metzomagic.com Walkthrough

Runaway: A Road Adventure

Developer:  Pendulo Studios
Publisher:  Tri Synergy

Walkthrough by Len Green (October, 2003)
Foreword
Try not to use this walkthrough AT ALL! The game is not too difficult and with patience you can probably overcome your stuckness.

There are no slider or timed puzzles, mazes, cryptology boners; or music, chess, math, and other headaches that some players dislike. Also there are no protracted dialog trees or volumes of text to plough through. As far as I remember, there are absolutely no illogical puzzles (such as combining an elephant with a corkscrew!).

To the best of my recollection, there are not TOO many items in inventory. I don't remember ever reaching 20, and most of the time there are only between about a half and one dozen. As far as I remember, all the items in inventory are actually used during the game!

Within each chapter there is quite a lot of flexibility in the order of performing many (but not all) actions and exploring various locations, so you do not have to follow the order below. But as in most Quest/Adventure games, there are some actions you must perform &/or locations you must visit before you can progress to others. From time to time you have to return to previous locations, objects, or people, and (sometimes maybe to your surprise) receive additional items &/or hints! Often you may try to do something with no success ... later, as a result of some triggering action or hint from somebody, the identical location, object, or person, will react with something essential!

Below are only the VITAL actions you need to do to finish the game. Most discussions and non-essential actions, some mildly humorous &/or containing clues for progress, are not included here ... but I would recommend performing as many as possible so as to enjoy the game to the maximum, fully participate in the story and progress without assistance.

A great deal of the narrative is developed through cutscenes triggered when you have concluded certain sections (in particular, a very great deal of chapter-6 is made up of cutscenes). This walkthrough contains spoilers of course. But I have deliberately refrained from spoiling the story-line by detailing ANY cutscenes ... many of which may come as quite an entertaining surprise to players!

In this game you CANNOT get 'killed' even though the thugs are after you all through the game. :~ ))

But just the same, it's worth saving pretty frequently in case you get stuck! N.B. There is an unlimited number of save-slots (certainly over a hundred)!

At first, you move from location to location by a single left click of your mouse. But after that, you can if you wish double click, which takes you directly to your destination immediately.

As always, pick up every item possible and exhaust all dialogs with as many folk as you can.

PREFACE
Initially I highlighted a few places where you must talk to somebody, or read or do something, etc., before a certain object or location which was previously inert becomes active.

However this game is absolutely FULL of such situations. Hence it's logical to either highlight all of these situations, or else none at all. IMO it would be misleading to include just the few cases which happened to occur to me.

Since it would be almost impossible to search for and include them all, I later decided to include none and to therefore delete all those which I had originally included. I left just the first one in as an example of the above ( see ... [35] ) ... but there are very many more throughout the game!

{1} WAKE ME BEFORE DYING :-
[001] View all the intros and cutscenes. You finish up with Gina lying in a hospital ward, sleeping VERY deeply in bed. She is drugged so heavily that you can't wake her up in order to get away quickly before the baddies catch up with her and Brian.

[002] From Gina's bedside table pick up the package of pills ("Snoozitol").

[003] Also the cracked drinking glass.

[004] Take the hospital-green sheet from the empty bed next to Gina's.

[005] Look on top of the locker and take Gina's bag.

[006] In inventory, look in the bag and obtain a box of matches (from a bar called "The Pink Iguana").

[007] Enter the bathroom (the door on the right of the screen).

[008] Pick up the bottle of 196-proof alcohol which is on a shelf over the sink and under the mirror.

[009] Open the wastebasket by stepping on its lever, and take the jet-black marking pen.

[010] Return to the ward.

[011] Look at the emergency exit map fixed to the bathroom door. There's a storeroom to the left of the ward.

[012] Exit the window and climb along the ledge to the storeroom ... Yikes!

[013] There is a filing cabinet to the right of the window (when facing it). On top of this filing cabinet there is a book, vademecum (a pocket reference handbook, including some medical details) ... take it.

[014] Sticking out of the top of the middle drawer is a piece of paper. It is a blank medical chart ... Take it.

[015] Take the 2 big fluffy pillows from the floor to the left of the window.

[016] There is a human body in the right hand corner --- grab its head (it's got a hole in one side for examination of the brain) ... ugh!

[017] Turn around and examine ALL the shelves carefully. Pick up a can of "Presto" spray cleaner.

[018] From just below it take an empty syringe (from the box of syringes).

[019] Climb back through the window and return to the ward.

[020] In inventory, look in Gina's bag again, and this time obtain a blond wig.

[021] In inventory, place the wig onto the head, covering its hole.

[022] Put the pillows, wigged head, and sheet onto the empty bed, making a fairly realistic dummy there.

[023] You need to do something with the medical charts ... Gina's and the blank one in inventory.

[024] You have to fill in the blank chart with the marking pen ... but it's dried out!

[025] In inventory, fill your syringe from your bottle of alcohol.

[026] In inventory, moisten your marking pen with the alcohol in your syringe.

[027] In inventory, write fictitious details on the blank medical chart (Toni Crabb ... appendicitis).

[028] Exchange Toni's fake medical chart for Gina's.

[029] In inventory, look at the genuine chart belonging to Gina ... apparently her full name is Gina Timmins.

[030] Place Gina's medical chart into the holder at the end of the dummy's bed.

[031] Enter the bathroom. A cut scene ensues ... A mafia type enters, looks at Gina's chart and then the dummy's. He shoots bullets straight into the dummy thinking it's Gina, and exits.

[032] You must get Gina out QUICKLY ... but you still can't wake her up! In inventory, take a look at your vademecum. It says that the only way to wake somebody sleeping under the influence of "Snoozitol" is to put them under a cold shower.

[033] You can't lug Gina into the bathroom ... and in any case the shower there is not functioning.

[034] There is a fire alarm sprinkler on the ceiling. Use your spray can on it.

[035] Together with your matches (in inventory) the flammable spray acts as a flame thrower. It starts a fire and the sprinkler sends a shower of water downwards ... { NOTICE:- You can't get the sprinkler to work until you've first acquired the vademecum, and secondly read its 'instructions' ... even though you may guess what to do without one or both of these steps! }.

[036] Gina wakes up and they both beat a very hasty exit. After a fairly lengthy cutscene they arrive at the Chicago Museum of Archeology and Natural History.

