Amnesia

By Jacob Gunness
Originally published in EUG #74
In A&B's first professional adventure, you have woken up from a dreamless sleep - to find yourself in a hot sweat! - lying in the dark on a hard bed. You can recollect neither who you are - nor what you are doing here. You have only a sense of desperate urgency...
 
Let the adventure commence...
 
Location Details Commands
Lying on a hard bed D
Blundering around the darkened room OPEN CURTAINS
In a clinical looking room E
In a short north-south corridor N
At a bend in the corridor W
In the dispensary GET BOTTLE, E
At a bend in the corridor E
Walking down an east-west corridor E
In a spacious room furnished with armchairs E
At the north end of a long corridor S
In a corridor outside the dining room S
Walking along a gloomy north-south corridor S
In the gloomy north-south corridor S
At the south end of a long north-south corridor S
In a large hall EXAMINE VISITORS BOOK ("You don't recognise any of the names but they are mostly clled Dr. or Professor and all have strings of letters after their names."), W
In the hall of a gentleman's residence W
In a large hall with elegant staircase W
At the south end of a north-south corridor N
In the middle of a north-south corridor READ SIGN (It reads 'Laboratory - Danger - Strictly Private - Keep Out!!', N
At the north end of the corridor W ("As you enter, you catch sight of an unshaven face in the mirror")
In a small tiled bathroom EXAMINE MIRROR ("As you stare into the mirror you realise with horror that the unfamiliar face you see - that of a sinister-looking middle aged man - is your own!"), WASH HANDS ("You wash your hands thoroughly and dry them on a series of paper towels"), E
At the north end of the corridor S
In the middle of a north-south corridor S
At the south end of a north-south corridor E
In a large hall with an elegant staircase U
On the stairs U
On the stairs U
On the landing at the top of the stairs OPEN DOOR ("You open the door" - This is only possible if you washed your hands!), N
On the landing near an oak chest OPEN CABINET ("As you open the cabinet you are greeted with a shower of dust and a musty smell"), EXAMINE PHOTO ("It shows a group of young men in caps and gowns, evidently having just graduated from univesity. One of the faces is a much younger version of the one you saw in the mirror. Underneath is printed 'King's College, 1953.'"), E
On the landing E
In a large bedroom GET HYPODERMIC SYRINGE, OPEN WARDROBE ("You see a grey suit hanging inside"), GET SUIT, WEAR SUIT, EXAMINE SUIT ("It seems to fit you. A label is sewn inside the jacket which reads 'Paul Wildman'."), W
On the landing N
In the bathroom SHAVE ("You shave carefully and the unfamiliar face you see in the mirror takes on a slightly less sinister aspect. You feel like taking a long, luxurious bath, but you have the feeling that time is short so you forego that pleasure."), S
On the landing W
On the landing S
On the landing at the top of the stairs D
On the stairs D
On the stairs D
In a large hall with an elegant staircase W
At the south end of a north-south corridor N
In the middle of a north-south corridor EXAMINE BOTTLE ("The label seems to have come off"), DRINK LIQUID ("The liquid has such a salty taste that you can't swallow it."), FILL HYPODERMIC ("You fill the hypodermic syringe with the clear liquid, although you aren't quite sure what it is, and discard the bottle."), W
In a laboratory ("A vast slug stops you going further into the room"), INJECT SLUG WITH HYPODERMIC ("As you plunge the syringe into the gigantic slug's slimy skin, it shrivels before your eyes until it resembles nothing so much as a small, chewed lump of bubble gum."), GET KEY, DROP HYPODERMIC, E
In the middle of a north-south corridor S
At the south end of a north-south corridor E
In a large hall with an elegant staircase E
In the hall of a gentleman's residence E
In a large hall N
At the south end of a long north-south corridor N
In the gloomy north-south corridor N
Walking along a gloomy north-south corridor N
In the corridor outside the dining room N
At the north end of a long corridor UNLOCK DOOR ("You unlock the office and open the door."), DROP KEY, E
