Fire Storm (2 page)

You shoot a couple of the trolls with your eGun, but the lava is beginning to burn into your visor — you can hardly see your enemies to fight them!

If you wish to open your visor,
go to 44
.

If you wish to fly away,
go to 42
.

The white light vanishes and is replaced by
a vivid red and yellow glow. You are on the surface of Fireworld! Even though the DART suit is flameproof, you can still feel the heat.

The intensity of the flames and fire begins to affect the DART suit. Your visor begins to steam up and you can hardly see.

“Check the atmosphere,” you tell the DART suit. “How hot is it? Can I breathe the air?”

“Unable to calculate,” replies the suit’s computer. “Overheating is causing sensor malfunction.”

To open your visor and clean it,
go to 44
.

If you wish to move on slowly,
go to 16
.

You send a bolt of energy at the pyrodog. It hits the creature, knocking it out of the air, stone dead. However, the wave of liquid fire hits you, covering your suit and visor with its sticky, burning flames. The substance begins to melt your suit and you cannot see as your visor blisters and bubbles.

You fly around the cavern, desperately trying to extinguish the burning flames.

At that moment you hear more howling. Another pack of pyrodogs appears from the cavern’s tunnels, baying and spitting more liquid flame at you.

To fly out of the cavern,
go to 42
.

To try to teleport back to Earth,
go to 21
.

“Fire at the arms,” you order.

The DART suit responds and launches the foam missiles. They hit the Titan’s flame-throwing arms and instantly set hard, blocking the nozzles.

Pressure builds up and the flame-throwers explode! The titan roars out in pain and drops to the ground.

The flame trolls, seeing that their leader is defeated, run away.

If you wish to make sure the fire titan is dead,
go to 46
.

If you wish to head into Vulkana’s kingdom,
go to 29
.

You activate your eGun and swoop towards the entrance, blasting the flame trolls. Your attack has taken them by surprise! Several of the creatures drop down dead.

The trolls aim their flame-throwers and send streams of hot flame towards you. You respond by spinning away from the fire and resuming your attack, knocking more down.

There are only a few left, but then you hear a deafening roar from inside the cave. You stare in horror as a monstrous figure emerges.

“ALERT! Fire titan!” your computer barks.

The creature’s whole body blazes. Its arms are powerful flame-throwers and they are pointing at you!

To use your foam missiles,
go to 39
.

To continue to attack with the eGun,
go to 30
.

To attack using your bomb,
go to 25
.

The exploding fireballs and streams of lava burn at the DART suit. You try to fly away, but the suit doesn’t respond. The computer’s circuits have been affected by the intense heat and have been fried!

Another volley of fireballs hit you and the suit drops from the air, into the molten lava. You lie helpless, arms outstretched, as the deadly lava burns into the DART suit. Within seconds the suit begins to melt and your body is consumed by the flames.

You have failed. If you wish to begin your mission again,
go to 1
.

“Avoid,” you shout.

The suit obeys and you spin away from the stream of flame. At the same time you send a volley of energy bolts towards the pyrodog. The creature is hit and drops through the air, dead.

You order your NAV system to locate Vulkana. Within seconds the computer has scanned the underground passages and set out a route for you to follow. You take a deep breath and set off for your showdown with the ruler of Fireworld.

Go to 38
.

“I know that the TD bomb is a total destruction bomb,” you say.

“Correct,” replies QTee. “It is like a mini atom bomb. It is a very powerful weapon, but only to be used as a weapon of last resort as it will cause massive destruction.”

“Then I hope I don’t have to use it,” you reply. “Tell me about the earthquake bomb?”

“It’s a different type of weapon,” says QTee.

“It drives itself deep into the ground and then explodes, creating an earthquake that can bring down buildings and cause the ground to rip open.”

If you want to choose the TD bomb,
go to 37
.

If you want to choose the earthquake bomb,
go to 20
.

You decide that the risk is too great to head straight into the cavern. You fire your foam missiles at the holes in the walls leading to the cavern. The foam sets and seals off the possibility of anything shooting from out of the walls.

You fly through the tunnel and into the cavern. It is lit up by streams of lava cascading down the walls.

“Enemy to the right,” warns the computer.

You look across and see a pack of a dozen or more of savage-looking creatures, standing on the ledges of the cavern in pools of lava.

Fire burns from their mouths and their eyes change colour from black, to red to yellow as they stare at you, growling. One of the pyrodogs throws back its head and howls. Liquid fire pours from its mouth. You realise that this is the signal for the creatures to attack!

