Air Blast

by Steve Skidmore

  www.franklinwatts.co.uk

  This ebook edition published in 2012

  Franklin Watts

  338 Euston Road

  London NW1 3BH

  Franklin Watts Australia

  Level 17/207 Kent Street

  Sydney, NSW 2000

  The authors have asserted their rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  All rights reserved.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978 1 4451 1345 6

  Franklin Watts is a division of Hachette Children’s Books,

  an Hachette UK company.

  www.hachette.co.uk

  www.franklinwatts.co.uk

  www.orchardbooks.co.uk

  www.hodderchildrens.co.uk

  www.waylandbooks.co.uk

  How to be a hero

  This book is not like others you may have read. You are the hero of this adventure. It is up to you to make decisions that will affect how the adventure unfolds.

  Each section of this book is numbered. At the end of most sections, you will have to make a choice. The choice you make will take you to a different section of the book.

  Some of your choices will help you to complete the adventure successfully. But choose carefully, some of your decisions could be fatal!

  If you fail, then start the adventure again and learn from your mistake.

  If you choose correctly you will succeed in your mission.

  Don’t be a zero, be a hero!

  You are a member of a Special Forces military unit. You have taken part in dangerous missions and have won medals for your bravery.

  You have also flown many secret military planes, and even tested prototype space vehicles and advanced weapons. You are the top-ranking test pilot in the force.

  After your latest Special Forces mission, you are taking some well-earned rest. You are relaxing at home, watching a news bulletin. There are reports of strange weather patterns across the world. Typhoons, hurricanes, thunderstorms and sandstorms are battering cities, causing death and destruction across the planet.

  At that moment your doorbell rings. You open the door to reveal a man and a woman, both dressed in stiff black suits. They show you their IDs.

  “Agent Roberts,” the man says, “and this is Agent Lee. We’re with Earth Defence.”

  “Never heard of it,” you say.

  “That’s because it’s a top-secret unit,” replies Roberts.

  “We need your help,” says Lee.

  “Well, OK then. You’d better come in,” you say. They follow you inside.

  “Have you seen the reports of severe weather?” asks Agent Lee.

  You nod. “Is global warming causing it?”

  Roberts shakes his head. “No, it’s more than that. Earth is being attacked.”

  “Attacked by what?” you ask.

  Agent Lee shakes her head. “We’ll brief you when we get to Area 61.”

  You look puzzled. “Don’t you mean Area 51, the top-secret US military base in the Nevada desert? I’ve never heard of Area 61.”

  She nods. “Exactly — it’s above top secret!” You smile. “Ultra secret? Sounds interesting. Let’s get going…”

  Go to section 1.

  1

  Roberts and Lee escort you to a nearby military base, where a helicopter is waiting. Soon all three of you are flying across country to Area 61. The weather becomes worse. Rain starts to hammer down on the helicopter windscreen. Lightning flashes across the sky.

  “This is bad,” shouts the pilot. “Maybe we should land.”

  Before you can reply, a bolt of lightning strikes the helicopter. It lurches sideways and the pilot’s head smashes against the cockpit window. He is knocked out and slumps against the joystick.

  The helicopter begins to spin out of control. You have to react quickly or you will all die!

  To try to wake up the pilot, go to 14.

  To try to fly the helicopter, go to 37.

  2

  “Full attack,” you order.

  Your suit responds and streams of energy head towards Hurrikano. But before they can hit him, his Staff of Power forms a defensive shield. The bolts ricochet around the room.

  With a flick of the staff, Hurrikano flies across the room and attacks you with lightning bolts. You dodge the missiles and return fire with your needle gun. Again, his defensive shield renders your attack harmless.

  If you want to try to distract Hurrikano by talking to him, go to 43.

  If you wish to continue the fight, go to 21.

  3

  You start to make your way across the cloud, keeping a careful eye on the winged forces.

  Suddenly, two robot drones appear and hover before you. They emit strange noises and your DART suit translates.

  “Who are you and what are you doing?”

  If you wish to talk to the drones, go to 30.

  If you wish to fight your way out, go to 22.

  4

  “It sounds dangerous and right up my street,” you say. “But how do I get to this Airworld?”

  “You use one of my inventions,” says QTee. He presses a button and a wall opens up to reveal an amazing-looking robotic suit.

  “This is a Defence and Armed-Response Teleportation suit, or DART for short. It allows the wearer to teleport between planets and dimensions. It protects him or her from enemies and hostile environments. And it carries a number of weapons.”

  You are impressed. “What sort of firepower does it have?” you ask.

  “It has a variety of weapons systems and you can even control these by speaking or just by thinking!”

  “We don’t have much time, so you’d better start learning about the suit,” says Agent Lee.

  Go to 34.

  5

  “Arm and fire TD bomb,” you order.

  The bomb shoots into the body of the gas giant and explodes. But to your horror, the creature isn’t killed. Instead, it absorbs the energy of the bomb and grows bigger!

