Tony Abott Cracks The Case by pat

Tony Abott Cracks The Case

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"Tony Abbott Cracks The Case" by Pat Wilson

Warringah RSL is a room. "You're in the inoffensive surrounds of the local RSL in the seat of Warringah, in the state of New South Wales, in this, the best damn country in the world... Australia. A gleam of desperation adorns the walls. The shuffle of pensioners abusing their pension is the only sound. A hole punched in the wall speaks of a previous disagreement. A window looks out onto the street. To the west is the pokies room. There's a kitchen and carvery to the east. A stairwell leads down to the street. (If you need help, say something to Joe or show things to him. Take everything. Examine everything--even Joe. Show everything to Joe. To get the whole story, you basically have to show everything to Joe, examine everything, and do some stupid things--otherwise you can finish the game and not understand what just happened. See your inventory by typing 'inventory')." Understand "rsl" as Warringah RSL. Joe Hockey is a person in RSL. Understand "Hockey" and "Joe" and "Joe Hockey" as Joe Hockey.

The pensioner is in RSL. The pensioner is scenery. The description of the pensioner is "It looks like you have their vote. You smile stiffly."
The information kiosk is in RSL. The description of the information kiosk is "A non-descript desk, currently unmanned. There is a book to sign in if you aren't a member of the Warringah RSL. But of course, you are a member of the Warringah RSL though." It is fixed in place. The drawer is part of the desk. The drawer is an openable and closed container. The window is in RSL. The window is scenery. The description of the window is "You peer out onto the street far below you, catching the unsightly glimpse of a single mother pushing a pram."
Understand "kiss [someone]" as romantic kissing. Romantic kissing is an action applying to one thing.
Understand "hug [someone]" as lonely hugging. Lonely hugging is an action applying to one thing.
Understand "talk to [someone]" as talking. Talking is an action applying to one thing.
Instead of kissing Joe Hockey, say "'Tony, now isn't the time to experiment with progressive social policies, please focus."
A computer is on the desk. The description of the computer is "A nondescript-looking computer, currently displaying Malcolm Turnbull's blog. The title of the most recent post is: 'The Value of a Westminster Cabinet and My Role In It.' You snort in disgust."
Instead of showing the computer to Joe Hockey, say "'Of course I've read that blog, people forget that I was only a few votes off becoming Liberal leader and prime minister-in-exile, you know!' You wonder why Malcolm feels the need to force his opinion on everyone else in the world."
The drawer contains a slip of paper. The description of the slip of paper is "A narrow slip of paper decorated with a curious string of numbers: 13-5-13-4-22-12-14-35-20-13-41-33-21-3-23-1-5." Understand "paper" and "numbers" and "code" and "slip" and "cipher" as slip of paper. 
Instead of telling Joe Hockey about something, say "'Tony, there's this fascinating new policy that Barnaby told me about. You should get working on it.' You hardly think it's a matter of importance. As far as Barnaby is concerned, a toaster is 'fascinating'."
Instead of asking Joe Hockey about something, say "Tony, there's this fascinating new policy that Barnaby told me about. You should get working on it.' You hardly think it's a matter of importance. As far as Barnaby is concerned, a toaster is 'fascinating'."
Instead of doing something other than romantic kissing to Joe Hockey, say "'Tony, there's this fascinating new policy that Barnaby told me about. You should get working on it.' You hardly think it's a matter of importance. As far as Barnaby is concerned, a toaster is 'fascinating'."
Instead of showing the slip of paper to Joe Hockey, say "'Is your memory really that awful, Tony? That's from last week's polling. Remember, that guy with the thin, awful voice gave it to you, saying he found it with his press clippings the day before.' You remember now: the man had not been very interesting; by his appearance you were able to deduce that he was a nervous talker, an aspiring cook, a bachelor, and the owner of two cats. You hadn't been able to solve the cipher, though."
Every turn:
	if the player is in a room (called the current space):
		move Joe Hockey to the current space.
The bar is in RSL. It is fixed in place. The description of the bar is "Atop the bar you see a few discarded beer coasters, a large mirror reflecting your gloriously-cheekboned face, and a knife driven deep into a lonely chicken schnitzel." On the bar is a knife. The description of the knife is "A short-bladed yet dangerous tool. It may be useful to have."
Instead of showing the knife to Joe Hockey, say "'What do you think you're doing with that?! You're dangerous enough without a blade in hand! Put that down!'"	
