Heavy Metal Thunder Read online

  You gain 1 XP for use of your Stat and a further 1 XP for overcoming the robot.

  Turn to section 475.

  126

  You and the guard lie in the floor of a hallway, exhausted. He turns to you, then rips the oxygen mask from his face. You are about to make a comment about the battle when he suddenly jumps on top of you and raises his fist in the air. He is unarmed, but beefy - and he means to betray you by pounding you to a pulp and then pouring out your squishy remains from the space suit, so that he can steal it for himself.

  You will have to kill him if you want to live.

  If your Dexterity is 3 or more, you can try to grab one of your guns and blast him by turning to section 226.

  Otherwise, you can fight him off with a ...

  Blade - section 368, Mace - section 212, Spear - section 385.

  Or, you can fight him with your bare hands by turning to section 336.

  127

  “Please,” she says, “I want to pay you back for defending us against them. I want... to give you...” You pull her toward you and press your lips into hers. She melts against you and you run your hand down the curve of her back. Your tongues lap up against one another like two shaved kittens wrestling sensuously. She hums warmly into your mouth.

  One of her hands slithers against the zipper at your throat. She pulls it down, slowly - and the sound of the tiny metal teeth unclasping rings like an alarm in your skull. You instantly grab her small hand and squeeze it, hard.

  “What’s wrong?” she says.

  “I... don’t know!”

  “Don’t you... want to?” Her face becomes a mask of hurt confusion shining in the starlight. You get the impression that, really, she does not care one way or the other.

  But you do. “It’s cool, it’s cool,” you say. But you cannot move to release the zipper.

  “Well?” she says.

  “It’s this suit,” you groan. “I think I’ve been, uh, programmed to keep it on. That way, any time I’m not on my ship, I’ll be ready to fight.”

  “God,” she says, “that’s sick.”

  “The price of freedom is constant vigilance.”

  “That didn’t even sound like you when you said it!”

  “It’s pretty good programming, I guess,” you say. “But maybe, uh, maybe I could just kind of... rub up against you...”

  She giggles, says, “Listen, when the “war” is over, then maybe you can get naked and maybe I’ll let you rub something on me. But until that day...” With that, she smacks her lips against yours once more, then leaves.

  Damn, you think. Kind of disappointing, but at least I’m not a virgin anymore! I think. You gain 3 XP for possibly losing your virginity.

  Turn to section 571.

  128

  The deconstructor jerks sideways and your knife scrapes along its surface, scratching up its paint-job. A tentacle whips up, slapping you in the side of the head. Your skull jarred, you raise an arm and deflect another heavy blow. Ducking to avoid another blow, you trip and fall into the monster, pinning it to the ground. As it smacks you about the neck and head, you stab, over and over, until you pierce a vital spot under its belly. You jerk the blade about inside the deconstructor, ruining its innards. It dies heaving under you.

  You have lost 3 Blood. If your Blood has fallen to zero or less, then you look down and realize that you were stabbing yourself the whole time. The last thing you see before you die is the monster running away, terrified to have encountered such a psychotic freak.

  If you have survived, turn to section 298.

  129

  You scream a terrible battlecry and slam into the old man, lifting him off the ground and smashing him into a wall. You can barely hear the others hollering behind you; they seem far away. Revulsion boils in you as you crush the old man, glaring at his twisting face.

  “The Human is the greatest being!” you hear yourself shouting. “Strongest, noblest, in all the universe! All who oppose the human species - must die!”

  The old man twitches feebly, tongue lolling from his mouth, and you feel the others pulling you back, holding your limbs behind you. The old laborer drops to the floor, moaning. You pull the men about, snarling fiercely. They struggle with you for many minutes until you finally wear out. Later, you begin to make out words, and realize that the men have been talking about you for a long time.

  “This Black Lance Legion, he calls it,” says the manager. “Whatever they are, they’ve programmed this young man to be a monster!”

  “Do they train them to attack the elderly?” says the doctor, huffing and wheezing.

  The guard shakes his head at you, swearing fiercely. They gather about the old laborer, tending to him. You glare at the old man.

  If you refuse to apologize, turn to section 19.

  130

  Some muscle-memory of stomping toads back home comes into play and you bring your foot down in such a manner that the lock is smeared all over the place. You find the following items which may be of use to you.

  Clopadropin (bulk 2) (This bottle of prescription painkiller heals 1 Blood when taken. There is enough for 2 doses.)

  Worker’s Coveralls (bulk 2)

  “Mike, Leon, Don, Ralph: Getting In Touch With Your Personality Type and Your Mutant Spirit Animal” (bulk 1) (This book promises to help the reader gain a personality if he or she does not already have one.)

  Wakem Pills (bulk 1) (This guarana-derivative is common among laborers. When wounded, you may use this item to restore 1 Blood. There is enough for 1 dose.)

  “Guide to STELLAR CORP Infotech” (bulk 1) (This manual contains information about the computer systems used by the Stellar mining corporation.)

  Your body cries out for oxygen.

  If you have a Dexterity score of 2 or more, turn to section 86.

  If not, turn to section 64.

