Phase Q/Smells Like Zoggy
Before the Flowriser commission, you stand accused.
“Prolly a Zoggy,” whispers one Fyuchee to another.
You sweat profusely, distorting the natural color of your skin with shiny beads refracting the ambient illumination.
A panel of faces stares you down.
You hardly flinch.
The faces look young, yet full of bizarre knowledge.
“As you know,” says one of the faces, appearing no more in charge than any of the other accusers, “we have no crime of treason here. However, you stand accused of delaying the Progression.”
You swallow hard.
“You will receive a time-controlled hearing. If found guilty, the penalty is extinguishment.”
Young enthusiastic faces throughout the audience look eagerly into your eyes.
“Defend yourself.”
You try to repress your accomplice work with the Triad forces. Bringing to mind your earlier travels with Flowrisers, you think that Natalya probably joined long before any of your present judges even knew what a Flowriser was.
“I, uh, I have a lot of experience in the Flowriser movement,” you say.
“The what?”
“Uh, that is... Working towards the Progression. And I know that things may look one way at a certain point in time, when really they’re the other way around. But I stand fully behind the Flowriser, uh, efforts.”
The judges grimace at you.
“The Progression.”
“And why were you recording the installation of security equipment with an intercom linked with Triad HQ?”
You turn white.
A team of skinny guards accompany you down the hall. They’re the first Flowrisers you’ve ever seen in uniform. They walk you towards the execution chamber.
As you march through the hall towards your impending death, you hear mock chanting along the way. Or is that just in your imagination?
What can you do?
The stretch of hallway that leads to the execution chamber is fairly plain. Not a lot of options present themselves.
The guards lead you to a clearly marked location. It has a skull symbol on it.
They force you to sit down, and strap you to a set of biomonitors.
They should call these abiomonitors, you think to yourself, foolishly.
Five of the guards walk over to a control panel. They each stand in front of a button.
A set of indicator lights flash overhead, counting down.
10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5.
Uh oh.
4.
Here it comes.
3.
Your life flashes before you.
2.
You say a quick invocation, just in case.
1.
Zwap!
A carefully aimed laser shot bounces through its optical path. After splitting apart into five separate beams, it knocks down all five executioners simultaneously.
Nice shot.
Instantly the other guards turn on the sniper, blasting away unto death. A team of Triad squaddies drop down from above, raining laser fire. The Fyuchees fight back.
As the light battle rages on, you pry open your restraints with a sudden burst of strength.
A few of the Flowrisers come running after you, lasers blasting away.
The Triads throw up a mirror screen, and escort you out of the node, to safety.
Phase Q: An interactive adventure.
