Intra Vires

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There's something here.

Something besides decay or lifelessness.



It's electronic. Still functioning.

Hard to say how long it's been since I saw something like this.

Years, maybe. I've lost track. I don't even know what year it is.



I recognize the words. The only language I know.

It's hard to read it through the flickering. I think the power is failing.



"Stealth field"? I'm not sure what that means. Why is there a display like this on the side of a wall?

There's something odd about the wall itself. It doesn't look like this is the end of the street, but there's a huge wall right in the middle of it. I wonder what they were trying to keep out.

Or in.



At this point I don't think it matters. I haven't eaten in days, and there's nothing edible left in this city. I've got to investigate.



...Oh.

It looks dark down there. Some sort of... bunker? I have no idea, but I'm going to take a look.

Couldn't be any more dangerous than being up here.



Interesting... A long, metal hallway, lined with... doors, I guess? They all have the same red lights in the center.

I try to operate them, but there's a buzzing sound when I push the green button. Looks like they're locked.

There's a light at the end of the hallway. I can't make out what it is from here.



It looks like this door... was pried open? Maybe it broke? The gap's big enough for me to get in.

This room's full of machinery of some sort. Nothing like what we had back home. It seems to all be intact, functional. A relic from Before, I guess. Strange that it's still working.



I recognize the words on the screen, too. Strange... the rest of the city is marked in another language.

I right the chair. Maybe this machine will give me some answers. There's a keyboard on the panel in front of me, and some other buttons I don't recognize. The keyboard looks just like the ones we scavenged back home. I should be able to use it.

DIBBLEDING BUTTMAN

Blicario Tarpatch

Dando

> Roy

>Urist McBeardsword

My name is Quinn Tirath. Not that a name means much in this wasteland. I've been away from home for years, wandering the bleak ruins of "Before", as we've always called it. Before what, I've never quite known for sure. Something happened many years ago. I don't know what. Those who were alive when it happened never speak of it. And, well... There's no one to ask out here.

Maybe when I'm done with this machine, I can go home.



The next screen is... some kind of menu? I have no idea what it means. Resources? Subjects? Upgrades? I guess I'll have to figure it out.

Maybe while I'm at it, I'll figure out the rest of this control panel.



On the right side of the keyboard are some buttons, labeled 1-4, and some sort of rectangular pad - probably another input device. Could be important for navigation, I guess.



On the other side are some unlabeled buttons. Strange... They seem to be important, but there's no indication of what they do. For all I know, one of them might vent all the air from this bunker or something.

I think I'll hold off on pressing them until I have a better idea of what might happen.

Look at Status.

Disconnect!

status!

Rename yourself Urist McBeardsword; then press 1

Look around for a user manual so that you can figure out how to use the computer.

Is there any sort of input menu? Try typing HELP

There doesn't seem to be anything in this room to help me understand how to use this computer. Just more machinery and cables. I have no idea what any of it does.

Typing doesn't seem to do anything on this screen, either. That's not going to help.

>Check upgrades! Maybe it tells you where some treasures are!

The pad is definitely an input device, and it's fairly easy to use. It controls the pointer on the screen. Might as well check "Upgrades" first. Maybe it'll answer some questions. Or just raise more...



I guess it's the latter. I guess I'll come back to this later, when I figure out how to make it send these "upgrades".

Look at Status.

I... don't know what any of this means. I'm beginning to notice a pattern with these three-letter abbreviations. It certainly doesn't help make things any clearer.

Disconnect!

That's... odd. I'm not sure why I would want to disconnect, but it looks like I can't, for some reason. This machine continues to be frustratingly unhelpful.

No choice other than pushing buttons, I suppose. It couldn't hurt to try a few. Nobody would include an "explode" button on such a sophisticated machine, right?

> No, press one of the unlabelled buttons.

Nothing. None of the unlabeled buttons seems to have any purpose. Maybe the computer isn't finished? But then... who made it in the first place? Not that it matters. They're almost certainly dead by now.

[DATA EXPUNGED], then press 1

Only one thing left to try. The screen says that "SUB1" is ready. I'll start with 1. If this doesn't do anything... Might have to give up and move on. There's no food or water in here, and I need to keep searching.





...Who's this? It's no one I recognize, but... this looks like a live video. Is there someone else here? Or is it just a simulation? It's impossible to tell for sure. Whoever or whatever he is, he seems to be stuck inside a small room. Can't tell from here if there's anything in front of him.



Ah! Some of the buttons are labeled now. More three-letter codes... Maybe they do something related to the man on the screen.

> Maybe Con means confidence and pressing the button will inject him with a drug that makes him confident? Press CON

Press IND for now and see if anything changes.

Maybe DES will destroy him.