Windows CE - The Ultimate Companion/ROMMAN_CE.iso/Files/Games/Frotz CE Games/MERCY.Z5

Z-code for Z-machine | 1997-08-29 | 92KB | 538 lines

Resident data ends at 3964, program starts at 3964, file ends at 16680

Starting analysis pass at address 3962

End of analysis pass, low address = 3964, high address = 13d50


[Start of text]

S001: "Mercy"
S002: ": a short story by Chris Klimas
[Type 'about' for information about this story.]
"
S003: "970405"
S004: "6/5"
S005: "a"
S006: "a"
S007: "---"
S008: "the"
S009: "The "
S010: "the "
S011: "a "
S012: "The "
S013: "the "
S014: "an "
S015: "The "
S016: "the "
S017: "some "
S018: "The "
S019: "the "
S020: "some "
S021: "N = next subject"
S022: "P = previous"
S023: "  Q = resume game"
S024: "Q = previous menu"
S025: "RETURN = read subject"
S026: "Score: "
S027: "Moves: "
S028: "Time: "
S029: "You can't go that way."
S030: "your former self"
S031: "yourself"
S032: "Darkness"
S033: "those things"
S034: "that"
S035: " or "
S036: "nothing"
S037: " is"
S038: " are"
S039: "is "
S040: "are "
S041: " and "
S042: "whom "
S043: "which "
S044: "a"
S045: "Information about Mercy:

      A note about speaking to characters.
      The preface.
      How to get in touch with the author.
      Acknowledgments.
      Branches. (Don't read this until you've finished the story.)
"
S046: "You are yourself, nothing more."
S047: "About Mercy"
S048: "A note about speaking to characters."
S049: "The preface."
S050: "How to get in touch with the author."
S051: "Acknowledgments."
S052: "Branches."
S053: "Liars. There isn't any net to be restored to."
S054: ""
S055: "This could be bad. It's hard to say. And you miss Leslie."
S056: "It's impossible. It'd never happen."
S057: "You're in love with her. You start to laugh at yourself."
S058: "This is really too funny. You in love?"
S059: "You shouldn't be. You should forget her. She'll be gone.

(You can't.)"
S060: "the"
S061: "A long knife, a bit longer than a dinner knife. There's a button that
automatically sterilizes the thing; it's one of the last pieces of advanced
technology around."
S062: "It's neatly hidden in the hilt of the blade."
S063: "your"
S064: "It's mostly zebra stripes, though a small picture of you is in the
corner, and your name, Dr. Peter Basham, next to it. Under your name are three
letters: EMV. E, you think, stands for euthanization. M probably stands for
medical training. You don't know what the V is for."
S065: "some"
S066: "Indecipherable."
S067: "The rock lies on the floor here, framed in shards of glass."
S068: "It is so very simple, for something that has caused so much."
S069: "You don't know him. He is older than you; precious few left of those. He
collects the shards carefully; though he has no gloves on, he is not cut."
S070: "Leslie isn't here. Her hair... You're acting like a little kid, but you
don't care."
S071: "It's like hieroglyphics. All of the bears are happy. Some play with
blocks, some build a skyscraper, some seem to just be happy.

The thought that this place used to be a daycare center is terribly, terribly
ironic."
S072: "The table is bolted to the floor. There are straps, too; some change
their mind at the last moment. Most are too drugged to notice it."
S073: "Tough, weaved nylon. Velcro, too, for easy fastening and unfastening."
S074: "Simple enough. Pulling it adjusts the light."
S075: "Another victim lies on the steel table. His face is unrecognizable,
bloated with pustules blooming pink and red. Disease is written all over his
body. He's naked; it's that much worse."
S076: "You can't look at him at any great length. You promised yourself long
ago to never look at them."
S077: "the walls of"
S078: "They are close-knit. They will be here long after the pox takes you."
S079: "It's held to the wall by a large frame that prevents anyone from
changing its setting. It reads 76."
S080: "A bland shade of gray."
S081: "
This room is only used for the difficult euthanizations, when the victim is
extremely infectious. The steel table has a plastic bubble over it, with
irradiation rings mounted so that the euthanizer can reach through to do his
work. Various pieces of equipment lie around the room. None have any meaning
for you.

