B4.K2

{ (set: $lookdesk to "no") (set: $lookchairs to "no") (set: $lookcomputer to "no") (set: $lookbooks to "no") (set: $title to "dude") (set: $drink to "water") <div align="center"> <img src="http://kangaroo2.com/ww-title3.png" alt="WHERE'S WOMBAT? A Kangaroo Tale by Curtis C. Chen" title="WHERE'S WOMBAT? A Kangaroo Tale by Curtis C. Chen" /> </div> } SOMEWHERE IN THE ASTEROID BELT BETWEEN MARS AND JUPITER Your code name is WOMBAT, you work for a top secret intelligence agency, and your current mission is proving to be more interesting than expected. You were sent out here as a formality—undercover, posing as a low-level health inspector—just to make sure there was nothing sinister happening on this unregistered commercial asteroid. But it's become very clear that they are hiding something, and you're determined to get to the bottom of it. Now you just have to choose the best way to interrogate these personnel without raising their suspicions. At this very moment, you're waiting in a small administrative office. It's sparsely furnished: single work desk with two chairs, desktop computer, bookshelf against one wall. A vent in the ceiling pushes recycled air into the room. Sitting across from you, behind the desk, is the owner of the office: an average-looking man named Twiddy. He's been working on his computer for several minutes now. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Twiddy says. "Almost done with this paperwork. I just have a few more questions, uh—how should I address you?" { <ul> <li>[["You can call me sir."->CALLSIR]]</li> <li>[["You can call me ma'am."->CALLMAAM]]</li> <li>[["You can call me doctor."->CALLDOC]]</li> </ul> }

That's the spirit! Let's toss the room. (display: "SEARCH")

The door opens just as you finish resetting the room after your hasty search. Twiddy walks back in carrying a transparent drink bulb with your $drink in it. "Here you go, $title." He hands you the bulb. As soon as you touch it, your eye display goes crazy with warnings. The sensor implants in your head are programmed to automatically scan any food or drink you pick up for possible toxins. They tend to be a little oversensitive, but they have saved you from food poisoning more than once. Right now, the alert message floating in your field of view says: [[SEDATIVE COMPOUND DETECTED->SPIT_TAKE]]

{ (set: $lookdesk to "yes") } There are five drawers in Twiddy's desk. The middle one contains an assortment of wooden pencils and novelty rubber erasers. These belong a museum! The two drawers on the left are empty. Weird. The two drawers on the right hold stacks of paper sketchbooks: blank on top, used on the bottom. The used sketchbooks are full of pencil sketches of dogs and flowers. Sometimes dogs with flowers for heads. It's a little disturbing. (display: "SEARCH")

{ (set: $lookcomputer to "yes") } The desktop computer is locked. The screensaver is a black-and-white cartoon dog chasing a yellow bird across a black background. Do you want to [[try cracking the password->HACK]]? Or maybe [[see if you can find some more clues first->SEARCH]]?

{ (set: $lookbooks to "yes") } There aren't a lot of books here, which makes sense: it's expensive to send physical objects this far out into the Solar System. The most prominent item displayed on the bookshelf is a digital photo frame running a slideshow of dog pictures. All the photos appear to be of the same animal. The dog is wearing a collar with a name tag. You can't read the name, but it looks like it's at least six letters long. (display: "SEARCH")

{ (set: $lookchairs to "yes") } Nothing down here. What were you expecting, to win a brand new car? (display: "SEARCH")

Where do you want to search? { <ul> (if: $lookdesk is not "yes")[ <li>[[the desk drawers->DESK]]</li> ] (if: $lookchairs is not "yes")[ <li>[[under the chairs->CHAIRS]]</li> ] (if: $lookcomputer is not "yes")[ <li>[[the computer->COMPUTER]]</li> ](else:)[ <li>[[the computer->HACK]]</li> ] (if: $lookbooks is not "yes")[ <li>[[the bookshelf->BOOKS]]</li> ] </ul> }

