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TAGE #2; Psi-Fi-Ting-Fantasy Stylee!

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18:27 / 01.09.05

OK, I think you all have a fair idea of how this works. #2 will be sci-fi, and COMMANDS MUST BE IN CAPITALS because I say so.

I will be your G.U.I.D.E. (Graphical User Interface Device Emulator) and occasionally prompt you ('Are you sure you wish to STAB SHOPKEYPER WIV BAGUETTE?').

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

18:47 / 01.09.05

You awake to darkness and pain from a vaguely pleasant dream that fades quickly from your memory. You open your eyes to reveal Brightness and pain. Pain from your head especially, but fairly distributed throughout your aching body. A groan escapes your lips, you struggle to focus blearily on your surroundings;

You are lying down on a softish surface looking up at a white ceiling with a bright white square for illumination. Glancing around (which hurts your eyes) you see you are in a square room about five metres by five absent of distinguishing features except that its bright white, very clean and empty except for you and the raised surface you are lying on, which you correctly guess is a bed. You struggle to sit up and discover that a) it hurts your head and b) you are restrained, strapped to the bed at wrists, ankles, waist and chest.

You are wearing a white smock-type gown and nothing else, and have no clear recollections of recent events through your blinding headache.

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

20:19 / 01.09.05

Breathing deeply and slowly, try to go to place in mind where the inner shamanic power animal lives.

20:39 / 01.09.05

SNIFF AIR

21:38 / 01.09.05

LUXURIATE IN SWEEEEET BONDAGE.

22:05 / 01.09.05

PRETEND TO BE ASLEEP
COUNT TECHNO BEATS IN YOUR HEAD IN CHUNKS OF 4, 8, 16, 32, AND 64
WAIT FOR FURTHER STIUMULUS

22:06 / 01.09.05

SCREAM

Whisky Priestess

07:58 / 02.09.05

Quantum - you might want to have a looooot of time on your hands and 24/7 broadband and computer access to start one of these ...

09:17 / 02.09.05

EXAMINE BONDS.
EXAMINE ROOM.
BREAK BONDS.

13:26 / 02.09.05

Perhaps I'll just respond to the best commands as I see fit- the GUIDE is omniscient..

You SNIFF AIR. There is a sharp tang of disinfectant in the air, and a hint of ozone. The smell hurts your nose.
You LUXURIATE IN SWEEEEET BONDAGE. Despite the pain. (Because of the pain?)
You EXAMINE BONDS. They are white straps a few inches wide composed of some sort of strong synthetic material like nylon. You EXAMINE ROOM. You are in a square room about five metres by five absent of distinguishing features except that it's bright white, almost medical in appearance. The brightness hurts your eyes. From your perspective you are in a bed against the left wall. You stretch your fingertips to touch it and find it to be smooth, hard and with a texture like plastic.
You BREAK BONDS. They are too strong, and the attempt hurts your wrists, making you SCREAM.
You PRETEND TO BE ASLEEP, COUNT TECHNO BEATS IN YOUR HEAD IN CHUNKS OF 4, 8, 16, 32, AND 64 which is very difficult and hurts your brain. You WAIT FOR FURTHER STIUMULUS attempting to ignore the pain, but your thoughts seem sluggish and your introspective powers are hampered.

After a short while, a soft whuffing noise to your right attracts your muddled attention, and before you remember to PRETEND TO BE ASLEEP you turn your head and look.

A doorlike section of wall has just opened like an iris, presumably the cause of the whuffing noise. A humanoid figure in white is entering, and beyond you see a transverse corridor similar to the room- featureless and white. The figure is tall and bearing a tray. While trying to ascertain it's gender you notice it has a wheel instead of feet, no nose ears or mouth and is made of white plastic and metal- it is a DROID, in a white uniform like a medical orderly, with a little white hat with a red cross on it's head.
The tray it's carrying is covered with a white cloth but obviously has several objects on it.
The medi-droid speaks in a pleasantly soft, well modulated voice and as it does so the mouth area of it's face lights up in time with it's words.
'Ah, I see you are awake. Time for your medication!' it cheerfully announces.