In a small office GET LETTER, READ LETTER ("MEMO TO: The Director. FROM: X.X. URGENT. Large quantity of XP37 missing from store (Sufficient to wipe out a large city). Checks on computer's personnel files reveal..."), DROP LETTER, PUSH BUTTON ("You push the button. From somewhere else in the house you hear a low, grating sound."), N
In a cupboard READ A&B ("You spend a fascinating hour reading through the pile of magazines, after which you feel you know the BBC Micro inside out and are thoroughly able to program it."), S
In a small office W
At the north end of a long corridor S
In the corridor outside the dining room S
Walking along a gloomy north-south corridor S
In the gloomy north-south corridor S
At the south end of a long north-south corridor S
In a large hall E
Outside a Victorian mansion S
At the north end of a pebbled drive W
At the north end of an attractive shubbery W
Walking along a narrow tree-lined path W
At a bend in the narrow path S ("The elderly looking shed door is securely padlocked."), BREAK DOOR, ("You kick down the shed door with the greatest of ease. The rotten wood inspires false confidence in the strength of your ageing body!"), S
Inside the old toolshed GET MACHETE, N
At a bend in the narrow path E
Walking along a narrow tree-lined path E
At the north end of an attractive shubbery E
At the north end of a pebbled drive E
At the north end of an ornamental garden S
In the centre of an ornamental garden EXAMINE STATUE ("It seems to have too many arms, but it's mounted on a fine stone base."), SHARPEN MACHETE ("The base of the statue makes an ideal whetstone, and in no time you possess a finely honed blade."), S
At the south end of an ornamental garden. ("You see a dead body"), EXAMINE BODY ("Floating in the pond. You know immediately that he didn't drove, but he didn't die of natural causes either. You discover papers identifying the corpse as Professor Helmut Vizor."), W
On a pebbled drive W
Walking through a tangle of undergrowth W
Walking through a tangle of undergrowth E
Walking through a tangle of undergrowth E
Walking through a tangle of undergrowth D
Walking through a tangle of undergrowth S
In a clearing at the end of the hedge maze EXAMINE HEDGE ("Thick and brambly. There appears to be some sort of clearing on the other side."), CUT HEDGE ("You slice through the thick hedge with your razor-sharp machete, and soon make a hole large enough to crawl through."), W
On a stony piece of ground GET SMALL KEY, D
On a piece of open ground N
At the south end of the shrubbery among plants N
At the north end of an attractive shubbery E
At the north end of a pebbled drive N
Outside a Victorian mansion W
In a large hall N
At the south end of a long north-south corridor N
In the gloomy north-south corridor E
In a kitchen UNLOCK CUPBOARD ("You insert the small key in the lock and open the cupboard"), DROP SMALL KEY, GET BISCUITS, W
In the gloomy north-south corridor S
At the south end of a long north-south corridor S
In a large hall E
Outside a Victorian mansion S
At the north end of a pebbled drive S
On a pebbled drive S
On a pebbled drive S
At a bend in the drive E
On a driveway surrounded by banks ("You see a scrap of paper"), EXAMINE PAPER ("The paper simply bears the numbers 81189."), S
Beside a heavy metal gate E ("As you try to enter the coach house you are set upon by gerocious Alsatian dogs. You leap back just in time as they reach the end of their chains."), FEED DOGS ("You throw the biscuits to the dogs who gobble them up with more enthusiasm than good manners."), E
Inside the coach house S
Inside the coach house near staircase U
In a cramped room GET CODEBOOK, PULL SWITCH ("You pull the switch. Apparently nothing happens." - Note this actually deactivates the gate!), D
Inside the coach house near staircase N
Inside the coach house W
Stopped beside a heavy metal gate N
On a driveway surrounded by banks W
At a bend in the drive N
On a pebbled drive N
On a pebbled drive N
At the north end of a pebbled drive N
Outside a Victorian mansion W
In a large hall N
At the south end of a long north-south corridor E
In a large room full of computer equipment GET DISC, INSERT DISC
 
("With your new-found computer expertise you are able to insert the disc successfully, and the drive whirs happily as you settle at the keyboard.")
 
READ CODEBOOK ("Four words catch your eye: SILVER, BRONZE, GOLD and PLATINUM.")
 
