Earth Attack (4 page)

You groan. “Teleporting isn’t much fun at the best of times! Having all your atoms scrambled and then reassembled halfway across the galaxy is bad enough, but the idea that they might not get reassembled at all…”

Agent Roberts looks grimly at you. “It’s your call.”

The screen flickers back to life. Tyranno appears. “What is your decision?” he asks.

If you don’t want to go to the Deathworld,
go to 12
.

If you wish to use Tyranno’s co-ordinates to teleport,
go to 9
.

If you want QTee to change the coordinates,
go to 18
.

“Locate Tyranno,” you order the suit.

Seconds later the suit’s NAV system displays a diagram of the Deathworld and a route leading to Tyranno.

Leaving the watchers to their task of observing the universe, you move out of the map room and into a long corridor. The walls are made from crystal, layered with scrap and other junk.

You put the suit into stealth mode and cautiously make your way through the corridors of the Deathworld.

Your caution is well founded as the DART suit issues a warning. “Skeleton droid fighters ahead. Highly dangerous!”

If you wish to try to avoid them,
go to 42
.

If you decide to fight them,
go to 14
.

“Head through the minefield,” you tell the suit.

“14 per cent chance of survival,” the computer replies. “Advise caution.”

“No time for that!” you say. “Super speed!”

The suit responds. You fly at top speed into the star minefield. In the blink of an eye, the star mines flash red and attach themselves to the DART suit.

You have made a fatal mistake! There is a series of enormous explosions as hundreds of the mines detonate, ripping you apart.

You should have taken more care! If you wish to start your adventure again,
go to 1
.

“What sort of weapons are you thinking of?” you ask QTee.

The inventor smiles. “Some new ones I’ve been working on.”

But before QTee can show you the weapons, Agent Roberts lets out a shout. “The creature’s breaking through the main entrance.”

“But that’s impossible! That steel door is over two metres thick!”

“I’ll attach those weapons to the suit and explain what they do,” says QTee.

If you want to attack the creature attacking Area 61 immediately,
go to 15
.

To use the new weapons,
go to 20
.

You find yourself on a huge observation deck, looking out into the vastness of space. The flashes of light are coming from beyond the Deathworld. You look down and you give out a cry of despair. Thousands of Tyranno’s spaceships are attacking Earth! The planet is in flames.

The invasion has begun. You watch on, knowing that you have failed. Earth is doomed!

Try to save Earth again.
Go back to 1
.

You point your eGun at Tyranno and shoot him with blasts of energy.

To your amazement, Tyranno’s body disintegrates! You smile and think how easy it was to defeat the Starlord.

However, your feeling of victory lasts for just seconds. There is a roaring noise as the Starlord’s molecules swirl around like a tornado. You stand amazed as Tyranno’s body re-forms before your eyes.

He laughs. “You cannot kill me! I am the Starlord. My body is made of Star Dust, which I control.”

He points at you and a flash of crackling energy shoots from his hand and covers you. Slowly, you feel your body being pulled apart.

You have failed in your quest to defeat Tyranno. Have another shot:
go to 1
.

Tyranno stands over you. “You miserable creature, you have failed! To think you could defeat me. And now I will unleash death on your planet, and you will watch.”

You can do nothing as thousands of spaceships pour out of the Deathworld, heading down to annihilate your beloved planet. Tyranno pushes your face against the observation window, and you know that your turn to die will follow shortly.

Your quest is a failure.
Go back to 1
.

“Tell me more about the vortex bomb,” you ask the inventor.

QTee looks grim. “It is designed to rip through the fabric of time and space. To put it simply, when the bomb explodes, Tyranno will be blown to atoms and what’s left of him will be sent into a dimension outside time and space from which it can never return. Of course, the same thing will happen to anything else within the blast zone.”

“How big is the blast zone?” you ask.

QTee shrugs. “I’m not sure, it could be five metres, it could be more. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

“You mean it’s a risk I’ll have to take!”

“Let’s hope you can defeat Tyranno without using it,” says Agent Lee.

You realise that this mission is going to be your most dangerous and possibly your last.

Go to 5
.

You bombard Tyranno with a barrage of missiles and energy bolts, but the Starlord simply absorbs them into his body. He returns to the attack with streams of energy pulses and star missiles. You are sent crashing to the ground.

Before you can recover, Tyranno holds out his hand and a wave of toxic energy surrounds you.

You try to break free, but you are trapped inside a bubble of energy waves. He holds up his hand and raises you from the ground. You are left hanging in the air.

As Tyranno moves towards you, you glance through the great windows of the chamber and see the Starlord’s spaceships pouring out of the Deathworld, heading for Earth.

To detonate the vortex bomb,
go to 32
.

To threaten Tyranno with the vortex bomb,
go to 17
.

To try to teleport back to Earth,
go to 25
.

You decide to turn around to avoid the droid skeletons, but as you do an alarm begins to sound in the corridors of the Deathworld.

QTee’s voice crackles through your comm link. “Tyranno knows you are on the Deathworld. He knows we’ve tricked him! He is going to attack Earth…” Then the signal goes dead.

You turn back towards the droids, but by now they have seen you. They hurtle towards you, firing energy bolts.

To attack them with fire,
go to 48
.

To attack them with your eGun,
go to 24
.

If you still wish to try to evade the droids,
go to 31
.

“Fire missiles!” you order.

The suit sends a stream of missiles towards your enemy. They burst against the creature’s body, but instead of destroying it, the creature seems to absorb the weapons. It grows even bigger as it turns on you.

You realise that the creature is an element monster! It can absorb the Earth’s elements. The metal in the missiles is adding to its power! It lumbers towards you, its huge outstretched arms reaching for you.

If you want to fly away,
go to 26
.

To attack with your eGun,
go to 7
.

“Fire into the room!” you order the suit. It responds and sends a barrage of energy bolts at the opening to Tyranno’s control centre.

To your shock, the attack fails — there is a protective force field across the door! The energy bolts bounce back towards you. They shred your armour and knock you down, dead.

Your quest has failed.
Go back to 1
.

I’m taking no chances, you think. “Launch missiles,” you order the suit.

You wait a moment, but nothing happens. You repeat your order.

The suit replies. “Unable to respond. There is a blocking device in this room. All weapons systems are disabled.”

At that moment, the watchers turn towards you. Their long tendrils reach through the air and grab hold of you.

“Maximum power!” you order.

The suit replies, “System malfunction.”

You try to get away, but it is hopeless. Hundreds of tendrils engulf you and the creatures pull you into the middle of the star map. There is a blinding light as your body is accelerated through space and time.

Go to 3
.

“I don’t think we should talk with him,” you reply. “We have nothing to say.”

“Shhhh!” QTee shakes his head and points at the screen. “Tyranno’s forced open the comm link. He can see us and hear every word we say!”

Tyranno’s voice booms out. “Well, Earthling, if you have nothing to say, then I will let my forces do the talking!”

If you now wish to talk to Tyranno,
go to 4
.

If you still don’t want to,
go to 12
.

Your arm crackles with fire and you launch a scorching hot jet of flame at Tyranno. He is engulfed in a massive fireball.

But your sense of victory is short-lived. The flames die down and Tyranno steps forward through the smoke. He is completely unharmed! “I am the Starlord, you fool. Stars are made of fire, and so am I! Did you really think fire would hurt me? Now it’s my turn!”