(set: $guessed to "yes")You gently tap the computer screen to wake it up. There's a handy "password reminder" prompt on this interface. It says: Shannon's dog What a stroke of luck! Before you left Earth, the agency downloaded all the information it had on this asteroid outpost and its personnel into the memory of your implanted shoulder-phone computer. (set: $lockout to 3)After checking the files, you come up with five possibilities. (Twiddy knows a lot of people named "Shannon.") The computer will lock you out after three incorrect guesses.(set: $Gfido to 0)(set: $Gdaisy to 0)(set: $Grupert to 0)(set: $Gjasmine to 0)(set: $Gkilroy to 0) (display: "PASSWORDS")

{ (set: $Gfido to 1) (set: $lockout to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. Would have been really on the nose, wouldn't it? (display: "PASSWORDS")

{ (set: $Gdaisy to 1) (set: $lockout to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. Maybe it's another kind of flower? (display: "PASSWORDS")

{ (set: $Grupert to 1) (set: $lockout to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. That does seem like kind of a mean name to give to a dog. (display: "PASSWORDS")

{ (set: $Gjasmine to 1) (set: $lockout to it - 1) } Password accepted! The computer unlocks and shows you a database of medical information. What do you want to do now? { <ul> <li>[[Copy all the data to a thumb drive.]]</li> <li>[[Open some files and read them now.]]</li> </ul> }

{ (set: $Gkilroy to 1) (set: $lockout to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. That would have been way too obvious. (display: "PASSWORDS")

(if: $lockout > 0)[(if: $lockout > 1)[You have $lockout guesses left.](else:)[You have $lockout guess left! You rack your brain for the name of a fragrant flower...] Which password do you want to try? { <ul> (if: $Gdaisy is 0)[ <li>[[Daisy->DAISY]]</li> ] (if: $Gfido is 0)[ <li>[[Fido->FIDO]]</li> ] (if: $Gjasmine is 0)[ <li>[[Jasmine->JASMINE]]</li> ] (if: $Gkilroy is 0)[ <li>[[Snoopy->KILROY]]</li> ] (if: $Grupert is 0)[ <li>[[Underdog->RUPERT]]</li> ] </ul> } ](else:)[Too many incorrect guesses! Nothing to do now but [[wait->WAIT]]. ]

(set: $title to "sir") (display: "LETSTALK")

(set: $title to "ma'am") (display: "LETSTALK")

(set: $title to "doctor") (display: "LETSTALK")

"Thank you, $title," Twiddy says. "Now, let me see if I have all the facts straight. You say your spacecraft's navigation system malfunctioned, and you landed here by accident." "That's right." "So what was your original destination?" { <ul> <li>[["Galen Hospital Station, just like it says in my flight plan."]] <li>[["I'd rather talk about what this station is doing here."]]</li> <li>[["None of your damn business."]]</li> </ul> }

You touch your left thumb to the near-field communication pad on the front of the computer. Your thumbnail glows softly as the implant in your fingertip downloads the database. The transfer finishes quickly, and your implanted computer pops an alert into your eye. The augmented-reality display floats the message in your field of view: [[WATCHLIST KEYWORD FOUND]]

You navigate through the file system, looking for anything interesting. There's a lot of stuff here, and you don't have the expertise to make sense of much of the medical details. The agency didn't know exactly what was going on out here, but they noticed that Rubinaxe LLC had an unregistered asteroid outpost, and that was suspicious enough to warrant sending a field operative—you—to investigate. You hear someone approaching outside the door. Better stop what you're doing and [[sit back down->WAIT]]!

