LifeForce
Created and Programmed by Jak Locke
One Boring Weekend in September, 1995
(9/16-17/95 to be exact)

THE STORY
You are a doctor specializing in histology, cytology, and xenobiology.  On a
rather dreary weekend, you are called up and informed that an alien has been
discovered in a small pod found wrecked in the Grand Canyon.  The alien 
exhibits signs of life and is therefore deemed to be alive.  However, you are
the only one who is qualified to help save the alien.
"But how am I supposed to get there?", you asked the doctors at the Arizona
Xeno-Biology Institute.  "From where I'm at in the country, it would take me
hours to get there, and this alien would probably not last that long!"
However, the Institute, as usual, had an answer.  Through the last few months,
they had been attempting to construct a centralized operation/diagnostic 
program that would allow a surgeon to perform surgery at his computer at any
distance.  The prototype was almost finished, but debugging periods had not
been completed.  However, this discovery could not wait for the fool-proofing
period.  Therefore, the prototype was sent to your computer by modem.
The prototype is not complete--there will be incomplete and vague calculations
displayed, and there will be even vaguer instructions on how to work some of
the higher functions.  However, nature will not wait.  You must save this
extraterrestrial!

THE ALIEN
The alien's morphology, thankfully, is much like our own.  From the internal
x-rays, it has been noted that it contains the same organs as humans and has
basically the same structure.  However, it is also noticed that the brain
structure is quite different.  Shallow pockets contain ganglia and dendrite
nerve endings which could easily be confused even by visual examination.  
Since you will be disabled in the vision department because the program did
not come equipped with a monitor, you shall have to guess about the ganglia if
the operation should come down to brain surgery.
Strangely enough, the alien appears to respond to near-consciousness if any
synthetic amino acid is brought into its body.  To revive it, a natural amino
acid formed by organic elements will have to be introduced into the body.
That is, when the time comes for it to be revived.
Currently, it appears to be in a state of minimal functioning.  It is holding
a body temperature of 13 degrees Fahrenheit, a pulse rate of 11 beats per
minute, and a brainwave count of .74  per minute.  Normally, any organism
exhibiting these readings, aside from the Heteromorphus Transticula, could not
survive.  However, it appears to be in a state of post-hibernation.  This 
exhibits evidence of a long-term excursion through space from wherever its 
point of origin to wherever its destination.  The post-hibernetic state is
possibly a characteristic of a "save" system in which the vital functions are
preserved for a time before the unpleasant death comes into play.
This is where you come in, doctor.


