! Hal!" No reaction. Hal resorts to blubbering. "Remember on
CF \| the stairwell after the explosion? We were so lucky to be that far
CF \| from the battery and -- we were running to get help, and you just ...
CF \| fell down after we passed the girl. Everyone else started dropping
CF \| dead after that, and I've been so ... don't you --" Hal steps back in
CF \| disgust and horror. "Ted ... you're, you're ..."
CF \|
CF \| "I am a goddess of miracles, the giver of life." Margo takes the
CF \| remote. She points it at Ted in a grand flourish. "And your brother's
CF \| my second-favorite corpse. I am in him and through him. Anything Dead
CF \| Ted sees and hears, I see and hear."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu asks, "Did she... steal his ability to speak?"
		DavidW says, "oh, maybe."
		DavidW says, "In a lot of stories, witches can make transactions for body parts or abilities like that; eg: Ursula."
		Knight_Otu says, "I think this is a story that won't enter Disney Animated Canon."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x Margo"
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X MARGO
CF \|
CF \| According to the corporate badge she wears, this tall young woman in
CF \| torn slacks and a stained blouse is marketing intern Margo Harris.
CF \|
CF \| Hal lunges at Margo, but Ted grabs him by the shoulders and plunks him
CF \| down in a chair. Ted's hands go immediately back to his ears. Is that
CF \| pain?
CF \|
CF \| Hal is scarlet with grief and anger. "My brother is no one's plaything
CF \| -- let him rest in peace, witch!"
CF \|
CF \| "But Hal, dear, I wouldn't have been able to figure out a lot of
CF \| things without the knowledge rotting inside of Teddy's brain -- like
CF \| how your company's adorable battery only fried electronics
CF \| outside the building. And I wouldn't have been able to get
CF \| the power generator running in a bazillion years without the helpful
CF \| dead. Besides, even if I wanted to, it takes a little time for me to
CF \| release my hold on a stiff -- time you don't have."
CF \|
CF \| She aims the remote upward and clicks a button. The music stops.
CF \|
CF \| Ted's hands rest at his sides. You no longer burn.
CF \|
CF \| "Have some wax candy, Teddy." Margo takes out her earplugs and tosses
CF \| them to Ted, who swallows them.
CF \|
CF \| "Ted, what ...?"
CF \|
CF \| Hal's reaction makes Margo snort.
CF \|
CF \| She aims the remote at the TV and turns on the news. Then she tosses
CF \| the remote to Ted.
CF \|
CF \| He puts it in his mouth and crunches hard on the plastic. Teeth fly
CF \| everywhere. Hal winces. Margo giggles. Apparently, corpses eating
CF \| random things has a punchline only she can see.
CF \|
CF \| "Don't be such a drippy-doodle, Hal. I've got a bunch of these remotes
CF \| on the 46th floor," Margo says. "And, Polly, guess what! You're
CF \| famous!"
CF \|
CF \| She shoves you onto one of the chairs.
CF \|
CF \| Breakroom (on a chair)
CF \| "-- whom authorities are now identifying as Polly Miller based on
CF \| descriptions from the emergency response team," a reporter says.
CF \|
CF \| Images of you slide across the screen in quick succession.
CF \|
CF \| "... killed half a million people in the city. But her murder spree
CF \| started years ago with her mother and brother ..."
CF \|
CF \| A picture of you and Benny in tuxedos before the Sibling Youth Music
CF \| Festival. He leans against a harp, and you heft a tuba twice your
CF \| size.
CF \|
CF \| "... highly dangerous ..."
CF \|
CF \| Your first wanted poster, which bears your sixth-grade student photo
CF \| and instructions for the public to set music to lethal levels on
CF \| sight.
CF \|
CF \| "... eluding ... running ... decades ..."
CF \|
CF \| You emerging from hiding in a national forest, you starving and
CF \| breaking into a grocery store after hours, you running from a crowd
CF \| with boomboxes.
CF \|
CF \| "... monster ..."
CF \|
CF \| The latest surveillance footage: You dragging "noted epidemiologist
CF \| Alisha Brown" into a shed outside the quarantine area after you
CF \| drained her and borrowed her hazmat suit. The fact that you didn't
CF \| kill Dr. Brown is not mentioned.
CF \|
CF \| "More after the break."		Lancelot says, "whoa"
		Lancelot says, "this is a LOT of text ... is this really a parser game"
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Halp, I'm drowning in words!"
		DavidW says, "yeah, this is more of a choice-based game in parser-based clothing."
		Lancelot says, "I would prefer more like screenful of text at most my eyes glazeth over"
		Lancelot says, "yeah this could be changed in a choice game... we do not seem to have a lot of options"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| "More after the break."
CF \| The commercial is one for toothpaste. It's an upbeat jingle sung by
CF \| children. Both you and Margo tremble in a wave of agony, though the
CF \| presence of lyrics protects you from a full-on seizure.
CF \|
CF \| Pearly Bite toothpaste, O how clean!
CF \| My teeth are the whitest I've ever seen.
CF \| Sparkle, sparkle, like a diamond mine.
CF \| Having no cavities is oh so divine!
CF \| La-la-laaaaaahdy-la-la--
CF \|
CF \| "My remote!" Margo shouts.
CF \|
CF \| But Ted has just swallowed the last of it. He stares through both of
CF \| you, his hands over his ears again.
CF \|
CF \| She rips the TV from the wall. The device goes silent and dark. Ted
CF \| stops covering his ears.
CF \|
CF \| But Margo wants revenge on the appliance. She hurls the TV out the
CF \| window in a burst of glass that sends shards everywhere, including
CF \| some that tear your face.
CF \|
CF \| Margo giggles some more. She pokes her head out of the massive, ragged
CF \| hole and waits a moment. "Dag nabbit -- too far to hear it land. I
CF \| hope it hit one of the yokels down there. Then when someone asks,
CF \| 'Hey, what's on TV?', the other person will say, "You mean, 'What's on
CF \| Alfred?' Hahaha."
CF \|
CF \| She reaches into her pockets and pulls out your Walkman and notepad.
CF \| She hands you the notepad but gives the tape player to Hal. Margo
CF \| manages to keep you seated, pin your arms to your side, and force the
CF \| earphones -- still attached to the Walkman by a long cord -- onto your
CF \| head as you struggle. Her grip on your upper arms is nearly tight
CF \| enough to draw blood.
CF \|
CF \| "Final game for both," she says. "That tape is set to side A -- not
CF \| dear Benny's voice, alas, but a tuba and a harp! Will you kill her
CF \| with her own music first, Hal? Or will you drain him first, Polly?
CF \| Think of it, girl -- you could get strong and kill me like you've
CF \| always wanted! Just be quicker than him." Giggle. "Or maybe you'll use
CF \| your notepad to beg for your life. It's like a cowboy movie! Isn't
CF \| this delightful? Aaand ... go!"
CF \|
CF \| Your gaze locks with Hal's. You've never been more aware of someone
CF \| else's life-rhythm -- or of your own. So much to give, so much to take
CF \| ...
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "SAVE"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "cf11"
CF \| >
CF \| > SAVE
CF \| %% Enter a save filename to write:
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| > SAVESaved.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "maybe we can help hal? seems we are at his mercy?"
		Lancelot asks, "what options we have with the notepad?"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Can we heal Ted, perhaps?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x notepad"
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X NOTEPAD
CF \|
CF \| It's a pocket-sized notepad, and it's your only way to speak. To use
CF \| it in conversation, try to SHOW it to someone.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "read notepad"
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > READ NOTEPAD
CF \|
CF \| It's a pocket-sized notepad, and it's your only way to speak. To use
CF \| it in conversation, try to SHOW it to someone.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "show pad to hal"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "show pad to hal"
CF \| >
CF \| > SHOW PAD TO HAL
CF \|
CF \| Your words in the notepad have been altered in purple crayon. Margo
CF \| snickers.
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Poophead.
CF \| 2) I want to die. Will you cooperate?
CF \| 3) Start the music, please. I crave pain.
CF \| 4) Your suffering is deserved, and your death will be a mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad -- you're not playing this stupid game)
CF \| >>		Lancelot says, "hmm"
		Lancelot says, "oh wait is that a hint"
		Knight_Otu asks, "Geeze Margo, what are you, twelve?"
		Lancelot says, "so much to give"
		Lancelot says, "so much to take"
		DavidW says, "Her brain is damaged somehow."
		Lancelot says, "at the end? are we supposed to give life to someone"
		Knight_Otu says, "I suppose it is."
		DavidW asks, "What should we do?"
		Knight_Otu says, "We could try GIVE LIFE TO TED."