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

13:46 / 02.09.05

ASCERTAIN OWN GENDER
WATCH CORRIDOR THROUGH IRIS
INSTRUCT DROID "I need more anaesthetic"

its, meaning belonging to it, has no apostrophe.
it's, a contraction of it is, has an apostrophe

13:57 / 02.09.05

The GUIDE is omniscient and will punctuate as it chooses. This is the future of grammar. Lose d6 SAN pts for quibbling.

How do you wish to ASCERTAIN OWN GENDER?
You WATCH CORRIDOR THROUGH IRIS but it closes behind the medidroid without incident.
You INSTRUCT DROID "I need more anaesthetic"

'That's right! Medication time!' it announces, whipping the white cloth of the tray to reveal a tiny plastic cup with an assortment of coloured pills, a small plastic glass of water and a spray-hypodermic.

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

14:21 / 02.09.05

How to ASCERTAIN OWN GENDER, hmm.
Ah, there's no strap on my neck so I think I should be able to RAISE HEAD and EXAMINE OWN BODY. I guess I'm more interested in checking if I'm a robot, alien or eunuch rather than being a girl or a boy.

EXAMINE PILLS and, if they are labelled,
READ PILLS

I'm hoping that the anaesthetic will be sufficiently strong to allow me to ignore the pain and BREAK BONDS.

14:51 / 02.09.05

You RAISE HEAD and EXAMINE OWN BODY. You are human, have small breasts and a bulge where your crotch is, no body hair to speak of and slender limbs.
You EXAMINE PILLS- they are of varying colours and sizes but not labelled.

The medidroid glides toward you on it's monowheel, picking up the spray-hypo in one metal hand. It presses it against your neck, and you feel momentary coolness, then a blessed relief from pain almost immediately. The droid continues in a patronising tone as though conversing with a child-

'The analgesic will not be necessary soon once you heal sufficiently, and if Dr Skinner approves of your review you will be allowed to mingle in the communal area again. That will be nice, won't it?'

You attempt to BREAK BONDS, but they are very strong and designed to prevent escape. The droid ignores your struggle and picks up the cup of pills, holding them to your mouth.

GUIDE INSTRUCTON?
>

14:54 / 02.09.05

SAY "MY WRISTS ARE INJURED. I NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION, BUT THESE BONDS ARE IN THE WAY. COULD YOU PLEASE REMOVE THEM?"

IF MADE TO TAKE PILLS, HIDE THEM IN YOUR MOUTH.

15:04 / 02.09.05

You SAY "MY WRISTS ARE INJURED. I NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION, BUT THESE BONDS ARE IN THE WAY. COULD YOU PLEASE REMOVE THEM?"

The medidroid issues a robotic chortle. 'Now, now, 241, none of your antics. You know perfectly well I cannot remove your bonds. If you damage your clone you will not get another for at least a week and you will just have to suffer. Now open wide.'

You open wide and it tips the pills in, but you HIDE THEM IN YOUR MOUTH. The droid offers you the water which you drink, but as there are half a dozen pills in your mouth one of the bigger ones is washed down your throat. The rest you conceal under your tongue and in your cheeks, which will make talking a bit tricky.

The droid seems satisfied, puts everythig back on the tray and covers it with a cloth again.

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

11:53 / 03.09.05

FEIGN DROWSYNESS.
WAIT UNTIL MEDBOT HAS GONE, THEN SPIT PILLS OUT.
EXAMINE BONDS, ATTEMPT TO LOOSEN THEM OR SLIP OUT.
IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, DESTROY BONDS WITH THE POWER OF THE MIND!