{2} THE MYSTERIOUS CRUCIFIX :-
[037] There is quite a long cutscene involving Brian's friend Clive. It finishes with Dr. (Susan) Olivaw reiterating that she can only deal with the crucifix when she has finished ALL her many other very urgent assignments! Exhaust all dialogs with her. Brian's urgency does not move her at all!

[038] On the shelf to the left of Dr. Olivaw, look at the items to be worked on. They are arranged with numbered stickers in the order they are supposed to be dealt with.

[039] Take the crucifix from inventory and exchange it for the next (number 1) artifact to be restored ... some strange Mayan object has now replaced your crucifix in inventory.

[040] The crucifix is now the next item on the list of jobs to be done. But first Dr. Olivaw has to finish whatever she's doing now.

[041] Go to the right hand side of the room (where the laser etc. are).

[042] Take the brush and container of talcum powder (to the left of the helium tank), and look at them in inventory ... they look like a police finger printing kit.

[043] Look at the briefcase containing varnishes ... to the right of the skeleton's head.

[044] Take a bottle of colorless varnish.

[045] Exit Olivaw's room. Get Brian to turn left and walk towards the right edge of the screen. Go past the Analysis Laboratory and panel, and descend the stairs to the exhibition area.

[046] Talk to the Janitor, Willy. He'll give you his 'business' card (William P. Dustin) with telephone number.

[047] No matter which of the dialog choices you make, almost immediately his mobile phone will ring and he'll receive an order from a customer (Mr. Potter ... Harry???).

[048] He jives upstairs to the Analysis Lab, operates the tone keypad and enters !?! Brian realizes he's operating a racket!

[049] Willy won't emerge so long as Brian is in the exhibition area. So get Brian to temporarily enter the Mayan Art Exhibition, or back upstairs. As soon as Brian returns, Willy's back there again. Continue the dialog tree to the end.

[050] Go back upstairs and use the transparent varnish on the numerical tone keypad panel.

[051] Get Brian to go past the stairs (towards the right edge of the screen), and use the public telephone there. Watch the cutscene where Brian talks to Willy and gets him to enter the Analysis Lab again.

[052] Enter and exit the Mayan Art Exhibition again to get Willy back sitting downstairs.

[053] Return to the keypad and sprinkle the talcum (fingerprint) powder on it.

[054] 4 keys have been pressed ... numbers 1, 3, 7, & 8. You do not however know the order of these digits.

[055] The crudest way of determining the 4 digit number is by ('ordered') trial and error until you hit upon the correct number. There are 24 different combinations (not a VERY big job)!

[056] A better way is to listen to the tones emitted ... you can do that as many times as you wish.

[057] If you are tone impaired, the order (of both tones and numbers) is the 'highest'; the 'lowest'; the 'one above the lowest'; and finally the 'one below the highest'.

[058] Enter the Analysis Lab.

[059] Look at the strange golden object close to the door. It's a key ... Take it.

[060] Underneath it is a note. Read it! The key belongs to Clive.

[061] Try to open the thermal chamber. You can't do that manually!

[062] Press the button of the voice recognition lock. You are given a choice of names but none fits Brian's voice.

[063] Exit the Analysis Lab. Brian turns right (i.e. towards the left edge of the screen) and walks past the Restoration Laboratory and the fire extinguisher. Continue, and enter Clive's Office.

[064] Pick up the 2 anthropology books on Clive's desk

[065] This exposes a crack which looks like a keyhole to open a lock.

[066] Use the strange golden key with the crack, and a hidden safe slides open.

[067] You can't take papers or money, but there is a device, a voice recorder there ... borrow it!

[068] Exit Clive's Office ... you must close the safe first!

[069] Return to the Restoration Lab. Use the voice recorder on Dr. Olivaw and get a recording of her name and voice.

[070] Return to the Analysis Lab (no problem about entering now!). Use the voice recorder on the voice recognition button. The recorder starts but immediately fizzles out ... the battery is dead!

[071] Walk to the far side of the Analysis Lab (i.e. to the extreme right edge of the screen) and look at the cylinder of liquid nitrogen. You can't do anything with it as is, because it's too dangerous.

[072] Hanging on the wall a little to the left of and above the cylinder is a ladle ... grab it.

[073] In inventory, place the dead battery into the ladle ... it fits nicely.

[074] Dip the ladle (with the battery) into the liquid nitrogen and remove it. The battery has been cooled down to a very low temperature.

[075] In inventory, place the frozen battery into the voice recorder.

[076] Put the voice recorder onto the button of the voice recognition pad.

[077] The chamber opens. Fairly quickly take the Mayan Mask from inside. The chamber will close in 30 seconds, but if you haven't got the Mask by then, you can repeat [076] and [077] as many times as you need to!

[078] You can try to take the red ruby from the forehead of the Mayan Mask, but you can't remove it with your bare hands. So in inventory, prize the ruby out using the strange Mayan object.

[079] Return to the Restoration Lab. Walk towards the right to the laser.

[080] Replace the small ruby in the laser with the huge one you got from the mask.

[081] Dr. Olivaw uses the powerful laser on the artifact she's restoring, and it smashes into little pieces.

[082] This has never happened to her before ... she needs an iced mocha (coffee) to calm her nerves and continue working.

[083] Exit the Restoration Lab. Brian turns right (i.e. towards the left edge of the screen) and walks past Clive's Office to the coffee machine.

[084] There's a red warning light on ... looks as though the machine may be out of coffee. Try it just the same. It IS out of coffee.

[085] Continue a step or two, turn right and go downstairs. Get Brian to walk past Willy, and enter the Mayan Art Exhibition.

[086] In the middle of the chamber is a statue of a Mayan King with some bowls at his feet ... seems they hold seeds and stuff like that.

[087] Look at the Maya's bowls and jars (Mayan Objects) and Brian automatically picks up a bowl of seeds that look like coffee beans.

[088] Go to Willy, talk to him, and try to get him to fill the coffee machine. Nothing doing!

[089] Show him your 'coffee' beans. He says that apart from looking strange, they're no good since the machine will only take ground coffee!