TYPE SILVER ("Dr. Paul Wildman. A brilliant biochemist (his old tutor at King's reckons he was the best student he ever taught). Recently discovered medical reports indicate disturbing evidence of paranoia and psychopathic tendencies.")
 
TYPE GOLD ("Professor Helmut Vizor: Institute Directr. Selected as much for his political naivity as his academic brilliance. Previous appointment: Director of Royal Institute for Control of Garden Pests.")
 
TYPE PLATINUM ("Dr. Xerxes Xenophone: Embittered by his exclusion from the Greek heart transplant programme, Xenophone took up his appointment here unenthusiastically. Frequent expeditions to London suggest other affairs of the heart now take precedence.")
 
TYPE BRONZE ("Professor Mark Myword. Came late to genetic engineering and should perhaps have stayed with experimental pig breeding. Rumours that he bought his professorship from an obscure American university."), DROP CODEBOOK, W
At the south end of a long north-south corridor S
In a large hall W
In the hall of a gentleman's residence W
In a large hall with an elegant staircase U
On the stairs U
On the stairs U
On the landing at the top of the stairs N
On the landing N
In a comfortable sitting room EXAMINE SAFE ("It has a conventional combination lock"), DIAL 81189 ("The safe door swings silently open."), LOOK ("You see some money"), GET MONEY, S
On the landing S
On the landing D
On the stairs D
On the stairs D
In a large hall with an elegant staircase E
In the hall of a gentleman's residence E
In a large hall E
Outside a Victorian mansion S
At the north end of a pebbled drive S
On a pebbled drive S
On a pebbled drive S
At a bend in the drive E
On a driveway surrounded by banks S
Beside a heavy metal gate S
Outside the main gates of the house ("You notice a large sign which reads 'Ministry of Defence Research Establishment. Strictly No Admittance. Beware of the dogs."), S
In a country lane E
Walking along a country lane S
Walking along a twisty country lane E
Going along the country lane N
Going along this interminable lane E
On a twisty country lane S
Outside the police station S
In a village street of pretty houses and shops S
In the village street S
On the corner of the main village street S
In a newsagent's shop GET NEWSPAPER, READ NEWSPAPER ("Large numbers of troops and military equipment have been moved into the Central London area. A Home Office spokesman said, 'This is purely a training exercise, and there is no cause for alarm.'"), DROP NEWSPAPER, N
On the corner of the main village street E
In picture-postcard village street E
Outside the village hall S
At the edge of the village of Biggleswick E
Outside the station E
Outside a small run-down cafe N
Inside Joe's Cafe ORDER FOOD ("You order 'Joe's Special Mixed Grill', which is swiftly placed before you. You give Joe your £5. note, and he drops some change on the counter. You eat the greasy meal greedily - you haven't eaten since you can't remember when!"), GET COINS, S
Outside a small run-down cafe W
Outside the station W
At the edge of the village of Biggleswick N
Outside the village hall U
Inside the village hall E
In the midst of a throng of bargain-hunters EXAMINE VEST ("A hand-knitted string vest. So baggy and shapeless that it wouldn't fit even your podgy shape."), BUY VEST ("Thanks, love," says the lady behind the stall, tipping the coins into her apron pocket. "Help yourself then.") GET VEST, UNRAVEL VEST ("You unravel the vest and roll the string into a neat ball - which you promptly drop on the floor!"), GET STRING, W
Inside the village hall D
Outside the village hall W
In the picture-postcard village street W
On the corner of the main village street N
In the village street N
In a village street of pretty houses and shops N
Outside the police station N
On a twisty country lane W
Going along this interminable lane S
Going along the country lane W
Walking along a twisty country lane N
Walking along a country lane W
In a country lane U
Not sure if you are on a road or not W
Beside an ancient stone circle S
On a gently-sloping moorland path E
On a gently-sloping moorland path E
By a small hut on the outskirts of a wood S
Near the edge of a gloomy wood S
In a gloomy little wood S
In the gloomy wood W
Near the edge of the wood W
By a fenced-off area just outside the wood CLIMB FENCE ("You heave your chubby body over the fence and land with a thump on the other side.")