		Lancelot says, "maybe give file to hal? since we are connected somehow"
		Lancelot says, "hmm or ted? nore sure who is on our side rerally"
		DavidW asks, "You mean, give the notepad?"
		Lancelot says, "give life"
		Knight_Otu says, "I feel giving life to Ted is the one move she wouldn't expect."
		Lancelot says, "true we can try and see what happens"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "5"
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| >>
CF \| > 5
CF \|
CF \| You close the notepad.
CF \|
CF \| "Oh, come on, Polly," Margo says. "You're such a soggy-diaper
CF \| spoilsport."
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to Ted"
CF ] No music Breakroom Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO TED
CF \|
CF \| It doesn't work. You feel your life's rhythm fading out you, only to
CF \| come roaring back into your body.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Why can't you do this?
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "okay so ted is not human I think we tried before"
		Knight_Otu says, "Well, was worth a try."
		Lancelot says, "tehn try with hal"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to hal"
CF ] ♪ Walkman Side A (faint) Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO HAL
CF \|
CF \| You let as much life as you can spare flow out of you and into Hal. He
CF \| raises a hand to his face. He's glowing a little.
CF \|
CF \| He breaks Ted's grip.
CF \|
CF \| "Sorry," he tells Ted. Still holding the Walkman, Hal takes his
CF \| brother by the neck, lifts him with one hand, and flings him at Margo.
CF \| Ted and Margo crash in a burst of sandwiches.
CF \|
CF \| Hal leaps over your head and grabs the earphones from you in a single
CF \| motion.
CF \|
CF \| Margo is on her feet just as Hal puts the earphones on her head and
CF \| presses play.
CF \|
CF \| She screams and claws at the wire, but Hal presses the earphones
CF \| harder against her skull.
CF \|
CF \| Hal drags her toward the broken window by the head. Her feet kick
CF \| every which way.
CF \|
CF \| "Try draining anyone now, witch!"
CF \|
CF \| "Teddy!" Margo whispers.
CF \|
CF \| Ted starts to get up, but he trembles, collapses back into the
CF \| sandwiches like a masterless marionette and is still.
CF \|
CF \| Margo braces herself against the wall near the window, teetering
CF \| inches from the edge. Despite the music and Hal's strength, she's
CF \| barely managing to stay where she is.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "We tried to drain Ted, I think."
		Lancelot says, "yeah didnt work either seems ted is aligned with Margo anyway"
		Lancelot says, "this seems to call for a push lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain margo"
CF ] ♪ Walkman Side A (faint) Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN MARGO
CF \|
CF \| You are too weak. Your focus is gone.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "push margo"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > PUSH MARGO
CF \|
CF \| You get off the chair.
CF \|
CF \| Breakroom
CF \| This place was once ready to party: balloons are wilted rainbows on
CF \| the ceiling, and a counter next to a refrigerator is strewn with boxes
CF \| of sandwiches.
CF \|
CF \| Small, round tables and pale chairs are angled toward a shattered
CF \| window that overlooks a gray twilight fog.
CF \|
CF \| Ted lies below the counter, and Hal's slight glow casts the room in
CF \| ethereal shadows. Margo struggles against Hal's grip and is close to
CF \| the edge of the broken window.
CF \|
CF \| You half-crawl toward Margo and Hal. With the last of your strength,
CF \| you press your body against Margo's. They lurch into what remains of
CF \| the window, taking your Walkman with them.
CF \|
CF \| You catch yourself before you fall too.
CF \|
CF \| The next second seems to last hours. As he and Margo begin their
CF \| plummet through the teeth of dangling glass and into nothingness, Hal
CF \| turns and gives you a look that's ... pity?
CF \|
CF \| They both vanish, along with your Walkman. You don't hear anything hit
CF \| the ground, but Margo's shrieking has faded to silence.
CF \|
CF \| You slump to the floor for a moment.
CF \|
CF \| You did it.
CF \|
CF \| It's just you and Ted, who lies still, as is the natural way of
CF \| corpses.
CF \|
CF \| You take a deep breath. With Margo dead, you can focus on escaping
CF \| alive. The mob is still waiting for you on the street, no doubt.
CF \|
CF \| Why do you still feel this disquiet?
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "wtf that easy"
		Knight_Otu says, "We're not done."
		DavidW asks, "well, yeah, now what?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "eat sandwich"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > EAT SANDWICH
CF \|
CF \| You can't make yourself get close to the "food."
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x sandwich"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > X SANDWICH
CF \|
CF \| Covered in flies and an oozing mold, these sandwiches were once ...
CF \| ham and turkey? They are scattered all over the floor.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "oh"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| Breakroom
CF \| This place was once ready to party: balloons are wilted rainbows on
CF \| the ceiling, and a counter next to a refrigerator is strewn with boxes
CF \| of sandwiches.
CF \|
CF \| Small, round tables and pale chairs are angled toward a shattered
CF \| window that overlooks a gray twilight fog.
CF \|
CF \| Ted lies below the counter.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x ted"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > X TED
CF \|
CF \| Ted is motionless.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "open fridge"
CF ] No music Breakroom Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN FRIDGE
CF \|
CF \| Dare you?
CF \|
CF \| You don't.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] No music End of Corridor Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| End of Corridor
CF \| The reddish darkness of the corridor seems deeper now.
CF \|
CF \| A sudden energy bursts into you from an unknown source. Someone,
CF \| somewhere has just given you life -- the amount you spent on
CF \| strengthening Hal.
CF \|
CF \| Footsteps approach.
CF \|
CF \| You turn to find ... Ted. For the first time, he speaks to you.
CF \|
CF \| "Miss me? I'm like a zit on prom night," he says.
CF \|
CF \| Panic makes breathing difficult.
CF \|
CF \| "Splatting all over the street hurt, Polly! And I didn't even bounce!"
CF \| He snickers.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "[expletive]"
		DavidW says, "She's back."
		Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain ted"
CF ] No music End of Corridor Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN TED
CF \|
CF \| For some reason, you can't take life from Ted.
CF \| "You know, I was once a soggy pity-party like you -- always running,
CF \| slithering through shadows," Ted says. He gives the dazzling snarl of
CF \| a teacher about to launch into an unwanted lecture. "As for me ...
CF \| well, I had luck I had never dreamed of, though it didn't start that
CF \| way. I wandered into the city. I was starved! I managed not to be
CF \| noticed and was going through garbage in the park nearby when a
CF \| passing truck flooded downtown with the screechiest hickville
CF \| honky-tonk tune you can imagine!" He wrinkles his nose. "I was on the
CF \| grass, of course, shaking, foaming at the mouth -- as one does. Anyhow
CF \| ... the truck passed, and I got up and ran. But I had been seen.
CF \| People got out their phones and started chasing me -- you wouldn't
CF \| believe what passes for popular music these days."
CF \|
CF \| His voice quivers with mock surprise. "Apparently, beat witches are
CF \| too dangerous to live -- did you know that?"
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "hmm"
		Lancelot says, "maybe more witches around? I thought we took care of Margo"
		DavidW says, "no, this is Margo again, in Ted's body."
		Knight_Otu says, "Margo is possessing Ted."
		Lancelot says, "ahh ok right"
		DavidW says, "yeah. Somehow."
		Lancelot says, "somehow looks like Margo has a lot more powers tahn us"
		DavidW asks, "Is she still a witch, though?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Or we're too moral to use them."
		Lancelot says, "well she could heal us"
		DavidW asks, "Ted is just a walking corpse. Would she have her powers now?"
		Lancelot says, "well that what it said, someone gave us life"
		DavidW says, "I assumed that life energy was from Hal."
		Knight_Otu says, "I mean, she is using a power to possess Ted, so it seems likely that she has her powers still."
		Lancelot says, "yeah so I suspect Margo drained hal and returned that to us then? dunno"
		DavidW says, "So, do we hit her? Ted/Margo is probably stronger than us in a fist fight."
		Knight_Otu asks, "Or the life we lent returned to us as its "owner"?"
		DavidW asks, "Do we run?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] No music Corridor Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Corridor
CF \| The northern wall is mostly crumbled and charred to reveal the remains
CF \| of a lab. The southern wall didn't fare much better, though an office
CF \| door is intact. You think you hear something stirring inside the
CF \| office A memo has been posted near the door.
CF \|
CF \| Ted gives you an overfriendly wave.
CF \|
CF \| "So ... you know what they say. 'A beat witch is a brass-knuckled slap
CF \| against nature.' 'For the public's safety, every beat witch must be
CF \| killed on sight.' 'Drown the abominations in music.' 'The demons wear
CF \| the faces of your daughters.' I was about to bid this world good
CF \| riddance, but everything changed when ..." Ted licks his lips. The
CF \| memory must be delicious. "BOOM!"
