Crack It!/Crack It!.iso/CONTENT/GATEWAY2/GATEW2WD.TXT

Text File | 1998-03-19 | 31.2 KB | 891 lines

 n
Ice Garden

 nw
Village
   You see a child here.
   The child is holding a stick.

 s
Large Dwelling

 show lamprey to kord
The ancient picts a scene. In it, you see a Kord collecting a
white, grainy dust from the ground. One of the winged creatures
suddenly swoops down out of the sky. Before the Kord can react,
the creature attaches itself to the Kord's head appendage and
electricity immediately begins coursing up into the lamprey.
The Kord starts to thrash wildly, but after only a few horrible
moments it has been completely drained and it falls to the
ground, lifeless.

 show gem to kord
The ancient's head mists over. Then it begins to pict another
tale.
   Two Kords explore the wasteland, and eventually enter a dark
cave. However, only one of the Kords exits the cave. This Kord
returns to the village and goes to the ice garden, where it
immediately falls to work on a carving. When it is complete,
you recognize it as the very carving of a gemstone that you now
hold. The pictures dissolve.

 n
Village
   You see a child here.
   The child is holding a stick.

 w
Ice Plains

 n
Ice Plains
   You stand in a stark, open, ice-covered plain. Around this
area, a few projections of ice poke out of the ground, but
generally the level scenery remains undisturbed. In the
distance, you see ice mountains that catch the shimmering
sunlight. Natural paths wind towards the north, east, south,
southwest, and west.

 n
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One cave
pinched into a natural 'V' of ice is large enough, however. It
leads into darkness.

 e
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One crack in
the wall to the left is large enough, however. It leads into
darkness.

 e
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One cave
half-hidden behind great spikes of ice is large enough,
however. It leads into darkness.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. Although light from the outside spills
in through the entrance, you can see that the cavern becomes
much darker further in.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. As it gets further away, the light from
 the entrance becomes dimmer, making travel very dangerous.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. Your surroundings are now all but
invisible. The little light trickling in from the entrance is
almost completely gone. If you go any further, you may risk
injury or worse.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. The cavern is completely dark. Any
further travel would be foolhardy.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. You see a faint red glow from the
north, lighting the cavern just enough to travel safely.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. The glow is getting steadily brighter
as you travel deeper into the cavern.

 n
Cavern
   The natural cavern winds its way into the mountain. Sheets of
ice cling to the walls, and large patches of ice underfoot make
your progress difficult. It is almost as bright as day here. You
 can tell that the red glow originates from the chamber to the
north.

 n
Crystal Cave
   The cavern ends in a small chamber, lined with veins of red,
glowing crystal. Thin tendrils of the material reach out from
the walls.
   A Kord-shaped outcropping hangs from a clump of crystal on the
north wall.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 cut kord
[with the crystal cutter]
After only a few swipes of the cutting tool, the outcropping
breaks off and falls to the ground. It continues to pulse and
glow as if it still lived, however.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 take kord
You take the dead Kord.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

 s
You make your way through the rough cavern and exit into the
light of day.

Cave Entrance

 w
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One crack in
the wall to the left is large enough, however. It leads into
darkness.

 w
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One cave
pinched into a natural 'V' of ice is large enough, however. It
leads into darkness.

 w
Rock Cleft
   The cliff curls around a hot spring here. A narrow path winds
around onto a stone bridge that spans the spring and then rises
to the top of the cliff wall. Under the surface of the water,
you see a large white crystal creature that seems mostly to be
a mass of segmented tentacles. The cliff sweeps off to the east
and west, and the ice plains lie to the south.

 throw kord on monster
You hurl the crystallized Kord towards the monster. Your aim is
a little off and it lands upon the path. The monster's
tentacles twitch and move hesitantly towards the red crystal.
   [Your score has just gone up by 20.]

 take water with bowl
Keeping a watchful eye on the crystal monster, you fill the
bowl with the steaming water.
   A tentacle snakes out of the springs and grabs the red crystal
kord.

 wait
Time passes...
   The monster drags the crystallized kord under the surface of
the springs.

 wait
Time passes...
   The monster shoves the crystal formation deep into its waiting
maw.

