Heavy Metal Thunder Read online

  If you have a hand-to-hand weapon and want to go toe-to-toe with the head of the beast, turn to section 155.

  If you have a High-Power Implosion Grenade, you can use it by turning to section 584.

  If you want to try to wiggle free from the tentacle and fly away from the monster, turn to section 467.

  97

  You and the others creep forward as best you can. Your jetpacks clang back and forth on your backs, and you can only pray that the hum of machinery that fills the hall can cover you. You peer into the room ahead, sure that at any moment enemy soldiers will burst forth.

  Ahead of you, the Commander swings into the narrow doorway, then motions for the rest of you to follow. Suddenly, a black-masked face crowned by two large horns peers through the far doorway. He sees you and Marcus, then barks out some order. Immediately gunmen swing around both sides of the doorway, blasting wildly. You feel something smack into your stomach, driving the air from you, then Marcus pushes you into the doorway. Uther returns fire as you fall to the ground, stunned.

  “Return fire!” Uther shouts. “Fire!”

  You check your wound quickly. You lose 2 Blood, though you may subtract your Defense rating from this amount if you happen to be wearing any armor. Furthermore you lose 1 SD.

  If you die, then you may Regenerate by turning back to section 161.

  If you survive, then it seems your suit has saved your life, as the bullet did not penetrate your precious gut-bag.

  Still on the ground, you lean over the edge and blast at the enemy, who duck for cover. Uther fires standing above you while Marcus, on his knees, returns fire with his rifle. You glance at Sybel; it seems you are in some sort of large storage closet full of radiation suits, which Sybel studies intently.

  You must now compute a number that will determine the outcome of your gun battle. This number is your Dexterity. If you are trained in Weapon Proficiency: Ranged, and it is with the weapon you are using, add 3 to this number. If you are using a Shotgun, add 1. For every 3 Handgun bullets you fire, add 1. For every 2 Rifle bullets you fire, add 1. For every Shotgun shell you fire, add 1.

  If your number is 9 or less, turn to section 102.

  If your number is 10 or more, turn to section 31.

  98

  You are wearing a black outfit thick with padding and topped by a lean black helmet. The outfit is unmistakably militant. A single yellow patch on your left chest is the only thing that denotes any sort of rank. Several jets arc outward from the heavy device strapped to your back. A thick utility belt and an empty holster hang at your waist. You look like some sort of killer, and the shattered mirror and the smeared blood give perfect reference to your place in this world.

  The visor of your helm is darkened, but you can still make out some features of the face within: Dark skin, a vicious hawk nose, deep-set eyes hidden in shadow. Some aspects of your broken memory come together, and you remember the basic nature of your being.

  Underneath your protective armor lies a human being, unique from all others. Still, you live in a cold universe, and it is often the simplest traits that help you survive the war that is life. The person that is you can be reduced to five statistics: Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, Charisma, and Will. You begin the game of life with a score of 1 in each stat. As you have grown and developed, you have gained 3 additional points, which you may now distribute among your statistics any way that you see fit. How you distribute your bonus points will help determine the nature of your character and how you interact with the universe.

  Strength - Physical musculature, endurance, athletic prowess. A high score in this stat will make you a more powerful warrior. A low score will make you a tired weakling.

  Intelligence - Mental computing ability, creativity, cleverness, wisdom, and understanding of the nature of things. A high score in this stat will help you outwit the enemy and keep ahead of the competition. A low score will make it difficult for you to grasp some concepts.

  Dexterity - Your flexibility, agility, reflexes, sense of kinesthetics, and ability to fire a gun accurately. A high score in this stat will help you pull off tricky maneuvers. A low score will make you clumsy.

  Charisma - Force of character, social grace, good looks, aura of charm, ability to lead. A high score in this stat will make others trust you. A low score will cause others to shun and distrust you.

  Will - Beneath the thin veneer of your personality, behind everything you learn and all the choices you make, there is the raw force that drives you. A high score in this stat will help you to keep going where others have failed. A low score will make you an emotionally weak, spineless person. One can even have a battle of Wills with others.

  During the course of your life you will gain experience and advance in character levels. When this happens, you will earn more points that you may distribute among your statistics. In some rare instances your statistics may be temporarily lowered. For instance, great injury can lower your Strength or Dexterity, confusion can lower your Intelligence or Charisma, and a great ordeal can lower your Will. (Hint: While a 2 in any score is better than a 1, having a 3 in one score may give you an edge in some situations. Still, it is a risky gamble, as you do not have many skill points that you can distribute at your current level.)

  The constant hissing in your ears dwindles, then chokes off. You force in one small gulp of air, then there is nothing. You are out of air. You see a door that leads deeper into the station. You wonder if the entire station has been gutted and given over to the vacuum. You push yourself towards the door and enter.

  Turn to section 335.

  99

  Most of the lockers contain nothing of any value. However, one locker is kept shut by a padlock. You are in great need of air, but are also frustrated that your search has provided so little.

  If you have a Wrench you can try to break the padlock by turning to section 485.