//Jackpot.// You blink your eye to work the controls implants under your skin, and the flagged file expands into your vision overlay. It's a cargo manifest listing some highly controlled substances that were delivered to this asteroid recently. In addition to the standard medical supplies you'd expect any deep space station to need—painkillers, anti-radiation inoculations, vitamin supplements—there's a whole laundry list of what appears to be animal feed: frozen rodents, freeze-dried insects and worms, and specially formulated protein powders. They're not keeping pets out here. These are laboratory animals. What kind of experiments would Rubinaxe be conducting on reptiles? And why would they need to do it in secret, and in such a remote location? You hear a noise outside the door. [[Someone's coming.->WAIT]]

"What do you mean?" Twiddy asks. "This is an unregistered medical facility," you say. "Your presence here violates at least a dozen FDA regulations and international treaties." "You're mistaken, $title," Twiddy says. "This station is documented with all the proper regulatory authorities." { <ul> <li>[[Like hell it is]]</li> <li>[[Okay, I'll play along]]</li> </ul> }

Twiddy nods. "Very well, $title. That's all I needed to know." (display: "BadEnding")

You don't even see Twiddy push the panic button that must have been hidden in one of his empty desk drawers. Two security guards enter the room, drag you out, and throw you into a windowless cell. Once you're alone, you try to send a distress signal, but you're deep inside the asteroid now and there's too much shielding. You'll just have to hope the agency sends someone after you when you fail to check in... THE END Didn't like this ending? (link:"Go back")[(goto: (history: )'s last)] or (link:"start over")[(reload:)]. (display: "PROMOTEXT")

"I'd like to see those documents," you say. "Excuse me?" "I'm a WHO-certified environmental health and safety inspector. The situational responsibility guidelines are very clear. It's just a formality, but I'm required to verify that all your paperwork is in order." Twiddy hesitates before nodding. "Very well, $title. Please wait here while I get that information for you. May I also bring you a beverage?" { <ul> <li>[["Sure, I'll take some coffee."|COFFEE]]</li> <li>[["Do you have any tea?"|TEA]]</li> <li>[["I'm not thirsty."|MONSTER]]</li> }

"The records say this station is supposed to be on a different asteroid, several thousand kilometers away, in a different orbit," you say. "I wouldn't have run into you if you were actually on the charts." Twiddy nods. "I'm very sorry to hear that, $title." (display: "BadEnding")

Your eye scanners haven't revealed any overt surveillance devices, though there's no telling what kind of audio recording software might be running on the desktop computer. Do you want to [[risk looking around the room|RANSACK]]? Or just [[sit quietly and wait|WAITFORIT]]?

"Well, we're going to do everything we can to help you get there as soon as possible," Twiddy says. "May I ask about this station?" Twiddy raises an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't say much. We're a commercial facility. Proprietary information and all that, you understand." "Oh, of course. I'm just curious—this is obviously some kind of medical research facility, right?" Twiddy gives you a blank stare. "Why would you say that?" "Come on, Mr. Twiddy." You put on your best let's-be-friends smile. "I work for the World Health Organization. I know a BSL-4 facility when I see one." "Our biosafety level certifications are up to date," Twiddy says. "This station is documented with all the proper regulatory authorities." { <ul> <li>[[O RLY?|Okay, I'll play along]]</li> </ul> }

{ (set: $drink to "coffee") (set: $drink2 to "tea") } "I should warn you," Twiddy says, "our coffee is a little... astringent. Something about the water filters on the station." "I'm sure it's still better than the freeze-dried stuff on my ship," you say. Twiddy leaves the room and closes the door. You hear the lock click behind him. After a few seconds, you try the door: it's locked from the outside. (display: "WHATNOW")

{ (set: $drink to "tea") (set: $drink2 to "coffee") } Twiddy smiles. "We have quite an assortment of teas here. Would you prefer green, oolong, or black?" { <ul> <li>[["Green, please."|TEA2]]</li> <li>[["Oolong or GTFO."|TEA2]]</li> <li>[["Always bet on black."|TEA2]]</li> </ul> }

"Are you sure?" Twiddy asks. "Space travel can be very dehydrating." { <ul> <li>[["Okay. How about some coffee?"->COFFEE]]</li> <li>[["Actually, some hot tea does sound nice."->TEA]]</li> <li>[["I said, I'm not thirsty."->MONSTER2]]</li> </ul> }

