Air Blast

by Steve Skidmore

  He slides a tablet to you across the desk. You begin to read.

  Agent Lee speaks up. “Hurrikano is using his Staff of Power to open up the dimensions and control the elements of air, here on Earth. When he has caused enough destruction, his forces will invade.”

  “So why am I here?” you ask.

  Agent Lee stares at you. “We need you to go to Airworld, defeat Hurrikano and save Earth from total destruction. It’s a highly dangerous mission.”

  If you want to undertake the mission, go to 4.

  If you don’t want to risk your life, go to 49.

  24

  You finally arrive at Hurrikano’s palace. It is not resting on a cloud; it is floating in the sky. You realise that it is a huge flying machine.

  There is a long, narrow cloud bridge leading to the palace. The way is guarded by a huge figure that shimmers and moves in the wind. The tips of its fingers burn with fire and black smoke belches out from its mouth.

  “DANGER! Gas giant,” warns the DART’s computer.

  If you wish to attack the giant immediately, go to 15.

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

  25

  As the hawk flies off, you hear it squawking as if raising an alarm. Sure enough, seconds later, the air is filled with winged beings of all shapes and sizes. They are heading your way!

  The air is filled with laser streams, lightning bolts and mini-tornado bombs as they attack you in waves.

  You return fire, but your DART suit takes several hits.

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

  If you prefer to keep on fighting, go to 48.

  26

  You do your best to try to keep the helicopter flying, but the engine stalls, causing the rotor blades to stop turning. The helicopter plummets downwards. Frantically, you try to restart the engine, but time runs out. The helicopter smashes into the ground and explodes in a fireball.

  Ouch! Try harder and go back to 1.

  27

  You change weapons to your needle laser and fire at the gas giant. You launch missiles, too.

  Once again, the laser streams and missiles are absorbed and shot back at you. You try to avoid them, but one of the deadly light beams hits you. The computer doesn’t respond to any of your commands.

  “Teleport!” you scream, but it is hopeless. The gas giant fires a stream of gas bombs.

  You try to move, but cannot. There is an explosion of light, and then only silence…

  You have paid the ultimate price. Begin again and go to 1.

  28

  “I’ll take the TD bomb,” you tell QTee.

  “Okie doke.” He loads the bomb into the DART suit launcher. “Now it’s time for you to teleport to Airworld. Remember you can only use teleportation to and from Earth, not to move around Airworld.”

  You enter the suit and it locks into place around you. You hear QTee talking to you over the COMS link.

  “I have set the teleportation co-ordinates to Airworld. I can’t get you near Hurrikano’s palace as there is some sort of teleport block on it. You will have to make your own way there, and once inside you won’t be able to teleport out, so be careful! I have also set the NAV system to guide you. Use it! Once you have defeated Hurrikano, and are in teleportation range, get back to Earth. Good luck!”

  I’m going to need it, you think.

  “Teleport begin.”

  There is a bright white light and you feel as though your body is being ripped into a million pieces.

  Go to 47.

  29

  You fire repeatedly at the storm reapers, until your eGun overheats. But the creatures merely absorb the energy.

  You are being dragged closer and closer towards the creatures’ deadly mouths.

  To teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

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

  30

  “I have arrived from planet Earth,” you reply. “I have been spying for Hurrikano. I have important news.”

  The drones are silent. They are obviously checking this information.

  Finally, one of the drones speaks, “There is no record of such a spy.”

  “Because the mission was secret!” you say.

  “There is no record of such a spy,” repeats the drone, and a laser gun emerges from its metal body.

  To attack the drones, go to 22.

  To teleport back to Earth, go to 41.

  31

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” you ask.

  “Trust me,” smiles the pilot. Just as it seems as though you are going to crash, the side of the mountain opens up and you fly in.

  “Do you like our secret entrance?” says the pilot, as two huge steel doors close behind you. He lands the helicopter in a large hangar.

  “Impressive,” you reply.

  “Welcome to Area 61,” says Agent Roberts.

  “This is the HQ of Earth Defence. It’s time to find out what you’ve let yourself in for!”

  You head across the hangar to a set of doors. They swish open and you give a cry of alarm. Standing straight ahead of you is an alien creature, pointing a huge gun at you!

  If you want to attack the alien, go to 45.

  If you want to see what happens, go to 10.

  32

  “Teleport,” you order.

  There is a bright light and you briefly feel as though your body is being ripped apart.

  You open your eyes and gasp in horror. You are still inside the palace’s control room! The room is rapidly falling in on itself. You remember what QTee said about the palace being blocked for teleportation. Before you can react, you hear a ripping noise — your DART suit has cracked under the pressure of the vacuum! You have no protection. Your bones begin to crack as you are slowly and agonisingly crushed to death.

  You defeated Hurrikano, but it has cost you your life.

  Begin your adventure again by going to 1.

  33

  You know that you cannot let the creature raise the alarm.

  A flash shoots from your needle laser and hits the hawk. It drops from the sky.

  “Head north,” orders the NAV system.

  “Stealth mode.”

