You wake up on your back. Your're cold, but you feel as though you've been sweating through your jacket. As your eyes focus you see an encircled, sad, grey sky. A wall that seems to be a mile high widens down composed of worn conrete paneling. It's an empty tower.
You should probably [[get up]].There's a little light and from what you can see the entrance to the tower is sealed shut with exidation and abhorrent cobweb. Opposing the door, across the other side of the tower wall is a large valve wheel with a sign above it saying "SALT WATER MANUAL INLET".
You [[look up]].Far up the tower you can see the end of an old ladder attached to its wall running all the way to the tower's rim.
Time to [[think about leaving]].You stand shakily. The ground is sodden but firm. Sections of rusty ladder lay strewn across the wet concrete defeated by gravity and weather. Near the center of the towers floor is a puddle with a toolbag and some tools semi-submerged in it.
You [[look around]] some more.You spray the valve with the can of mechanical magic. You try the valve again and it moves. You then turn the wheel left and keep on turning until you hear a roar from above you. The noise continues and water begins blasting from inlets around the interior of the tower, a few meters from the base. You step back from the valve.
a. You [[cling to the walls]] before the water gets too deep.
b. You [[stay in the center]], hoping to float up with the water.You run to the edge of the tower's base, holding yourself flat to its walls. The turbulent water has now passed your waist and continues until you are totally submerged. You feel yourself being pushed up by the turbulence around the edge of the base and you push yourself up along its wall. You get closer and closer to the broken ladder. You reach and grab the first rung.
You begin a hasty [[climb up the ladder]].As water rushes in and comes up to your chest. You feel your clothes getting heavier and heavier. The buoyancy of your body can't seem to keep up. The water level now climbs over your head with its rush forcing your to the center of the tower.
[[Oh, no.]]Up.
You grab the last rung of the ladder and haul yourself to the top of tower's edge. You are greeted by the same grey that you saw from below accompanied by a threatening wind. Grinding metal sounds from the base of the tower, reverberating up it's length. The noise ends with a heavy clunk. The water at the base of the tower begins to drain through the inlets that it arrived through.
Now you should be able tell [[where you are]].The walk down takes forever, but you make it to what now seems to be a control room given the signage outside of the ugly concrete block. The door is propped open with an age-old gas mask. You walk up to the door and open it to see a totally dilapidated, home cinema-sized room. Given that you don't know where you are, you wonder if there might be a way to get in contact with help.
You [[scan the room]].You walk over to the plank. You take your first step and the wood seems solid enough. You then begin to move across the plank making it about half way. Snap. The plank splits at its center and caves downward.
[[Wasn't as safe as you thought.]]You walk over to the first gap in the floor and measure the jump. You squat down and jump to a metal plate at the midpoint. You land on the plate, a bit wobbly, but you didn't fall. You then line up the next jump which looks to be a bit easier.
You make it to the other side, stop to catch your breath, and then [[walk to the grubby phone]].You pick up the unnaturally yellowed phone from its switch arm. You dial 999 into a beige keypad below the phone. A long tone and then a few short tones later someone picks up. You convince the police to send a couple of officers to your location. You still don't know where you are, but they do. They will be here soon.
[[Time to wait.]]You pick up the unnaturally yellowed phone from its switch arm. You dial Lena's agency number into a beige keypad below the phone. A long tone and then a few short tones later someone picks up. It's Lena. You manage to get her to send a helicopter over. You don't where it'll land, but it doesn't matter.
[[Time to wait.]]After being hung up on you let the phone go dropping and dangling from its archaic line. After a climb to the top of the cooling tower and a trek to its control room you collapse next to the phone awaiting your undignified rescue.
[[END]]Expired.
[[RETURN->get ready to spray]][[RETURN TO START->Joshua Wakes Up]]Expired
[[RETURN->look across]]There are switch desks and panels lining the room from wall to wall. Various boards and monitors are missing. Wiring is dangling from the ceiling of the room and only a few fluorescent lights are left on to light what's left of the control room. The floor seems to be scavanged for wiring as some panels at the center of the room are totally open. Through them you see a foggy descent to an unknown ground.
You [[look across]] to the opposite side of the room.Across from the door to the building is what looks like a phone you'd see in a prison. It looks a pretty old, but it might work and you might be able to call for some help. Now you just have to get over there across the messed up flooring. There are two channels between desks that lead to the other side of the room. In one direction there's an old discoloured plank that bridges the holes in the floor. It might snap or it might be fine. Who knows? On the other side are a couple of holes that you can probably jump over. You are tired though.
a. May as well [[try the plank]].
b. You'll jump the gaps. It's [[time for more exercise]].You look at the phone and wonder who you should call for help. The cops don't seem to like you much in City 11. You tend to mess with their investigations. They don't like that, but they do owe you one for taking care of their business. You could also call a fellow provate investigator. Lena or her employees could help me out. She did tell me not to mess with the guys who got me knocked out down that tower, so maybe I shouldn't rustle her jimmies.
a. You [[call Lena]].
b. You [[call the police]].You go back to the toolbag in the puddle near the center of the tower base. You rumage through the bag, but find that water has managed to puddle in that too, leaving the tools rusted. You then check the can near the bag with its blue and yellow exterior. It feels like its full and pressurized. After turning it around you see 'YD-40' in bold. You take the can to the seized wheel valve.
You shake the YD-40 and [[get ready to spray]].You look below the skinny walkway to see if there's anything recognizable below. There's only fog. Looking down is pointless anyway, you're getting dizzy. After a short pause you look for a way off of the tower's rim. It looks like there's a spiraling metal catwalk down the outer wall of the tower. It looks like a pretty inefficient way to get down, but the route seems safe. There is also the start of another rusty ladder across from you. The ladder looks much more efficient, speed wise, but it doesn't exactly look safe. The ladder an walkway meet about 40 meters down the tower at a large concrete block with a door.
a. You [[take the ladder down]] to the structure.
b. You [[take the metal catwalk down]].You walk around to the ladder. You turn around and begin to climb down. The ladder moves a bit too much. You feel yourself rotating with the ladder as bolts ping from the ladder's fitments to the tower's wall.
[[Down you go]].You walk around the rim of the tower for a few meters and then you move to the walkway. You test it with a step and it is sturdy. You make your way down.
[[It's a long way]].Expired
[[RETURN->where you are]]
↶↷You wake up on your back. Your're cold, but you feel as though you've been sweating through your jacket. As your eyes focus you see an encircled, sad, grey sky. A wall that seems to be a mile high widens down composed of worn conrete paneling. It's an empty tower.
You should probably get up.