> look

Office

A cubical gray concrete room, lit somewhat unsteadily by a
flickering overhead light. A black metal table is set against the
wall, strewn with papers and set with a large glass case labeled
"Skrill Habitat". Doorframes are set into the east and west walls.

A paperback edition of "The Skrill Handbook" is on the table.

Obvious exits: East, West

> look at case

A rectangular glass case, with a white plastic placard attached
labeling it as a "Skrill Habitat". The top of the case is open, and
the bottom is strewn with what appears to be dirt, ashes, and charred
scraps of wood.

There is a white skrill in the case.

> look at skrill

The skrill is an oblong, segmented wormlike creature, with grayish
white rubbery skin. While thick around the middle of it's length, it
tapers towards each end, both of which terminate in a mass of gently
undulating tendrils. It is pulsating slowly but steadily, and
emitting a faint mumbling noise with each expansion.

> get book

You get the paperback edition of "The Skrill Handbook"

> read paperback

The book is tattered and somewhat faded, but has information on both
white and red skrills, along with general skrill care and handling.

> read about white skrills

(in the paperback edition of "The Skrill Handbook")

You flip through the White Skrill section.

"White Skrills, and the older variant strain of Gray Skrills, are
engineered for the processing of chemical and material waste, and
bred for docile behavior. Unlike the older Gray strain, White Skrills
are especially friendly, and will tolerate being handled by untrained
personnel.

Like all common skrill, their flexible bodies allow them to squeeze
into small spaces; In White Skrills, this is useful for navigating
small areas such as ventilation systems and the exhaust vents, valves
and combustion chambers of industrial machinery.

Skrill can metabolize a variety of materials, and while the resulting
secretions vary based on ingested content, a great deal of effort has
been spent to ensure that all are non-toxic and generally more useful
than the original waste in the case of the White and Gray strains.

While well behaved, White Skrill have somewhat of a reputation for
eating their way out of containers; A glass or metal enclosure is
recommended for long term storage, and certified Skrill handling gear
should be used in the field."

> get skrill

The White Skrill is rather heavy and rubbery, and shifts it's weight
in response to your grasp; You'll need both hands free to carry it
properly.

> put all on table.

You put the wrench, the ignition key, and the paperback edition of
"The Skrill Handbook" on the table.

> get skrill

You take both ends of the skrill and lift it carefully. It writhes
inquisitively in your hands for a moment, sampling the air with
it's tendrils, and then settles back into a slow, rythmic pulsation.

> go east

Machine Room

A long, rectangular gray concrete room, lit by a flickering
cylindrical light attached to the ceiling in a metal frame. The far
end of the room is dominated by a large, complicated looking piece of
machinery, attached to a large metal tank on one side and a console
on the other. A door opens out of the room to the west.

There is a mop here.

Obvious exits: West

> look at machine

The machine is dirty and tarnished, originally built from some silvery
metal that has since become grayish and coppery in spots. The main body
is a large, blocky case with a rounded top, set with protruding
cylinders that have stained themselves and the case of the machine
around them with oil and brownish grease. On the side of the case,
perpendicular to the cylinders, is what appears to be an exhaust vent
with a grated cover attached.

> open cover

The vent cover is fastened shut with a bolt; You would need to unscrew
that bolt to open it.

> go west

Office

> go west

Utility Closet

A small walk-in closet that wouldn't be uncomfortably small had it
not been crammed full of shelves and lockers.

There is an empty plastic bottle, and a plastic bottle full of
blue liquid on the shelf.

There is a plastic cylinder full of brown liquid in the locker,
and a plastic skrill net hanging from a hook in the locker.

> get net

You take the skrill net from the hook in the locker.

> put skrill in net

You ease one end of the skrill into the net, and it wriggles itself
the rest of the way inside, probing with it's tendrils.

> east

Office

There is a soft, wet thud as the skrill wriggles out of the net and
lands on the floor.

> look at skrill net

A purse-like net made from smooth white plastic cord. The top end of
the net has a carrying handle attached, and is ringed with a
pullstring that passes through the net and a plastic clasp embossed
with the image of a skrill. The net is currently untied and open.

> get skrill

You take both ends of the skrill and lift it carefully. It shifts and
undulates in your hands, as though making itself comfortable, and
then resumes it's rythmic pulsation.

> put skrill in net

You ease one end of the skrill into the net, and it wriggles itself
the rest of the way inside, probing with it's tendrils.

> close net

You pull the drawstring closed, and fasten it in place with the
clasp.

> get all from table

You take the wrench, the ignition key, and the paperback edition of
"The Skrill Handbook" from the table.

> east

Machine Room

> unscrew cover

(with wrench)

You loosen the screw on the cover of the vent, and the grating swings
loose out of the way.

> put skrill in vent

You'll have to open the net to get the Skrill.

> open net

You undo the clap on the skrill net and loosen the drawstring.

> put skrill in vent

You ease one end of the skrill into the vent, and it slides itself
eagerly inside.

> look

Machine Room

A long, rectangular gray concrete room, lit by a flickering
cylindrical light attached to the ceiling in a metal frame. The far
end of the room is dominated by a large, complicated looking piece of
machinery, attached to a large metal tank on one side and a console
on the other. A door opens out of the room to the west.

There is a mop here.

Obvious exits: West

You hear a faint scraping noise from the inside of the machine.

> wait

Time passes.

You hear some noises.

