Posted By: Bernard
MCT II, The Pandora Pendulum. - 06/09/08 06:20 PM
(For all the people who don't have a clue what this is all about, please check out the thread Most Common Theme in Adventure Games.)
Chapter one, Introduction
You switch off the computer and go to bed. It's hard to fall asleep after finishing the game. There's a lot to think about, the game was very interesting, or maybe confusing is a more fitting term!
The next morning your clock radio awakens you. It's a news bulletin. The Netherlands defeated Italy in the European Championships with a score of 3-0! Immediately you are wide awake.
After a quick shower you dress to go to work, no time for breakfast now. Time is running out on you. Rushing outside, you're just able to get on the bus to your work. Half an hour later you arrive at the office building where you work.
>enter building
You're not playing computer games, this is the real world!
Oops, you realize you did fall back to your gaming habits.
Walking into the building, you see some colleagues from the office. You greet them and some greet you, but most of them are just staring at you in a peculiar way. You're not still wearing the dunce hat, are you? You put your hands on your head, no, the dunce hat is gone. So why are they looking at you in such a strange manner? You take the elevator to the 13th floor and go to your desk.
The desk looks very orderly, you're sure that's not the way you left it the last time you were here! After turning on the computer, you try to log in. Somehow you're not able to do so. The phone rings....
It's the boss, "Mr. Playor, come to my office please!"
That's nice of him, in all the years you worked here, this is the first time you are invited to come to his office! This can only mean one thing, a promotion. You better go to his office quickly.
You hurry to the office, the manager looks at you.
"Mr. Archibald Graham Playor, it's so kind of you to honour us with a visit. Especially after all the weeks you didn't show up here at work, without any notice of you being ill or any other reason for you not coming. I'm glad to say you're fired, over there in the corner is box with your personal belongings, take it and leave the premises. The security people will guide you out. Goodbye Mr. Playor!"
You're baffled, you pick up the box and walk out. Two guards accompany you to the first floor and out of the door. Clouds are gathering, it looks like a thunderstorm is building up. You look what's inside the cardboard box, it's just your collection of bright yellow rubber duckies. You throw the box into a garbage container and you go home.
Back home, you see the front door is open, through the window a young woman can be seen sitting in the living room. Who is she, why is she in your house?
You go in, knowing you will be able to deal with girl! Before you realize what's happening you are on the floor, held down in an amazingly tight grip, "Don't try anything stupid Archie, after I release you, you'll sit down and listen to me!" Hmm, it could be worth listening to her, even if it's just to get out of this unpleasant position. She loosens the grip and you sit down on the couch.
"Listen Grasshopper and listen very well, I'll be saying this only once. My name is Gina, I work for the Confucius Information Authority."
"The Confused Information Authority?"
"I told you to listen, you idiot. The game you played the last weeks was merely a test to see how well you perform under stress and strange situations. You passed, although you made some strange decisions, to put it mildly. The director wants you to find out more about a strange phenomenon. You know everything on earth is caused by cycles, don't you? The cycle of earth going around the the sun, the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of fashions, the cycle of life and death and many, many more. All of these cycles we know now and we can predict them, but there's one cycle we can't predict. Many people call it the Chaos Cycle, we however prefer to use the term Pandora Pendulum.... It will be your task to find the origin of this mischievous mayhem and I will be helping you. Do you accept this task?"
Totally overwhelmed by the situation and Gina's perfume you nod.
"Alright then, I've some cute gadgets for you. A u-phone with PomPom navigation software, these cool shades and a pen. You will have to find the source of all erratic events. The best way to do so, is to go and talk to the people who are influenced by it most. I'll leave now, I'll contact you later. Bye Archie!"
Before you can say anything Gina is gone, you look at the nice toys she gave you. The shades are really cool, you put them on and you feel like a man in black. You try the pen, but there's no bright light coming out of it as you push the button, bummer. The u-phone shows two pictograms, the PomPom navigation program and a file called ComicBook.pdf.
The thunderstorm that was building is starting now, thunder and lightning follow each other in an increasing speed.
You start the navigation program on the u-phone, there's only one destination available, the sanatorium. You press the icon.
Chapter 2, the sanatorium.
You're in front of the sanatorium, the main gate is closed. The thunderstorm is reaching its peak, rain falls down like waterfall...
Bernard