To the north is the hallway."
S082: "It looks like a sarcophagus. You consider for a moment the view from
inside -- the plastic warps light, making everything crooked."
S083: "two"
S084: "They emit a steady hum. Anything that passes through them is immediately
sterilized."
S085: "It's cleaner than normal; The nurses have gone over it with much more
detail than the other rooms."
S086: "various"
S087: "It's been a while since Yale; you're not very up on medical technology
any more. You think you recognize a large-scale irradiator, but beyond that,
you don't know."
S088: "large-scale"
S089: "It's a large white box. You don't really know that much about the
things, you just recognized it. It looks like a washing machine, actually."
S090: "
Here the hallway ends. You can hear the steady hum of the irradiators from
behind the door of E-Room 1 to the south; things must've gotten messy. The
hallway continues to the east."
S091: "
The stairs are warm. Up above you, a sodium light blasts yellow light. The main
second floor is to the west, and the stairs continue up and down."
S092: "It's mounted on the ceiling, a floor above you."
S093: "
Above you, the sodium light makes an odd buzzing sound. Shadows of bugs flit
around it. It is very quiet up here; to the west are a few offices, one of them
yours."
S094: "It was only recently installed. Before, there was just darkness."
S095: "They move too fast to be seen very well."
S096: "
There are a few offices strewn around here. There's yours, to the north. Having
a M.D. does have a few privileges, even now. Dr. Paul's office (to the south)
sounds occupied. His wife died last week, and the nights are long, these days.

To the east are the stairs."
S097: "various"
S098: "None are very exciting-looking."
S099: "
You keep a simple office, since you really don't spend much time in it,
especially recently. A desk is towards the back; papers of no consequence lie
all over it. Really, this place is designed to look like you're busy. There are
shelves, but the books were already here when you moved in. The hallway is to
the south."
S100: "your"
S101: "It was here before you were, too. The papers on it are from months ago."
S102: "scattered"
S103: "Utterly unimportant... utterly."
S104: "Most of the books have leather covers, the kind of thing used to just
fill up shelves. None are very interesting-looking."
S105: "Your diploma, from medical school, lies on the floor, discarded."
S106: "It's not really important what it looks like.

You were once a pediatrician -- God, you used to tell prescribe antibiotics
like they were water. Not any more."
S107: "And there's the picture of your wife, right above the desk."
S108: "She sits on a green lawn; one that you and she used to own. You do not
allow yourself to look at it for more than fifteen seconds."
S109: "It may or may not set off an alarm. It's hard to tell. There are no
clear markings."
S110: "You can't see it very well from down here."
S111: "
The hall is quiet. It is always quiet. Wallpaper covers the walls; the floor is
cold. Nurses pass here and there, always on their own missions. To the south,
behind the sealed doors, are the wards, where they wait for you. The doors are
hard steel, but everyone knows that the pox cannot be contained that easily.
The hallway continues to the north, and the stairs are to the east."
S112: "passing"
S113: "They all look the same."
S114: "They are sealed tight. A bit of fog obscures the inside of the ward."
S115: "the sick"
S116: "All of them are doomed."
S117: "
Serene quiet lies over the wards like fresh-fallen snow. Most are asleep; all
seem beautiful, innocent. Looking around, you can see that no one in this room
will be alive in two months.

To the north is the rest of the clinic; the wards continue to the east."
S118: "the"
S119: "A middle-aged man counts slowly to himself."
S120: "He is slightly balding. Sadness is written in his eyes."
S121: "an"
S122: "The old woman slumbers."
S123: "She sleeps, breathing in and out regularly."
S124: "Leslie, as always, stands straight as a saint as she takes the names,
ages, Social Security numbers (not that they mean anything anymore), the
doctors' diagnosis, everything. She smiles, and it is comforting."
S125: "Her brown hair is tightly-bunned, and glasses keep her eyes covered.
Heavy blush makes her look like a well-prepared corpse.

No, no, she is beautiful, under the bun and everything. You can see her, hair
flowing slowly downwards, eyes shining, skin soft. But it's just the light, you
think."
S126: "He is the oldest doctor at the clinic. Stubble runs up and down his
chin. He looks as if he's been awake too long."
S127: "the"
S128: "They all have the same look on their face. Either they will be dead soon
or someone they love will be. Those are the ones you pity, the ones that come
with the victims. Before, you usually said, "I tried the best I could" as an
apology. No more."
S129: "some"
S130: "They're all the same."
S131: "
People peer at you from all directions. They move in patterns you can't
understand. And they all wear a death's-mask of sulleness; they don't care
about anything. Give them any sign at all and they'd march. They're trash, you
think, no better than automata.