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "uh-oh"
		Knight_Otu says, "The battery explosion gave her extra power."
		Lancelot says, "can we run awat"
		DavidW says, "I'm worried that the other corpses are animating too."
		Lancelot says, "sure talkative that witch lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] No music Upper Lobby Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Upper Lobby
CF \| You are in a lobby labeled as "32 - Research and Development."
CF \| Everything is lit in pulsing red emergency lights. Scorch marks twist
CF \| over the walls and furniture, and wires dangle from the ceiling.
CF \|
CF \| The floor bears a charred decorative compass that tells you the
CF \| stairway door behind you is to the west, and the hallway beyond the
CF \| lobby goes east. The elevator looks busted.
CF \|
CF \| Ted leaps in the air and clicks his heels.
CF \|
CF \| "This skyscraper rippled in the explosion. The stoplights blinked out.
CF \| Cars stopped. And best of all, everyone's phones went kaput! My
CF \| attackers were helpless and at my most incomparable mercy!" Ted
CF \| applauds himself. "A most unique opportunity! Did you know you can
CF \| drain more than one person at once? Amazingly, I hadn't tried before,
CF \| but it's true. And the more I drained, the stronger I became! I
CF \| reached a point where I didn't even have to be super close to someone
CF \| to drain them! I got the street musicians that way, and then,
CF \| eventually, everyone. Who could stop me?"
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Also, the EMP shorted the phones."
		Lancelot says, "my gosh that Margo keeps droning on and on lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF ] No music Upper Lobby Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \| You try to open the door to the stairwell. It is jammed.
CF \|
CF \| Ted guffaws your efforts.
CF \|
CF \| "Why live like vermin when you can be a goddess?" Ted spreads his
CF \| hands as if posing for some Renaissance painting of divinity. "You
CF \| live beneath yourself, Polly."
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "She's in villainous monologue mode."
		Lancelot says, "yeah normally the good guys abuse that moment to pull the proverbial rug lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You can't go that way.
CF \|
CF \| Ted strolls down the corridor and stops at the office door.
CF \|
CF \| "Dare me to open this door?"
CF \|
CF \| Before you can make any response -- opening the office was less than
CF \| pleasant last time -- Ted opens it with a flourish and steps aside.
CF \|
CF \| "Aren't the dead lovely?" Ted says, gesturing to himself. "Would you
CF \| like to join them?"
CF \|
CF \| Countless bodies pour into the corridor from the office. Their faces
CF \| bubble with burns and rot. Decomposing tissue drips in yellow streams
CF \| through lab coats. And their eyes -- those with orbs still in their
CF \| eye sockets give you empty stares.
CF \|
CF \| They rush you.
CF \|
CF \| You stagger back, but they keep coming.
CF \|
CF \| They crowd into the lobby. Slimy flesh presses against you, and you
CF \| can't breathe.
CF \|
CF \| You are backed into the door to the stairwell, and the undead keep
CF \| spurting out of the office.
CF \|
CF \| The door at your back snaps, and the torrent of corpses sweeps you
CF \| away before you can gasp.
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| away before you can gasp.
CF \| 32nd Floor Landing
CF \| The dead push you upward.
CF \|
CF \| 33rd Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 34th Floor
CF \| You can't get away. You are half-carried, half-shoved up the winding
CF \| stairs.
CF \|
CF \| 35th Floor
CF \| You can do nothing against the mass of rot and limbs.
CF \|
CF \| 36th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 37th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 38th Floor
CF \| Help.		Lancelot says, "I wish this game give a bit more agency to us"
		Lancelot says, "looks like only one way to go"
		DavidW says, "yeah, it's very linear"
		DavidW says, "Carried upwards on a sea of dead bodies is new."
		Jade says, "yes, this is"
		Lancelot says, "it feels even more linear than my own game if that makes any sense lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "push space"
CF \| Help.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 39th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 40th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 41st Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 42nd Floor
CF \| BENNY
CF \|
CF \| 43rd Floor
CF \| I
CF \|
CF \| 44th Floor
CF \| FAILED
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "push space"
CF \| FAILED
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 45th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 46th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 47th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 48th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 49th Floor
CF \| A door ahead of you bursts open. Fog drifts past your face.
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| A door ahead of you bursts open. Fog drifts past your face.## Roof
CF \| You burst into night and haze. You choke and realize the fog you have
CF \| seen from afar is a thick mix of smoke and early morning mist. It's a
CF \| billowing wall here.
CF \|
CF \| Stiff fingers release you, and you tumble to concrete. The swirling
CF \| mass of dripping flesh opens.
CF \|
CF \| You and a machine are at the center of the circle of corpses.
CF \|
CF \| It's a cylinder-shaped metal device, similar to the smashed ruin you
CF \| saw in the lab, only this one appears to be functional. Its indicator
CF \| light is red.
CF \|
CF \| Your undead escorts wait, unmoving.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x device"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X DEVICE
CF \|
CF \| You recognize this as the unbroken version of the smashed metal thing
CF \| you saw in the lab on the 32nd floor. The tan metal cylinder is about
CF \| five feet long and is labeled "SEMPER BATTERY by Tau Labs." Its small
CF \| displays are active, and a light glows a deep red. Below the light is
CF \| a dial.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "aha its still operational"
		DavidW says, "This one is."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x dial"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X DIAL
CF \|
CF \| This simple black dial is unlabeled but appears to have two settings.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "read dial"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > READ DIAL
CF \|
CF \| This simple black dial is unlabeled but appears to have two settings.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x settings"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > X SETTINGS
CF \|
CF \| This simple black dial is unlabeled but appears to have two settings.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "turn dial"
CF \| >
CF \| > TURN DIAL
CF \|
CF \| A corpse slaps your hand away from the dial.
CF \|
CF \| "Whatcha think of my doohickey?" Ted asks from behind you. "The
CF \| deceased-yet-friendly folks at Tau Labs built a second one at my
CF \| humble request. But ... by miracle and accident, it's more bomb than
CF \| battery, and it'll fry every gadget in town -- including those of the
CF \| music-making variety! So yes to jealousy but no to touchy."
CF \|
CF \| You whirl around. Ted glides through the parting crowd, fingers curled
CF \| around the hand of the golden-haired girl from the stairs. The girl
CF \| holds that gray book under her other arm, and the camera dangling from
CF \| her neck swings from side to side as she skips toward you. She
CF \| releases Ted's hand and gives you a wink.
CF \|
CF \| "Surprise, Polly!" Ted says, as though announcing an unexpected
CF \| birthday party. "Meet me ... Denise!"		Lancelot says, "Denise hmm"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| birthday party. "Meet me ... Denise!"
CF \| The girl gives an exaggerated curtsy. Her lips curl in silent laughter
CF \| at your confusion.
CF \|
CF \| "Me!" Ted says. The girl gestures to herself, and Ted points to her.
CF \| "Denise. Your hostess. Your pal. Your queen, speaking through my chief
CF \| flesh puppet! You're welcome for healing you back there -- I couldn't
CF \| have you bleeding all over my palace."
CF \|
CF \| Ted, apparently the chief puppet, gives an exaggerated bow. Denise
CF \| cups a hand to her own ear.
CF \|
CF \| "What was that? You'll have to speak up." Ted snorts. "Still 'talking'
CF \| through that dopey notepad? We can't all become goddesses with the
CF \| life force of thousands, eh? I bet you can't do this either!"
CF \|
CF \| A white light bursts from Denise, so bright that your eyes feel like
CF \| fire.
CF \|
CF \| The display of divinity makes you lose your footing. The corpses
CF \| behind you step back so you can hit the concrete unhindered.
CF \|
CF \| When you finally stand, scraped and bruised, rubbing sight back into
CF \| your eyes, you find the battery is hidden behind the undead army.
CF \|
CF \| And Denise has the appearance of a normal girl again, though there is
CF \| nothing normal about the coldness in her smile.
CF \|
CF \| With unnatural speed, Denise swipes the notepad from your pocket,
CF \| opens it, and returns it to you.
CF \|
CF \| "I'm willing to entertain any questions you may have before your
CF \| regrettable end," Ted says as Denise gives another mock curtsy. "This
CF \| operator is standing by!"
CF \|
CF \| None of the heavily edited choices in your notepad look useful.
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Poophead.
CF \| 2) I want to die. Will you cooperate?
CF \| 3) Start the music, please. I crave pain.
CF \| 4) Your suffering is deserved, and your death will be a mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad -- you're not playing this stupid game again)
CF \| >>		Lancelot says, "oh so not Margo? this is confusing"
		Knight_Otu says, "I guess Margo was another puppet."