  If you left this item all the way at the other side of the room, you can still give the lock a swift kick before leaving the room by turning to section 403.

  If you would rather leave to get air, turn to section 86.

  100

  Having gathered up the O2 tanks, you kick off and float down the hallway leading back to the lounge so that you can gather the food supplies you suspect are there. You shine your helm light down every side hall, ready to blast the manager if you see him.

  You enter the lounge. The boxes drift near the floor; you tear open one and, to your delight, find tons of rations, snacks, even complete meals. You check a side room - it is full of jugs of water. You make a mental note to find some way to keep the stuff from freezing so that you can drink it in space. You spend half an hour stacking the items in the hallway, then carefully push the entire mass before you. The trip down the long hallway is a small nightmare of organizing and reorganizing, but you are thankful that the entire length of the hall is a straight stretch with no narrow or closed doorways.

  You stop near an entrance to the docks and let the goods float near the O2 tanks. Then you reenter the dock command station, casting your light about for fear of the stalking manager. You gather up the steel fuel canisters, then attach a line from your jetpack to one of the things and refuel yourself. Your heart races with the hope of escaping this ghost station. You push the fuel canisters through the air and slowly kick them against a wall near the rest of your supplies. Perhaps another half hour passes as you come near to exhaustion collecting your supplies together.

  Then, you hear a radio sputtering in the darkness.

  Turn to section 180.

  101

  The tentacle drags you closer and closer to its writhing brethren. As your foot goes numb in its ice-cold grip, you unsheathe a weapon and swing.

  You must now compute a number that will determine the outcome of the battle. This number is your Zero G Combat added to your Strength stat. If you are skilled in Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand with the weapon you are using, add 3 to this number.

  Your weap
on cannot seem to put a dent in the tentacle, nor can you get any leverage against its writhing mass in order to pry yourself free. The tentacle clamps down on your leg harder still, sucking the fight out of you and nearly shattering your leg. You lose 12 Blood during the struggle, but you may subtract the number you computed from this amount of Blood loss.

  The tentacle flings you down into a nest of shorter tentacles. They slither about you, crushing you, rolling you around. You can barely breathe, much less scream. The things are very powerful and you know that they could crush the life from you. Instead, it seems that they are moving you somewhere.

  If you want to roll up into a ball to minimize the damage the tentacles can do to you, turn to section 96.

  If you want to try using your weapon against these shorter tentacles, turn to section 251.

  102

  Both sides blast away at one another. Chunks of the wall shatter and fly into your face, your eyes, your neck. Several Invaders fall to your combined gunfire, but more seem to fill the area, firing round after round at your position.

  During the fight you lose 2 Blood. Be sure to erase the amount of ammunition that you used. Though you cannot seem to make any headway, you gain 1 XP for surviving.

  If you die, then you may Regenerate by turning back to section 161.

  “They’re getting reinforcements!” shouts Marcus. “And we’re boxed in here!”

  If your Intelligence is 3 or more, turn to section 463.

  If your stat is not this high, turn to section 66.

  103

  The light from your helmet shines on the terrible scene of murder. Money printed in all garish colors twinkles, floating like beautiful cherubim. You can take the heavy Wrench (Mace, bulk 3), or pry the Knife (Blade, bulk 1) from the dead man’s chest, or take them both. If you do take them, be sure to record these weapons in your item inventory. You may also take a handful of Stellar Money (bulk 1) or even a Bag of Stellar Money (bulk 3) if you wish.

  You notice a row of lockers on the far wall. You are getting hungry for air.

  If you would like to make a quick search of the dead workers’ pockets, turn to section 121.

  If you would like to examine the lockers, turn to section 99.

  If you would like to leave this room now, turn to section 86.

  104

  As the other infantrymen fly around the corner, you hear shouting in your com-link, and you and Sybel make an awkward turnabout and drag Marcus back the way you came. Your legs burn, then go numb. Suddenly you stumble and crash to your knees, unable to go on. You roll onto your back and see a dozen masked, horned Invaders turn into the hallway, eyes gleaming in the dull red light.

  Can’t die, you think, pulling yourself back up on your elbows. Can’t die, not yet.

  There is a terrific rush and it seems the whole world in front of you turns into a whirlwind. There is a flash of intense light, then complete darkness. Suddenly you are whipped off your back and pulled through cold nothingness. You see the flashes of helm lights darting past you, around you, then your own helm light clicks on and you see twisted metal, layers of steel bent and shattered in an instant. Then you are jerked sideways in a rush of air, like a dead soul whipped free from the bounds of its earthly body.

  An eternity squeezed into a moment passes, then you are thrown into open space. The mangled bodies of dead aliens spin all around you, freezing, twitching feebly. You see the lights of jetpacks as your comrades fly away from the blasted hull. All at once your senses return, and you hear Commander Uther shouting, “Fly! Get out of there!”

  I’m alive! you think. Alive! You blast your jetpack to life and follow your comrades through space, away from the Invader ship.

  If your space suit has been destroyed during the attack on the Invader ship, turn to section 393.

  If it is whole or only a little damaged, turn to section 585.