[090] Go upstairs and enter the Restoration Lab again. Dr. Olivaw is still moaning beside her laser. On one corner of her unoccupied desk is an electric lathe. Use your beans on it. You get a bowl of ground 'coffee like stuff'.

[091] Return to Willy and hand him your ground 'coffee' ... he doesn't like the look of it (understandably), and in any case he'll only use the museum's regular Java ground coffee.

[092] Upstairs again. Look at the wastebasket below the fire extinguisher. There's an empty packet of (museum brand) coffee there. Take it.

[093] In inventory, fill the empty packet with your ground 'coffee'.

[094] Downstairs to Willy again. Give him the 'new' packet. He goes off and fills the machine ... upstairs, the red light is off now.

[095] Use the coffee machine to get a cup of hot 'coffee'.

[096] Re-enter the Restoration Lab and give the 'coffee' to Dr. Olivaw. She perks up, goes back to work with a vengeance, and collapses. Brian takes the cleaned crucifix. Whilst this is going on, the hoods arrive outside the museum and prepare to enter it ... with very evil intents.

[097] Exit the Restoration Lab.

[098] Enter the Analysis Lab.

This triggers a long cutscene. The high-tech scanner reveals a clear picture of the restored crucifix and some relevant details ... there's some mention of the Arizona tribe of Hopi Indians. The crooks go completely on the rampage, and finish by capturing Brian and Gina. They are transported by helicopter to an old cabin ... somewhere!

{3} THE GREAT ESCAPE :-
[099] Brian wakes up after having been pistol whipped. Through a crack in the door he sees Gina being very roughly interrogated by a couple of thugs in the adjoining room. He has to get them both away from there !!

[100] Have a good look around. There are various items that may be useful. Try the two windows... no egress from either. The door is obviously out of the question.

[101] Look at the freezer. Try to move it --- you can't; it's too heavy ... if it's full!

[102] To the right of the telephone is a bottle of cleanser. Pick it up.

[103] To the left of the freezer is a chamois rag. Take it.

[104] Just a little to the left of the rag is an iron crowbar. Grab it.

[105] And just a little to the left of the crowbar and on the floor is a round piece of wood. It's a peg which has fallen down from the coat rack on the wall. Pick it up.

[106] Across the other side of the room, midway between the door and the barred window, is a bellows. Take it.

[107] In inventory, moisten the rag with cleanser.

[108] Use the cleaning rag with the filthy window (above the freezer) ... "Let the sunshine in"!

[109] Open the lid of the freezer to allow it to defrost ... it's full of huge blocks of ice.

[110] You need to remove the freezer's electric plug from its wall socket for quick defrosting.

[111] The ice has all melted into water --- but that's just as heavy ... and you still can't move the freezer.

[112] There's a bung at the bottom of the freezer (near the electric socket). Pull this out, and all the water drains out.

[113] Move the much lighter freezer ... revealing a trapdoor beneath it ... Eureka!

[114] The trapdoor is closed with a padlock. Use your crowbar to pry it off.

[115] Open the trapdoor.

[116] Escape outside, via the opened trapdoor.

There is now quite a long cutscene involving the three characters Carla, Lola and Mariola ... also Brian's three part operational plan for progressing. Brian finishes up outside the trio's broken down bus.

PART-3 of Brian's escape plan :-

[117] Outside the middle of the bus is a prop-trunk. Look inside it. The only item of interest is a deflated basket ball which needs stitching ... nevertheless, take it.

[118] Enter the bus. On the left is what looks like a triple bunk bed. Sticking out from underneath it (on the floor to the left of the teddy bear) is a white object which looks like a handle to something.

[119] That white object is actually a hand held vacuum cleaner ... pick it up.

[120] Opposite the beds on an upturned trunk are 3 shelves. The right hand shelf is full of a pile of lipsticks. Take one.

[121] Just below the lipsticks is a pair of sunglasses. Grab them.

[122] Walk to the back of the bus and talk to Carla ... exhaust all dialogs. She gives some useful info.

[123] Try to obtain Carla's lost pill from the grating. You can't ... The grating's firmly fixed to the floor.

[124] Use your vacuum cleaner on the grating. Bingo! ... you have the pill.

[125] Behind Carla on a low table between a pair of high boots are a large needle and thick shoe repair thread ... pick them up.

[126] Exit the bus. 'Walk off' the right edge of your screen.

[127] MAP :- You have already visited 2 locations, the Thugs' cabin and the Drag Queen Bus. There are 4 more locations marked with question marks (?'s) which will be labeled, but only after you visit them first time. You will have to visit them ALL eventually (and probably more than once), and do things at each during chapter-3 of the game. The order in which you visit them is unimportant. Since there are 3 stages to the escape plan, the order in which different players will tackle these will vary ... but this will not affect the outcome since they all have to be completed sooner or later!

But as in many Quest/Adventure games, there are some locations you must visit and actions you must perform before you can make any progress at certain other locations!

Some players may wish to make the round of ALL the locations immediately, doing whatever seems possible at each, before settling upon a plan of action(s). You certainly cannot do any harm by so doing. But this walkthrough (with the advantage of hindsight) will try to deal with actions as far as possible in some 'logical' order!

[128] On the map go to the location to the upper right of the Thugs' cabin. It looks similar to a double sized version of same, but turns out to be a Hangar with a tough guy guarding it. There's no way you're going to let him see you.

[129] Look at the barred doors ... there's a crack there. There's a helicopter inside.

[130] Try to enter the doors. Instead you circle behind the hangar on the side away from the guard, and enter through a rear window.

[131] Attempt to grab a can of beer from behind the muscle-man whenever he places one on the drum. You can always reach them, but are frightened he may see you.

[132] Mixing Carla's pill with alcohol makes a potent knock out draught. How about trying that?

[133] As before, he'll kill you (literally) if he catches sight of you. You're going to have to find a way of distracting him.

[134] Return to outside the bus where Lula's limbering up with her musical aerobics. Try to get her to help you ... Nothing doing.

[135] In inventory, use your needle and thread to repair the basketball.

[136] Also in inventory, inflate the basketball with the bellows. Good! ... it holds.

[137] Throw the ball to Lula. As you suspected earlier, Lula is an ex professional basketball player called Lou Lamerre with a 'history'. She/he rather reluctantly agrees to get Mr. Biceps (Rocco Wallace) out of range ... albeit with a couple of conditions!