> wait

Time passes.

You hear a rough sliding sound, and a white skrill protrudes
one end of itself from the open vent of the machine.

> put skrill in net

You ease one end of the skrill into the net, and it wriggles itself
the rest of the way inside, probing with it's tendrils.

> look at console

The console is a small podium of burnished metal, attached to the
machinery by a cluster of pipes and conduits. Set into the surface is
a keyhole, a red button, a switch (set to "Safety"), and a circular
glass display with a needle indicator and metered background that
goes from 0 to 500 CTB. The needle rests at "0" at the far right.

The skrill mumbles contentedly to itself.

> look at switch

The switch has two positions, "Safety" and "Ignition". It is
currently set to "Safety".

> flip switch

You flip the switch to the "Ignition" position.

There is a soft, wet thud as the skrill wriggles out of the net and
lands on the floor.

> put key in keyhole

You fit the ignition key in the console keyhole.

The skrill lets out a satisfied warbling noise, and curls into a
croissant-like ball on the floor.

> turn key

You turn the key in the console keyhole. There is a metallic click
followed by a faint humming from deep inside the console, and you
smell a faint whiff of ozone.

> look at console

The console is a small podium of burnished metal, attached to the
machinery by a cluster of pipes and conduits. Set into the surface is
a keyhole, a red button, a switch (set to "Ignition"), and a circular
glass display with a needle indicator and metered background that
goes from 0 to 500 CTB. The needle rests at "0" at the far right.
You can hear a faint humming sound from somewhere inside it.

> press button

You press the red button, and there is a hissing crackle from inside the
console. The meter display jumps to 150 CTB for a moment, and you hear a
rumbling sound from inside the machine, but it quickly subsides into a
harsh grinding noise, and then silence, as the meter drops to 0 again.

> west

Office

> west

Utility Closet

> look

A small walk-in closet that wouldn't be uncomfortably small had it
not been crammed full of shelves and lockers.

There is an empty plastic bottle, and a plastic bottle full of
blue liquid on the shelf.

There is a plastic cylinder full of brown liquid in the locker.

> get cylinder

You take the plastic cylinder full of brown liquid from the locker.

> east

Office

> east

Machine Room

> look

Machine Room

A long, rectangular gray concrete room, lit by a flickering
cylindrical light attached to the ceiling in a metal frame. The far
end of the room is dominated by a large, complicated looking piece of
machinery, attached to a large metal tank on one side and a console
on the other. A door opens out of the room to the west.

There is a mop here.
There is a skrill here, curled up in a ball on the floor.

Obvious exits: West

> look skrill

The skrill is an oblong, segmented wormlike creature, with grayish
white rubbery skin. While thick around the middle of it's length, it
tapers towards each end, both of which terminate in a mass of gently
undulating tendrils. It is curled into a ball, and slowly expanding and
contracting, emitting a satisified mumbling sound with each expansion.

> look at machine

The machine is dirty and tarnished, originally built from some silvery
metal that has since become grayish and coppery in spots. The main body
is a large, blocky case with a rounded top, set with protruding
cylinders that have stained themselves and the case of the machine
around them with oil and brownish grease. On the side of the case,
perpendicular to the cylinders, is what appears to be an exhaust vent
with a grated cover attached.

> look at vent

The vent cover is currently hanging open, the bolt that normally holds
it shut hanging loose from the vent itself.

> close vent

(with wrench)

You close the vent cover and screw the restraining bolt back into place.

> look at cylinders

Three raised cylinders protrude from the rounded top of the machine.
Each one is stained with brownish fluid where it joins the case, and the
middle cylinder has a small hole in the top, heavily stained with
brownish grease.

> put cylinder in cylinder

The plastic cylinder is too big to fit into the machine cylinder.

> pour brown fluid into machine cylinder

You pour the brown fluid from the plastic cylinder into the opening at
the top of the machine cylinder.

You hear muffled dripping and bubbling sounds from inside the main case
of the machine.

> wait

Time passes.

The skrill lifts one end of itself, and produces a small carbon crystal
from between it's tendrils, along with a satisfied gargling noise.

The skrill drops the small carbon crystal.

> press button

You press the red button, and there is a hissing crackle from inside the
console. The meter display jumps to 150 CTB for a moment, and you hear a
rumbling sound from inside the machine, which grows into a low,
thrumming roar as the meter climbs into the 300 CTB range. The floor of
the room seems to be vibrating along with the pulse of the machine, and
you begin to hear a steady sloshing sound from inside the large metal
tank.

> look

Machine Room

A long, rectangular gray concrete room, lit by a flickering
cylindrical light attached to the ceiling in a metal frame. The far
end of the room is dominated by a large, complicated looking piece of
machinery, attached to a large metal tank on one side and a console
on the other. A door opens out of the room to the west. The floor of the
room is vibrating along with a loud, thrumming roar from inside the
machinery. You can also hear a faint sloshing sound.

There is a mop here.
There is a white skrill here.

Obvious exits: West

The skrill waves it's tendrils, as though sampling the air of the room.

> look console

The console is a small podium of burnished metal, attached to the
machinery by a cluster of pipes and conduits. Set into the surface is
a keyhole, a red button, a switch (set to "Ignition"), and a circular
glass display with a needle indicator and metered background that
goes from 0 to 500 CTB. The needle is vibrating in place around the
"325" line.

> get carbon crystal

You take the small carbon crystal.