 wait
Time passes...
   Tentacles whip out and flail at the air. A high-pitched squeal
echoes around the cliff walls. A blood red color seeps through
the body of the thrashing monster until the whole creature has
been transformed.
   A few Kords, attracted by the monster's death throes, wander
up beside you.

 wait
Time passes...
   The monster's movements slow, and then stop altogether. Its
body sinks down into the spring and sits at the bottom.
   Kords erupt from everywhere. Many of them approach you and
pict quick, rosy images of thanks. Then they stream over the
bridge and disappear over the lip of the cliff. Soon, you are
left alone.

 w
Cave Entrance

 s
Ice Plains

 w
Ice Plains
   You stand in a stark, open, ice-covered plain. Around this
area, a few projections of ice poke out of the ground, but
generally the level scenery remains undisturbed. In the
distance, you see ice mountains that catch the shimmering
sunlight. Natural paths wind towards the north, east, southeast
, and south.

 s
Glacier Entrance
   Here, the ice plains are broken by a towering glacier. The
wall of ice sweeps off to the north and south, but a large
crack allows entry to the west.

 w
Glacier Passage
   You stand inside a shattered glacier. Cracks in the walls form
a maze of passages. Intertwining spires of ice thrust into the
air. Blinding shafts of sunlight break through the open ceiling
and sparkle off a million facets. The intricate web of light
and ice is breathtakingly beautiful, but confusing. Your inner
ear tells you that the rough floor has a slight tilt, but it is
impossible to determine the direction of the tilt with the
naked eye.
   You theorize that the slant leads towards the center of the
crater made by the impact of the ancient ship.
   Cracks in the glacier lead north, east, south, southwest, and
northwest.

 pour water
You pour a bit of the water onto the ice. It forms a small
rivulet that flows towards the northwest.
   [Your score has just gone up by 20.]

 nw
You follow the rivulet of water through a twisting passage in
the glacier. You emerge into another intersection from a crack
in the eastern wall.

Glacier Passage
   You stand inside a shattered glacier. Cracks in the walls form
a maze of passages. Intertwining spires of ice thrust into the
air. Blinding shafts of sunlight break through the open ceiling
and sparkle off a million facets. The intricate web of light
and ice is breathtakingly beautiful, but confusing. Your inner
ear tells you that the rough floor has a slight tilt, but it is
impossible to determine the direction of the tilt with the
naked eye.
   Cracks in the glacier lead east, southeast, south, west, and
northwest.

 pour water
You pour a bit of the water onto the ice. It forms a small
rivulet that flows towards the south.

 s
You follow the rivulet of water through a twisting passage in
the glacier. You emerge into another intersection from a crack
in the northern wall.

Glacier Passage
   You stand inside a shattered glacier. Cracks in the walls form
a maze of passages. Intertwining spires of ice thrust into the
air. Blinding shafts of sunlight break through the open ceiling
and sparkle off a million facets. The intricate web of light
and ice is breathtakingly beautiful, but confusing. Your inner
ear tells you that the rough floor has a slight tilt, but it is
impossible to determine the direction of the tilt with the
naked eye.
   Cracks in the glacier lead north, southeast, south, west, and
northwest.

 pour water
You pour a bit of the water onto the ice. It forms a small
rivulet that flows towards the southeast.

 se
You follow the rivulet of water through a twisting passage in
the glacier. You emerge into another intersection from a crack
in the southwestern wall.

Glacier Passage
   You stand inside a shattered glacier. Cracks in the walls form
a maze of passages. Intertwining spires of ice thrust into the
air. Blinding shafts of sunlight break through the open ceiling
and sparkle off a million facets. The intricate web of light
and ice is breathtakingly beautiful, but confusing. Your inner
ear tells you that the rough floor has a slight tilt, but it is
impossible to determine the direction of the tilt with the
naked eye.
   Cracks in the glacier lead north, southeast, southwest, and
west.

 pour water
You pour a bit of the water onto the ice. It forms a small
rivulet that flows towards the north.

 n
You follow the rivulet of water through a twisting passage in
the glacier and come upon an open pit in the ground.