		DavidW says, "It's still Margo. Margo is controlled everyone."
		DavidW asks, "Or was it Denise all along?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Denise seems to be the real beat witch."
		Lancelot asks, "can we drain anyone at this point?"
		Lancelot says, "oh wait we are in the menu"
		DavidW says, "I dunno. We couldn't drain Ted ever, but we did give life to Denise earlier."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "4"
CF \| >>
CF \| > 4
CF \|
CF \| Denise rolls her eyes, and Ted speaks on her behalf. "My death? Do
CF \| you have an army of stiffs? Do you have a doohickey
CF \| of mayhem?"
CF \|
CF \| The girl squints into the darkness.
CF \|
CF \| "You know," Ted says, "you coming here has created gerbils of
CF \| problemos for me."
CF \|
CF \| Denise gestures to the night.
CF \|
CF \| "My rotting eyes and ears are everywhere. I let the emergency idiots
CF \| come with their equipment -- let them keep the world occupied with
CF \| silliness about germs and radiation and plagues while my army built
CF \| the new battery! But now, everyone knows a beat witch is here," Ted
CF \| says. "You know the powers-that-abide are sending drones. They're
CF \| going to fill the sky and turn this town into a jukebox."
CF \|
CF \| Ted, Denise, and all the corpses let out a simultaneous sigh.
CF \|
CF \| "Anyway, you can plead for your life now," Ted says.
CF \|
CF \| 1) Hello. My name is Poophead.
CF \| 2) I want to die. Will you cooperate?
CF \| 3) Start the music, please. I crave pain.
CF \| 4) Your suffering is deserved, and your death will be a mercy.
CF \| 5) (close notepad -- you're not playing this stupid game yet again)
CF \| >>		Lancelot says, "then just close it I guess"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "5"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >>
CF \| > 5
CF \|
CF \| "You don't say much, even for a mute. Don't be embarrassed. Your
CF \| silence does the world a great service."
CF \|
CF \| Denise gives you an eye roll.
CF \|
CF \| "You don't need to say anything to show that you talk too much," Ted
CF \| says. "Gimme that back."
CF \|
CF \| One of the dead swipes the notepad from your hands. Ted shoves the
CF \| notepad in his mouth and chews.
CF \|
CF \| "But I've figured out how to stop the drones from coming," Ted says
CF \| through the slimy pulp in his mouth. "You can do it for me. Imagine
CF \| this: a beat witch who killed an entire city flees the fearless doers
CF \| of good. They corner her in this skyscraper. She realizes she is
CF \| surrounded, that she is worthless, an abomination, blah blah blah, so
CF \| much despair. And then ..."
CF \|
CF \| Ted pauses so Denise can show you a smile that could sink a mountain.
CF \| Ted swallows, and the puppet's voice becomes an overdramatic whisper.
CF \|
CF \| "... the beat witch jumps to her death."
CF \|
CF \| Before you realize what's happening, icy hands hoist you into the air.
CF \| The dead grab you by the wrists and stretch your arms outward while
CF \| holding your ankles together.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain denise"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN DENISE
CF \|
CF \| You sense Denise has some sort of wall around her life's rhythm --
CF \| just as you have one around yours. You can't drain her, and she can't
CF \| drain you. She smirks.
CF \|
CF \| Your captors pass you to one another.
CF \|
CF \| "Since concerts are out for you, you never thought you'd be crowd
CF \| surfing, eh, Polly?" Ted calls at your feet. "Enjoy it!"
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "okay so next we get thrown off the building I guess"
		Lancelot says, "cannot see a lot of options"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain battery"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN BATTERY
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing like that.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "drain crowd?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain crowd"
CF ] No music Roof Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN CROWD
CF \|
CF \| You see nothing like that.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "drain all?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain all"
CF ] Howling wind Falling Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN ALL
CF \|
CF \| Draining more than one person at a time? You've never done that
CF \| before.
CF \|
CF \| You may need that idea later.
CF \|
CF \| Your carriers stop their march. Underneath your head are wind and
CF \| nothingness.
CF \|
CF \| Denise pops into your vision -- she's on shoulders. Her camera points
CF \| down at you.
CF \|
CF \| "Yeah, someone's got to take the, um, fall, but I'm still
CF \| kinda-sorta-almost-ish sad that you won't be coming with," Ted says.
CF \| "Millions will be at my next party, thanks to the little
CF \| battery that goes boom. Once the fireworks start, Los Angeles will
CF \| have no electrical anything -- and so a whole-lotta-nada when it comes
CF \| to music to stop yours truly, so -- keep that expression! Your eyes
CF \| are as big as President Taft's second bathtub." A click and a flash.
CF \| "Perfecto, insecto!"
CF \|
CF \| Denise descends out of sight as she shakes the new Polaroid picture.
CF \|
CF \| "You are such a weirdo," Ted continues. "Why worry about so many who
CF \| want you dead? Remember our little game on the stairs? I wanted to see
CF \| if you were truly stupid -- stupid enough to die for a stranger. I
CF \| underestimated you. You are stupid enough to die for gaggles of
CF \| strangers who would rather kill you than say thanks!
CF \|
CF \| "It's going to be great, Polly. Who knows what will happen when I'm
CF \| glorified with the life force of a bazillion? Maybe I'll speak on my
CF \| own -- no stiffs needed. And -- ooh, I bet I'll be able to drain
CF \| people a hundred miles away! I'll be the goddess this world deserves!
CF \|
CF \| "Huh. Well, that's it, so ..."
CF \|
CF \| You slide forward and down. No one is holding you anymore.
CF \|
CF \| Falling
CF \| You are plummeting toward the ground.
CF \|
CF \| The mist rushes past you in a rippling blur.
CF \|
CF \| A crow appears in the haze. It darts downward with you, nearly
CF \| matching your speed.
CF \|
CF \| You always figured you'd die someday by your brain exploding, and even
CF \| though falling to your death means all your organs will burst
CF \| at once, it's a relief. No music, no look up at cheering monster
CF \| hunters ... just you, the screaming air, and the pavement. And,
CF \| apparently, this bird.
CF \|
CF \| Your only regret ...
CF \|
CF \| Time seems to slow as you think of Benny.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "oh may need that idea later hmmm"
		Lancelot says, "I guess we can drain the bird but will that help us lol... we cannot swoop away I guess"
		DavidW asks, "If we give all our life to the bird, do we become the bird?"
		Lancelot says, "good idea"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to bird"
CF ] Howling wind Falling Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > GIVE LIFE TO BIRD
CF \|
CF \| Your panic leads to insanity. Giving life to an animal is like fitting
CF \| a key into the wrong lock.
CF \|
CF \| The cassette tape Benny gave you is gone. Even if you could grow wings
CF \| like the crow that is following you down, you would likely never hear
CF \| his voice again.
CF \|
CF \| But you knew if you listened to his message too much, the tape would
CF \| wear out, and you would be truly alone. So you listened to it
CF \| sparingly, but you repeated his words to yourself every day.
CF \|
CF \| You mentally recite it one last time. The tape began with two hisses
CF \| and a pop. And then ...
CF \|
CF \| Polly, I'm not forgiving you for what you did today. Your tears,
CF \| your written protests that it was an accident, that you had no idea
CF \| you were a beat witch when you woke up -- Mom's still dead.
CF \|
CF \| And Dad is ... he's still angry, but he can't bring himself to
CF \| turn the record player up enough to kill you himself. So he's giving
CF \| you up to the police -- to your executioners -- and it's not
CF \| right.
CF \|
CF \| He's still on the phone, and he'll be screaming into that thing
CF \| for a while about his demon daughter.
CF \|
CF \| As soon as I finish recording this, I'm going down to the
CF \| basement. I'm going to shatter Dad's vinyl and stop your pain. I'm
CF \| going to let you go.
CF \|
CF \| I don't know how long you can run, Polly, but run. Stay away from
CF \| people. It's only safe in the quiet.
CF \|
CF \| I hope one day you can come home.
CF \|
CF \| You know I can't go with you. I'd like to say that's because it's
CF \| easier for one to disappear than two together, but we both know it's
CF \| dangerous for me to be nearby, at least until you figure out the
CF \| draining thing.
CF \|
CF \| But I'm not going home either. How can I live with the man who
CF \| calls himself Dad but condemns you to death?
CF \|
CF \| Don't forget the times we had. I know you can't listen to us
CF \| perform "Straitjacket Tuba" anymore, but don't ever record over the
CF \| other side of this tape. A bit of us is on there.
CF \|
CF \| Find me when you can prove you're not a monster.