[138] You're all set, with Brian at his side window behind the hunk and Lula ready for a competition. You have to be (only) reasonably speedy with the next action ... but if you flunk it, you can repeat [137] as often as you like and need! Whilst Lulu is playing 'toss the cans' with Rocco, fairly quickly spike his beer with Carla's pill.

[139] The hunk drinks the doctored beer and is physically paralyzed. The door to the Hangar is open and free access to the chopper is enabled. Go round the zombie (the macho man) and look at the motor cycle and bottle of peanut butter (with spatula) ... {N.B. These items were inactive previously!}

PART-2 of Brian's escape plan :-

[140] Take the peanut butter. Listen carefully to the stud's comments!

[141] Watch the following carefully! Whack the motorcycle with your crowbar. A piece of metal drops off (not too easy to see on the ground!).

[142] The piece of metal is a motor cycle "sidekick's" foot rest ... pick it up.

[143] Go to the junk pile in the bottom left hand corner of the monitor screen (there IS a "?" there, but it's a bit difficult to see). It is an Airplane graveyard.

[144] Look at the machine gun in the gunner's cockpit, and try to move it. It's all rusted up from disuse and would need a good grease up to operate.

[145] On the stump of the plane's broken off right hand wing is a World War II infantry helmet. Take it.

[146] Hanging over the side of the gunner's seat and near to the machine gun is an empty bullet belt. Pick it up.

[147] Return to the bus and look at Mariola who's sunbathing on the bonnet (hood). Look at the suntan lotion ... it contains carrot extract!!

[148] Try to get the lotion by asking Mariola if you could borrow it. No dice ... she needs it for a sufficient tan!

[149] See if you can get her sunglasses when she takes them off and puts them on the hood of the bus. Apparently not a good idea.

[150] Go to the "?" location nearest to the top left hand corner of the map. It's an Oil well.

[151] Walk forward to the oil puddle and dip your sunglasses (from inventory) into the oil. This gives them a darker tint.

[152] Return to Mariola. When she puts her sunglasses down, exchange the for your darker ones.

[153] Ask Mariola again if you could borrow her lotion. She looks at herself and is satisfied with her 'dark tan'. You take her suntan oil.

[154] Return to the Airplane graveyard.

[155] Grease the machine gun with the tanning oil. It's now operational, and the Thugs' cabin is within shooting range. It should shoot ... if Brian can obtain any ammunition that is!

[156] Return to the Thugs' cabin. On the ground almost exactly below the rocking chair is an old battered bucket. Take it.

[157] Go to the "?" location near to the top right hand corner of the map. It's an Old abandoned train car.

[158] Walk towards the right and enter the old freight car. A little to the right of the entrance (almost middle screen) is a barrel of gunpowder. Brian wouldn't mind getting some but the gunpowder barrel is closed up tight.

[159] Try putting your battered bucket (from inventory) onto the barrel of gunpowder. Not a satisfactory idea.

[160] Near to the bottom left hand corner of the screen is an old bucket containing oodles of screws. Grab one.

[161] Try drilling a hole in the gunpowder barrel with your screw. You can't ... it's impossible for your fingers to get a proper grip on the screw to turn it.

[162] In inventory, look again at your coat rack peg. It has an octagonal opening. Still in inventory, fit it together with the screw and you have a makeshift corkscrew. Presto!

[163] Try boring a hole in the barrel with your makeshift corkscrew to collect some gunpowder. You can't do that unless you have something to collect the gunpowder in.

[164] Again put your battered bucket onto the barrel of gunpowder. Now it will stand on the floor below the barrel. Apply your corkscrew again and gunpowder pours from the barrel filling the bucket.

[165] Pick up the bucket of gunpowder.

[166] In inventory, place the lipstick into the bucket of gunpowder and you obtain a high-caliber bullet.

[167] Again in inventory, put the bullet onto the empty bullet belt. Cool! It fits ... but one bullet will hardly be enough.

[168] Return to the bus and grab all the rest of the pile of lipsticks from the previous same right hand shelf.

[169] In inventory, place the pile of lipsticks into the bucket of gunpowder and you obtain a quantity of bullets. A coincidence ... there is just enough gunpowder to fill all of the lipsticks.

[170] In inventory again, fit the pile of bullets into the bullet belt. Another coincidence ... there are exactly the correct number of bullets to fill the whole bullet belt.

[171] Back to the airplane graveyard. Fit the belt of bullets into the machine gun. It's now ready for firing.

PART-1 of Brian's escape plan :-

[172] Try to open the refrigerator. You can't ... it's locked. According to Carla, the other 'girls' have hidden the key to stop her from gorging too much butter. She has looked and looked but hasn't found it.

[173] In the front of the bus is an axle to the left of the shelves holding necklaces and earrings, etc. (a little below and to the right of center screen). It's cross section is hexagonal. Try turning the axle ... but there's no way of doing that manually.

[174] Use the motorcycle foot rest as a crank on the axle.

[175] Turn the makeshift crank on the axle, and the folding door of the bus closes. Look at it carefully.

[176] There is a pocket of leather on the inside of the door ... not visible when the door is open.

[177] Look inside the pocket and take the key.

[178] Use the key to open the fridge door and take the large tub of brand new butter from inside.

[179] Return to the Old abandoned train car location.

[180] On the extreme left of the screen is an ant hill and to the right of it an old hut probably containing explosives. The tough guy said something about peanut butter causing the ants to go on a wood eating frenzy. Maybe all this adds up to a plan?!

[181] Enter the freight car again. To the left of the broken clock are 3 barrels supporting one other on top. One of the barrels only is closed ... the others are open and empty.

[182] Open the sealed barrel with your crowbar, and get ...... a package of shelled peanuts which are not TOO stale!

[183] In inventory, put the butter and the peanuts into the infantry helmet. Hopefully this will give you something resembling peanut butter. Maybe ... but the mixture needs melting and stirring.

[184] Return to the Thug's cabin. It's stupid and impossible to enter the front door. But close to the pile of tires (and a bit difficult to see) is an entry through the escape trapdoor. Enter the rear room of the cabin.

{N.B. It might not be too obvious that you CAN re-enter the Thugs' cabin whenever you need to ...and you CERTAINLY NEED TO HERE!}.