  105

  “You wanna come with me?” you say.

  “What for? What’s the point?” she says, flaring in anger. “We’re all going to die anyway.”

  “Not me,” you say. “I’m getting a ship and flying out of here.”

  “If you’ve got a ship, then what’re you wasting your time here for?”

  “I don’t have a ship yet, dumbass, I’m gonna take one.”

  She brightens slightly. “Oka-a-ay. Okay!”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Reika,” she says, smiling crookedly. “You?”

  You panic, and can feel your ears burning. “Uh, u-u-uh,” you stutter. “It’s... Commander... Destructinator... uh...”

  “Bullshit,” Reika says. Then you feel utter horror, for she grabs your dogtag before you can smack her hand away. “Mister Wiggles, huh?”

  “Listen! That’s probably not my real name. You know, that’s something someone put on me after he stole my memory... and sold it to the aliens...”

  “Huh?”

  “Okay bitch, fine, you can call me that until my memory comes back and I know my real name. Okay? That alright with you?”

  Smiling, she turns to the door to leave but you distinctly hear her mutter something that lets you know that she does not have complete faith in your abilities. You realize that while Reika might be a helpful ally, you also might have to kill her. Such back-talk could be dangerous in the long term. For now, make a note that Reika is with you.

  To continue down the hall toward the ship docking bay, turn to section 381.

  106

  You and the others creep forward. Your jetpacks clang back and forth on your backs, and it seems a wonder that no one can hear you, but the entire hallway hums with the sound of machinery, covering you. You peer ahead, sure that at any moment enemy soldiers will burst forth.

  Ahead of you, the Commander swings into the narrow doorway, then motions for the rest of you to follow. Just as you are about to enter, a black-masked face crowned by two large horns peers through the far doorway. He sees you and Marcus, then barks out some order. Immediately gunmen swing around both sides of the far doorway, blasting wildly. You dive into the narrow doorway while Uther covers you as best he can.

  “Return fire!” Uther shouts. “Fire!”

  Still on the ground, you lean over the edge and blast at the enemy, who duck for cover. Uther fires standing above you while Marcus, on his knees, returns fire with his rifle. You glance at Sybel; it seems you are in some sort of large storage closet full of radiation suits, which Sybel studies intently.

  You gain 1 XP for using your skill as best you can.

  You must now compute a number that will determine the outcome of your gun battle. This number is your Dexterity. If you are trained in Weapon Proficiency: Ranged, and it is with the weapon you are using, add 3 to this number. If you are using a Shotgun, add 1. For every 3 Handgun bullets you fire, add 1. For every 2 Rifle bullets you fire, add 1. For every Shotgun shell you fire, add 1.

  If your number is 9 or less, turn to section 102.

  If your number is 10 or more, turn to section 31.

  107

  You can use a...

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

  108

  One Invader crashes into the ground, dead from Sybel’s gunshot. Two more of them, desperate for cover, roll directly into your line of sight. Marcus sprays one with a hail of bullets that tosses blood onto the far wall. While the other Invader whirls in confusion, you blast the side of his head, shattering his mask and spraying blood onto one of his bone-white horns.

  The last alien guard, realizing that he is outnumbered, runs away through your line of sight in a desperate bid to survive. As Marcus and Sybel nail him from two directions, he fires wildly. One of his bullets whizzes by your knee, tearing off a strip of precious meat with it.

  You lose 2 Blood and 1 SD.

  If you die, then you may Regenerate by turning back to section 161.

  If you survive, then you gain 2 XP for killing an alien guard. Be sure to erase the amount of ammu
nition that you used.

  Sybel runs down the hall and you rush to rejoin him. Turn to section 416.

  109

  The deconstructor leans back on long legs and your spear slams into the ground; following through with your own momentum, you catch the butt end of your weapon in your gut, losing your breath. A tentacle from each of the monsters whirls about, then smack heavily into either side of your head, jarring your skull. Dizzy, you swing about in a whirlwind tantrum, striking metal against metal. You finally slam into a wall and bounce backward. You grit against the pain, then see that one of the deconstructors has been smashed horribly. The other rises from its brother’s body, shaken, and you fall on the monster, jamming the end of your weapon into its top until, finally, you crack the shell and smash the thing’s innards. You fall among the dead machines, exhausted.

  You lose 3 Blood in the fight. If your Blood has dropped to zero or less, then you pass out, dead, your blood mingling with the coolant in the deconstructor’s veins.

  If you have survived, turn to section 298.

  110

  Red light flashes through a maze of hallways. You can hear heavy doors slamming open and shut, over and over and at different intervals like the drumbeat of some god of war. One seemingly calm hallway is filled with fog that glows pink in time to the emergency lights. You hear buzzing, flashes like thunder. An air conditioning duct thunders full of storm for one moment, then clicks off again. Just before you step into the area, a heavy cleaning machine rushes past you at breakneck speed, slams into a wall, then disappears around a corner.

  You enter the area and are overwhelmed by the choice of hallways. You find two that seem the least forbidding of them all.