Crater Center
   This is the center of a large crater. You are perched over a
pit. A ladder carved from the surrounding ice hangs over the
side.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 climb ladder
You begin to climb down the ladder, but by the third step, the
ice groans under your weight. The next step shatters the ladder
and you tumble the rest of the way to the floor of the pit. The
remnants of the ladder fall around your sprawled body.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

Pit
   Sheer walls surround you. They lack the rough edges of natural
ice, and look instead as if they were carved by hand. The
remains of the ice ladder hang from the lip of the pit, just
out of reach. In front of you, a Heechee escape ship lies in
the wall of ice. Most of the surface has been encased, but the
hatch and access panel remain exposed.

 examine symbols
You see five Heechee symbols carved on the reproduction of the
escape ship. You are familiar enough with Heechee numerals to
recognize the sequence of numbers: "#####".
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]
            Write down the number that was just given to you (#####)

 look at keypad
            Type in the number you wrote down (#####)
The hatch clicks.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 open hatch
You pull on an edge and the hatch swings open. Behind it, you
discover a cramped cockpit with a decomposed corpse and a
glowing pod inside.

 take pod
You untangle the pod's harness from the Heechee corpse and
remove it from the cockpit.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 open panel
Creaking in protest, the panel slides back to reveal the drive
mechanism.

 press blue button
The corroded clamp stops humming and tilts away from the rest of
 the machinery.

 take corroded clamp
You slide the corroded clamp from its socket.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

 put corroded clamp down
You set the corroded clamp onto the ground, button side down.
The clamp begins to hum.

 put clean clamp on corroded clamp
You set the one clamp on top of the other. The red button
points to the sky.

 sit on clean clamp
You squat on top of the clean clamp; the red button peeks out
between your feet.

 press red button
You reach down and press the red button between your feet. The
clamp's magnetic field engages, and immediately pushes off
against the field of similar polarity below. The clamp flies
into the air, carrying you with it. It throws you just high
enough to grab the ladder. From there, you are able to drag
yourself up to the edge of the pit. The clamp falls back into
the pit.
   [Your score has just gone up by 20.]

Crater Center

 nw
You quickly retrace your path out of the glacier.

Glacier Entrance

 n
Ice Plains

 n
Cave Entrance

 e
Cave Entrance
   A cliff wall stretches off to the east and west. It is riddled
with caves, most of which are too small to enter. One cave off
to the right is large enough, however. It leads into darkness.

 e
Rock Cleft

 look at compass
It's a small, Heechee-made, electronic instrument that must
have fallen from your escape ship when you exited. A glowing
arrow points to the north.

 n
You edge your way up the narrow path. The climb is precarious,
but you make it to the top successfully.

Stone Forest
   Twisted stone formations, some towering above you, thrust up
from the uneven ground. Huge worm-like creatures crawl across
this unusual terrain, apparently searching for something with
not much success. A few dark winged creatures glide in the sky
overhead.
   You see a worm-thing tunnelling into one of the few patches of
exposed rock. Its behavior makes you start calling these
creatures 'diggles'.

 n
Northern Forest
   The stone formations are larger and more numerous here. There
are also more of the winged creatures, and they are bold enough
to perch quite close to you.

 n
Cliff Face
   The stone formations are huge here, competing in size with the
mountain itself. Ice sheets coat the cliff walls, and although
they cover rough, natural rock on each side, the stone under
the ice immediately before you appears to be unnaturally
smooth. Peering through the ice, you can just make out some
blurred and indistinct Heechee symbols that have been carved
into the flat wall. Flying lampreys and worm creatures crowd
this region.

 cut ice
[with the crystal cutter]
The ice peels off in strips as you drag the crystal cutter over
the stone wall. Soon, you have cleared the ice from much of the
surface area.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 wait
Time passes...
   A diggle crawls by, drawn to the cleared rock.

 wait
Time passes...
   The diggle slowly makes it way up the wall and attaches itself
to the cleared rock. Its body begins to rotate and sink into
the stone.

 wait
Time passes...
   The diggle attached to the cleared stone wall continues to
gyrate and eat into the rock. You see the stone breaking down
inside the diggle's body.

 wait
Time passes...
   The diggle breaks through into open air beyond the stone wall.
It retreats from the rock and slides away, leaving behind a
large hole, and a pile of white dust.
   A brave Kord comes up behind you and gathers the dust in a
crystal bowl, dodging the diving lampreys. He quickly skuttles
away.

 n
You squeeze through the hole and drop into the pitch dark space
beyond.