Twiddy gives you a funny look, then leaves the room and closes the door. You hear the lock click behind him. After a few seconds, you try the door: it's locked from the outside. (display: "WHATNOW")

Seriously? You have one job, and it's to find out what's happening in this secret asteroid station with BSL-4 biohazard labs. You're really just going to sit here and wait, Wombat? Really? [[Fine, fine, I'll search the room.|RANSACK]]

Twiddy nods. "I'm very sorry to hear that, $title." (display: "BadEnding")

"Is there something wrong with your $drink, $title?" Twiddy asks. { <ul> <li>[["I changed my mind. I think I'd rather have some $drink2."->FICKLE]]</li> <li>[["I'm not sure. Why don't you tell me?"->TABLEFLIP]]</li> <li>[["You're trying to poison me!"->WAAAH]]</li> </ul> }

Twiddy reaches for his desk, but you're ready. You grab his wrist and slam him face-first into the wall. "Well, I'm not having this $drink," you say, "but it seems like one of us should enjoy it." You pinch Twiddy's nose with one hand and squirt the contents of the drink bulb into his open mouth with your other hand. He gurgles momentarily, then you feel his body go limp as he loses consciousness. You lower Twiddy into his chair and contemplate [[how you're going to get up into that ceiling vent->CRAWLSPACE]].

You aim the opening of the drink bulb at Twiddy's face and squeeze hard with both hands. The hot liquid shoots up and hits him before he can react. While he's flailing, you stand and shove the bulb up against his lips and empty its adulterated contents into his mouth. He gurgles and goes limp. You lower his unconscious body into the chair behind his desk and consider [[the best way to climb up into that ceiling vent->CRAWLSPACE]].

Twiddy shakes his head. "I'm very sorry you feel that way, $title." (display: "BadEnding")

You can actually jump pretty high in the low gravity of this asteroid. Bouncing off your chair, you pull the cover off the ceiling vent easily, then grab the edge of the opening and peek inside. These air ducts are just large enough for you to crawl through, turning and reversing direction if necessary. Assuming that Rubinaxe followed standard construction methods, the ducts will only travel in four cardinal directions. You decide to call them North, West, East, and South for simplicity. [[Time to start crawling around, I guess.->G8]] { (set: $mazecount to 0) }

You are in a maze of ducty little passages, all alike. It smells kind of like feet in here. Exits: [[N|G7]],[[W|F8]],[[S|G9]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[N|G6]],[[S|G8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[E|G8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[N|G8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[W|F6]],[[S|G7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

It smells like lemons here. Exits: [[N|F5]],[[E|G6]],[[S|F7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[E|G5]],[[S|F6]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[N|F6]],[[W|E7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Here it smells like... bread? Exits: [[N|E6]],[[E|F7]],[[S|E8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[N|E5]],[[S|E7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

WHO FARTED? Exits: [[N|E7]],[[W|D8]],[[S|E9]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

The smell here is more antiseptic. Exits: [[N|E4]],[[W|D5]],[[S|E6]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Here the fragrance is kind of grassy. Exits: [[N|E3]],[[E|F4]],[[S|E5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

You crawl past what look like tiny animal droppings. Exits: [[N|D4]],[[W|C5]],[[E|E5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Here it's less grassy and more mossy. Exits: [[W|D3]],[[S|E4]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

The scent here is more floral. Exits: [[N|F3]],[[W|E4]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[E|G3]],[[S|F4]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Here it smells very specifically like lilacs. Exits: [[N|G2]],[[W|F3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[W|F2]],[[S|G3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

The floral scent is very strong here, almost cloying. Exits: [[W|E2]],[[E|G2]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

You found a vent that opens into another room! [[Kick your way out.->KICKIT]]

