New Gaia

by Samuel Isaacson

  When the disconcerting procedure is over, the machine lifts and the doctor places a large plaster on the back of your neck.

  “It might ache for a couple of days. but you’ll be back to normal in no time. Please don’t become host to an alien again.”

  You sit up on the bed, feeling no different from before in your mind but a lot sorer in the neck area, and you head back to the safehouse with Pauline and Catalina. Half an hour later, you are all collapsed around the living area with plates of warm food in front of you, recovering from your collective ordeal. Turn to 298.

  13

  The screens have a whole raft of information and images on them, including what looks like sensory information on the entire population of New Gaia. What was Ada doing down here?

  A movement on one of the screens suddenly catches your eye. It looks like it is a live feed from the top of the observatory, looking out over New Gaia and the surrounding landscape, and you think the sky just flickered. You look closer to see if you can figure out what’s happening.

  Make a MIND check at difficulty 15. If you succeed, turn to 258. If you fail, turn to 330.

  14

  You fall to the floor and scramble behind the bush, followed closely by Catalina and Pauline. Catalina carefully lifts her head above the bush to see where the footsteps’ owner is, and you immediately hear the crack of a gunshot reverberating around the yard as her head seems to explode in a puff of pink.

  “We’re here!” says Pauline, “we’ll come out, please don’t shoot!”

  She looks at you, nods, and the two of you slowly stand up. You don’t hear the sound of the gunshot that finishes you before you’ve even raised your eyes.

  15

  David looks at you and says, “You’re perfectly entitled to an opinion, but I think it’s a bit premature to be accusing someone you’ve never even met, don't you? Come on, let’s go and visit her first.”

  He climbs into the transport along with you and Catalina, and you make your way over to the observatory (turn to 177).

  16

  You have no option other than to defend yourself against this terrifyingly competent opponent.

  The Surgeon

  BODY 12

  SPIRIT 15

  If you win, turn to 43.

  17

  You are standing in a wide corridor on the third floor of the New Gaia hospital and need to reach the exit on the ground floor. There are many more people here milling around than there were on the eighteenth floor and it is not hard to hide in the crowd. The lift here does not go any further down, so your only option to descend is by using the stairs (turn to 319).

  You think that you may be able to sneak into some of the other rooms undetected. The corridor between the lift at one end and the stairs at the other has two doors on each wall and are clearly labelled. Before you descend you may go through the door closest to the lift on its right, labelled “Emergencies” (turn to 344), the door on its left, labelled “Drop-in clinic” (turn to 38), the door closest to the stairs on its right, labelled “Information” (turn to 368), or the door on its left, labelled “Café” (turn to 70).

  18

  The three of you slide into the corner just as the door opens, and an armed guard walks in, jangling a handful of keys. He approaches the locked door and bends to unlock it.

  You are just about to launch a surprise attack on him when another guard enters the room, then a third, then a fourth and a fifth, who moves in your direction and immediately notices you.

  “Hey!” he cries, raising his weapon. You raise your hand and try to protest, but before you can make a single sound he has finished the three of you off, completing his quota for the week.

  19

  You’re aware of the alien’s presence within you and yet know that if you tell them they may react negatively to you. If you would like to tell them that you think you’re a host, turn to 337. If not, turn to 375.

  20

  You push on down the street and manage to squeeze yourself through a couple of gaps in the crowd that seem to add a bit of distance between you and the three behind you, all of whom you can still see approaching at speed.

  The hospital building ends after several minutes running at a crossroads. Looking left, you see two people lock eyes with you and start running directly towards you so you instinctively lurch to your right and start heading northwards up what appears to be a major retail high street. The buildings to your left and right boast an array of shops and restaurants, well-lit by the artificial lighting that runs under the tubes overhead.

  You mentally note that this will be a pleasant place to visit when you’re not being chased by people who are out to get you, and keep your eyes fixed on the road ahead.

  After a few more minutes, you find yourself at another crossroads. The street to your right seems to head into yet more retail space, while the street to your left is quieter and suggests that it contains a few hotels and more upmarket restaurants. Will you head left (turn to 49), right (turn to 359) or continue heading north (turn to 203)?