13:15 / 03.09.05

You FEIGN DROWSYNESS. The medidroid leaves making an 'Aaah' noise as you would about a sleeping kitten.
You SPIT PILLS OUT. A selection of medication rattles to the floor.
You EXAMINE BONDS. They are extremely strong restraints specifically designed to be hard to escape from, and don't even have an obvious mechanism to lock them, they seem to sprout directly from the bed.
You try to DESTROY BONDS WITH THE POWER OF THE MIND! As you focus your attention on the bonds a stabbing pain lances through your brain and you scream out loud, and pass out.

You are woken by a gravelly male voice saying '241 is a stubborn one, eh? How many times is that now?'.
You are in a lot of pain, and deduce that attempting to use MIND POWERS is what caused it in the first place. You open your eyes and look around to see the medidroid and a FAT BALDING MAN in an ill fitting suit.

'Hello 241' he says 'I'm Doctor Skinner.'

more to follow...

14:37 / 03.09.05

DR SKINNER wears half moon glasses and has a grey goatee beard, a tonsure of short grey hair around a gleaming pate, heavy jowls and muddy blue eyes. His brown suit is baggy and poorly fitted and he smells of stale tobacco smoke. He is holding a techno-clipboard and peering over his glasses at you.

'I'm here for your review, 241.' He looks down at the pills on the floor, frowning. 'I see you still harbour escape fantasies. Those medicines are to help you, you know, you're only harming yourself. They will speed the healing of your cortical inhibitor implant and elevate your mood and decrease your aggression, so be good and swallow them next time. Threet, administer another analgesic shot to 241 please.'

The droid wheels over and sprays your neck again, relieving your fierce headache.

'Your memory erasure and clone-transfer have probably left you disoriented and with some questions. Is there anything you'd like to ask me, 241?'

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

15:23 / 03.09.05

ASK DR SKINNER TO RUN THROUGH THE CLONE TRANSFER PROCESS IN A BIT MORE DETAIL.

THEN ASK HIM WHAT HE THINKS HE LOOKS LIKE WITH THAT BEARD.

15:51 / 03.09.05

MUTTER "241? Two for one special. My favourite bit in Slacker."

Now that I'm anaesthetised, try something innocuous like
MOVE PILLS WITH POWER OF MIND

22:03 / 03.09.05

SMASH BACK OF HEAD INTO TABLE UNTIL DEAD.

03:31 / 04.09.05

BELAY LAST ORDER, OR IF NOT, APOLOGISE AND CLAIM POSSIBLE MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER OR SCHITZOPHRENIA, AND ASK IF MORE THAN ONE MIND COULD HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED INTO THIS BODY.
ASK HOW MANY TIMES I'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS, AND REQUEST A F.A.Q. OF SOME SORT IN FUTURE, TO OFFSET THE DISORIENTATION AND PANIC AT BEING TIED DOWN.
ASK THE REASON FOR THE IMPLANT.
ASK OWN NAME AND BACKGROUND.

16:24 / 04.09.05

Are we still in this fucking bed?

GUIDE, begin shrieking at 30 second intervals. Then smash own head.

09:22 / 05.09.05

WHILST ENGAGING SHRINK IN CONVERSATION, SUBTLY INSINUATE TENDRILS OF MIND-FORCE AND IMPLANT THE SUGGESTION THAT I AM CURED, AND MUST BE RELEASED.
BRAINWALK SHRINK TO INSTRUCT MEDBOT TO RELEASE BONDS.

13:14 / 05.09.05

Trust me, y'all, we're better off dead.

13:18 / 05.09.05

(You people really crave action dontcha?)

You ASK DR SKINNER TO RUN THROUGH THE CLONE TRANSFER PROCESS IN A BIT MORE DETAIL.
'Well, high risk prisoners...' he quickly corrects himself '...patients, such as yourself, are transferred into cheap quality non-gendered clones to minimize hazards to staff and fellow patients. Those with metapsychic powers are fitted with a cortical inhibitor for the same reason, making usage extremely painful as you've experienced. Anything over a certain intensity trips the cutout switch and renders the clone unconscious, and really aggressive patients are sometimes physically restrained.' He looks pointedly at your bonds. 'After your last outburst we also erased your episodic memory to facilitate treatment, but I think 314 still holds a grudge after you took out her eye.'

