The Story
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You wake, disoriented at first, and realize with horror where you are. Your stasis chamber opens and blinding
light pours in. A man is standing above you. No doubt he is your guard. You blink, and ice crystals fall from
your eyebrows. They did not let you thaw properly before waking you. In the back of your mind, you worry about
this, why the hurry?

"Stand. Shut up and listen to me."

You move aching legs to the side of your coffin, and throw them over the side. You wonder how long you have
been there, frozen in zero time. You recall in your mind the trial, the end of your life as you knew it, and
your sentence to work remote mining colonies for the rest of eternity.

"The mine is under attack."

You let that wander through your mind, trying to find something concrete to fit it to. Mine. Attack. Who would
attack a mine?

"Who would attack a mine?"

"I said shut up and listen."

You shut up and listen.

"This is a new installation. We have one main mine shaft, and were pulling digloride at an amazing rate. We
opened a second mine, below the main one, and broke through to a vast underground cavern. It was made out of...
Skin."

Several things go through your mind. Digloride, an explosive, there's probably a lot of it around. Second mine,
cavern...

"SKIN?"

"Shut up. As soon as we entered, the aliens burst through and attacked us, everybody in the lower mine was
slaughtered, but I escaped up to the upper mine, where I warned the miners."

"We were not even able to form a defense before we were overcome. Again I escaped, again I warned the next wave.
The final battle took place in an ampetheater north of here. We were prepared, we had heavy weapons."

"But the aliens came out in force, and overcame us once again. I was captured, and they put something... In my
mind."

You shiver. "What?"

"They can control your mind. I am fighting it now, but soon I will lose. When the alien mind overtakes mine, I
will try to kill you. You will have to kill me first."

He hands you a pistol. You feel it's weight in your hands. This is the first time in your life that you have
ever held a weapon.

"I can't kill you, I'm not a killer."

"What do you mean? They only send killers here."

"I was framed, I did not do it."

"That doesn't matter now. You're the last person left on this rock, you have to get to the starship and warn the
space station, before they send more people down. Go east, through the refinery, and you'll find the elevator.
The door is locked, and I don't know where the key is."

"Great"

"Shut up, I don't have much time. When you get into the elevator, take it to the first floor, we're on the second
floor now. On the first floor is a warehouse that should have medical supplies if you need them."

"From the elevator you can also get into the mines. Do not go into the mines unless you absolutely need to."

"If you are down there, try to find a plasma drill, it's a powerful weapon that can cut through a man in seconds.
For no reason whatsoever go into the lower mine at the bottom of the mine shaft. That is where we broke through
to their world. If you go in there, you will probably not escape."

"There is a door on the first floor that leads out of the main building. From there you will enter the ampetheater."

You prompt him, "where the battle took place?"

"Shut up. You should be able to find some good weapons in there. Also, there is a hidden door below the stage in
the ampetheater. It is locked, and I don't know where the key is. There is a weapons storehouse down there, where
you can get ammo, supplies, possibly medicinals too. From the weapons storehouse, you can get outside."

"So, all I need to to do is go through several dozen rooms, possibly a mine shaft or two, a monster infested
ampetheater, and a warehouse, and then I will be able to escape?" You ask, feeling your fate weigh on you.

"No. Once outside you will have to get through the main gate."

"The door should not be locked. If it is, I don't know where the key is. Once outside the main gate, you should
be able to cross the flatlands to get to the starship. It is perched across two twin landing towers."

"You will probably have to scale the towers because the controls are..."

You interrupt. "Locked. And you don't know where the keys are."

He smiles. "Yes, now, kill me."

You feel the weight of the pistol in your hand, like the weight of the task you know you must perform. "I can't
do it. I'm not a killer."

He twitches. "You must."

Before you the man who just gave you the information that may save your life changes. His face hollows and sags,
his eyes turn yellow. He reaches up to grab you. In fear, you lift the pistol and fire, missing him completely,
and bringing a roar from somewhere outside. Someone has heard you.

The second shot blasts off his hand which is reaching for you. He looks at the stump with ignorant eyes and lifts
his other hand. The third shot lands between his eyes, throwing him backward.

You are a killer now.

The sounds outside come closer, you look around. The only way out is through the door you came. You look up.

As the aliens enter the door, you replace the panel in the ceiling. You catch a glimps of their large, brown
bodies and inhuman faces, with nostrils sunken into their noseless faces. They sniff the dead body and look
around. You begin to move.

You travel in the direction that you hope is east, and, with a sad creak, the ceiling gives out below you, you
fall 15 feet to the ground below. You stand, and realize you are surrounded by the aliens!

You also notice, before they turn to attack, that the room you are in also has several barrels marked 'Digloride'
on them...
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http://apk.net/~parallax/story.html