Tunnel
   The only light here is the faint glow from the diggle hole to
the south. The rest of the tunnel becomes progressively darker
as it recedes to the north. The walls of the tunnel are
corrugated, but carved. Undoubtably this cavern was excavated
by the Heechee.

 n
Mountain Hollow
   You stand in a hollow inside of the mountain. The cavern is
open to the sky, and the sun sends shafts of light down upon a
sprawling dome. The dome's black face is featureless, with the
exception of a small triangle-shaped impression about a meter
and a half above ground level. Lampreys perch all along the top
of the mountain walls. They swarm around a set of solar
reflectors there, and many have attached themselves onto the
plates and the leading cables. The only exit is the tunnel to
the south.
   The arrow on the compass blinks rapidly. It's obvious that the
compass has led you to the dome. You reason that it must be a
Heechee outpost. Instead of landing on a random planet, the
escape ship's beacon must have homed in on the nearest rescue
station, and this is it!

 put pod in impression
You insert the pod into the impression. Suddenly an oval of
radiance appears as a portal opens up. A cloud of lampreys rise
into the air and start flying towards you, so you grab the pod
and dive into the portal, which immediately closes behind you.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

Map Room
   Tunnels of Heechee blue metal lead west, north and east from
this chamber. The southern wall shows no signs of a door, even
though that's where you came in from the outside. Green glowing
lines are etched into the north wall above the tunnel. They
appear to be a map.
   The blinking arrow on the compass goes dark.

 e
Machine Room
   The tunnel from the west opens up into a chamber. The walls
are covered with machines and devices of every configuration,
all of them quite beyond your understanding. All of the lights
and machines are dark.
   Something that looks like a portable remote control lies on the
 ground, perhaps dropped when the Heechee left the installation.

Gatew2wc

 take remote
You take the control module.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

 look at remote
            Press the 'Open door' button
            Press the 'Right' button
            Press the 'Right' button
            Press the 'Right' button
            Press the 'Open door' button
            Press the 'Left' button
            Press the 'Up' button
            Press the 'Up' button
            Press the 'Up' button
            Press the squere in the top-left corner
 e
Secret Chamber
   The room is bare, save for a huge device in the middle of the
floor. The ceiling is at least two stories high, and the
column-like device reaches up to it.

 touch handprint
You push your hand into the depression. Suddenly, hidden lights
send beams of radiance up to the ceiling and beyond. The device
crackles with power, and electricity flares inside. The flare
travels up the column, followed by another and another. When
the device is completely bathed in a blaze of white, it
suddenly all goes dark.
   Moments pass, as if the device were waiting for something.
Suddenly, it explodes again with the same blinding white light.
The process reverses itself, and when the last loop of energy
has disappeared, you feel the whole building hum with power.
   From the machine room to the west you hear a high, ringing
tone, gradually getting louder and louder. Soon, this is
followed by a grinding noise and a high-pitched whine.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 look at remote
            Press the 'Arm' button
You hear a great roar from the hangar area, followed by something
that sounds like hundreds of flags whipping in a high wind. The
noise fades and the lights dim dramatically, as if the station
had suddenly suffered a power loss.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 w
Machine Room

 examine machine
It's a squat, black box, covered by a transparent shield.
Inside, you see a cracked, yellow crystal. It is vibrating
wildly, perhaps due to the deep crack in the yellow crystal.
Whatever the reason, the machine is emitting an unbearably
high-pitched whine.
   A screen here goes wild, lights and colors cycling crazily.
Eventually, the instrument settles down, but blue symbols
continue to glow.

 w
Map Room

 n
Hangar
   The walls stretch up to a domed ceiling, high above you. The
ceiling is open to the misty sky. Black metal moorings span the
distance between the walls and a Heechee ship sitting in the
center of the hangar. A ladder on the side of the ship lead up
to an open hatch. You see a small access tunnel to the north,
and a squat black machine to the west. Winged lampreys have
attached themselves to every surface. They are especially thick
along the power cables that lead to the Heechee craft.

 hit fork
You strike the tuning fork. It produces an eerie ringing tone.
Beyond the transparent plate of the squat black machine, the
yellow crystal vibrates to the resonance of the fork. The
vibration becomes worse, and the crystal cracks. The
once-docile machine begins to rattle and produce a loud,
high-pitched whine.
   Immediately, the lampreys lift off and swarm about the room in
confusion. The noise seems to drive them away, and they leave
as one through the open roof.
   [Your score has just gone up by 25.]