CF \|
CF \| Remember the abandoned lighthouse we explored on our vacation last
CF \| summer? That's where I'll be, as long as it takes you.
CF \|
CF \| It may take you a long, long time, and it may require you to do
CF \| something magnificent.
CF \|
CF \| Bye, Polly.
CF \|
CF \| You fall through the last of the fog, and the city droops in the first
CF \| sickly light of morning.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot asks, "huh now we get backstory?"
		Lancelot says, "and a lighthouse is mentioned hmm but are we the bird now"
		Knight_Otu says, "We are not the bird."
		DavidW says, "I don't think we're the bird at all. The attempt to give life failed. Again."
		Lancelot says, "okay hmm how can we avoid the scenario, it seemed pretty linear up to now"
		DavidW says, "We can maybe try to drain the bird instead."
		DavidW says, "I think we were meant to fall."
		Lancelot says, "why not"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain bird"
CF ] Howling wind Falling Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN BIRD
CF \|
CF \| The rhythm of animals is always off to you -- like hearing a
CF \| conversation in a strange language but still recognizing the emotion
CF \| behind the unintelligible words.
CF \|
CF \| In your desperation, you try to drain the crow anyway, and for a
CF \| moment, you feel the life moving into you, but it stops. Instead of
CF \| energy, you get a tsunami of feelings -- the desire to soar, to breed,
CF \| to nest, and above all, to eat. You've never felt such hunger-fueled
CF \| madness.
CF \|
CF \| The crow doesn't notice your attempt to drain its life, but it does
CF \| notice you -- so much juicy, fresh meat in a city of rot.
CF \|
CF \| You jolt, and your attempt to drain the bird comes to an end.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "Now what? We're still failling."
		DavidW says, "I don't think we have anything but the hazmat suit."
		Lancelot says, "they took that away didnt they"
		Lancelot says, "i"
		DavidW asks, "I don't think so?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] Howling wind Falling Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| Your inventory is pitiful.
CF \|
CF \| • You are sweating under a yellow hazmat suit.
CF \|
CF \| You can see more than buildings now. The crow flaps its wings in
CF \| excitement and slows its fall. Its fresh meal has almost hit the
CF \| asphalt dinner plate.
CF \|
CF \| People in yellow hazmat suits are gathered on the street. Some point
CF \| at the living comet hurling toward them, while others pull them out of
CF \| the way.
CF \|
CF \| Did you know you can drain more than one person at once?
CF \|
CF \| One raises a phone, but you can't hear anything over the air roaring
CF \| around you, though you can sense the life rhythm of everyone below.
CF \|
CF \| It may require you to do something magnificent.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "oops yeah sorry still wearing it"
		DavidW says, "oh, now we can DRAIN ALL."
		Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
		Lancelot says, "I guess yeah"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "drain all"
CF ] Deep silence Dead
CF \| >
CF \| > DRAIN ALL
CF \|
CF \| You absorb the rhythms coming from the mob -- all twenty-eight, all at
CF \| once.
CF \|
CF \| Your body glows. Those below collapse as one. And you keep falling.
CF \|
CF \| You've never experienced a surge like this before.
CF \|
CF \| Strength, energy -- you nearly faint from the electric thrill of it.
CF \|
CF \| Maybe this was what Benny meant by "magnificent." Why did you ever shy
CF \| away from this power? Why shouldn't you --
CF \|
CF \| You slam into the street in a flurry of asphalt and blood. Your bones
CF \| shatter. Your insides burst. And you don't bounce.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| * You die ***
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, or UNDO the
CF \| last command?
CF \|
CF \| >
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "didnt really help at all lol"
		Knight_Otu says, "Hrm."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "undo"
CF \| >
CF \| > L
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "give life to all"
CF \| > L
CF \| > I
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| > I
CF \| > V		Knight_Otu says, "Uh."
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| > V
CF \| > E
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] Deaf South Side of Skyscraper Divine
CF \| > E
CF \|
CF \| You awaken from death.
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| You gasp as you emerge from sunless lands. The crow stops pecking at
CF \| your eyeball.
CF \|
CF \| You are tingling all over, as if tiny fires were running up and down
CF \| your body. Your limbs, bent at spidery angles, twist and snap into
CF \| their proper places. Your skin closes in on itself, and your blood
CF \| stops gushing.
CF \|
CF \| The crow flies away, cawing in confused terror.
CF \|
CF \| The pain ebbs away, but ...
CF \|
CF \| You clap your hands near the side of your face. Nothing. Your eardrums
CF \| must have exploded on impact.
CF \|
CF \| After some failed attempts, you gain enough balance to stumble to your
CF \| feet and out of the body-sized dent you left in the pavement.
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "huh"
		Lancelot says, "I dint get it what was that weird input"
		Lancelot asks, "it forced you to type live?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Simulated auto-input."
		DavidW says, "I was only pushing space."
		Lancelot says, "ah so fake death menu"
		DavidW says, "Well, we're a deaf-mute now."
		DavidW says, "So deaf, not death."
		Knight_Otu says, "We're save from music at least."
		Lancelot says, "yeah invulnerable beat witch lol"
		DavidW says, "Denise will be furious we can't hear her monologue any more."
		Knight_Otu says, "(I still say we're closer to vampires.)"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) South Side of Skyscraper Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| Your hearing is suddenly healed, and you forget what you were trying
CF \| to do.
CF \|
CF \| You know that tune ...
CF \|
CF \| One of the emergency workers holds Dr. Steve's phone in a limp hand.
CF \| It's still playing the same viola song.
CF \|
CF \| You're on the ground again, shaking in rhythmic agony.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW says, "damn. We can hear again."
		Knight_Otu says, "Short-lived invulnerability."
		Knight_Otu exclaims, "A Mario super star lasts longer!"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "turn off phone"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) South Side of Skyscraper Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > TURN OFF PHONE
CF \|
CF \| Everything will eventually stop.
CF \|
CF \| You have the urge to look around. Maybe something here can help you.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (loud) South Side of Skyscraper Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| Your would-be killers are sprawled in front of the skyscraper's double
CF \| doors, unaware of anything -- almost as if they had decided to take an
CF \| early-morning nap. One of them holds the iPhone -- still playing music
CF \| -- in a loose grip.
CF \|
CF \| In the street is the dent you made on impact. Nearby is your hazmat
CF \| helmet.
CF \|
CF \| Your brain will explode soon -- and even the extra strength you carry
CF \| won't save you from music.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "wear helmet"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > WEAR HELMET
CF \|
CF \| (first taking your helmet)
CF \| You put on your helmet.
CF \|
CF \| The music is muffled.
CF \|
CF \| You feel the excess strength return -- most of it, anyway. That little
CF \| concert the phone was giving you stripped you of some of your stolen
CF \| power. You are not quite as strong as you were moments before, but it
CF \| will have to do.
CF \|
CF \| Your gazes shifts upward, where the last of the fog wraps the top of
CF \| the skyscraper in a golden shroud. Denise and her battery must not get
CF \| away, though you'll need some sort of weapon before you face her
CF \| again.
CF \|
CF \| Something buzzes in the distance and is gone.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Helmet!"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take phone"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE PHONE
CF \|
CF \| You slip the phone into your pocket. You can feel the music's
CF \| vibrations through what remains of your hazmat suit.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "turn off phone"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > TURN OFF PHONE
CF \|
CF \| You actually don't know how to work a smart phone. They came out after
CF \| you became a fugitive. All you can do is hold this torture device and
CF \| hope it keeps working.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "I thought we lost the helmet but ok"
		Knight_Otu says, "We did. We refound it."
		DavidW says, "We did lose it. We lost it here."
		Lancelot says, "oh right so we are close to where we started"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| Your would-be killers are sprawled in front of the skyscraper's double
CF \| doors, unaware of anything -- almost as if they had decided to take an
CF \| early-morning nap.
CF \|
CF \| In the street is the dent you made on impact.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "And now I remember rollerskate corpse and how it foreshadowed the walking dead."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| (first opening the double doors)
CF \| You give the doors a superhuman yank. They don't visibly break, but
CF \| something metallic pops in the inside of the frame. You nudge the
CF \| doors, and they swing open.
CF \|
CF \| Main Lobby
CF \| You take one step into the Lobby. The lights are still on, but no one
CF \| is here to greet you this time. Good. Now, you just have to bound up
CF \| the stairs, stop Denise somehow, and then --
CF \|
CF \| Notes from invisible speakers assault your ears and brain. .You can't
CF \| even make out humming from the phone you carry. The additional music
CF \| is devoid of lyrics, and the notes are slow, sad, and deafening loud
CF \| -- loud enough to penetrate the helmet.