{ (set: $lookdoor to "no") (set: $lookisland to "no") (set: $lookworkstation to "no") (set: $lookfridge to "no") (set: $lookCwest to "no") (set: $lookCsouth to "no") (set: $lookCeast to "no") } After making sure there's no one in the room, you drop down out of the vent into what appears to be a small research lab. A U-shaped work counter, covered with various lab equipment, lines three of the walls. The only door is in the northwest corner. A computer workstation sits next to the door. On the other side of the computers, in the northeast corner, is a large refrigerator. In the center of the room is a square island with a built-in sink. A quick infrared scan with your bionic eye reveals nothing that looks alive. But you can probably find more clues about the weird science Rubinaxe is doing on this asteroid. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

Here it smells more like overripe fruit. Exits: [[N|G4]],[[W|F5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[S|G5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Exits: [[N|D7]],[[E|E8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[N|E8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

This section smells like rotten eggs. Exits: [[N|D6]],[[W|C7]],[[S|D8]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[S|D7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[E|D7]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[S|D5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[E|D5]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

You would call the smell in this area "rancid." Exits: [[N|D2]],[[W|C3]],[[E|E3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[S|D3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

It really smells like feet right here. Exits: [[N|C2]],[[W|B3]],[[E|D3]],[[S|C4]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[S|C3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[E|C3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Dead end! Exits: [[N|C3]] (display: "MAZETRACKER")

Where do you want to search? { <ul> (if: $lookdoor is not "yes")[ <li>[[check the door->DOOR]]</li> ] (if: $lookCwest is not "yes")[ <li>[[scan counter along west wall->CWEST]]</li> ] (if: $lookCsouth is not "yes")[ <li>[[scan counter along south wall->CSOUTH]]</li> ] (if: $lookCeast is not "yes")[ <li>[[scan counter along east wall->CEAST]]</li> ] (if: $lookisland is not "yes")[ <li>[[examine the island->ISLAND]]</li> ] (if: $lookfridge is not "yes")[ <li>[[look in the refrigerator->FRIDGE]]</li> ] (if: $lookworkstation is not "yes")[ <li>[[try the computers->WORKSTATION]]</li> ] </ul> }

{ (set: $lookdoor to "yes") } There's an electronic lock on the outside of this door, but you can't secure it from the inside. Better work fast, Wombat. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

{ (set: $lookisland to "yes") } Someone has put an automatic air freshener on the corner of this island and set the output to maximum. No wonder you could smell it all the way up in the air ducts. The sink, on the other hand, smells strongly of formaldehyde. Your eye scanner doesn't detect any toxins in there, but its spectroscopic analysis is pretty limited. Probably shouldn't get too close. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

{ (set: $lookworkstation to "yes") (set: $tryLarry to "no") (set: $tryCurly to "no") (set: $tryMoe to "no") } There are three computers here, labeled KURLAN, LAWRENCE, and MAUREEN. (display: "PUTERS")

{ (set: $lookfridge to "yes") } Yup. Those definitely look like frozen crickets in there. The middle shelf holds blood samples in tiny plastic vials. These people sure give their lab animals strange names: Nick Knight, Angelus, Count Blah? Below that are containers of various pharmaceuticals, but nothing exotic or illicit. You catalog what you see and move on. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

{ (set: $lookCwest to "yes") } On one end of the counter is a dispensary for personal protective equipment: gloves, goggles, face masks, hair nets, earplugs, aprons, shoe coverings. All the PPE gear is decorated with cartoon cats. Somebody in procurement sure had fun when they ordered this stuff. Farther down the counter sits a large centrifuge. You've always wanted to learn how to work one of those! Maybe later. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

{ (set: $lookCsouth to "yes") } Someone left a pair of old shoes inside the fume hood. You hope that's a practical joke and not an actual experiment. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

{ (set: $lookCeast to "yes") } This entire wall is lined with all kinds of test tubes, beakers, vials, and other glassware. Nothing too unusual for a biotech facility. Somebody has hidden a Klein bottle in the middle of a cluster of Erlenmeyer flasks. Nice to know even villains have a sense of humor. (display: "SEARCHLAB")