You ASK HIM WHAT HE THINKS HE LOOKS LIKE WITH THAT BEARD.
'Like a twentieth century 'Psychiatrist', the forerunner to the field of Metapsychology. I rather like it' he strokes the stupid goatee proprietorily.

You ASK HOW MANY TIMES I'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS.
'Several times, 241, you have been a... difficult case.'

You REQUEST A F.A.Q. OF SOME SORT IN FUTURE, TO OFFSET THE DISORIENTATION AND PANIC AT BEING TIED DOWN.
'We'll take your suggestion on board, but the memory erasure is really a last resort. If you stop attacking people we'll treat you like a civilised person.'

You ASK THE REASON FOR THE IMPLANT.
'To inhibit your metapsychic abilities.'

You ASK OWN NAME AND BACKGROUND.
'I'm afraid that information has been deemed unhelpful to your recovery. You are patient 241, and you are here to get well.'

In light of the cortical inhibitor, you think twice before SUBTLY INSINUATING TENDRILS OF MIND-FORCE,
BRAINWALKING SHRINK TO INSTRUCT MEDBOT TO RELEASE BONDS or MOVING PILLS WITH POWER OF MIND.

'If you are prepared to promise good behaviour, Threet will release you and show you to the communal area. You must attempt to control your homicidal impulses and not smash your clones head again though or we'll just put you back in solitary' Skinner warns.

'Do you promise to be good?'

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
PROMISE Y/N>

13:35 / 05.09.05

'...and before we release your bonds, let me mention this is purely a hologramatic proxy of me, there'll be no hostage taking going on. Are you prepared to act like a reasonable entity?'

P. Horus Rhacoid

14:25 / 05.09.05

SIGH THEATRICALLY. ROLL EYES. SAY "I GUESS SO."

P. Horus Rhacoid

14:25 / 05.09.05

ALSO SHRUG TO THE EXTENT BONDS ALLOW.

14:29 / 05.09.05

YES
It sounds like the robot is going to show me to the communal area on its own. If I get some alone-time with it then:
SAY TO ROBOT "Nice wheel, babe. Tell me, what kind of medical stuff can you do?"

17:40 / 05.09.05

You SIGH THEATRICALLY. ROLL EYES. SAY "I GUESS SO." and SHRUG TO THE EXTENT BONDS ALLOW.
'Excellent!' Dr Skinner beams 'Well done 241!' he says in a patronisingly avuncular manner. 'I'll continue your review after dinner, and we'll discuss the direction your therapy should take. I must go, Threet- escort 241 to the meal hall. Until later, goodbye 241.'
He literally disappears as the hologram de-rezzes, and the droid wheels over to you. At a touch the bonds retract into the bed and Threet helps you to your shaky feet. It leaves the tray on the bed and helps you out of the room and into the antiseptic corridor. You notice a number on the back of it's head 3271.

You SAY TO ROBOT- "Nice wheel, babe. Tell me, what kind of medical stuff can you do?"
'I am versed in over three million forms of medical procedures and am fluent in the binary language of moisture evaporators. Why do you ask?' Threet replies, cocking it's head in a saucy manner.

GUIDE INSTRUCTION?
>

P. Horus Rhacoid

20:10 / 05.09.05

GIVE ROBOT SULTRY LOOK. SAY "so what time do you get off work, sweetcakes?"

20:16 / 05.09.05

SAY TO THREET "I don't know Threet (should I call you that?) I'm a double-gendered clone you're a fully equipped medi-droid, seems like we could have fun together. When's your next downtime and how do I contact you?"

09:31 / 06.09.05

So, you guys liked the waitress droid in Attack of the Clones, too, huh?

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