CF \|
CF \| The next moment is weakness, instinct, and panic. You collapse
CF \| backward out of the lobby ...
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| ... and onto the sidewalk.
CF \|
CF \| You jolt backward. With shaking feet, you kick both doors shut in a
CF \| swift movement, as if you were pulling you hand out of a fire. The
CF \| music immediately disappears.
CF \|
CF \| You pant and take a moment to gather your strength. Your exposure to
CF \| notes and rhythm only gave you pain and didn't harm you much, thanks
CF \| to the helmet. But even though the music was more deterrent than
CF \| weapon, there's no way you would survive fifty floors of it.
CF \|
CF \| You're more concerned about the fact that you will not have surprise
CF \| on your side. It makes sense -- just as the dread in the back of your
CF \| mind tells you another beat witch is close, so she must know that you
CF \| are no longer dead -- and you are an unwelcome invader.
CF \|
CF \| >		DavidW asks, "I guess we need to find our walkman's earphones with Margo and Hal's corpses?"
		Knight_Otu says, "Possibly."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \| You're convinced the way back to Denise is right in front of you.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "look"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| Your would-be killers are sprawled in front of the skyscraper's double
CF \| doors, unaware of anything -- almost as if they had decided to take an
CF \| early-morning nap.
CF \|
CF \| In the street is the dent you made on impact.
CF \|
CF \| The self-styled goddess at the top of the skyscraper is still moving
CF \| forward with her plans -- you have to get up there somehow.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "x dent"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) South Side of Skyscraper Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > X DENT
CF \|
CF \| The asphalt is broken in a shallow, body-length dent where you hit the
CF \| ground. It's stained with your blood.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "is there anything on the o"
		Lancelot asks, "is this another hint?"
		DavidW asks, "We can't climb like Spider-Man, can we?"
		Lancelot says, "lol try"
		Knight_Otu says, "Unlikely."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "climb skyscraper"
CF \| >
CF \| > CLIMB SKYSCRAPER
CF \|
CF \| You spread the fingers of your right hand onto the building's surface,
CF \| like a normal person about to play the piano. You push.
CF \|
CF \| The stone cracks and groans, and your fingers slide into newly created
CF \| holes. You kick to the left, and a chunk of rock flies out of the
CF \| facade. A foothold.
CF \|
CF \| You reach up with your left hand and smash a new grip for your
CF \| fingers. You hoist yourself up. With your free foot, you pound a new
CF \| place to step.
CF \|
CF \| It's laborious and slower than you'd like, but you can't risk falling
CF \| -- you doubt you'd have enough excess life force remaining in you to
CF \| cheat death again. All you can do is keep a steady pace as you dig
CF \| into the stone and pull yourself up, over and over.
CF \|
CF \| Climbing
CF \| You are focused on your climb and not looking down -- so much so, that
CF \| you don't notice the shadows gathering at the nearby windows until
CF \| rotting hands burst through glass.
CF \|
CF \| You let out a gasp of surprise. But the undead extensions of Denise
CF \| shrink back immediately at the music you carry with you. They cover
CF \| their ears.
CF \|
CF \| You climb higher.
CF \|
CF \| More Climbing
CF \| Higher ...
CF \|
CF \| Still Climbing
CF \| Even higher ...
CF \|
CF \| Into the Mist		Lancelot says, "we have super power"
		Lancelot asks, "argh we canb???"
		Knight_Otu says, "Oh."
		Knight_Otu says, "Good guess."
		Lancelot says, "this story is going in weird directions"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| Into the MistThe smoky fog veils everything and makes you doubt
CF \| your sense of up and down. You reach upward, but instead of finding
CF \| stone, you feel something cold and trembling.
CF \|
CF \| You give it a couple experimental pulls. Despite the quaking, it is
CF \| solid -- for now. You clamber onto the strange surface.		Lancelot says, "makes me wonder if people get stuck often here its not always clear what to do next"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Fleshy Bridge Semi-divine
CF \| solid -- for now. You clamber onto the strange surface.
CF \| Fleshy Bridge
CF \| You are on a body.
CF \|
CF \| It's shaking from side to side, as if in pain, but it has a limited
CF \| range of movement. You can barely see it through the fog, and the head
CF \| is twisting away from you, but it's one of the Tau Labs engineers. You
CF \| take a quick step to the side, and you almost slip. You're on yet
CF \| another quivering body. They are everywhere.
CF \|
CF \| It takes a moment to process what you're seeing.
CF \|
CF \| You are standing on a tight, narrow clump of corpses with limbs
CF \| tangled with one another like a swarm of insects. The entire knotted
CF \| mass is shaking in agony, and the ones immediately beneath you and
CF \| around you -- where the iPhone is loudest -- are moving the most.
CF \|
CF \| The mist thins. You can now see that the human bridge begins at the
CF \| edge of the skyscraper roof and slopes downward across the street to
CF \| another building to the south. More clouds part, and you make out
CF \| other bridges in the distance, going from building to building,
CF \|
CF \| This is Denise's private highway of the dead and her ticket to leave
CF \| town unseen.
CF \|
CF \| The fog swallows everything again.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "yuck"
		Knight_Otu says, "Oh. My. No."
		DavidW says, "wow. That is so grotesque."
		DavidW says, "I've heard of fire ants doing that sort of thing, but not human corpses."
		Lancelot asks, "I guess they are all undead?"
		DavidW says, "animated dead"
		DavidW says, "Not quite undead, really."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "u"
CF ] ♪ iPhone (faint) Fleshy Bridge Semi-divine
CF \| >
CF \| > U
CF \|
CF \| You only want to find Denise. You can feel her presence in the south.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] No music Fleshy Bridge Strong
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| You rush south across the bridge, away from the Tau Labs skyscraper.
CF \|
CF \| The bridge ripples in response to the music you carry with you.
CF \|
CF \| Hands grab your feet. You stumble and go down face-first. The phone
CF \| flies out of your pocket. It vanishes into the depths of the mist.
CF \|
CF \| You land on the deceased in a squelching belly-flop. Fists, knees, and
CF \| faces pound your helmet, and it goes spinning off your head and
CF \| follows the phone into the emptiness.
CF \|
CF \| The many-limbed bridge won't let you go. It pulls you down by the
CF \| wrists and ankles, like a gooey, creeping quicksand. You struggle, but
CF \| your extra strength does nothing against the mass of innumerable dead.
CF \| In seconds, your head is the only part of you above the slimy human
CF \| mass.
CF \|
CF \| The bodies around you twist, and the air bursts from your lungs in a
CF \| violent wheeze.
CF \|
CF \| The grip tightens. A couple of your ribs pop. They immediately knit
CF \| together, and some of your excess strength ebbs away.
CF \|
CF \| Another squeeze. More bones and tissue crack and pop under the
CF \| suffocating pressure. Sparks ignite and wither in your vision. You
CF \| heal more slowly this time.
CF \|
CF \| Dozens of footsteps approach from the south.
CF \|
CF \| "Did you really think you could kill a goddess with a weak-sauce phone
CF \| speaker in just a few minutes?"
CF \|
CF \| Some of Denise's rotting slaves set the battery down. It's close
CF \| enough for you to reach it -- if you could get an arm free.
CF \|
CF \| "I want the doohickey to be the last thing you see," Ted says. "Just
CF \| think how much you goofed while I squeeze you like a juicy fart."
CF \|
CF \| Denise steps from behind her chief puppet and crouches to your level.
CF \| A white aura around her pulses with contentment.
CF \|
CF \| She clenches her fist, and you can't breathe again.
CF \|
CF \| "Tell the Grim Reaper he owes me a fruit basket, Po --"
CF \|
CF \| Denise's eyes widen, and Ted falls silent.
CF \|
CF \| The buzzing you heard on the street is coming in a dozen directions.
CF \| White shapes circle overheard and descend.
CF \|
CF \| The drones are here.		Lancelot says, "more wall"
		Lancelot says, "ah the cavalry"
		Knight_Otu says, "More like the third army."
		DavidW says, "The drones will hurt both of us."
		Knight_Otu asks, "I guess we're supposed to sabotage the battery now?"
		Lancelot says, "yeah that dial or what was it"
		DavidW says, "The dial has two settings, but I failed to learn what the settings are."
		Lancelot asks, "maybe just try turn?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "turn dial"
CF ] ♪ Drones Fleshy Bridge Dying
CF \| The drones are here.
CF \| The machines are blasting a lively dance tune featuring synths and a
CF \| harpsichord -- a perfect blend of poison for a beat witch.
CF \|
CF \| SetVolume error: your interpreter does not support volume control.
CF \| A different agony contorts you now, and you're not the only one. The
CF \| entire bridge is writhing too.