  131

  You try to catch the rhythm of the demon door as you run toward it. You reach the door and it opens right in front of your face. You are nearly through when it slams into you. While it does not crush your skull, it does throw you against the wall and toss you to the floor in a painful heap: Lose 2 Blood.

  You nurse your bruised ribs and ego, then run to the end of the hall and turn a corner. A door lies there. You enter it and leave behind the mist of destruction: Gain 1 XP.

  Turn to section 223.

  132

  You swing your weapon towards the deconstructor’s face.

  You must now compute an abstract number that will determine the outcome of the battle. This number is your Ground Combat (or 1 G Combat) added to your Strength stat. If you have the Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand skill with a Mace, add 2 to this number.

  If this number is 3 or less, turn to section 234.

  If this number is 4 or more, turn to section 95.

  133

  You enter a small chamber. There is another door at the end with an electronic panel beside it. Gagging on nothingness, you push yourself towards it. You slam your fist into the buttons along the panel. A light flickers, you hear the rush of air, and some force draws you down towards the floor. The door slides open and hard white light fills the chamber. You stumble inside, fall to your knees, and pull off your helmet. Sweet air rushes into you and you breathe deep the air of the living.

  You are in a well-lit, tan-colored, carpeted hallway. You consider that this deeper part of the station is still powered, powered enough even to fuel the “fat mass” coils in the floor that, when charged, attract other bodies. Synthetic gravity. There may still be some life in this ghost station yet.

  You know that you can’t stay here forever. The dismantling machines will eventually punch enough holes in the station that the vacuum will get in. You have to search this place over and find a ship that can get you out of here. To where, you don’t know. But in the short-term, you’ll need some gear if you’re to survive. You begin to search your utility belt, then realize that your right hand has been gripped into a fist this
entire time. You are clutching a soldier’s dog tag. The chain is broken, and the name on the tag reads

  PVT. CHRISTIAN, JOHN

  BLACK LANCE LEGION INFANTRY

  SER# 3902247236

  Black Lance Legion Infantry? you wonder. Is this person me?

  You feel about your neck and find another dog tag. It reads

  MR. WIGGLES

  BLACK LANCE LEGION INFANTRY

  SER# 13

  Mister Wiggles... serial number thirteen? This has to be some kind of joke.

  You check out your utility belt. It is completely empty. However, when you do come into contact with items, the bulk of that item will be given. You can only carry a limited bulk of items; the heavier or more oddly-shaped the item, the greater its bulk. For example, a coffee mug would have a bulk of 1, a book would have a bulk of 1 to 4, a cinder block would have a bulk of 15, and the dog tag that you are carrying has a bulk of 0. You may carry a maximum of 12 bulk of items. Any more than that would hamper your movement. You need not worry about your space suit or jetpack, for they are already figured into the equation.

  You also have no fuel in your jetpack and your only oxygen tank is damaged. You will need to find food, a new oxygen tank, weapons, medical supplies, rations, water, and a ship if you are to make it out of this station before it is completely dismantled.

  If you would like to put your mask back on, hold your breath, and explore the room you just came from, turn to section 294.

  If you would rather explore this hallway, turn to section 429.

  134

  You slam your jets one notch past MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE and fly in a tight loop downwards, upwards, even sideways. The tentacle hangs on for all it’s worth, but you jerk it about so violently that it gives up the fight just before you have the chance to throw up into your helmet.

  The long arm of the beast slithers back down into its nest. You gain 1 XP for escaping possible death.

  The need to do some serious damage to this pet of the Invaders, and perhaps turn the situation to your advantage, grows hot in your gut. Once your nerves are properly chilled, you take a look at the nearest landmarks that you could investigate.

  There is a grey mound that you could check out by turning to section 300.

  Some of the blue channels sparkle nearby. You could follow one of them by turning to section 373.

  135

  “Don’t do it!” says the priest. “You might hit the girl!”

  “Don’t do it!” says the laborer. “You might hit me!”

  “Do it!” screams the girl. “Come on, you pussy! Shoot!”

  One shot, one kill, you think to yourself. Let’s just hope the kill isn’t the girl.

  You must now compute a number that determines the outcome of your shot. This number is your Dexterity. If you are skilled in Weapon Proficiency: Ranged with the gun you are using, add 3 to this number. You cannot increase your chance of a successful shot by using more than one bullet; this is a skilled shot, and it only takes one bullet to blow someone’s dome wide open.

  If your number is 5 or less, turn to section 546.

  If your number is 6 or more, turn to section 401.

  136

  If you have any SD damage, and have no Sticky Fix to repair your suit, then the void bleeds you for that much Blood. For instance, if you have lost 1 SD, then you must now lose 1 Blood; if you have lost 2 SD, then you must now lose 2 Blood; if you have lost 3 SD, then your tattered suit comes apart and your body is immediately frozen and you die in the cold of space.

  You crawl hand over hand across the brittle, icy landscape. Clouds of sparkling, ashy dust rise up around you and drift into space. You clamber across the frozen deadland for nearly an hour, drawing nearer and nearer the sniper’s position.