Instead of examining Joe Hockey, say "Something isn't right about his appearance - memories of his former portliness are unavoidable and his expensive suit does nothing to soften your feeling of revulsion at the man. Grease stains on the collar of his jacket suggest he ate a doughnut this morning in after getting dressed, but before he put on his jacket. The skin under his eyes indicates that he did this very early in the morning, so he didn't want you to see.. He wouldn't eat it alone, and he isn't the type to buy doughnuts, so he must have eaten with someone else. Superficial cuts on his face indicate a hurried shave job, so he was worried about missing an appointment with someone for whom he was eager to look his best. The scent of coffee is on his breath, and he hates drinking coffee right after brushing his teeth, so he must have skipped on that to save time; it wasn't a romantic date, or else he would have brushed his teeth and skipped the coffee. It was a business date. But with whom? You can tell by his shoes that he hasn't left the flat. That rules out most people. Some remaining dirt remains on the floor from where whoever-it-was knocked over the planter in the corner. Only one person could be that clumsy: Barnaby."
The mirror is in RSL. The mirror is an openable and closed container. It is fixed in place. The description of the mirror is "A large and unremarkable mirror. A hinge protrudes from one side." The box is in the mirror. The box is an openable, closed, lockable, and locked container. The description of the box is "A little wooden box with a silver keyhole. Something rustles and rattles inside it." The silver key unlocks the box. A set of photographs is inside the box. The description of the set of photographs is "A few snapshots of a young woman with red hair and conservative dress. Her expression suggests distress. She wears a necklace of working class construction which is presumably priceless for someone in her socio-economic bracket. There is something written on the back of one, but it's too small to see. You should examine the writing." The writing is part of the photographs. The description of the writing is "[if the player is not carrying the magnifying glass]It's too small to read.[otherwise]You use the magnifying glass. It says, 'In the grate beneath the bench.' What could that mean?[end if]".
Instead of showing the box to Joe Hockey, say "'Huh. How did that get there? It's locked, though, so it's not of much use. I suppose you'll have to find a key. Have you checked everywhere in this bloody place?' You don't know why Joe feels the need to state the obvious."
Instead of showing the photographs to Joe Hockey, say "'Where did you get those? That's the woman from the policy documents that Barnaby told me about! She recently had a necklace stolen from her house. No-one knows who did it or even the motive for doing so. She asked specifically for you.' You narrow your eyes and concentrate on the photo. No, you haven't seen this woman before. You're sure of it (or are you)."
After opening the mirror, say "You don't know who's responsible for the organisation of the decor in modern Australia's working RSLs, but for some reason this mirror opens. It swings open easily, revealing a box."
The Kitchen is east of RSL. "Joe has followed you here. It's faithful, but a little creepy. A pot of the 'soup of the day' bubbles and steams on the stove. A refrigerator stands against the far wall. A microwave sits above the counter to your left. There's probably nothing of value in either." The microwave is in the Kitchen. It is a closed, openable container. The description of the microwave is "A normal microwave. Doubtlessly Barnaby would find it fascinating." The refrigerator is in the Kitchen. Understand "fridge" as refrigerator. The refrigerator is an openable, closed container. A disembodied head, a sandwich, and some eyeballs are in the refrigerator. Instead of taking the disembodied head, say "While I'm sure this is probably the most interesting thing in this game, it's not what you're here to do." Understand "eyes" as eyeballs.
After taking the eyeballs, say "Don't bother putting them in the microwave. It never gets any more interesting." The sandwich is edible. The description of the sandwich is "A normal sandwich on rye bread with fresh tomatoes and basil. It smells decent, for a sandwich." After eating the sandwich, say "It was delicious - perhaps slightly high in carbs. Now do something useful."
Instead of showing the eyeballs to Joe Hockey, say "'Still not amusing, Tony. Go put those back in your little freakish fridge morgue.'"
The compartment is part of the microwave. The compartment is an openable, closed container. The necklace is in the compartment. The description of the necklace is "A grubby, forgettable necklace of non-descript craftsmanship and probably Welsh in origin."

Instead of opening the compartment when the player is not carrying the knife, say "You can't open it without removing the screws."
After opening the compartment when the player is carrying the knife, say "You remove the screws with the knife, open the compartment, and discover a disappointingly plain necklace."

The pot of soup is in the Kitchen. Understand "pot" as pot of soup. It is fixed in place. The description of the experiment is "Chicken and corn. Ugh." The bowl of soup is in the kitchen. Understand "bowl" as the bowl of soup. Understand "soup" as the bowl of soup. The description of the bowl is "Once diluted, this is the staple gruel for pensioners the country over. In its undiluted form, however, it is very corrosive."
Instead of showing the bowl to Joe, say "'STOP PICKING UP DANGEROUS THINGS AND BRANDISHING THEM AT ME, DAMMIT!'"


