The Gorreven Papers — 13 of 23

Section 12 - Velchny's Office

[Things that are 'parts' are invisible but addressable. Things that are closed reveal their contents on opening, but do not intrinsically say something is in them until they are opened.]

Velchny's Office is a room. The office door is a door. It is south of Velchny's Office and north of the Closet Hall. It is closed.

The desk is a supporter in Velchny's office. The drawer is an openable part of the desk. The drawer is closed. The set of keys are in the drawer.

Instead of examining the desk:

say "It's an ornate mahogany desk with a drawer set into the left front."

Instead of searching the desk:

try examining the desk;

say "You search the drawer. [run paragraph on]";

try searching the drawer;

set pronouns from the drawer.

Instead of opening the desk:

try opening the drawer.

The filing cabinet is in the office. It is fixed in place. It is openable. It is closed. In the cabinet is a sheaf of papers.

Instead of examining the filing cabinet:

say "It's a short, simple utilitarian filing cabinet made of thin steel and painted the same drab color as the uniforms. It has a single unlocked drawer."

Instead of examining the sheaf of papers:

say "It's a sheaf of papers in a plain manila folder with the words 'The Gorreven Papers' written in marker on the outside. Nothing else is in the drawer. There are some faint oily stains on the folder, which seems to be covered with a fine layer of dust, or perhaps a grainy powder.";

set pronouns from the papers.

Carry out taking the sheaf of papers:

say "At last! The object of your quest. You snatch at the manila folder. As you lift the folder in haste, you notice that it feels unusually light. A single sheet of typing paper flutters to the floor. Curious, you retrieve it and read what is written on it:";

say "[paragraph break][italic type]Congratulations, treacherous fool![paragraph break]So you

think you have the Gorreven Papers, eh? You think you can violate the paramount sanctity of my personal office and lay your filthy hands on the papers that will decide the destiny of nations?[paragraph break]I'm afraid you're about to learn a little lesson. Unfortunately the price is your own miserable life.[paragraph break]The paper you are now holding is saturated with a powerful neurotoxin that is absorbed through the skin. By this time you have already assimilated a fatal dose[unicode em dash]even if you are a very fast reader. Ha! Ha![paragraph break]Know as you die that you have been outsmarted by the inimitable Commandant Velchny![roman type][paragraph break]";

say "You try to release the paper, but the neurotoxin has already done its work[unicode ellipsis]You cannot unclench your fingers. You try to cry out but your jaw is frozen. Breathing is becoming difficult; you try to run but your legs only jerk feebly and you topple over, crashing to the floor like a tin soldier. Your last fervent hope as your heart succumbs to the paralysis is that Velchny will burn in hell[unicode ellipsis]and that you will not be there with him[unicode ellipsis]";

end the story finally.