[185] Place the helmet containing the mixture of butter and peanuts onto the freezer ... its lid is now sizzling hot from the sun.

[186] Stir with the spatula from the bottle of authentic peanut butter and .... You have a helmet full of ersatz peanut butter.

[187] Return to the Old abandoned train car location. Splash the load of 'peanut butter' over the narrow wooden hut containing explosives.

[188] A myriad of ants from the adjoining ant hill descend upon the hut and eat up the wood in no time, leaving a pile of sawdust.

[189] All that is left is enough dynamite to blow up a mountain together with its detonation equipment. Take it all.

[190] Go to the Oil well and fix the dynamite and detonation equipment onto it.

[191] Watch the VERY long cutscene in which the whole escape plan is put into operation. After this, there is a pretty long introduction to chapter-4.

{4} CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND :-
[192] Brian and Gina arrive in Hopi territory. Gina has an accident and Wupuchim materializes. He is a Hopi chief and gives advice to Brian who continues alone, arriving at a deserted town called Douglasville.

Exhaust all dialog options with Sushi Douglas and learn about the history of Douglasville.

[193] Enter the sheriff's office and look around.

[194] There's a cell with a 100 year old dead man inside it. There's nothing you can do about him since the cell is locked.

[195] Take the pile of wood stacked alongside the cell ... 5 nice logs.

[196] Enter the wrecked bank and look around.

[197] Behind the cash register are shelves broken and open. Take the metallic object from the bottom shelf. It's an old fashioned stapler with only 3 staples (like old rivets used by cobblers).

[198] Look at what was probably J.T Douglas' desk (roughly center screen) and get something from it. It's a bank-stamp ... with the letters "BD", Bank of Douglasville, embossed on it.

[199] A huge blunt instrument has made a large hole to the basement (at the bottom middle of the screen). Brian doesn't see why he should try to go down there!

[200] Return and talk to Sushi again. Find out all about the dead man in the cell and the safe in the basement of the bank.

[201] Go back to the bank and try to go down to the basement using the large hole. That doesn't work ... there's too much dirt and rubble.

[202] Enter the saloon (the building at the bottom right corner of the screen).

[203] Just below the foot of the stairs is a flower pot ... take it.

[204] Immediately to the right of the foot of the stairs is an opening to a small room ... it's a gardening shed. Go in and have a look around for something useful. You come out with a pair of pruning shears.

[205] Go upstairs and talk to the guy who's sculpting there. His name is Kevin, but everybody calls him Saturn. Exhaust all dialog options with him and get more info.

[206] Look at the statues and other items up there. Around the middle of the room is a wood and metal device. On it stands a 10 pound bucket of red paint.

[207] Pull the lever on the device ... maybe it's some kind of brake?

[208] GEEZ! It's a catapult and the bucket of paint is launched sky high landing in the ruins of the bank. Saturn is NOT amused!

[209] Go to the bank and look at the results of Brian's not minding his own business, i.e. the wasted red paint.

[210] Between the hotel and the sheriff's office is a passageway. Look at the supply wagon there and the strapping attached to it.

[211] Use your pruning shears to cut off 6 to 8 yards of strapping.

[212] Leave town (bottom left hand corner of your monitor screen) and you're on another map ... see [127].

[213] Go to the "?" fairly near to the bottom right hand corner of the map ... Mama Dorita's house.

Exhaust all dialogs with Oscar, the huge but placid guy who is guarding the entrance to the house. You can't get past him to see Mama Dorita. Oscar is constantly chewing "menthol chewin' tobacky" ... it helps him pass the time.

[214] To the left of Oscar is a ladder leaning up against a wall. Look at and pick up the clay vessel that's on the ground next to the ladder.

[215] Move back towards a skull and shrunken head. On the ground beside the well (to the right of the skull) is an unusually artistic weird looking stone, with a hole in the middle like a doughnut! Pick it up.

[216] Return to the map and go to the "?" location near to the top right of the map. It's a Crater and when Brian descends he meets Joshua, a strange man wearing a telepathic helmet for communicating with "Trantor" and other extra terrestrials.

[217] Exhaust all dialogs with Joshua. He has a very large 'communication machine' which is supposed to open a door and facilitate contact with these beings. Trouble is, the machine's rotor is not receiving any power and hence won't work!

[218] Brian has the bright idea of hitching the rear wheel of Joshua's motorcycle to the communication machine and gives him the long strap.

[219] But first the strap has to be made into a large loop. In inventory use the ancient stapler to join the ends of the strap.

[220] Leave Joshua for 5 minutes. He hasn't done it. Brian should have threaded the strap through the rear axle first but forgot. The only solution is to remove the rear wheel of the motor cycle. But Joshua needs a number-10 wrench to do this ... and he hasn't got one.

[221] Return to Douglasville. Enter the saloon. Go upstairs to Saturn and talk to him ... 'You see, "mon ami", there's something I wanted to ask you...'. Then ask him for a number-10 wrench. He tells you to take it from the set of tools hanging on the wall.

[222] Go to the tool board. Look at it and take a number-10 wench. DARN! All the wrenches are there except the particular one you need.

[223] Talk to Saturn again. He forgot, he just used it and it's in his pocket. He carelessly flips it over. But Brian fails to catch it, and the wrench flies through the open door across the balcony, and down into the street.

[224] Go down to the street. The wrench doesn't seem to be there. Hold on ... it's submerged in a literally stinking trough. Brian is NOT going to stick his hand into that mess!

[225] Go back into the saloon, upstairs and out onto the balcony.

[226] About half way along the balcony and next to the middle fold-back door (and fairly easily overlooked) is an object on the floor. Pick it up. It is a sanding block.

[227] Drop the flower pot onto the street.

[228] Go downstairs and out. The trough has been overturned. Get the wrench.

[229] Return to the crater. Give the wrench to Joshua. He says it will take him 5 minutes. So leave and immediately return.

[230] Trouble again! Joshua tells Brian that his motorcycle has run out of gasoline.

[231] Back once more to Douglasville and talk with Saturn. Again talk to him ... 'You see, "mon ami", there's something I wanted to ask you...'. Then ask him for some gasoline. Problem ... consumables!! He can only barter these with you ... he wants something artistic and inspirational made by Brian in exchange for his can of gasoline.

