Heavy Metal Thunder (36 page)

If you want to throw a chair at the killer for
distraction, then run and attack him, turn to section
94
.

There is no cover near the door, but if you want to
haul ass out of the all-you-can-eat buffet, turn to section
273
.

You adjust your position on the table,
then
stretch your arms. The weight of the jetpack is
incredibly uncomfortable.

“Why don’t you take that thing off for a while,”
says the doctor, filling a syringe. “Sit back, and we’ll try to enjoy our last
few minutes of life.”

“Can’t take it off,” you say.

“And why not?
Has this space cult really programmed you so well?”

“I... it’s not about being programmed. I still mean
to get out of here.”

The doctor smiles sadly and taps air bubbles from
the syringe.

“What is that stuff, anyway?” you say, nodding to
the syringe.

“It’s a mixture of vitamins and energizing supplements.
It will invigorate your body and sharpen your mind - but also, it helps reduce
emotional peaks. Such as fear, panic... the terror I’m sure we’re all going to
feel in our last few minutes as the vacuum slips into this place. I’ve already
taken some myself.”

“Wait... is it some sort of coma-inducing stuff so I
won’t be afraid when the station falls apart?”

Taken aback, the doctor laughs awkwardly, says,
“No-o-o, I promise it’s quite harmless.” He shakes his head at the situation,
then
feels about your arm for a place to inject the drug.

If you have the
First
Aid
skill and
would like to use it, turn to section
418
.

If you have the
Sixth
Sense
skill and
would like to use it, turn to section
528
.

If you do not have these skills, you can let the
doctor inject the drug by turning to section
321
.

If you do not have these skills, you can tell the
doctor you don’t want the drug by turning to section
25
.

The ship looks small - no sense in fighting your way
onto a larger, better-protected ship that’s only going to make a bigger target
for the Invaders, you figure. It is a slim, steel-grey vessel that seems to
have a large modified engine, surely a sign that it’s fast. As you push through
people and draw closer to the ship, you see three men in laborers’ coveralls
running up and down the ramp loading supplies onto the ship from a large cart
parked below. Two other men armed with rifles, either mercenaries or ex-lawmen,
stalk about the ship’s ramp and exchange nervous glances while shouting at the
laborers.

Then you see the ship’s captain - or at least the
man who has currently laid claim to the ship. He is a tall, fat, red-headed
beast in expensive clothes armed with a revolver in one hand and a thick
leather belt in the other. You watch as he drives a woman and her child away
from the ship with guttural shouts and cruel licks from his belt.

Not a very nice guy
,
you think.
That’s going to make this a lot easier for me
.

“THIS IS THE DOCK COMMAND STATION,” says a man’s
voice over the intercom. “WE WILL BE OPENING THE DOCKING BAY DOORS IN TEN
MINUTES.”

You realize that you will probably need to take some
people with you in your escape. For one thing, they could prove helpful, but
also you do not look forward to another long journey alone, as it would be
difficult to fight off insanity, as you once did, with a
Will
score of
less than 20. However, you know also that the supplies on the ship will probably
be limited, and you simply cannot save everyone’s life in the station. You will
have to turn some people away, and the choice will ultimately be yours.

But one thing’s for sure
,
you think.
I’m not taking that Captain with me. He’s a dangerous-looking
asshole and I’m not letting him on
my
ship
.

You draw up next to the ship. “What
d’you
want
?”
shouts the Captain.

“You’re trespassing on my ship,” you say. “Get
lost.”

The man’s face burns bright purple. Nearby, the two
guards exchange looks. Your foot bumps against something. You look down and see
a dead man covered in blood – he is mostly likely the ship’s former captain.

If you want to stare the man down and say something
even more
hardassed
, turn to section
72
.

If you want to appeal to the two guards and sell the
idea of kicking out the current Captain, turn to section
43
.

If you want to draw a gun and blast the Captain,
turn to section
196
.

If you want to attack the Captain with a
hand-to-hand weapon or even your bare hands, turn to section
310
.

Your eyes bore into the laborer’s skull. You can
feel his fear, his overwhelming desperation, as the force of your will hammers into
his core.

Add your
Will
and
Charisma
stats.

If the number is 8 or more, turn to section
240
.

If it is 7 or less, turn to section
440
.

You must now compute a number that determines the result
of your gunfire. If you are skilled in
Weapon Proficiency: Ranged
, and
it is with the gun you are using, add 3 to your total. For every
2 Rifle
bullets you fire, add 1 to the result. For every
4 Handgun bullets
you
fire, add 1 to the result. Add your
Dexterity
to the total.

If the result is 7 or more, turn to section
74
.

If it is 6 or less, turn to section
459
.

You
raise
up over the box,
blood singing in your ears drowning out all else. A horned head hovers into
view. You fire - and the guard falls back, one of his horns shattered, blood
spurting from a new opening in his head.

The other two open fire as you drop down again, and
while most of their bullets ricochet off the steel box, others slam into your
suit and tear into your flesh. You lose
6 Blood
, though you may subtract
your
Defense
rating from this amount. You also lose
1 SD.
Be
sure to erase the amount of ammunition that you used.

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

If you survive, then your com-link clicks to life. A
calm, aristocratic voice says, “Commander Uther, do you read me? This is
Captain Numitor.” You can hear him loud and clear over the
Penelope’s
powerful
communications link.

“SIR, YES SIR!” cries Uther.

“The good news,” says Numitor, in a conversational
tone, “is that our infantry have beaten back the attackers. Unfortunately I’ve
had to recall most of them to our own ship. You see, some nine enemy units have
broken into our own ship. We had quite a battle on the deck and killed three of
them, but they managed to find our shield generator. Another has died against
the soldiers there, but the last five are putting up quite a fight. My second
is throwing around the word ‘retreat’. How are things over there, Commander?”

“Few minutes, sir!” says Uther. “Few minutes, that’s
all we need.”

Damn!
you
think.
I hope that hot supply depot chick didn’t get
her face seared off or her intestines blown out by some monster. I never even
caught her name
...

You prepare to fire at the second guard.

You must now compute a number that will determine
the accuracy of your second shot. 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
Rifle
, add 2. 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. Furthermore, if you have the
Sixth
Sense
,
add 1 to this number.

If the number is 7 or less, turn to section
488
.

If the number is between 8 and 13, turn to section
111
.

If the number is 14 or more, turn to section
422
.

If you are completely out of bullets, turn to
section
471
.

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
and
Dexterity
stats. If you
have the
Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand
skill with a
Blade
, add
2 to this number.

If this number is 7 or less, turn to section
464
.

If this number is 8 or more, turn to section
216
.

You hear something heavy sliding through a darkened
hallway to your left. You peer within. Two red orbs, low to the ground, glare at
you. Another pair joins the first. They fix themselves on you. The things lurch
forward, steel tentacles writhing in the shadows. You know they must be some of
the deconstructors you saw earlier, and you prepare to defend yourself against
them.

If you have a
Handgun
and at least
2
bullets
, you may fire at them by turning to section
512
.

If you have a
hand-to-hand weapon
, you may
use it against them by turning to section
365
.

If you wish to face them with your bare hands, turn
to section
538
.

You enter a small chamber. There is another door at
the end with an electronic panel beside it. Your lungs grind against one another.
You push off from the wall and 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 harsh white light fills the
chamber. You stumble inside, fall to your knees, and yank off your helmet.
Sweet air rushes into you and you breathe deep the air of the living.

You are in a well-lit, blue-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. Those
dismantling machines will eventually punch enough holes in here 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 plaque 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, and a ship if you are to make it out of this station before
it is completely dismantled.