  You make your way across the clouds, being careful to avoid Hurrikano’s creatures. Sometime later you see in the distance, a huge metal building.

  “Hurrikano’s palace ahead,” says the NAV system.

  You make your way towards it, passing through fields of clouds. You look ahead and see two strange, egg-shaped objects, nestling on the ground.

  If you want to investigate these, go to 19.

  If you wish to carry on to the palace, go to 13.

  34

  Roberts and Lee leave you with QTee, and over the next few hours you learn about the suit and how to use it. The DART suit has a number of weapons systems.

  QTee also tells you about how to gain extra powers for the suit. “We think that if you capture Hurrikano’s staff, take the crystal that powers it and install it in your suit’s power unit, you will be able to use it to control the element of air. Your suit will be able to fly!”

  He also arms the suit with a vacuum bomb, which will suck out all the air in a confined space. “It will counter Hurrikano’s power over the air, easy peasy. If there’s no air, he’ll have no power,” says QTee. “You also have a choice of one more bomb. You can take a TD bomb or a molecular bomb.”

  If you want to know more about the weapons, go to 17.

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

  If you want to choose the molecular bomb, go to 39.

  35

  The hawk flies at you, spinning and turning at an incredible speed.

  You prime your weapons system to attack mode.

  “Missile launcher ready,” says the computer.

  “Fire!” you order.

  The missile hits the hawk in its chest and explodes. The creature is knocked
backwards, but only for a moment. It continues its attack. Another bolt of lightning shoots from its beak.

  “Continuous firing!” you order.

  More missiles hit the creature. The assault is successful. The cyclone hawk drops dazed, at your feet. You shoot a steel net around the creature to make sure it cannot attack further.

  If you wish to kill the creature, go to 6.

  If you think you can use the hawk to help you, go to 16.

  36

  “Full attack,” you order and blast at the drones with your needle laser and eGun. The drones are no match for your firepower, and they are blasted to pieces.

  You speed down corridors towards

  Hurrikano’s control room, dealing quickly with any enemies that have the misfortune to get in your way.

  “Target ahead,” warns the NAV system.

  You open a metal door and step through it into a control room. The door shuts behind you and window shutters slam down, blocking out all outside light.

  You hear a rustle and a figure lands on the floor before you. You have found your enemy!

  “So, you have finally arrived,” says Hurrikano. “I’ve been following your progress with interest. But now you are trapped. This control room is sealed off. There is no escape.”

  If you wish to attack Hurrikano, go to 2.

  If you wish to talk to him, go to 43.

  37

  You push the pilot out of the way and grab hold of the controls. The helicopter is spinning wildly. Using all your strength and skill you pull on the joystick and manage to bring the helicopter under control.

  “They said you were a top pilot,” says Agent Roberts.

  “Tell me that when we’re safe,” you reply. “We’re not out of the storm yet!”

  If you want to land the helicopter, go to 7.

  If you want to fly through the storm, go to 26.

  38

  “Arm bomb and fire!” you shout.

  The bomb launches into the mouth of one of the storm reapers. It hits the rotating blades — but nothing happens!

  You are in a state of shock. Before you can rearm your weapons system, the storm reaper sucks you into its deadly mouth. You hit the blades and feel nothing more.

  Try to stay alive next time! Go to 1.

  39

  “I’ll take the molecular bomb,” you tell QTee.

  “Okie doke.” He fits the bomb into the DART suit launcher. “Now it’s time for you to teleport to Airworld. Remember you can only use teleportation to and from Earth, not to move around Airworld.”

  You enter the suit and it closes around you. You hear QTee talking to you over the COMS link.

  “I have worked out the teleportation co-ordinates to Airworld. I can’t get you near Hurrikano’s palace as there is some sort of teleport block on it. You will have to make your own way there, and once inside you won’t be able to teleport out, so be careful! I have set the NAV system, to guide you. Use it! Once you have defeated Hurrikano and are in teleportation range, get back to Earth. Good luck!”

  I’m going to need it, you think.

  “Teleport begin.”

  There is a bright white light and you feel as though your body is being ripped into a million pieces.

  Go to 47.

  40

  “Arm and fire molecular bomb,” you order.

  The bomb hurtles into the body of the gas giant and explodes. For a few seconds it looks as though the bomb hasn’t worked, and the giant strides towards you, ready to attack. You hear a series of explosions and jets of flame shoot from out of the creature’s body. The gas giant’s molecular structure begins to change! The fires set off a chain reaction and the creature’s body collapses in on itself and falls to the ground.

  “Enemy compromised,” says the DART’s computer.

  You arm your eGun and send volley after volley of energy bolts into the creature’s body.

  A huge fireball fills the sky as the giant explodes. Alarms begin to sound from the palace, and dozens of attack drones and armed winged beings fly out to investigate.

  If you wish to attack them, go to 48.

  If you wish to head to the palace, go to 18.

  41

  “Teleport,” you order your DART suit.

  There is a bright light and you find yourself back in the OPS room.

  QTee looks at you in surprise. “Why have you abandoned the mission?”