If you decide to attack with foam missiles
go to 17
.

If you wish to attack with your eGun,
go to 45
.

You employ stealth mode and fly carefully towards the entrance.

The flame trolls don’t seem to be able to see you, but as you are about to pass by them, one of the guards sniffs the air. He shouts a warning and bursts into flames, creating a wall of fire between you and the entrance!

The air turns into a raging firestorm as the trolls point at you and shoot deadly flames from their flame-throwers.

You are engulfed in a whirlwind of fire!

Go to 42
.

Vulkana staggers and falls towards the lava pool. As she does, she cracks her whip and catches you around the leg. She topples into the pool, dragging you with her.

You hit the molten lava, but you are not affected. You realise that Vulkana’s staff is protecting you from the heat.

However, your relief only lasts a few seconds as you realise that the TD bomb is about to explode!

You fly up and out of the pool, but you are too late! There is a devastating explosion as the TD bomb detonates. You are ripped apart.

You have saved the Earth from invasion, but paid the ultimate price.

If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.

You are pretty sure that if you open your visor, you will die from the heat and fumes, so you decide to rely on your NAV system.

“Find the entrance to Vulkana’s kingdom,” you order. The route appears on your heads-up display. “Head south,” you say.

You take off and fly through the toxic clouds of Fireworld. Although deadly, the air is cooler than the surface of the planet.

“Sensors now normal,” says the computer. Your visor clears and you see half a dozen creatures flying in the air ahead of you. From the distance they look like small flying lizards.

To scan these creatures,
go to 32
.

If you wish to carry on towards them, and Vulkana’s kingdom,
go to 40
.

You fly up to the roof of the cavern and target your foam missiles at the creatures. As you do so, all the pyrodogs face you and spit streams of burning liquid fire at you!

You spin out of the way, but they continue their attack, running along the ledges and spitting their deadly fire.

You fire a missile at one of the creatures, covering it in foam. The pyrodog is set solid and it stands like a statue, unable to move. But the others in the pack spread out along the ledges and continue their attack. Their streams of fire shoot out across the cavern.

If you wish to continue to attack with the missiles,
go to 34
.

If you wish to switch to your eGun,
go to 45
.

You begin to shoot at the trolls and take out three of your enemies. But you have made a fatal mistake! You haven’t launched the bomb — it is still in your launcher, and is armed!

Another sheet of flame blasts into you and your launcher takes a direct hit.

“Extinguish flames,” you order, but the suit doesn’t respond.

“BOMB DETONATION IMMINENT!” warns the computer.

“Launch bo…!” you begin to say. But you are too late. The bomb explodes, ripping your body into millions of atoms.

You have failed! Begin your adventure again by
going to 1
.

“Arm and deploy TD bomb,” you order. “Timed detonation — 30 seconds.”

The suit responds. You aim at the lava pool and fire. The bomb hits the lava pool and is sucked into its depths.

At the same time, you fly at top speed towards Vulkana. She is surprised by your sudden attack. She holds up her Staff of Power, but you aim a volley of energy bolts at the throne. They explode and Vulkana staggers, losing her balance. Seizing the chance, you launch a steel net at the staff. It connects and you use it to wrench it from her grasp. You take hold of the Staff of Power. Vulkana is at your mercy!

If you wish to get out of the cavern,
go to 48
.

If you wish to see what happens to Vulkana,
go to 15
.

“I’ll take the earthquake bomb as it might help me underground,” you say.

“Okie doke, it’s your neck on the line,” replies QTee as he loads the bomb into the DART suit’s launcher.

He continues. “Because you captured the crystal that powered Hurrikano’s staff, you will have control over the element of air. You will now be able to fly in the suit. And remember, if you capture Vulkana’s crystal, you will also be able to control fire!”

You step into the suit.

QTee speaks to you over the COMS link.

“Because teleportation doesn’t work underground, I will teleport you to the surface of the planet. You’ll have to make your way to Vulkana’s underworld kingdom. I have set co-ordinates for this in the DART suit’s NAV system. Good luck!”

“Teleport,” you order. A bright light envelops the DART suit as you are teleported through the dimensions of space.

Go to 6
.

“Teleport,” you order.

Nothing happens. “Teleport!” you repeat.

“Unable to teleport whilst underground,” the computer responds.

The pyrodogs continue their deadly attack. You curse as another stream of fire hits you. Flames engulf you and eat into the suit. You try to extinguish the flames, but they are too intense.