Inside a fenced-off area EXAMINE LADDER ("A rusty iron ladder, set into the wall of the shaft and leading down as far as you can see. The top of the ladder appears to have come away from its support on one side."), FIX LADDER ("You tie back the loose section of the ladder firmly with the string. It looks safe enough now. Just as well you can remember your Boy Scouts knots."), D
Inside the top of the mine shaft D
Inside the old mine shaft D
Deep inside the old mine shaft D
At the bottom of the shaft ("As your feet touch the ground a light switches on. You appear to have triggered some sort of automatic device."), E
In a large underground chamber EXAMINE MAP, ("A large-scale map of the London area, with a big red cross marking a position on the river to the west of the city."), GET PASS, EXAMINE PASS ("In the name of Dr. Paul Wildman. It permits unlimited travel between Biggleswick and Charing Cross."), W
At the bottom of the shaft U
Deep inside the old mine shaft U
Inside the old mine shaft U
Inside the top of the mine shaft U
Inside a fenced off area CLIMB FENCE
By a fenced-off area E
Near the edge of the wood E
In the gloomy wood N
In a gloomy little wood N
Near the edge of a gloomy wood N
By a small hut on the outskirts of a wood W
On a gently-sloping moorland path W
On a gently-sloping moorland path N
Beside an ancient stone circle E
Not sure whether you are on a road or not D
In a country lane E
Walking along a country lane S
Walking along a twisty country lane E
Still going along the country lane N
Still going along this interminable lane E
On a twisty country lane S
Outside the police station S
In a village street of pretty houses and shops S
In the village street S
On the corner of the main village street E
In the picture-postcade village street E
Outside the village hall S
At the edge of the village of Biggleswick E
Outside the station S
In the station foyer S
Past the ticket office E ("As you try to pass the barrier, a ticket collector blocks your way and demands to see your ticket."), SHOW PASS ("'Hey, you're not Dr. Wildman. He reported his pass lost when he came for the London train this morning!' The Inspector calls a policeman, who promptly arrests you and marches you off to the police station.")
In the police station ("A burly uniformed sergeant keeps demanding that you tell him your real name."), MYWORD, ("'Ah, Professor Myword! Of course I recognise you now. By the way, the bank reported that your cheque book had been handed in. I'll give them a ring. Sorry, sir, you're free to go now of course.'"), S
In a village street of pretty houses and shops ("The effects of the drug which Wildman administered to you are now wearing off, and your memory begins to return. You recall that XP37 is a deadly mutant virus which spreads rapidly through water systems."), S
In the village street E
Inside a small branch of one of the Big Four clearing banks GET CHEQUE, W
In the village street S
On the corner of the main village street E
In the picture-postcade setting of the village street E
Outside the village hall S
At the edge of the village of Biggleswick E
Outside the station S
In the station foyer BUY TICKET ("You write out a cheque to British Rail and the surly clerk reluctantly writes you out a ticket and pushes it towards you."), GET TICKET, S
Past the ticket office SHOW TICKET ("The inspector examines your ticket. 'Looks all right to me. Funny, you're the third egghead going to Charing Cross today. Don't any of you blokes up at the Manor do any work?'"), E
At the north end of Platform 1 S
At the south end of Platform 1 U
On the west side of the footbridge E
On the east side of the footbridge D
Standing on Platform 2 ("You see a train"), BOARD TRAIN ("You board the train and, as you sit watching the countryside give way to the grimy backs of surburban houses, you reflect that Wildman has been a thorn in your flesh ever since your student days at King's."), D
On the railway platform at Charing Cross Station DROP PASS (Or you'll be arrested again), N
Inside Charing Cross Station W
In the Gents' OPEN CUPBOARD ("Xerxes Xenophone tumbles from the cupboard gasping 'Stop that lunatic Wildman - he's trying to hold the Government to ransom. I tried but he got me first...' As he collapses, dying, something falls out of his pocket."), LOOK, GET ENVELOPE, EXAMINE ENVELOPE ("It contains a ticket for tonight's concert at the Royal Festival Hall"), E