The clinic is back to the south, somewhere beyond this mess."
S132: "The street is somewhere beyond the crowd, but you can't see it."
S133: "protesters'"
S134: "They all look the same to you."
S135: "He is about your height, with five o'clock shadow falling over his chin.
A knit cap hides whatever hair he may have. His clothes disappear into
shadows."
S136: "They stare back at you eerily."
S137: "
The low, steady hum of the air exchangers dominates the whole room. Most of the
clean room is occupied with shelves and shelves of antibiotic. It doesn't work
very well, but it's the best the nurses can offer the victims until you come.
Through the plate glass of the doors to the west, you can see the entrance to
the clinic. Not particularly well-situated, but they had to make do; the place
used to be a daycare center.

To the west is the clinic entrance."
S138: "Rows and rows of antibiotics. These are the only things left that can do
anything to the pox. They delay its effects, and thus, antibiotics are the
currency of the world now. On the street, this much would be worth a couple
million."
S139: "An abused computer sits in the corner. It's a crummy 386, but it came
free with the place. Someone's left it on, which is sloppy."
S140: "The screen displays the login screen, which is bathed in red text
graphics. Sometimes well enough should be left alone."
S141: "A crusty chair, with wheels mounted on its legs, lies opposite the
computer."
S142: "Brown leather provides a little comfort."
S143: "
Cold collects in the asphalt. The rest of the clinic, all in brick, surrounds
the alley. The clinic looks terrible from the outside. To the south, the alley
opens up to the street."
S144: "Against a wall of the clinic, a dirty man sits. He looks like Jason, but
this can't be true; he's outside, isn't he? Isn't he? And why would he be here?
It can't be.

You feel a small urge within you to hurt him, any way you can."
S145: "Yes, he looks very much like Jason.

He seems shut out from the rest of the world, unspeaking, unhearing, unseeing."
S146: "
The crowd, so very rowdy before, is silent. They stare at you openly. Jason
isn't here. Perhaps he's taking a break. You wish you could.

To the east, down the street, is the metro station."
S147: "No hatred this time. Just silence."
S148: "
You are packed in with the ugly of the city. Odd smells of meat and trash wash
over you."
S149: "the woman's"
S150: "It looks like it's been around for a while."
S151: "In the front of the car, a woman dressed in all kinds of colors stands.
There is none of the slow death in her that your fellow passengers have. She
holds a hat in front of her; so she must be a performer, then."
S152: "Her dress is sewn in patches, each patch a wild hue. Her eyes sparkle;
her skin is smooth."
S153: "
The same, the same, the same. You sit at a table alone; awful, discordant music
filters down from above.

Out to the west is the street, and beyond that, the metro station."
S154: "The tofu on your plate stares back at you."
S155: "Formless, colorless, tasteless, and completely safe."
S156: "
Leslie's mother beams at you happily."
S157: "Her hair is bunned neatly, too. In your mind, you step her back through
time, and there Leslie is."
S158: "Particularly prominent is a display of oranges. They are all imperfect;
some are yellowing, some are bruised. But the top one is perfect, and thus the
whole thing is okay."
S159: "The display is made of plastic, but is capped in steel."
S160: "The top orange is perfectly round and the perfect shade of orange. It's
been so long since you've had an orange."
S161: "Long, wooden, brown."
S162: "You don't really know what any of the brands are, save for the scotch."
S163: "Your brand of scotch is easy to spot."
S164: "The shape of the bottle reminds you of a snake, smooth and sleek."
S165: "
People mill about you, each on their own quest. You have yours: the building
rises like a tower above you. It is a ramshackle thing, painted gray in parts,
while in other parts, the brick shows through.

To the north is the entrance."
S166: "No! This will be your stand -- this time, you will not give in, you will
not surrender. This time, you'll succeed.