 in
Heechee Ship
   This is the largest single-pilot Heechee craft you've ever
seen. The standard equipment is all here, with the addition of
a strange control panel beside the hatch.

 look at remote
            Press the 'Down' button
            Press the 'Down' button
            Press the 'Down' button
            Press the 'Right' button
            Note the size of the line on the screen
            Press the squere in the top-left corner

 press ####### button
            If lengh of line is 1 - replace ####### with red
            If lengh of line is 2 - replace ####### with yellow
            If lengh of line is 3 - replace ####### with blue
            If lengh of line is 4 - replace ####### with orange
            If lengh of line is 5 - replace ####### with green
            If lengh of line is 6 - replace ####### with purple
You press the ####### button. The colored buttons withdraw into
the panel, which glows a subdued green. Some piece of machinery
clunks into place behind the panel. Metal moorings attached to
the exterior of the ship fall away and the hatch slams closed.
A rumbling spreads from the floor and the ship lifts off.
   [Your score has just gone up by 50.]
Your Quarters
   This room would give new meaning to the word 'spacious', if
spacious would then mean
crowded-to-within-an-inch-of-your-life. The few furnishings
here take up all available space. There is a cocoon-like bed
hanging from the wall, and a small table and chair next to it.
A small cabinet is affixed to the wall as well.
   The room has started to make you feel claustrophobic. You
wonder if the Heechee normally live this way, or if this is
just how they treat their guests.
   On the wall, you see a communication device. It is blinking
rapidly.
   You see a pod here.


                        PART IV:

 open cabinet
You slide the cabinet door open. Inside, you find a silver pouch.

 take all
pod: Taken.
pouch: Taken.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

 look at screen
The communicator is very simple. It contains a large display
screen and an information transfer jack. You see no way of
inputting messages; you seem only to be able to receive them.

 s
You step out of your quarters into a bustling street.

City Streets
   You stand on a crowded walkway. Buildings are all around, and
the streets wander between them. Wherever you look, Heechee
bustle back and forth, pushing and jostling you. Like the
Heechee tunnel installations that humans have found on other
planets, this city is entirely underground. You can barely see
the ceiling, but you somehow you feel the weight of the tons of
rock overhead. This street, and others branching from it, are
really little more than tunnels built on a grand scale. To the
west, you see a sign pointing to the 'Place of Moving'. You see
exits to the north, east, southeast, and west.

 w
Quad
   You're in the main quad of a large campus. Paths weave around
buildings of bizarre and varied architectural styles. A large,
domed lecture hall lies to the southwest, and it has an
anteroom that can be entered to the south. To the northeast is
a sprawling theatre. A mysterious, unmarked building lies to
the west. It has one thick metal door that has no handle, only
a strange panel covered with buttons. The Place of Moving lies
to the east.
   The Heechee attendant who assisted you says a few words into
his headset and returns to his work.
   Shortly, a uniformed Heechee strides up to you and says,
"Welcome to the Place of Learning. I am here to see to your
needs and assure your presence at the scheduled lecture. If you
accompany me to the waiting room, you can prepare for your
upcoming talk." The escort gestures to the south towards an
open door.

 s
Lounge
   This is a small waiting room outside the main lecture hall.
The door to the north opens onto the quad, and another to the
west looks as if it leads into the hall proper. Next to it is a
dim light. Most of the south wall is occupied by a window. You
only see one chair, regrettably with the uncomfortable pyramid
indentation. The only other furnishing is a simple table.
   Your Heechee escort follows you into the room and gestures
towards the chair. "Please be seated. You have a while to
collect your thoughts before your next lecture." The guard
wanders over to a large window and stares out at the campus
grounds.

 wait
Time passes...
   Your escort leans on the window, looking rather weary. He
quickly pulls himself upright.

 wait
Time passes...
   The Heechee produces a container that looks like a thermos and
opens it. A waft of steam escapes as he takes a swallow from it.
 A confused grimace plays over his face, but it seems to be a
Heechee expression of pleasure.

 wait
Time passes...
   The escort plops the thermos on the table and turns back to the
 window.

