[b]'CAST ADRIFT'[/b]

"All right," Frankie says. "First of all, calm down."

"I [i]am[/i] calm!" You sigh. "I'm calm."

"M-hm." She leans back in her chair, watching you fidget in yours. "I think the Professor was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" You sit up straighter.

"Yeah. A sort of temporal teleportation beam." She nods. "I've seen it action once before."

"So he's still alive!"

"Probably." Frankie's mouth quirks in a smile, then it fades. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get in contact with the Paradox Corps."

"The Corps! I should go back there!" You get up and walk to one of the room's doors, strapping on the Professor's time door device.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" Frankie calls.

"I hope it's not that hard!" Examining the thing, it does seem straightforward. It has a list of time coordinates; some of them have notes, like 'Corps Home', others are just strings of numbers. Of course, your own comp records times you've been to, so you enter the appropriate coordinates by hand. Then you aim it at the door, press the button, rush forward and open it!

Boxes.

You stare. Then you close the door, press the button again and open the door.

Still boxes.

"Does the device say anything?" Frankie calls.

"Uh." It [i]is[/i] displaying a message--'COULD NOT ESTABLISH TIME LINK'. "Says there's a problem..."

"I thought so," Frankie says. "I think this is more than the Professor being kidnapped. I think they probably kidnapped other Corps agents too? And put some sort of shield around the Corps so you can't get there." She sighs. "This isn't going to be easy, kid."

*page_break "Uhoh."

You go back and sit down near Frankie again. "Okay," you say, frowning. "I don't...I don't really know what to do."

"M-hm." Her chair creaks. "Why don't you just dump out everything in your head, and I'll see if I have anything to add?"

*label hub_info

*choice
	#"What happened? Who's behind it?"
		"The Prof was kidnapped," Frankie says. "I've been using some of my Corps messenger technology to try and get in touch with someone, anyone. There's you, I guess." A beep emanates from your comp, and she chuckles. "That much works. But nobody else. Which leads me to believe that the other Corps agents have been kidnapped. All of them."

		You nod. "And you can't get a message to HQ or Continuity?"

		Frankie shakes her head. "Admittedly I don't have [i]all[/i] the cool devices that HQ has. But I think it's clear that this was a carefully orchestrated plan."

		"Which means...the Chaos Agency." You feel your heart beating in your ears.

		Frankie shrugs. "Probably. And the only reason you got left behind is because you're just a trainee."

		"Hm." You frown. "Maybe that's an advantage."
		*goto hub_info
	#"What should I do?"
		"Good question." Frankie spins slowly in her chair. "If it were me, I'd try to rescue them or something. But me, actually me, I don't have the training or experience. But you might, trainee though you are." She smiles.

		"Great," you say. "But how?"

		"Mmm." Frankie rubs her chin. "If you can get a time scanner, you can scan where he was kidnapped and you [i]might[/i] get information on where he was taken. But that would be walking into the lion's den. A proper time machine would definitely, [i]definitely[/i] help. Or, maybe you can find some other allies to help."
		*goto hub_info
	#"What assets do we have?"
		"Well." Frankie looks around. "I've got a bunch of stuff. Multitools, computers, a few random bits of electronics. That maintenance robot."

		You follow her gesture, seeing the spindly form lying against a wall. "The Professor dropped it off with you?"

		She nods. "I also have the, let's call it the temporal postal service. I understand the Prof used it on your last mission."

		"Right," you say. "Do you have any time machines, though? Or time scanners?"

		Frankie's brow furrows. "I never learned how to build those. You have [i]your[/i] time machine, though, right?"

		You look at the 'time door' strapped to your wrist. "A small one, yeah. The Professor's. It makes time doors. Only to preprogrammed coordinates, though."

		"That may be a problem," Frankie says. "A bigger one would be better. Although, does it have coordinates already programmed? They may have been important to the Professor!"
		*goto hub_info
	#"All right, I need to stop chatting and [i]do[/i] something."
		Frankie nods. "Come back here whenever you need to!"
		*goto after_hub_info

*label after_hub_info

*if ((ally_holt > 0) and (ally_akkaron > 0))
	*if (item_harness > 0)
		*page_break Hang on a moment...
		*goto_scene build_machine_0 build_start
	*else
		*goto after_big_if
*else
	*goto after_big_if

*label after_big_if

Time to go somewhere. But where? And [i]when[/i]? Some coordinates you've visited yourself, so you know what they are. Others, being already recorded in the Professor's time door, are not always explained...

*choice
	#Boston, 1994
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene elizabeth_0 elizabeth_start
	*selectable_if (false) #Alien Battlefield, 3014 (You're not sure why you can't return to the battlefield you visited with Renne, but your time door refuses to make a link there)
	*selectable_if (false) #Octagon Swamp, 2120 (you're here!)
		unavailable
		*goto after_hub_info
	#Octagon Swamp, 2222
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene hub_1 hub_1_start
	#"Red Base"
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene holt_0 holt_start
	#"Future shop"
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene station_0 station_start
	#"Buttermilk Falls"
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene falls_0 falls_start
	*if (visitable_ok1861 > 0) #Oklahoma, 1861
		*page_break Through the door again...
		*goto_scene ok1861_0 ok1861_start

*finish