  Finally, you reach a cliff overlooking the position you noted earlier. You watch. Finally, you see a flickering light, movement. Your prey is unwary, careless. You note a stirring shape that is vaguely humanoid, with a space suit as dark as your own. It sits hunched over a long rifle; your helm computer tries to identify it, then marks its caliber as unknown. Then, strangest of all, you clearly see two long, slender, curving horns on either side of the Invader’s head. Whether they are a part of the suit or the enemy itself, you do not know.

  You catch movement nearby and your heart blasts raw fire. You turn suddenly and see another Invader in black armor, his jetpack glowing in the darkness. Two thick horns crown either side of his head - and he turns directly toward you. You freeze, staring into the shadow that is the enemy from another world, wondering what he thinks, wondering if his thoughts are even comprehensible. Then a weapon flashes at his side, a thick short sword like a gladiator would use - a gladius, which your helm identifies as a field-generating weapon - and the engine of his jetpack flares to life.

  The Invader warrior flies toward you, hungry to draw your blood so that it will freeze in the darkness of space.

  If you want to try to draw a gun and fire, turn to section 421.

  If you want to draw a hand-to-hand weapon to fight this thing, or take it on with your bare hands, turn to section 159.

  137

  The guard whirls on you just as you are upon him. His eyes widen in terror - then he raises his lead pipe, parrying your blow. You both float away from one another - then he kicks off from the far wall, flying toward you with a guttural cry. He is intent on killing you.

  If you are using a...

  Mace - section 498, Spear - section 160, Blade - section 252.

  Otherwise, you must fight him with your bare hands by turning to section 23.

  138

  You grab up a tube of icing, toss the thing into the air and, as it falls, slam your fists onto either side of it, sending a wild spray of sickeningly sweet frosting into your mouth. You feel as if you are going to throw up, so violently does your body react against the abuse; you swallow the churning vomit along with a pound of baloney, putting you slightly ahead of the competition.

  Eventually, Cletus falls into a stack of bananas he has already peeled, crushing them into mush. “Gawd,” he bellows, “the pain!”

  “Hah!” cries Buford, chunks spilling from his mouth.

  “M’stomerk! Gonna explode!”

  “Hah ha-a-ah!”

  “Ah thah theah wuh do,” you say, darkly.

  “What?” says Buford.

  “I said, And then there were two,” you repeat, darkly.

  “Whatever, boah,” says Buford, popping an apple into his mouth and swallowing the thing whole.

  If your Strength is 4 or more, turn to section 326.

  If your stat is not this high, or you just want to give up before you hurt yourself, turn to section 458.

  139

  You form up beside two other fanatics, lances extended, while the others fly in a tight formation behind you, their smaller weapons held outward. You have some dim notion that you have been told how to do this many times, but you are positive that this is the first time.

  You never see the shield, but suddenly your jetpack bucks and you feel an intense heat building in your suit. Your lance nearly flies out of your hands. Someone mutters, “Steady, steady, don’t let go...” You know that at any moment the ship can blast all of you with its massive laser cannons.

  You glance to the side as the bombers streak by silently, unloading their payloads of missiles at the Invader ship. The shield lights up as missiles slam into its surface, some exploding on impact, some bouncing away harmlessly, others grinding through like buzz-saws these last are, apparently, fitted with the same sort of field-generating charges as your own weapon.

  You see dozens of red flashes as the Invader ship fires at the missiles. The sight is disorienting; your teeth rattle in your skull; it feels as if your suit is cooking you alive.

  Finally you burst free from the energy shield, rocketing towards the ship as your suit quickly cools down. One fanatic whoops loudly, then blasts ahead of you. Someone says, “We’re gonna have to hack in somewh -
” just as one missile breaches the shield and slams into the Invader ship. There is a flash, a rush of white mist, then a gaping hole highlighted by molten slag.

  “We go in through there,” says Commander Uther. “That’ll make our job easier.”

  “Maybe it already hit the shield generator,” says someone.

  “Probably won’t be so lucky,” says Sybel, the strange dream interpreter.

  As the bombers streak away in a tight curve, you and your comrades fly toward the hole in the black hull of the Invader ship.

  Turn to section 282.

  140

  The old man takes the pilot’s chair, then spends his sweet time adjusting it - whether to heighten the dramatic tension or because he thinks it’s some kind of recliner he’s going to take a nap in, you cannot tell. Many ships blast free from the port, engines blazing hot. He flips the switch to release the electronic moorings, then blasts off as dozens of other ships do the same.

  “Please, God,” you mumble loud enough for him to hear, “please don’t let the old man have a heart attack just yet.”

  You and Octegenarius peer ahead. You see the black of the void, stars, the flare of ships, and you know that the black Invader ship is out there somewhere, stalking. The old man’s hands seem steady on the controls, while your own suit feels like a sauna in the cramped space of the ship. Suddenly you see a flash of red, then a ship near you whirls wildly, spraying gas, then another flash of hellfire and another ship explodes in a spray of metal. Then another, and another, and as the ships around you spread wildly the old man increases speed and directs Narrenschiff in a fit of wild loops.