[232] Give Saturn your strange stone. No! --- too crude and rough ... unfinished!

[233] Polish up the stone with your sanding block and try again. It's still not inspirational &/or artistic enough for him ... incomplete!

[234] In inventory, place your amber stone into the hole in the strange stone. Hooray ... this makes a 'stone of light' and is now sufficiently arty crafty for Saturn. He tells Brian to stand it in the doorway in the sun. FINE! Brian can help himself to the can of gasoline ... it's a deal!

{{{ NOTE:- Coming up are 2 very old chestnuts in novel disguises. They stretch back over a quarter of a century on computers. The puzzles themselves (one in the form of a game) were around a long time before personal computers came on the scene. }}}

[235] Saturn:- "Oh --- by the way; just one problem" .......... The gasoline in the tank is concentrated. To get the correct dilution you must mix 1 liter of water with 40 CCs of the concentrated gasoline. And incidentally, there is no 40 CC measuring tube ... just one of 50 CC and one of 30 CC.

[236] In inventory you now have a can of concentrated gasoline, a 1 liter empty bottle, and two empty measuring tubes one of 50 CC and the other of 30 CC.

[237] Just to the left of the middle door to the balcony is a green colored 50 gallon water machine. From it, fill your 1 liter bottle with water.

[238] There is more than one way of solving the rest of this puzzle. The simplest method is described below :-

  1. Fill the 50 CC tube with concentrated gas from the container.
  2. Fill the 30 CC tube from the 50 CC tube (leaving 20 CC in the 50 CC tube).
  3. Pour the whole contents of the 30 CC tube back into the gas can so that the 30 CC tube is now empty.
  4. Pour the remaining 20 CC of concentrated gas from the 50CC tube into the 30 CC tube, leaving the 50 CC tube empty.
  5. Fill the 50 CC tube again from the concentrated gas can.
  6. Remembering that the 30 CC tube has 20 CC of concentrated gas in it already, fill it from the full 50 CC tube. Only 10 CC can be transferred from the 50 CC tube to the 30 CC tube, and so 40 CC of concentrated gas are left in the 50 CC tube.

[239] Pour your 40 CC of concentrated gasoline from the 50 CC tube into the 1 liter bottle of water, making your correct usable mixture (just a little over a liter actually).

[240] Return to Joshua in the crater. Pour the bottle of diluted gasoline into the motorbike's tank.

[241] Go to Joshua who explains how to find the combination to open the dimensional door. {{{ NOTE:- This is the old old game/puzzle which once used to be called 'Bulls and Cows'! }}}

There are 7 buttons. You have to press the correct 5 and also press them in the correct order ... you can't use any button more than once. Each button has a musical note associated with it (which appears in the dialog/instruction taskbar below the game. The notes run from "A" thro' "F", together with the instructions "Note already pressed" and "Leave the panel".). Also, each button/note has an associated colored panel. Joshua will tell you how many you pressed were correct ones, and how many were both correct AND in the correct position.

It is a nice game/puzzle and not too difficult since you are allowed as many attempts as you like/need. But you really need to list your tries and their results, and work logically. You will quite likely have to make quite a number of attempts. If however you are REALLY stuck, the order of the notes is "C"; "G"; "E"; "B"; "A" (and the colors are ... orange; yellow; mauve; pink; violet).

[242] When you succeed in getting the exact correct combination, there is a strange noise and an intense beam of light from the sky down into the center of the crater. You see Joshua getting beamed up to join his Trantorians ... or whatever/wherever. Brian walks down into the center of the crater to have a look around.

[243] Brian:- "Oh Well ... I don't think we'll be seeing Joshua again"! The only thing he has left behind is a black mark in the center of the crater and his blue telepathic helmet. Pick up the helmet.

[244] Walk up from the crater to Joshua's camping tent (which you couldn't enter previously). From the tent take a flashlight you can attach to your head, and a climbing rope.

[245] Return to the map and go to the abandoned mine. Look at the enormous boulder which blocks the mine entrance. Move it (there's a small crack in the entrance) ... impossible it's much too heavy.

[246] Peer into the hole that Gina fell into ... the ladders broken so nothing can be done there.

[247] Below a huge rock and a wheelbarrow (middle left edge of the screen) is an empty oil can. Pick it up.

[248] Return to Douglasville and go to Saturn. Again talk to him ... 'You see, "mon ami", there's something I wanted to ask you...'. Then ask him how he moves the enormous heavy rocks he uses for his sculptures ... a crane? No! Apparently Oscar moves them for him and he repays Oscar with menthol chewing tobacco.

[249] Saturn needs inspiration and brilliant ideas. Give Saturn Joshua's telepathic helmet. He puts it on his head and it seems to be the answer to his crisis. He leaves his workshop to look for suitable stones.

[250] Whilst he's out of the way, pick up his blow torch.

[251] Fill up your oil can with water from the green colored 50 gallon water machine.

[252] Go downstairs and into the gardening shed again. Now you find some tobacco leaves.

[253] Go out and walk to the end of the street, past the bank, and to the right of it. Examine the ancient locomotive lying on its side.

[254] Pour the water from your oilcan into the locomotive's water tank.

[255] Return to the water machine in the upper floor of the saloon and again fill up your oil can with water from the water machine.

[256] You have to repeat [254] and [255] another 4 times until the locomotive's water tank is full (i.e. FIVE times altogether. If you do it less, you won't progress ... if you try it a sixth time, it will tell you that the tank's full!).

[257] To the left of the locomotive is the reddish colored driver's cab. Jump up and into the cab. Look around at the levers and gauges, etc., there.

[258] Look at the empty boiler. Pop your 5 logs of wood in.

[259] Light up the boiler using your blow torch.

[260] There is a wheel with a handle in the cab --- turn it once only ... enough pressure!

[261] There are a couple of levers. Pull the one just above the 4 gauges on the right ... releases steam!

[262] This causes the smokestack to eject a blast of steam under pressure. Together with the steam emerges a key (not too easy to see on the ground!).

[263] Pick up the key from the ground in front of the smokestack and very close to the yellowish colored plant.

[264] Go back to the Sheriff's office and use the key to open the cell (ignoring the nauseating smell!).

[265] Open the dead man's briefcase on the floor and take the liniment.