 open pouch
It's a tiny silver pouch with a small label on the side. It
reads, "Sleeping powder. Put the powder into liquid before
ingestion. Immediately effective. Use very sparingly. Powder is
extremely potent."
   You take a peek inside the pouch and discover a yellow powder.

 put powder in thermos
You start to sprinkle a bit of the powder into the Heechee's
drink, but think better of it and dump in the entire contents
of the pouch. The heat of the liquid dissolves it in seconds.
   [Your score has just gone up by 10.]

 drop pouch
You drop the pouch.

 wait
Time passes...
   The Heechee turns back to the table, grabs the thermos, and
drinks the remainder of the liquid inside. He sets the thermos
back on the table, turns towards the window, and slumps on the
floor in a snoring heap.

 wait
Time passes...
   The light next to the lecture hall door turns green.

 w
You swing open the doors to the west and step inside.
   The lecture hall is immense. It is filled with chairs which
are, in turn, filled with Heechee. Although you have become
accustomed to interacting with the aliens in groups of two or
three, the experience of addressing such a large population of
them is somewhat unnerving.
   You also notice that projectors are set in the domed walls and
ceiling. The disembodied heads of yet more Heechee float in
front of them; you can only presume that they are Ancient
Ancestors - the dead Heechee whose personalities have been
copied into electronic storage.
   You slowly make your way along a bridge to a dais suspended
above empty air. Thousands of Heechee eyes, both organic and
electronic, bore into you. For the moment, all you can do is
stand motionless. After a few nervous stutters, you address the
assembly.
   You step down from the dais to the sight of thousands of
Heechee flapping their wrists. You hope that it represents
applause. Soon, you pass through the doors into the lounge and
breathe a sigh of nervous exhaustion.

 n
Quad

 e
City Streets

 n
Your Quarters
   On the wall, you see a communication device. It is blinking
rapidly.

 look at screen
The communicator is very simple. It contains a large display
screen and an information transfer jack. You see no way of
inputting messages; you seem only to be able to receive them.

 s
City Streets

 e
City Streets
   You stand on a crowded walkway. Buildings are all around, and
the streets wander between them. Wherever you look, Heechee
bustle back and forth, pushing and jostling you. You see exits
to the east, south, and west.

 e
City Streets
   You stand on a crowded walkway. Buildings are all around, and
the streets wander between them. Wherever you look, Heechee
bustle back and forth, pushing and jostling you. There is a
large set of doors to the east with a sign that reads 'Place of
Seeing' above them. You see exits to the north, east, south,
southwest, and west.

 s
City Streets
   You stand on a crowded walkway. Buildings are all around, and
the streets wander between them. Wherever you look, Heechee
bustle back and forth, pushing and jostling you. You see exits
to the north, east, south, and west.

 s
Gardens
   This area isn't nearly as crowded as the streets. It appears
to be a garden of some sort. Lamps strung from poles and
supports make it seem as bright as day, in contrast to the
eternal half-night of the rest of the Heechee cavern city.
Plants grow in the soft, loamy ground, thriving on the
additional light and rich soil. They are well cultivated and
carefully pruned. Many exotic varieties are on display, and
beside each is a plaque. Strangely enough, one plaque is beside
a plain mound of dirt.

 take dirt
The loose dirt doesn't clump very well. Every time you grab a
handful, it pours back onto the ground. In the process,
however, you uncover a hole containing some seeds.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]


 take seeds
You take the seeds from the hole.
   [Your score has just gone up by 5.]

 n
City Streets

 n
City Streets
   You stand on a crowded walkway. Buildings are all around, and
the streets wander between them. Wherever you look, Heechee
bustle back and forth, pushing and jostling you. There is a
large set of doors to the east with a sign that reads 'Place of
Seeing' above them. You see exits to the north, east, south,
southwest, and west.

 read sign
The sign reads: "Place of Seeing. Next stop in 0 minute."

 e
Place of Seeing
   The high-ceilinged chamber is topped by a metal dome. Although
the room is filled with all sorts of Heechee equipment, the
focus is obviously on the tremendous telescope. The Place of
Seeing seems to be more of an attraction than a laboratory.
Signs are located about the room with instructions, and you see
no loose instruments; everything is secured in its place.
   You see a telescope here.
   The doors to the Place of Seeing slide closed. The room gently
shifts and begins to rise.

 wait