The Pokies room is west of RSL. "Your colleague has followed you into the pokies room. He's certainly persistent. A few aged veterans are sitting motionless with their respective eyes glued to their respective losses. Sitting on the floor is an 'Kevin 07' hat which seems to have been discarded. For some reason, an absent minded person has left a magnifying glass and a box of nicotine patches on a nearby table." The hat is in the bedroom. The hat is wearable. The description of the hat is "A ridiculous hat. A sign of all that is wrong with modern Australian politics. Certainly not a hat that you could trust."
Instead of showing the hat to Joe Hockey, say "You exasperatedly explain to Joe how ridiculous this hat is. Joe stares at you blankly, himself a veteran of the 2007 federal election and all too aware of the formidable appeal of Kevin Rudd in the electorate of Griffith."
After wearing the hat, say "Great. Now you feel ridiculous."
The jar of minties is in the pokies room. The description of the jar of minties is "A container of delicious lollies - just enough energy to keep you gaming at your least alert without having to leave for sustenance." Understand "jar" as jar of minties.
Instead of showing the jar of minties to Joe Hockey, say "'You know I can't touch that stuff on my diet, stop being an arsehole. Sounds like something's rattling around in there anyway, probably some poor old lady's lost cash handout."
The interior is part of the jar. The silver key is inside the interior. Understand "inside" as the interior. 
The magnifying glass and nicotine patches are in the pokies room. The description of the nicotine patches is "Why would you possibly need these?" The description of the magnifying glass is "A compact, slide-open, rectangular magnifier. Might be useful." 
The footpath is below RSL. "You descend the stairs and exit the RSK, Joe faithfully at your side. Traffic crowds the street in front of you, pedestrians busily going about their days. To your right is a tree, looking wilted in the overcast, bitter air. To your left is a wooden bench." The tree is in the footpath. It is fixed in place. The description of the tree is "It's a small tree, barely more than a sapling. A long strand of red hair hangs curiously in one of the lower branches. The direction in which it hangs suggests that someone with red hair passed by here, towards the RSL, recently." The long red hair is on the tree. The description of the long red hair is "A fine red hair, likely a woman's. Its texture indicates that it is often straightened and styled, but was recently put into some sort of constricting hairstyle, like a bun."
Instead of showing the hair to Joe Hockey, say "'Hey, that looks familiar. I met someone with red hair recently... I can't quite remember her name. She met with Barnaby and I the other day to discuss the missing necklace.'"
The bench is in the footpath. The description of the bench is "A normal wooden bench. Barnaby might find it scintillating." The bench is fixed in place. The grate is part of the bench. The description of the grate is "Underneath the bench, there is a metal grate. Something seems to be inside it, but you can't fit your hand through. You must open it somehow." The grate is an openable and closed container.
Instead of opening the grate when the player is not carrying the bowl, say "You can't open the grate. Maybe you can break the metal somehow."
After opening the grate when the player is carrying the bowl, say "You use the acidic soup to corrode and weaken the metal, but it's still too hot to touch. You can see a bit of foil inside. You can try to take it, but you can't until you have something--any cloth will do--to protect your hands." The foil is in the grate.
Instead of taking the foil when the player is wearing the hat, say "You need something to protect your hands."
Instead of taking the foil when the player is not carrying the hat, say "You need something to protect your hands."
After taking the foil, say "You use the ridiculous hat to protect your hands from the still-hot metal. You take the foil." The description of the foil is "A piece of reflective foil, inscribed with the numbers '34-12-4-5-32-5-5-5-31-22-23-30-13-30-35-34' It appears to be the same cipher as on the slip of paper in the desk.[if the player is not carrying the slip of paper]But even you can't just solve this cipher. It's incomplete. You need the other half from the desk drawer.[otherwise]You use the RSL's computer to do some research. All of the numbers in the cipher are base 6--this you already knew. However, when converted to base 10, they still don't make sense: both bits of code are complete nonsense. But if you combine them in just the right way--alternating letters between one and the other--they form the message: 'I've hidden the necklace in the microwave.' There must be a secret compartment in the microwave. You should examine it.[end if]".
The description of the compartment is "A small compartment on the back of the microwave with four screws holding the cover in place. It looks like it can be opened."
Instead of showing the silver key to Joe Hockey, say "'Where do these things keep coming from? It looks like it can unlock something with a silver keyhole.' Joe, must you really state the obvious constantly?"
Understand "photos" as photographs.
Instead of showing the foil to Joe Hockey, say "'It's the same cipher as before! Maybe it's the key or something.'" 
Understand "secret compartment" as compartment.
After taking the necklace: say "'Goodness! That was too easy for you.' You turn around to see that a red-haired woman has followed you inside. You clutch the crude necklace in your hand. You stare at her as you turn over the cheap jewellery in your hand..."; end the game in victory.
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Tony Abott Cracks The Case

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