  Before you can react, the creature fires dozens of huge gas bombs at you. They explode, creating an intense heat. The DART’s circuits burn. You cannot defend yourself. You glance up to see the giant standing above you. It sends another stream of bombs your way. You are blasted into oblivion.

  Begin your mission again by going to 1.

  6

  Two blasts of energy from your eGun finish off the creature.

  You look around, still wondering how you are going to get to the upper cloud belt. The airfield is still a hive of activity.

  If you want to teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  If you want to head to the airfield, go to 3.

  7

  “We’ve got to land,” you shout. “Flying in this weather will kill us.”

  You push down on the joystick and manage to bring the helicopter safely to the ground.

  You breathe a sigh of relief. “Sometimes you have to know when it’s just too dangerous to battle against the elements.”

  “Funny you should say that,” says Agent Lee. “But this is nothing, compared to what is coming your way. I wonder if you’re up for it?”

  If you want to go back home, go to 49.

  If you want to find out about the mission, go to 42.

  8

  “Speed mode,” you order. The DART suit responds and you head away from the creatures. One of them follows you, sucking at the air with incredible force.

  Suddenly you spin around and run past the creature towards the other storm reaper. The first creature turns and heads after you. You are now heading straight into the mouth of one of the reapers, whilst the other one is right behind you.

  Just as it seems as though you are going to be suck
ed into the creature’s mouth, you shout, “Super speed!” and turn to your right. The suit responds and you just avoid the storm reaper’s deadly blades.

  However, the other storm reaper isn’t so lucky. The creatures smash into each other. Their rotating blades tear at their bodies. There is a sound of squealing and roaring, and then silence as the creatures disappear in the blink of an eye.

  You breathe a sigh of relief and head towards Hurrikano’s palace.

  Go to 24.

  9

  As you raise your hands in surrender, you hear a shot. An energy bolt hits you. The pain is excruciating and you pass out.

  When you wake up, you find yourself in a prison cell. Your DART suit has been removed.

  You shout out, but no one answers. You realise that you will die on Airworld, and Earth will be destroyed.

  Mission failed! Go back to 1.

  10

  You stare wide-eyed at the alien creature.

  “This is QTee — he’s Earth Defence’s technical genius,” explains Agent Roberts. “Earth Defence is an ultra top-secret unit. Our task is to stop alien races attacking Earth.”

  “But he’s an alien,” you point out.

  “There are good aliens and bad aliens. He’s one of the good ones.”

  QTee smiles and nods at the gun. “And this beauty is a new toy I’m working on. It cancels out the effects of gravity.” He stares at you. “And you are the one who is volunteering for this mission in which you are almost certain to die. Are you up to it?”

  To find out more about the mission, go to 23.

  If you decide you don’t want any part of this adventure, go to 49.

  11

  You fire a volley of energy bolts and missiles at the window shutters.

  A gaping hole appears and the effects of the bomb are cancelled. However, the control room is destroyed and the palace begins to drop down through the sky.

  You open the DART’s power unit and slip Hurrikano’s crystal inside. Let’s hope QTee was right, you think as you leap through the hole. You start to drop. Around you hundreds of winged creatures are pouring from out of the doomed palace.

  Fly, you think. Incredibly the suit responds to your thoughts. The crystal does work! You fly away from the palace towards the lower cloud levels. You land and order the DART suit to teleport you back to Earth.

  Go to 50.

  12

  “Navigate the route to the palace,” you order.

  “Head to the upper cloud belt,” replies the DART’s NAV system.

  You look up and see more clouds. They also have buildings on them. Many creatures are flying between the cloud belts, but they all have wings. You wonder how you are going to get to the upper clouds.

  As you stare skywards, a huge creature circles above you. It is a cross between a huge bird of prey and a dark cloud. It squawks at you, spitting a lightning bolt from its beak. The bolt just misses you.

  “DANGER! Cyclone hawk!” cries the DART suit’s computer as the hawk dives at you with its deadly steel talons outstretched.

  If you want to kill the hawk, go to 35.

  If you want to try and capture it, go to 44.

  If you want to teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  13

  As you walk by the objects, you hear a humming noise, which turns into a deafening roar.

  “DANGER! DANGER!” warns the DART suit.

  Before you can react there is a huge rush of wind. The objects transform into enormous tunnels of spinning black clouds reaching up into the sky.

  Their mouths open from within the depths of the black cloud, to reveal sets of rotating blades! Like a hurricane, the wind sucks you towards the gaping mouth of one of the creatures.

  “STORM REAPERS!”

  You can hardly hear yourself think as you are pulled towards the maelstrom and the rotating blades.

  If you want to teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  If you want to try to blow up the creatures with a bomb, go to 38.

  If you want to use your eGun, go to 29.

  14

  As the helicopter spins wildly through the air, you reach over and shake the pilot. It is hopeless; the man is unconscious.

  “Take over the controls,” yells Agent Lee.

  You push the pilot out of the way, and wrestle with the joystick. Just as you think you have things under control, another gust of wind blasts the helicopter.

  Go to 26.

  15

  You fire a stream of eGun energy bolts into the body of the gas giant.

