Nerves of Silicon is a TADS 3 interactive fiction game and is © 2026 by Dissolved (aka DissoluteSolute). It was a participant in Shufflecomp 2025, where it placed 12th overall, and 13th place in the Use of Songs.
In this short sci-fi game, you play as Sam Nave-Trench. You drew the short straw, so you're the first to wake from suspension. Your coldsuit is here to protect you from Antarctica's chill. You find a memory of you, Acacia, and Janet at your wedding. And there's the mindstrate in which your essence recently resided within its spooky silicon nerves. But you have a job to do. You may well have forever, but let's not waste it.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
The Threshold
> x me. (You're Sam.)
> x table. x coldsuit. wear it.
> look in pockets.
> x memory. ("Navvy, am I your deer favourite? — Janet")
> x rig. (Reads and plays back mindstrates.)
> open it. (Your mindstrate is inside.)
> x mindstrate. close rig.
> open steel door. s.
Ground Zero (, Floor)
> x rack. x shovel. take it.
> x stairwell.
> w.
Curiosities of Cabinets
> x glass. open it. (locked; has gas canister)
> x canister. (for an acetylene torch)
> e. e.
A Surfeit of Lockers
> x locker. x torch. take it.
> w.
Ground Zero (, Floor)
> u. (no, too far to jump)
> s.
A Desert of Ice
> x pit. dig pit with shovel. (entry to mausoleum found)
> d. (no: hatch in the way)
> x hatch. (needs to be cut open)
> e.
Drill Heaven
> x machine. x glass. take key.
> w. n. w.
Curiosities of Cabinets
> unlock cabinet with key. open it.
> take canister.
> put canister in torch.
> e. s.
A Desert of Ice
An acetylene torch isn't a "key", but for an author struggling with TADS 3, coding it as a key was probably the path of least resistance.
> unlock hatch with torch.
> d.
A Ladder of Bones
> x ladder. x pipes. x filaments. x cables.
> n.
The Middle of the First Rank
> x pods. x Janet. ("Janet Muntjac"; will dream the longest)
> n. (You don't need to go further north.)
> w.
The Western End of the First Rank
> x Acacia. ("Acacia Smith"; closed)
> open tomb.
> x mindstrate. take it.
The screen turns red. It's not immediately clear that you're playing as Janet now, or perhaps some corrupted version of Janet.
Start of the Skeleton
> x me. i. x entrance.
> u. (no)
> d.
Into the Oesophagus
> n.
Belly of the Beast
> x tomb. in.
The Deposit Desk of the Mind Bank
> put connector in entrance.
***
Waiting for your resurrection,
Nerves of silicon sleep
And dream of flesh.
***
It's not spelled out explicitly, but the photograph suggests to me that Sam, Acacia, and Janet are all married to each other in a triad arrangement.
Mentioned:
This is the response to ABOUT:
This is work is inspired by emory's dirt (from an anonymous playlist) which got me onto the motif of burial and digging.
This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
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