CF \|
CF \| The corpses' twisting sends you rolling upward and onto the surface of
CF \| the bridge. Ted is shaking uncontrollably like the other dead.
CF \|
CF \| Denise is nearly tearing her eyes out. Her aura is gone.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "s"
CF ] ♪ Drones Fleshy Bridge Dying
CF \| >
CF \| > S
CF \|
CF \| The drones circle above you like white vultures. Their cameras must be
CF \| broadcasting your death to the cheering masses.
CF \|
CF \| The corpses are pulling apart. The bridge swings in a wide arc. It's
CF \| not going to last long.
CF \|
CF \| Your hand brushes against the battery.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "ah now we are close"
		Knight_Otu asks, "May I just say that I'm glad we don't get music?"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "turn dial"
CF \| >
CF \| > TURN DIAL
CF \|
CF \| You manage to nudge the dial with a flopping hand.
CF \|
CF \| The battery's light turns green. A display reads, "Commencing Semper
CF \| Battery start. Checking status of on-board systems."
CF \|
CF \| Denise, incredibly, manages to stand on wobbly feet.
CF \|
CF \| It takes all her effort, and she is still howling as silently as you.
CF \| The girl gives you a weak kick in your sore ribs, sending you rolling
CF \| to the side. She stumbles forward and reaches for the dial.
CF \|
CF \| That's when her puppets' grasp on one another breaks apart, and there
CF \| is no more bridge.
CF \|
CF \| The bodies under the battery give out first. Denise lunges. The photo
CF \| album flaps out of her hands.
CF \|
CF \| She wraps trembling arms around the device. She and the battery plunge
CF \| into the fog.
CF \|
CF \| A couple of seconds later, you fall, your limbs still shaking.
CF \|
CF \| Falling
CF \| The rush of air does not dilute the poison sounding from the drones,
CF \| which follow you down. You catch a glimpse of Denise. She's closer to
CF \| the ground than you, and she's banging her fists against the battery,
CF \| which is still booting up, apparently.
CF \|
CF \| You lose track of her in the hail of decay.		Lancelot asks, "hmm turn dial didnt work at first?"
		Lancelot says, "ouch falling again lol"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] No music Sales Floor Weak
CF \| You lose track of her in the hail of decay.
CF \| The music stops.
CF \|
CF \| The explosion below rattles your teeth before you hear its roar.
CF \|
CF \| Flying
CF \| The force sends you spinning helplessly upward. Human chunks and
CF \| scraps of metal shoot up at you.
CF \|
CF \| You see one of the skyscraper windows just in time to raise your arms
CF \| protectively in front of your face. You crash through the glass.
CF \|
CF \| Sales Floor
CF \| You somersault into cubicles, and they topple into one another.
CF \|
CF \| The banging of office equipment falling fades. The building is filled
CF \| with a heavy but relieved silence.
CF \|
CF \| You don't know how long you lie there, catching your breath and
CF \| enjoying the quiet, but you finally dare to stand.
CF \|
CF \| You brace yourself against a desk. Your divinity is gone now -- some
CF \| smashed and squeezed, some stripped by music, and the rest spent
CF \| surviving the edge of the explosion and the trip through the window.
CF \|
CF \| But you are alive. And you don't feel Denise's presence fraying the
CF \| edges of your mind anymore.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "wtf happened"
		Lancelot says, "looks like Denise is gone"
		DavidW says, "The battery explosion blew us through a window."
		Knight_Otu says, "We had just enough life force left to survive."
		DavidW says, "We're back to normal power levels."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "i"
CF ] No music Sales Floor Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > I
CF \|
CF \| You don't have much.
CF \|
CF \| • You wear bloody rags that used to be a yellow hazmat suit.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "remove suit"
CF ] No music Sales Floor Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > REMOVE SUIT
CF \|
CF \| You don't have time to undress.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "out"
CF ] No music Sales Floor Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > OUT
CF \|
CF \| But you aren't in anything at the moment.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "l"
CF ] No music Sales Floor Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > L
CF \|
CF \| Sales Floor
CF \| You are in what appears to be a call center in Tau Labs. Thanks to
CF \| your grand entrance through the now-shattered window, this single-room
CF \| floor is a mess.
CF \|
CF \| Many of the cubicles have toppled into one another, strewing desks,
CF \| phones, computers, printers, and paperwork everywhere.
CF \|
CF \| A sign above the door to the stairwell and elevator to the west reads
CF \| "16 - Outbound Sales."
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "w"
CF \| >
CF \| > W
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 16th Floor Landing
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 15th Floor
CF \| You would like to rest, but you can't leave this place fast enough.
CF \|
CF \| 14th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 13th Floor
CF \| No music, no shuffling of corpses, no hum of lights.		Lancelot asks, "ah maybe go down then?"
		Lancelot says, "ok we go"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF \| No music, no shuffling of corpses, no hum of lights.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 12th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 11th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 10th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 9th Floor
CF \| It's just you grabbing the railing, spiraling through the dark ...
CF \|
CF \| 8th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 7th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 6th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 5th Floor
CF \| The darkness is soothing. The world is still.		Lancelot says, "there was an ambum maybe its down there too"
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
CF ] No music South Side of Skyscraper Weak
CF \| The darkness is soothing. The world is still.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 4th Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 3rd Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| 2nd Floor
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Bottom of Stairs
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Main Lobby
CF \| You finally see light through the familiar double doors.
CF \|
CF \| South Side of Skyscraper
CF \| You burst out of the building, closing it forever behind you.
CF \|
CF \| The street is coated with carnage left by the fallen bridge, with the
CF \| remains of the battery in the middle, and what's left of the drones
CF \| scattered throughout.
CF \|
CF \| Some bodies exploded. Others splattered.
CF \|
CF \| As you avert your eyes from the gruesome scene, you notice movement in
CF \| the edge of your vision. The first responders, once so eager to
CF \| eliminate the beat witch infection, are limping away. You suppose they
CF \| woke up in time to see the corpses slamming into the street from above
CF \| and barely escaped with their lives.
CF \|
CF \| And you, the handmaid of death, have just appeared. You, the recurring
CF \| nightmare.
CF \|
CF \| One shouts for the others to move faster. Despite the fact that they
CF \| are fighting the lack of energy from being drained, they manage to
CF \| scramble into a half-run and vanish around a corner.
CF \|
CF \| You have no interest in hunting them down or venturing deeper into the
CF \| graveyard of a city.
CF \|
CF \| A gravel path winds to the northeast.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "lol one way to go"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] No music South Side of Skyscraper Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \| You take a step and stop. Among the gore is the gray photo album
CF \| Denise carried.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take album"
CF ] No music South Side of Skyscraper Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE ALBUM
CF \|
CF \| Somehow, the photo album landed undamaged on a bloodless patch of the
CF \| street. You pick up the book and open it.
CF \|
CF \| The pictures glued to the first pages are yellowed and faded. They
CF \| depict what appears to be a happy, well-to-do group in formal poses.
CF \|
CF \| You're guessing the photographs must have been taken in the late 1800s
CF \| or just before World War I. The father and three sons wear ties that
CF \| are probably fancy enough to be called cravats, and the mother and
CF \| only daughter have lacy dresses that predict the era of the parachute.
CF \|
CF \| At the bottom of the pictures are the words "FAM DAMILY" in purple
CF \| crayon.
CF \|
CF \| You immediately recognize the daughter, who can't be older than 12:
CF \| Denise with the same curls. She's smiling -- genuinely smiling -- with
CF \| no malice in her eyes.
CF \|
CF \| You turn the page. The happy poses are gone.
CF \|
CF \| Instead, the pictures are taken at strange angles and overexposed --
CF \| not the work of the original photographer but an inexperienced
CF \| amateur. Still, the subject is clear enough.
CF \|
CF \| These photos are of one person -- a mustachioed man holding a fiddle
CF \| in lifeless fingers, lying on a lawn.
CF \|
CF \| Below, also scrawled in purple crayon, are the words, "THE FIDDLER
CF \| THEY HIRED THOUGHT I WAS DEAD. HE STOPPED PLAYING TOO EARLY!"
CF \|
CF \| The next page has more corpses in what appears to be the same front
CF \| yard. You recognize them as her family. Their eyes are wide, and their
CF \| mouths are open in eternal screams.
CF \|
CF \| Then words written so hard, they ripped part of the page: "THEY TRIED
CF \| TO KILL ME SO I GOT THEM."
CF \|
CF \| You feel sick as you realize there are more pages. Many more. You flip
CF \| through these quickly.