Which computer do you want to try? { <ul> (if: $tryCurly is not "yes")[ <li>[[Kurlan->TRYCURLY]]</li> ] (if: $tryLarry is not "yes")[ <li>[[Lawrence->TRYLARRY]]</li> ] (if: $tryMoe is not "yes")[ <li>[[Maureen->TRYMOE]]</li> ] </ul> }

{ (set: $tryLarry to "yes") (set: $lockLarry to 3) (set: $Gasterix to 0) (set: $Gtintin to 0) (set: $Gmoebius to 0) (set: $Gsnow to 0) } Whoever uses this computer has very dirty hands. Your eye scanner easily identifies the most-used keys and then runs a dictionary attack to come up with some likely passwords. The results appear to be mostly in French. The computer will lock you out after three incorrect guesses. (display: "LARRYGUESS")

{ (set: $tryCurly to "yes") (set: $lockCurly to 3) (set: $Gcaligula to 0) (set: $Gfelix to 0) (set: $Gtiberius to 0) (set: $Gclaudius to 0) (set: $Gnero to 0) } The edges of the monitor on this computer are covered with colorful stickers depicting a wide variety of cartoon felines. You don't recognize all of them, but it seems likely the password will be related to one of those characters. The computer will lock you out after three incorrect guesses. (display: "CURLYGUESS")

{ (set: $tryMoe to "yes") (set: $lockMoe to 3) (set: $Gbuffy to 0) (set: $Gconstantine to 0) (set: $Gvanhelsing to 0) (set: $Gcrowley to 0) (set: $Gkane to 0) } This computer is the closest to the refrigerator, and it has been used very recently. Your thumb interface is able to scan the memory buffer to recover the last thousand or so keystrokes and pull out some unusual sequences that could be passwords. The computer will lock you out after three incorrect guesses. (display: "MOEGUESS")

(display: "END0")(set: $reply to "health insurance claim filed") "You appear to have gotten lost, $title," Twiddy says. "Or should I call you 'Wombat'?" It was a risk to transmit your code name in the clear, but you can pass it off as your space navigation call sign if interrogated. Lots of astronauts make up funny names for themselves to mitigate the boredom of long interplanetary flights. "I have nothing more to say to you," you say to Twiddy. "Fair enough." (display: "THEENDFORNOW")

(display: "END0")(set: $reply to "hashtag you will be found") "I see that you enjoy musicals, $title," Twiddy says. "Good news: you'll have plenty of time to sing as loud as you want in our visitor quarters. They're soundproofed very well." (display: "THEENDFORNOW")

(display: "END0")(set: $reply to "weebls wobble but dont fall down") "That's a very disturbing message you just sent, $title," Twiddy says. "It clearly indicates some mental health issues. We'll have to quarantine you for your own protection." (display: "THEENDFORNOW")

An alarm sounds. The door to the lab slams open. Twiddy enters the room, looking very upset and followed by four security guards.

The security guards wrestle you out of the lab, drag you to another section of the asteroid base, and shove you into a windowless cell. But before you move out of radio range, you use your shoulder-phone to transmit one final command to your spaceship. If you're staying, then nobody else is going to be leaving this rock for a while, either. You smile as the guards' radios blare out warnings about a spacecraft with a malfunctioning autopilot smashing up the hangar area. Your eye lights up with a message just as the guards shut your cell door. You recognize it as an automated response from an agency communications relay buoy: <tt>$reply</tt> Your message made it out! It'll take a few hours for the transmission to reach Earth, but the agency will recognize it as a distress signal. All you have to do now is sit tight and wait for rescue... THE END (display: "PROMOTEXT")