  To your amazement, the creature absorbs the energy and fires them back at you!

  You just avoid being killed by your own shots!

  The creature points its finger and unleashes a volley of flaming gas bombs, which explode around you.

  To continue the fight, go to 27.

  To teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  If you wish to take advice from the DART computer, go to 46.

  16

  You put the eGun to the creature’s head. “You will take me to the upper cloud belt or die,” you say. The DART suit translates. The creature squawks and nods its head.

  Carefully, you release some of the bonds that are holding the hawk captive. You climb onto its back and clamp the suit to the hawk’s body. “Let’s fly!”

  The creature takes off and within seconds you arrive at the upper cloud belt. You order the hawk to land out of view of Hurrikano’s forces. The creature obeys.

  As you climb down, the creature tears at the net with its talons. The steel ropes give way and it takes to the air.

  If you want to kill the cyclone hawk, go to 33.

  If you want to let it escape, go to 25.

  17

  “Tell me more about the bombs,” you say.

  “The TD bomb is a total destruction bomb,” replies QTee. “It is like a mini atom bomb. It can destroy all solid objects within a diameter of a hundred metres. The molecular bomb changes the molecular structure of an enemy. For instance, an enemy could be melted or turned into a gas.”

  If you want to choose the TD bomb, go to 28.

  To choose the molecular bomb, go to 39.

  18

  “Stealth and speed mode,” you tell the suit. Your enemies do not see you as you hurry across the bridge. You deal quickly with a winged guard standing at the entrance of the palace, using your eGun to silence him.

  As you enter the palace, the door slams shut behind you. There is a noise of engines and the floor judders. The flying palace is on the move!

  “Search for Hurrikano,” you order.

  Within seconds, the computer has a fix on your target. You begin to follow the route on your NAV system, but as you turn a corner, you meet a patrol of flying robot drones.

  A drone speaks. “Intruder! Surrender!”

  If you wish to surrender, go to 9.

  If you want to attack the drones, go to 36.

  19

  “Scan objects,” you order.

  Seconds later the computer replies. “DANGER! Objects are storm reapers. Weapons are useless against them.”

  At that moment there is a humming noise, which turns into a deafening roar. The objects transform into enormous tunnels of spinning black clouds, reaching into the sky.

  Their mouths open from within the depths of the black cloud to reveal sets of rotating blades! Like a hurricane, the wind sucks you towards the gaping mouth of one of the creatures. You can hardly hear yourself think as you are pulled towards the maelstrom and the rotating blades.

  To teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  To try to blow up the creatures with a bomb, go to 38.

  If you want to use your eGun, go to 29.

  To try and trick the creatures, go to 8.

  20

  “What are you doing, you crazy fool!” you cry and reach over to the controls.

  “No!” shouts the pilot. The agents scream at you to stop, but you ignore them. You wrestle with the pilot for the controls. In
the struggle, you manage to grab the joystick, but the helicopter lurches down towards the forest.

  The pilot realises that you are doomed and scrabbles at the emergency door release, leaving you to fly the helicopter.

  Go to 26.

  21

  Your attacks with energy bolts and lasers are useless against Hurrikano’s Staff of Power. You have only one more weapon left to try.

  “Arm vacuum bomb.” You aim at the control room floor. “Fire.”

  The bomb launches, hits the ground and explodes.

  Hurrikano laughs. “A poor shot!”

  “I don’t think so.” The walls suddenly shudder. There is a roaring noise as the air is sucked from the room.

  “You sealed the room and this is a vacuum bomb. Take away the air and there is nothing for you to control,” you explain. You point your eGun at him.

  Hurrikano holds out his staff, but it is powerless. A laser blast hits him in the chest and he falls to the ground. The staff clatters onto the floor. You pick it up, snap it in half and remove the power crystal.

  Hurrikano looks up at you. “You think that I am the only one to threaten your miserable little planet. There are more on their way. My master, Tyranno, will destroy the Earth.” They are Hurrikano’s last words.

  At that moment there is a terrible grinding noise. The room is collapsing in on itself as the bomb continues its work.

  If you want to teleport back to Earth, go to 32.

  If you wish to try to blast your way out of the room, go to 11.

  22

  Before the drones can ask any more questions, you blast them with your eGun. Bolts of pure energy zap into their metal shells and they explode.

  However, your attack attracts the attention of other creatures. You are outnumbered as dozens of armed drones and winged beings surround you.

  If you want to surrender, go to 9.

  If you wish to fight, go to 48.

  If you wish to teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  23

  “Of course I am,” you reply. “Tell me more.”

  “Follow us.” The agents and QTee take you through corridors, deep into the mountain side. Finally you arrive at a set of doors marked OPS ROOM. The doors open and you walk in.

  You sit at a desk and Agent Roberts begins to explain. “Earth has been attacked many times before by different alien races. Earth Defence is here to defend it against such attacks.

  “We believe that these strange weather patterns are the latest attack. Our INTEL people have been monitoring intergalactic communications, and this is what we’ve come up with.”