[266] Exit the cell and the sheriff's office. Go to Mama Dorita's and ask Oscar to help you i.e. to move the rock at the entrance to the abandoned mine. But he won't!

[267] In inventory make a mortar and pestle using your clay vessel and bank stamp, and fill with liniment and tobacco leaves (you need to 'play around with' ALL 4 of these items. .

[268] Manufacture some ersatz menthol chewing tobacco.

[269] Give the 'tobacco' to Oscar to entice him to help you.

[270] Ask Oscar again for help. He accompanies Brian and easily moves the huge rock from the entrance to the abandoned mine.

[271] Go to the bank and look at the can of paint which you launched earlier with the catapult.

[272] Yet again return to the upper floor of the saloon. Now that Saturn's out of the way, press the red buttons which control the crane. This causes the heavy statue to be moved onto the catapult.

[273] Use the catapult lever and the heavy statue goes flying into the bank on top of the red paint.

[274] Go to the bank. There is now a huge hole there leading to the basement ... go there.

[275] Look at the safe and try to open it. You should try, but you can't without the combination!

[276] {{{ NOTE:- This step is helpful, but not essential! }}} Return to Sushi and talk to her. When you ask her, she will give you some minor hints as to the safe's combination. Unfortunately, this in itself is insufficient.

[277] Again return to the sheriff's office and enter the cell. Look in the briefcase again. This time you find a stethoscope {N.B. You may have obtained this earlier!}.

[278] Again, back to the bank. Place the stethoscope onto the safe.

[279] Turn the knob SLOWLY, first to the right and then to the left and then to the right again. Listen to the tumbler clicks and you get the combination. You can't go wrong here ... the dial stops automatically and the combination number revealed for each correct position (it's NOT a puzzle!).

[280] The combination is ....... right, 85; left, 29; right, 54.

[281] This opens the safe. Get the map of the abandoned mine.

[282] You are now at last able to enter the mine ... providing that (a) the rock no longer blocks the entrance; (b) you have the head-flashlight and the rope; and (c) you have obtained the mine-map!

[283] Go in, and you are in a cutscene which takes you to chapter-5.

{5} GIFTS FROM THE CRYPT :-
[284] Brian goes spelunking through the mine shaft and, despite the ghastly bats, emerges into the sunlight. He teeters on the edge of a cliff with the Hopi village down below. It's impossible to just climb down ... the cliff is much too steep.

[285] On the ground and close to the entrance (and exit) of the mine is a long piece of wood ... Take it.

[286] Beneath that piece of wood is a metal object. It is the head of a miner's tool ... without a handle.

[287] There's a miner's skeleton at the entrance to the cave. Grab a bone ... Grave robbing? It's a human femur!

[288] In inventory combine the femur with the head of the mining tool and get a hammer with nail remover.

[289] In the wooden left hand cross-strut of the cave entrance is a somewhat rickety nail/

[290] Remove the nail with your makeshift hammer.

[291] Insert the nail into the hard ground (using your hammer) at the cliff's edge ... where you first stopped after exiting the cave..

[292] Tie your climbing rope onto this nail and climb down to the level of the Hopi village.

[293] Surprise, surprise! A happy reunion with Gina ... alive and well except for a broken leg. They exchange some past experiences.

[294] They decide that Brian should first see what can be done in the Hopi village by himself, and then return and see to Gina

[295] He sets off to the left (edge of the screen) and almost immediately turns left again into the unexplored area. He treks towards a cliff, over a rickety suspension bridge, until he reaches the entrance to the crypt ... which is what he's been looking for. {{{ NOTE:- The moving figure of Brian is very tiny on this broad panoramic scenery. }}}

[296] He confronts a monolith in the shape of a Hopi deity which looks rather like it's guarding the opening. It's mouth looks like a keyhole.

[297] Place your crucifix/key into the mouth of the monolith Ha! No, it all seemed too easy ... the mouth is full of desert sand and the key won't fit in.

[298] Look at the plant to the left of the monolith. The stem has pods growing on it like green beans.

[299] Break off a branch of this unknown plant.

[300] Use the branch to clean out the mouth of the monolith.

[301] Insert the crucifix/key again.

[302] This time it works fine! The monolith moves aside revealing the entrance to a cave.

[303] Enter the cave and watch the cut scene in which Wupuchim gives Brian more advice and a closed bottle. The bottle is filled with formaldehyde in which floats a human finger .... Ugh !

[304] Brian exits the cave and returns to the path leading back.

[305] Make for the Hopi village (near to the top left corner of your screen).

[306] You will reach the village facing towards Gina. Return to her and continue (almost) in the same direction, to the huge ominous statue which seems to be guarding a cave.

[307] Enter the cave (you can't go far) and face the front of the statue. To the right of the statue is a Hopi symbol in the shape of a cross. In front of that is a stone against which is leaning an object (not too easy to discern!).

[308] Pick up the object. It is a special Indian tomahawk which can be used as an axe or a (peace?) pipe.

[309] Return to Gina and continue as far as you can in a straight line (don't turn left as you did previously). On Brian's right is a ground level door ... get him to turn towards it.

[310] Enter the door and Brian (rather small) emerges from a door a floor above.

[311] Get Brian to turn to his left, walk past a ladder and enter the adjacent door. This brings him out of a door high up in the building. {{{ NOTE:- The figure of Brian is extremely small and unclear! }}}

[312] Make Brian turn to his right, pass a door and then a ladder and enter the door after that (the last one in that row).

[313] He pops out again from a door high up in the building to the right of the one he entered. He is standing next to a ladder, and a little to the right of that is another door ... enter it.

[314] Brian walks along to the right and stops immediately behind the mauve colored climbing rope.

[315] Use your tomahawk to cut the rope as high off the ground as you can. Grab the cut-off length of rope.

[316] Return to Gina. You need to make splints for her broken leg.

[317] In inventory, use your tomahawk again to split your long piece of wood into two to make a pair of splints for Gina's broken leg.

[318] Put either the rope or the pair of small pieces of wood onto Gina. You need them both to apply the splints and tie them in place.

[319] There is now a cutscene where Brian and Gina make their way through the mine tunnel and back to Douglasville. They finish up consulting Mama Dorita (back on the map and near to Douglasville).