CF \|
CF \| The photographs improve in quality as Denise and the technology get
CF \| better. But it doesn't change the fact that you're looking at
CF \| bloodless slaughter. Her victims' clothing changes with the decades,
CF \| and they are always a random assortment of the terrified.
CF \|
CF \| Worse than the deceased are the captions. "SURPRISE!" "GOTCHA!" "HOW'S
CF \| THAT FOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL?" "ME GUSTA WHEN THEY BEG." "HAPPINESS IS A
CF \| COLD HAND."
CF \|
CF \| You drop the book before vomit erupts from your throat.
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "yay"
		Jade says, "oh man!, I am going to bed just now. Tomorrow I have a long travel by car...again."
		Jade says, "Sorry. See you next week. thanks"
		Lancelot asks, "see ya next week... but then the IFComp results are announced, right?"
		Jade says, "yes, I will see you tbere"
		DavidW says, "I guess we have gone over. I'm thinking we must be close to the end, though."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "ne"
CF ] No music Park Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > NE
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Park
CF \| This small park in the skyscraper's shadow features a dumpster, a
CF \| swing set, and yellowed grass.
CF \|
CF \| The winding gravel path goes southwest and northwest.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "look in dumpster"
CF ] No music Park Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > LOOK IN DUMPSTER
CF \|
CF \| You don't dare go near the dumpster. You hate to imagine how long the
CF \| trash has been there.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "nw"
CF ] No music Alley Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > NW
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Alley
CF \| The gravel path coming from the southeast ends in an alley on the
CF \| north side of the skyscraper.
CF \|
CF \| Hal and Margo's remains are broken and still.
CF \|
CF \| Brown water trickles into a sewer grate near the far wall. Next to the
CF \| grate is a bashed-in TV and your shattered Walkman, which partially
CF \| obscures a long, fluttering ribbon.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take earphones"
CF ] No music Alley Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE EARPHONES
CF \|
CF \| The earphones have rusted to the Walkman.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Dang, our brother's message."
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "take ribbon"
CF ] No music Alley Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > TAKE RIBBON
CF \|
CF \| You won't lose Benny, even if you can no longer hear him. You
CF \| carefully wind the ribbon -- his voice -- around your wrist.
CF \|
CF \| You know Benny didn't actually live in the cassette, but as you
CF \| survived alone in the shadows, it started to seem that way ...
CF \|
CF \| There is one way to hear him again, and it has nothing to do with
CF \| Walkmans.
CF \|
CF \| The thought excites and panics you -- not that you haven't imagined it
CF \| countless times before, except now, it may break through the prison of
CF \| your hopes.
CF \|
CF \| >
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "open grate"
CF ] No music Alley Weak
CF \| >
CF \| > OPEN GRATE
CF \|
CF \| You grab the bars and heave upward with all the energy you have. A
CF \| hidden hinge groans, but the grate opens so it stands perpendicular to
CF \| the ground.
CF \|
CF \| Below you is darkness, where creatures like you are supposed to
CF \| belong.
CF \|
CF \| Uneven footfalls crunch the gravel behind you and splash through the
CF \| sludge.
CF \|
CF \| You turn in time to see Dr. Steve bringing down a scalpel. You twist
CF \| to the side, and the blade slashes your chest -- barely deep enough to
CF \| draw blood.
CF \|
CF \| "Ruby, Faith, and Ivy!"
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve is drooling. The hand holding the scalpel quivers. "My wife.
CF \| My daughters. I was out of town -- I should have died with them. But
CF \| now -- just try to drain me again, witch! Do you think I care
CF \| anymore?"
CF \|
CF \| The scalpel swings wild, and you manage to dodge it completely, but at
CF \| the cost of losing your balance. You get a gag-inducing mouthful of
CF \| the muddy water.
CF \|
CF \| You try to get up, but Dr. Steve kicks you in the face. He sways as he
CF \| steadies himself. He hasn't completely recovered from your first
CF \| encounter.
CF \|
CF \| You could drain him again, though he wouldn't survive that. Or you
CF \| could just leave this madman to his grief and get out of here.
CF \|
CF \| One thing is certain -- your position at the edge of the grate means
CF \| you are stuck between him and the wall, and you won't be able to ward
CF \| off his next attack.
CF \|
CF \| Dr. Steve studies you, a scientist sizing up a disease. He seems to be
CF \| deciding the best place to make his fatal incision.
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "Hrm."
		Lancelot says, "; well earlier a lighthouse was mentioned so I guess we need to go there"
		Lancelot says, "what exits we have"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "d"
CF ] No music Beach Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > D
CF \|
CF \| You roll into the darkness of the sewer.
CF \|
CF \| Sewer
CF \| You land in more sludge and filth.
CF \|
CF \| "Beat witch!" Dr. Steve howls from above.
CF \|
CF \| You're already on your feet. He jumps into the sewer after you.
CF \|
CF \| You follow random passages in the dark.
CF \|
CF \| "Witch!" Dr. Steve calls behind you, but his voice is faint. In his
CF \| partially recovered state, he can't keep up.
CF \|
CF \| But you only stop hours later, when you tumble into a ...
CF \|
CF \| River
CF \| A large sewer pipe empties into a cold river, the water glowing like
CF \| crystals in the afternoon sun as it curves through stunted willows.
CF \|
CF \| Your eyes adjust, and you look over your shoulder to see the city in
CF \| the distance behind you, a gray mass of fog-wreathed buildings. Drones
CF \| buzz unseen.
CF \|
CF \| You can go now. You let a gentle current carry you away.
CF \|
CF \| Traveling
CF \| Moving unseen is what you do best. You travel by night and keep out of
CF \| sight during the day. You risk stealing new clothes at an
CF \| out-of-the-way truck stop. You forage in forest and garbage. You have
CF \| always done this.
CF \|
CF \| But you have never dared to go where you have once been -- not since
CF \| you were a child.
CF \|
CF \| Beach
CF \| It took you weeks to get to this peaceful spot where blue ocean meets
CF \| pale sand.
CF \|
CF \| Now that the lighthouse is in view to the north, you realize you have
CF \| no idea how you are going to explain all this to Benny.
CF \|
CF \| Was that -- someone moved past one of the lighthouse windows!
CF \|
CF \| >		Lancelot says, "oh nvm we are at the lighthouse already lol"
DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "n"
CF ] No music Beach Healthy
CF \| >
CF \| > N
CF \|
CF \| You trudge through the sand toward the lighthouse.
CF \|
CF \| The door opens. Someone has seen your approach.
CF \|
CF \| Tears and ocean spray sting your eyes, and walking becomes running.
CF \|
CF \| It's him.
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| * The End *
CF \|
CF \|
CF \|
CF \| Polly Miller will return.
CF \|
CF \| Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, or UNDO the
CF \| last command?
CF \|
CF \| >		Knight_Otu says, "It's less rooms and more scenes in this game."
		Lancelot says, "Polly Miller will return? hmm a sequel lol"
		DavidW says, "whew"
		Lancelot says, "yeah a lot of text though"
		DavidW says, "Dr Steve will be our Van Helsing."
		Knight_Otu asks, "I'm not sure what to say... it was interesting at the very least, but also gross?"
		DavidW says, "yeah."
		Knight_Otu says, "Lots of text dumps, pretty much linear."
		Lancelot asks, "gross and well I cannot say much about the mechanist... it felt like limited parser but ofen very railroaded?"
		DavidW says, "Let's try to find a game with more pleasant content for next week."
		DavidW says (to Lancelot), "yeah, sometimes a story is better suited to a choice-based system than parser."
		Lancelot says, "should be plenty of games... yeah thats what I was thinking this text looks more like suitable for choice"
		Lancelot says, "but then again Pinkunz told me the same about my game... that it might work in choice format as well :D"
		Lancelot says, "still interesting story and quite original I guess"
		Lancelot says, "but the twists I'm not sure how hard those are"
		DavidW says, "Survived two falls from a skyscraper and climbed one."
		Lancelot says, "gotta goi now, inetersting game, but indeed hopefully next time a more positive one :D"
		Knight_Otu says, "I know I keep saying it, but it's kind of a vampire story, if humanity could shoot sunlight from their hands."
		Knight_Otu says, "Turns a scary monster story into a vicious cycle of violence."
		Lancelot says, "it has like vampire vibe with the taking of life indeed"
		Lancelot says, "such the life force out of all lol"
		Lancelot says, "suck even"
		Lancelot says, "bye all"
		DavidW says, "And 'rhymes' instead of blood."
Lancelot goes home.		Knight_Otu exclaims, "Thanks for driving, David!"
		DavidW says, "er not rhymes. Rhythms."
		DavidW says, "thanks Knight. Thanks to everyone for helping me."
		DavidW says, "good night all. See you all next week."