  “It was getting a little tricky,” you reply.

  “I needed to get out, but don’t worry, I’ll go back again.”

  QTee shakes his head. “You can go home. You are not up to this task. We will find someone who is more heroic than you.”

  If you are feeling more heroic and wish to begin again, go back to 1.

  42

  “Of course I am,” you say. “Bring it on!”

  Within half an hour the helicopter pilot has recovered, the weather has calmed down and you are back in the air.

  Sometime later you are flying over a vast pine forest, heading directly towards the side of a mountain. The pilot increases speed! You wonder if the pilot’s bang on the head is affecting his ability to fly.

  The mountain side gets closer and closer!

  To take control of the helicopter, go to 20.

  If you trust the pilot, go to 31.

  43

  “What do you intend to do?” you ask.

  “Eliminate you,” he replies. Before you can react, a lightning bolt flashes from his Staff of Power. It hits you in the chest. Another lightning bolt rips your suit open.

  “I don’t have time to explain myself to such a creature as you. I have a world to destroy.”

  The last thing you see is a flash of lightning.

  You are dead. Begin again by going to 1.

  44

  The hawk flies at you, spinning and turning at an incredible speed. It spits bolts of lightning at you.

  You prime your weapons system into a defend-and-capture mode. The suit takes several hits, but its armour is too strong to be damaged.

  “Launch net,” you order.

  A steel net shoots from your arm launcher. It hits the cyclone hawk and snares it. The creature drops to the ground, wrapped up like a trussed-up chicken.

  If you wish to kill the creature, go to 6.

  If you think you can use the hawk to help you, go to 16.

  45

  You leap towards the alien, but before you can hit it, the creature fires. A blue bolt hits you and you find yourself floating above the ground, powerless to move your arms and legs!

  “This is our hero?” says the alien. “He’s a bit of a lightweight!”

  The agents laugh. “Let him down, QTee,” orders Agent Lee.

  “Okie doke. I wouldn’t want to keep him hanging around,” replies QTee. The alien switches off the gun and you drop to the floor, unhurt, except for your pride.

  Go to 10.

  46

  “What is the attack strategy?” you ask.

  “Gas giants absorb all energy and laser weaponry,” replies the computer. “Bomb attack is recommended.”

  If you chose the TD bomb, go to 5.

  If you chose the molecular bomb, go to 40.

  47

  The white light dies away and the pain subsides. You look around. You are standing on a huge cloud. All around there are buildings floating on clouds! You have made it to Airworld.

  Some way ahead of you is a huge airfield. Incredible flying machines are landing and taking off. Hundreds of winged alien beings fly around, carrying weapons and supplies. You realise that these must be Hurrikano’s forces, getting ready to invade Earth.

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

  If you wish to use your NAV system, go to 12.

  48

  You begin shooting, but there are too many enemies to deal with. You are hit time after time with energy bolts and laser beams.

  Your DART suit is unable to stand up to the firepower and you slump to the groun
d. Your weapons system is destroyed. You have no defence against the final stream of energy bolts that send you into oblivion.

  You can begin your adventure again, just go to 1.

  49

  You shake your head. “This is too much for me. I don’t want to risk my life in some crazy scheme,” you say. “Take me home.”

  Agent Roberts nods. “So you’re not the hero everyone thinks you are. Glad we found out now, rather than when it mattered.”

  You head for home, not knowing what could have been.

  When you feel brave enough to begin the mission again, go to 1.

  50

  There is a flash of light and you find yourself back in the OPS room in Area 61.

  QTee is waiting for you.

  “Welcome back,” he says. “You’ll be glad to know that the weather is back to normal. It looks like you succeeded!”

  You open the DART suit’s power unit and show him the crystal.

  “I’ll hardwire this into the suit permanently. From now on, you’ll be able to use the DART suit to fly!”

  “I think I’ll be needing it soon,” you reply. You tell him about Hurrikano’s threat.

  QTee looks grim. “We’ve won the battle, but not the war. I wonder what Tyranno is going to throw at us next?”

  You succeeded! You are a hero!

  Thanks to you, Earth is safe…

  …for the time being…

  About the 2Steves

  “The 2Steves” are Britain’s most popular writing double act for young people, specialising in comedy and adventure. They perform regularly in schools and libraries, and at festivals, taking the power of words and story to audiences of all ages.

  Together they have written many books, including the Crime Team and iHorror series.

  About the illustrator: Jack Lawrence

  Jack Lawrence is a successful freelance comics illustrator, working on titles such as A.T.O.M., Cartoon Network, Doctor Who Adventures, 2000 AD, Gogos Mega Metropolis and Spider-Man Tower of Power. He also works as a freelance toy designer.

  Lawrence lives in Maidstone in Kent with his partner and two cats.

  Creating I HERO Tyranno Quest…

  We started wring the original I Hero for Franklin Watts/EDGE back in 2007. You could become the hero, such as a gladiator or a spy or an astronaut, and decide what happens in the adventure. With I HERO Quests we wanted to make the baddies even better, and to make the adventures longer over four different books.