<div align="center"> { <hr /> <h3>THE STORY CONTINUES (LINEARLY) IN:</h3> <a href="http://www.kangaroo2.com/"><img src="http://www.kangaroo2.com/9781250081896.jpg" border="1" width="320" alt="KANGAROO TOO by Curtis C. Chen" title="KANGAROO TOO by Curtis C. Chen"/></a> (NOT a branching narrative) <h3 style="line-height:1.1em;"> PRE-ORDER NOW! <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kangaroo-too-curtis-c-chen/1124362842">Barnes & Noble</a> <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/34809/biblio/9781250081896?p_isbn">Powell's Books</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1250081890/curtiscchensfree">Amazon.com</a> </h3> <h2>Meet the Author</h2> <a href="http://curtiscchen.com/booktour/"><img src="http://www.kangaroo2.com/kanga-tour-2017-800x540.png" border="0" width="400" alt="#K2 BOOK TOUR: June 20 - July 9" title="#K2 BOOK TOUR: June 20 - July 9" /> www.curtiscchen.com/booktour</a> } "WHERE'S WOMBAT? A Kangaroo Tale" © 2017 by <a href="http://curtiscchen.com/">Curtis C. Chen</a>. All Rights Reserved. </div>

"Lawrence" appears to be using his work computer for decidedly non-work purposes. You definitely do not want to open the folder titled "Rule 34." Otherwise, the records on this computer are mainly concerned with formulating the best nutrient-dense mixtures to feed their lab animals. The station is working on minimizing the amount of cargo they need to transport out here. Developing denser food compounds would also be a lucrative derivative technology to market to space travelers. You can't say that you would want to ingest any of these high-protein concoctions, but there are plenty of astro-bros who value fuel over flavor. (display: "PUTERS")

Now this is interesting. "Maureen" appears to be in charge of neurological instrumentation—i.e., measuring and monitoring lab animals' brain wave patterns during whatever experiments are being done on them. You don't know what all this data means, but somebody back at the agency will probably be interested in it. You download everything to your thumb drive. Analysts can sort it out later. (display: "PUTERS")

Another stroke of luck! This computer has access to the internet through a simple text messaging app. "Kurlan" seems to do a lot of chatting with co-workers on a nearby asteroid. This is your chance to send a message back to the agency describing what you've found here. But the chat app limits you to 140 characters, and it's a safe bet that you'll only be able to get one transmission out before station security locates you. What message do you want to send? { <ul> <li>[["Dear Galen Hospital, How are you? I am NOT FINE. Worst hotel ever. Guests: cold-blooded, drinks: rotten. Send help ASAP! Sincerely, Wombat"->END1]]</li> <li>[["Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear"->END2]]</li> <li>[["Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom badger badger badger badger ARGH snake a snake OOOH it's a snake!!"->END3]]</li> </ul> }

(if:$lockLarry > 0)[(if: $lockLarry > 1)[You have $lockLarry guesses left.](else:)[You have $lockLarry guess left! You remember the Klein bottle on the counter...] Which password do you want to try? { <ul> (if: $Gasterix is 0)[ <li>[[Asterisk->LARRY1]]</li> ] (if: $Gtintin is 0)[ <li>[[Hergé->LARRY2]]</li> ] (if: $Gmoebius is 0)[ <li>[[Moebius->LARRY3]]</li> ] (if: $Gsmurf is 0)[ <li>[[Smurf->LARRY5]]</li> ] (if: $Gsnow is 0)[ <li>[[Snowpiercer->LARRY4]]</li> ] </ul> } ](else:)[Too many wrong guesses! The computer shuts down. (display: "BadEnding2") ]

{ (set: $Gasterix to 1) (set: $lockLarry to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. Do the French call that punctuation symbol something different? Hmm. (display: "LARRYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gtintin to 1) (set: $lockLarry to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. But at least now you know how to type "é" on a standard keyboard. (display: "LARRYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gmoebius to 1) (set: $lockLarry to it - 1) } That's it! Computer unlocked. (display: "PASSLARRY")

(if: $lockCurly > 0)[(if: $lockCurly > 1)[You have $lockCurly guesses left.](else:)[You have $lockCurly guess left! You focus on the black-and-white cat holding a large bag...] Which password do you want to try? { <ul> (if: $Gcaligula is 0)[ <li>[[Caligula->CURLY1]]</li> ] (if: $Gclaudius is 0)[ <li>[[Catherine Earnshaw->CURLY4]]</li> ] (if: $Gfelix is 0)[ <li>[[Felix->CURLY2]]</li> ] (if: $Gnero is 0)[ <li>[[Pepé Le Pew->CURLY5]]</li> ] (if: $Gtiberius is 0)[ <li>[[Tiberius->CURLY3]]</li> ] </ul> } ](else:)[Too many wrong guesses! The computer shuts down. (display: "BadEnding2") ]