Inside Charing Cross Station BUY NEWSPAPER ("'I'm sold right out, guv. If you come back a bit later on I'll 'ave the early evening papers - all the latest on the big story.'"), N
At the entrance to the station W
In the Strand S
On the Embankment U
On a flight of steps U
At the north end of the footbridge S
In the centre of the bridge S
At the south end of the footbridge D
In a large paved area E
Inside the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall E
Beside the ticket office. ("A notice reads 'All tickets for tonight's concert of Bacchanalian melodies were sold weeks ago.'"), W
Inside the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall S
In the foyer next to a small bar GIVE TICKET ("The drunk grabs the envelope gratefully and says, 'It's not much in return, but here's a ticket to that crummy boat trip on the Thames.' He holds a card out to you with a shaky hand."), GET CARD, N
inside the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall W
In a large paved area U
At the south end of the footbridge N
In the centre of the bridge N
At the north end of the footbridge D
On a flight of steps D
On the Embankment N
In the Strand W
In Trafalgar Square N
Walking along Charing Cross Road W
In a small square in Soho W
Inside a small Aladdin's cave of a shop BUY DAGGER ("'You want this ancient, ancestral Ming dagger? I can let you have it for £5, as we're doing a special promotion this week. Strictly a cash sale, though, I'm afraid." - At this point the evening newspaper arrives), E
In a small square in Soho E
Walking along the Charing Cross road S
In Trafalgar Square E
In the Strand E
At the entrance to the station S
Inside Charing Cross station BUY NEWSPAPER ("'I can't take a cheque for 20p, can I guv? Tell you what, you write me a cheque for £6 and I'll give you a paper and a fiver.' You have little option but to agree, and the man holds out the money and an evening paper to you."), GET MONEY, GET EVENING PAPER, READ EVENING PAPER ("The paper is full of news about the army training exercise in London. A leak from Whitehall reveals that the Cabinet have moved to their 'secret' underground bunker. A Home Office denial is issued by a spokesman tracked down at Heathrow."), N
At the entrance to the station W
In the Strand W
In Trafalgar Square N
Walking along he Charing Cross road W
In a small square in Soho W
Inside a small Aladdin's cave of a shop BUY DAGGER ("The Chinaman grabs the note and proclaims it a forgery. His face remains inscrutable but the straight fingers jabbed to your solar plexus suggest that he is annoyed. He throws you out of a side door and bows politely before closing it.")
In a small alleyway GET RAINCOAT, WEAR RAINCOAT, N
In a small square in Soho E
Walking along the Charing Cross road S
In Trafalgar Square E
In the Strand S
On the Embankment E
Walking along the Embankment E
On the Embankment next to a pier BOARD BOAT ("You show your ticket and are hustled aboard the pleasure boat just before she leaves."), D
On the lower deck E
In the river Thames SWIM ("You strike out for the shore in a feeble doggy paddle, but luckily the current is in your favour and the plastic raincoat buoys you up and keeps you afloat long enough to reach the bank.")
Hanging to a rusty iron ring U
Climbing a rough stone wall U
Standing just inside a gaping hole in the wall S
Inside the old sewer S
Inside the sewer beside a grille GET RAINCOAT, DROP RAINCOAT, CLIMB GRILLE ("You climb up the grille and, by holding your breath, just manage to squeeze through the small manhole. It was obviously designed for a smaller man than you!"), S
Inside the waterworks D
In a lower level down a set of iron steps ("'So you finally found me, Myword. I'd have killed you if I hadn't needed to test that new amnesia drug of mine - obviously weaker than I thought! Stay right where you are or this little concoction of ours goes straight into the tank!'") TALK WILDMAN ("You smile at Wildman and talk about the old days at King's. Eventually you bore him to sleep and grab the XP37, thus saving London....! The next day you are summoned by the Prime Minister.")
In the hall of No. 10 Downing Street E ("The Prime Minister shakes your hard. 'No need to let the public in on our little secret, eh, Myword? We've decided to redesignate Biggleswick for agricultural research - and you're the new Director, of course.'")

You win!