{6} THE INDIAN, THE NUN AND THE FINGER :-
{{{ NOTE:- Quite a large part of this last chapter is taken up with cutscenes, some of them quite lengthy. I shall try to avoid anything except vital info so as not to spoil the twists and turns of the surprising narrative!! }}}

[320] Brian says to Mama Dorita "I need to speak with a dead person". Exhaust all the dialogs on this subject.

[321] It seems a medium has to be found. Brian volunteers but apparently he would "need to lower his level of consciousness"!

[322] Ask to speak to Gina. Go through all dialogs with her.

[323] Leave and return to Douglasville. Enter the Hotel. For the first time, Sushi asks you to join her upstairs. Brian tells her the whole story to date.

[324] Sushi is surrounded by tons of extremely sophisticated hi-tech apparatus. It turns out that she is one of the many top class female hackers (not the insidious virus spreading breed!). She can do almost anything with computers. Talk with her and go through all topics of conversation. {{{ NOTE:- For the first time you can now browse around inside the hotel, both downstairs and upstairs. }}}

[325] Leave the hotel and enter the saloon. Meet Rutger at last, playing on his bongo drums! Talk to him about everything possible. In particular quiz him on the existence of a plant or something like that to put Brian into a trance (or as Rutger expresses it, "... to trip out").

[326] Give him (barter again) your fine Hopi axe-pipe, and he prepares a puff of his (presumably narcotic) concoction. This automatically takes Brian to Mama Dorita. His level of consciousness has been lowered by this, but not sufficiently!

[327] Return to Rutger ... "That stuff you put in the pipe didn't work ... I need something stronger". Brian shakes the branch he found at the Hopi village and 3 pods are obtained in inventory. These must be pods of the 'yawaskel' that Rutger said the Indian medicine men and Shaman talked about.

[328] Try to open the pods in order to get the famous little lumpy red balls which are needed. You can't ... the shells are too hard to open manually.

[329] Exit and go into the cell in the sheriff's office. Open the corpse's briefcase yet again (for the THIRD successful time!) and, lo and behold, you get a scalpel!!

[330] In inventory use the scalpel to open the pods and obtain the little 'yawaskel' balls. No luck! ... the pods are too hard and the scalpel too dull.

[331] Exit the cell and the sheriff's and enter Sushi's ... ground floor.

[332] Heat the scalpel in the fireplace (the fire is lit) and be careful you don't get burnt.

[333] The scalpel is red-hot and so now cuts the pods open (no matter how hard they are).

[334] Next to the fireplace is a (rather sooty) poker ... take it with you.

[335] Return to Rutger in the saloon and give him the 'yawaskel' balls.

[336] This sparks off a very long cutscene involving a séance which unveils REALLY sensational revelations.

[337] Return to Douglasville. You automatically enter the hotel and talk with Sushi and tell her the full true story! She recommends asking Rutger or Saturn if they've seen a trailer around.

[338] Go to the saloon. Rurger doesn't remember seeing a trailer.

[339] Go upstairs and ask Saturn about a trailer. He saw an old abandoned one several months back and gives some general directions.

[340] Go to the map. A new location has appeared (top left hand corner of the map) ... Path to Johnny's trailer.

[341] Go onto this path and continue until you see the trailer.

[342] Open the door. No luck ... it's locked up tight.

[343] Lever the door open with your poker.

[344] Have a good look around inside. How weird ... a nun's habit ???

[345] Immediately after leaving the trailer, look at the tray on the inside of the open door.

[346] The tray is full of papers. Rummage through them and find an advertisement for the Mojave Bank!!

[347] Return to Sushi in Douglasville. Talk to her about the trailer, and give her the bank brochure.

Ask her if she can hack out any info on the bank on her computers ... Sure thing; in a short while!

[348] Exit the hotel, go onto the map, and immediately return to Sushi. She has a LOAD of vital information for Brian.

[349] Exit the hotel and return to Johnny's trailer. Nab the nun's habit.

[350] Exit the trailer. Brian hears a car in the distance and hides. The two dumb goons, Gustav and Feodor, enter the trailer and wait for Gina &/or Brian to turn up there. Brian quietly returns to Douglasville.

[351] Enter the hotel and talk to Sushi again. It's essential to think up a good plan ... to save EVERYBODY!

[352] Leave the hotel again and enter the derailed locomotive's drivers cab.

[353] Repeat [261] thro' [263], except that this time a golden colored solid object is ejected in the same place.

[354] Pick up the golden colored object. It's a sheriff's badge.

[355] Go outside Mama Dorita's and present the badge to Oscar and swear him in as Sheriff.

Give Oscar his first assignment to bring Law & Order to Douglasville. A fairly long cutscene follows this.

[356] After talking to Sushi and sheriff-Oscar, go to the cell in the sheriff's office and gloat over the prisoners there.

[357] Look on the table at the jail bag of stuff belonging to the 2 hoods, and take it.

[358] Leave the sheriff's. Return to the hotel and give the jail bag to Sushi ... maybe she can somehow apply them for use on the Internet.

[359] Exit the hotel, go onto the map, and immediately return to Sushi and talk to her. But she hasn't found anything of interest, except that Gustav is a movie fan.

[360] Brian and Sushi both love movies and start discussing best Directors and their best films. You can have some fun here and also waste some time until you hit on their mutual favorites ... Woody Allen; and "Manhattan Murder Mystery". This gives Sushi an idea. After explaining all about it she gets Brian to take the crook's MP3 recorder.

[361] Leave the hotel and go to the cell again. Record the 2 hoods voices.

[362] Leave the sheriff's. Go to Mama Dorita's again and rehearse Gina in reciting a very short 'speech'. After she's got it reasonably well, record her.

[363] Return for the last time to Sushi and let her work on her voice emulation etc. programs.

Return after an hour .......... And ................................

[364] T H E  E N D of the interactive game.

There is an extremely long series of endgame cutscenes. Don't turn off your computer when you get to the Credits or even the black screen with only music. There's an IMPORTANT postscript to the story ... and the promise of a sequel to the game (which at the time of writing is apparently already in production!).

And so we say goodbye to Brian, Gina, the Sandretti's, and everybody else ...... for the time being anyhow!

See the metzomagic.com Review of Runaway.

Copyright © Len Green 2003. All rights reserved.