{ (set: $Gcaligula to 1) (set: $lockCurly to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. You realize you were confused: the name of that fat striped kitty is actually named "Garfield," not Caligula. (display: "CURLYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gfelix to 1) (set: $lockCurly to it - 1) } That's it! Computer unlocked. (display: "PASSCURLY")

{ (set: $Gtiberius to 1) (set: $lockCurly to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. You now recall that Tiberius was actually a Roman Emperor; the cat you were thinking of was "Tom." (display: "CURLYGUESS")

(if: $lockMoe > 0)[(if: $lockMoe > 1)[You have $lockMoe guesses left.](else:)[You have $lockMoe guess left! You notice there's only one female name here...] Which password do you want to try? { <ul> (if: $Gcrowley is 0)[ <li>[[Alaric Crowley->MOE4]]</li> ] (if: $Gbuffy is 0)[ <li>[[Buffy Summers->MOE1]]</li> ] (if: $Gvanhelsing is 0)[ <li>[[Ibrahim Van Helsing->MOE3]]</li> ] (if: $Gconstantine is 0)[ <li>[[Jake Constantine->MOE2]]</li> ] (if: $Gkane is 0)[ <li>[[Saruman Kane->MOE5]]</li> ] </ul> } ](else:)[Too many wrong guesses! The computer shuts down. (display: "BadEnding2") ]

{ (set: $Gbuffy to 1) (set: $lockMoe to it - 1) } That's it! Computer unlocked. (display: "PASSMOE")

{ (set: $Gconstantine to 1) (set: $lockMoe to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. Come to think of it, you're pretty sure "Constantine" isn't a Hebrew surname. (display: "MOEGUESS")

{ (set: $Gvanhelsing to 1) (set: $lockMoe to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. You were probably thinking of "Abraham Lincoln," but he was the 16th US President, not a vampire hunter. What a silly idea! (display: "MOEGUESS")

{ (set: $mazecount to it + 1) (if: $mazecount is 30)[You wonder if all these different smells mean something...] (if: $mazecount is 50)[All the good smells seem to be toward the North...] (if: $mazecount is 60)[You have an intuition that finding the grassy smell and going East from there would be a good idea...] }

A strange new odor invades your nostrils. Gas pours out from behind the computers and starts filling the room! An alert flashes in your eye: SEDATIVE COMPOUND DETECTED Your vision blurs. Then your training kicks in, and you lower yourself to the floor and lie down to avoid hitting your head when you fall. Your last thought before losing consciousness is to hope the agency will send someone else to investigate when you fail to check in... THE END Didn't like this ending? (link:"Go back")[(goto: (history: )'s last)] or (link:"start over")[(reload:)]. (display: "PROMOTEXT")

{ (set: $Gsnow to 1) (set: $lockLarry to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. The clock is ticking. You need to get this investigation back on track. (display: "LARRYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gsmurf to 1) (set: $lockLarry to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. This isn't going well. You're feeling a little blue. (display: "LARRYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gclaudius to 1) (set: $lockCurly to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. You were probably thinking of "Heathcliff." (display: "CURLYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gnero to 1) (set: $lockCurly to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. Now you remember: Pepé Le Pew is a skunk, not a cat. (display: "CURLYGUESS")

{ (set: $Gcrowley to 1) (set: $lockMoe to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. You're not actually sure if Crowley had anything to do with vampires specifically. (display: "MOEGUESS")

{ (set: $Gkane to 1) (set: $lockMoe to it - 1) } Nope, that's not the password. It's possible you were confuing a professional wrestler with a fictional Puritan adventurer. (display: "MOEGUESS")