God."
S167: "It looks like it's been around for a while."
S168: "A government leaflet drifts back and forth in the street."
S169: "floor"
S170: "It reminds you of a morgue."
S171: "On the wall opposite you, arranged like tombstones, is a row of
mailboxes."
S172: "Its pine cones are plastic; it's hard to tell with the branches."
S173: "No!"
S174: "Solid."
S175: "read"
S176: "send message"
S177: "apply 'ofclass' for"
S178: "recreate"
S179: "destroy"
S180: "copy"
S181: "copy"
S182: "<unknown attribute>"
S183: "name"
S184: "create"
S185: "recreate"
S186: "destroy"
S187: "remaining"
S188: "copy"
S189: "call"
S190: "print"
S191: "print_to_array"
S192: "animate"
S193: "absent"
S194: "clothing"
S195: "concealed"
S196: "container"
S197: "door"
S198: "edible"
S199: "enterable"
S200: "general"
S201: "light"
S202: "lockable"
S203: "locked"
S204: "moved"
S205: "on"
S206: "open"
S207: "openable"
S208: "proper"
S209: "scenery"
S210: "scored"
S211: "static"
S212: "supporter"
S213: "switchable"
S214: "talkable"
S215: "transparent"
S216: "visited"
S217: "workflag"
S218: "worn"
S219: "male"
S220: "female"
S221: "neuter"
S222: "pluralname"
S223: "before"
S224: "after"
S225: "life"
S226: "n_to"
S227: "s_to"
S228: "e_to"
S229: "w_to"
S230: "ne_to"
S231: "se_to"
S232: "nw_to"
S233: "sw_to"
S234: "u_to"
S235: "d_to"
S236: "in_to"
S237: "out_to"
S238: "door_to"
S239: "with_key"
S240: "door_dir"
S241: "invent"
S242: "plural"
S243: "add_to_scope"
S244: "list_together"
S245: "react_before"
S246: "react_after"
S247: "grammar"
S248: "orders"
S249: "initial"
S250: "when_open"
S251: "when_closed"
S252: "when_on"
S253: "when_off"
S254: "description"
S255: "describe"
S256: "article"
S257: "cant_go"
S258: "found_in"
S259: "time_left"
S260: "number"
S261: "time_out"
S262: "daemon"
S263: "each_turn"
S264: "capacity"
S265: "short_name"
S266: "short_name_indef"
S267: "parse_name"
S268: "articles"
S269: "inside_description"
S270: "play"
S271: "Pronouns"
S272: "Quit"
S273: "Restart"
S274: "Restore"
S275: "Save"
S276: "Verify"
S277: "ScriptOn"
S278: "ScriptOff"
S279: "NotifyOn"
S280: "NotifyOff"
S281: "Places"
S282: "Objects"
S283: "Score"
S284: "FullScore"
S285: "Inv"
S286: "Take"
S287: "Drop"
S288: "Remove"
S289: "PutOn"
S290: "Insert"
S291: "EmptyT"
S292: "Give"
S293: "Show"
S294: "Enter"
S295: "GetOff"
S296: "Exit"
S297: "VagueGo"
S298: "Go"
S299: "LMode1"
S300: "LMode2"
S301: "LMode3"
S302: "Look"
S303: "Examine"
S304: "LookUnder"
S305: "Search"
S306: "Unlock"
S307: "Lock"
S308: "SwitchOn"
S309: "SwitchOff"
S310: "Open"
S311: "Close"
S312: "Disrobe"
S313: "Wear"
S314: "Eat"
S315: "Yes"
S316: "No"
S317: "Burn"
S318: "Pray"
S319: "Wake"
S320: "WakeOther"
S321: "Kiss"
S322: "Think"
S323: "Smell"
S324: "Listen"
S325: "Taste"
S326: "Touch"
S327: "Dig"
S328: "Cut"
S329: "Jump"
S330: "JumpOver"
S331: "Tie"
S332: "Drink"
S333: "Fill"
S334: "Sorry"
S335: "Strong"
S336: "Mild"
S337: "Attack"
S338: "Swim"
S339: "Swing"
S340: "Blow"
S341: "Rub"
S342: "Set"
S343: "SetTo"
S344: "WaveHands"
S345: "Wave"
S346: "Pull"
S347: "Push"
S348: "Turn"
S349: "PushDir"
S350: "Squeeze"
S351: "ThrowAt"
S352: "Tell"
S353: "Answer"
S354: "Ask"
S355: "Buy"
S356: "Sing"
S357: "Climb"
S358: "Wait"
S359: "Sleep"
S360: "Consult"
S361: "parse_input"
S362: "AskFor"
S363: "GiveR"
S364: "ShowR"
S365: "begin_action"
S366: "end_turn_sequence"
S367: "Transfer"
S368: "Version"
S369: "Empty"
S370: "InvTall"
S371: "InvWide"
S372: "GoIn"
S373: "Unfasten"
S374: "Use"
S375: "Login"
S376: "Talk"
S377: "Hello"
S378: "WhatsUp"
S379: "Info"
S380: "Hint"
S381: "Xyzzy"

[End of text]

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