Brian stared at the computer screen, in shock.
What the heck?
A game inside a game. Clever, Dale said.
"It's not clever. It's just a waste of time," Brian said, kicking the wall in disgust.
> You kick the wall. Did you think that was going to accomplish something?
He kicked it again.
> You kick the wall. Did you think that was going to accomplish something?
Just standing there, kicking the wall like a moron is the waste of time. Now, type something in on the keyboard, and let's see what happens.
Brian sighed. He found a small stool in the corner and placed it in front of the computer. He sat down and typed: look
> You are in a small room. You see some chairs, a small table with a magazine on it, and a painting on the wall. There is also a light switch on the wall.
"Okay, sounds just like the room we started in. What now?" Brian asked.
Solve the puzzles in the room, obviously.
Brian had had enough of this game. In frustration, he typed in: flip switch, and pressed Enter.
The screen read:
> It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
What are you doing? Dale asked.
Brian typed, go east, and the screen read:
> Oh, no! You have walked into the clutches of a lurking grue!
**** You have died ****
Thank you for playing Zed's Adventure.
Then the text on the screen vanished. It was completely blank.
> Your score has increased by 8! (10/10)
Nice work Brian! What made you think to try that?
Brian let out a deep breath and scratched his head. "So, we won the game? Now what?"
The screen suddenly flickered, as new text appeared.
> Enter password to continue:
"Just great. More puzzles."
Brian looked under the keyboard, but there was nothing there.
He scowled. Why couldn't Zed behave like half of Talon Industries, and put his password under the keyboard?
Maybe it's not a puzzle at all.
"What?"
It says, "Enter password to continue." So, type in "password."
"Oh, brother."
Brian typed in the word "password" and pressed enter.
Nothing happened. The screen just hung there. Then, suddenly:
> Loading Gateway program...
The lights in the room began to flicker.
> Loading...
The floor began to shake slightly.
> Loading...
The lights went out completely. The room was now lit solely by the dim glow of the screen.
> Loading...
It happened quickly. The floor seemed to open up. Brian had the sensation of falling. There was an overwhelming dizziness, and Brian felt as though he was about to vomit.
YOU ARE READING
Brian Saves the World, Maybe
Science FictionBrian Walker, the IT guy at a small government contractor, has two problems. First, he hasn't had his morning coffee, and second, a strange voice in his head claims an alien invasion is underway. Solving the least pressing of the two should be prett...