  21

  The corridor continues for some distance and then turns to the right, ending immediately in a door. Catalina leaps ahead of you, opening the door with a flying kick and revealing a large room stretching out to your right, filled with large machines. A short staircase in the opposite wall leads up to a door, and you see Ada’s retreating form running through it.

  The three of you sprint across the room, up the stairs and through the door (turn to 63).

  22

  Pauline slams the door open to reveal an enormous bedroom suite that matches the grandeur of the door that hid it. A large bed fills the view to your left and a desk and chair to your right sit in front of a large window, which you imagine must have commanding views out over the fields during the day.

  One of the two armchairs immediately in front of you holds a person who calmly stands as you enter, taking care to not knock the half-finished chess game in front of her. Now cutting an imposing figure standing in the middle of the room, she carefully looks at the three of you before staring directly into your eyes.

  “Well,” she says in a smooth voice, “welcome to the Surgeon’s den. I wasn’t expecting you to visit me for your surgery. This will make the job a little easier.”

  It would appear this “Surgeon” – clearly nothing more than a nickname as you see no medical equipment around – is the one who has been directing the attempts on your life since you arrived here. Will you talk to her (turn to 242) or try to fire your weapon before she can react (turn to 211)?

  23

  This room seems full of interesting and valuable items, although most are too large for you to take with you. You find a set of three lab coats in a cupboard, which the three of you take for potential future use as disguises.

  Aware of time, David suggests it is time to leave. Will you go through the door (turn to 342) or take a few moments more to search a bit more thoroughly (turn to 265)?

  24

  He looks at you for a moment and then nods in respect.

  “That is a great idea!” he says. “You know, we’d really benefit from your input though. Are you sure you won’t come along?”

  “Oh, come on!” says Catalina, excitedly.

  Do you reply that you’re sure (turn to 390) or do you concede and agree to help out (turn to 145)?

  25

  You sit down next to the young lady and ask if she doesn’t mind you spending some time with her.

  “Oh, not at all!” she says. “Finally, someone to talk to, I’ve been sitting here bored for ages. What are you in for?”

  You explain a bit about why you’re in the hospital, and as soon as she finds out you’re from earth she starts asking you about people and places you’ve never heard of. You explain that you’re from the 22nd Century and she begins to get frustrated that you don’t understand the most basic information about 23rd Century politics.

  You spend ten minutes in a conversation that goes n
owhere and after a while you’re not sure who’s annoying the other more. Lose 1 MIND point. You look up and the other patient who was by himself has now left, so you leave the waiting area (turn to 322).

  26

  There is not a huge amount of cover in these grounds, so you desperately look around for somewhere to hide and can only see the bush itself. Will you change your mind and dive through the door (turn to 365), hide behind the bush itself (turn to 14), or will you run towards the house (turn to 343)?

  27

  If your TIME score is less than 90 seconds, turn to 63. If it is between 90 and 109 seconds, turn to 398. If it is more than 110 seconds, turn to 212.

  28

  You reach the top of the stairs and look around the landing area on this top floor. You can see four doors off this space; the door in the west wall is filled with frosted glass, making you conclude it is likely to be a bathroom, then there is a grand door decorated with what look like Celtic symbols in the middle of the north wall, and two more plain doors in the south wall.

  “Come on then,” says Pauline, striding towards the decorative door.

  “What are you doing?” hisses Catalina.

  “It’s clear this is where the action is,” Pauline replies. “The rest of this floor is going to be a waste of time.”

  Catalina shrugs and steps over to her. You think that you probably agree with Pauline in her assessment of what the room contains, but you’re not sure if you shouldn’t take a moment to look around first. If you go through any of the doors, Pauline and Catalina will not go in with you.

  Will you go through the bathroom door (turn to 97), the decorated door (turn to 22), the plain door closest to the west wall (turn to 285) or the plain door closest to the east wall (turn to 125)?

  29

  You don’t manage to stop it in time, and the ladder falls on you with a mighty crash, the end of which doesn’t come for quite some time. You remain still for a few moments waiting for someone to come and find you, but no-one seems to be around. Breathing a sigh of relief, you carefully put the things back in the cupboard and make your way up the stairs.

  Record the codeword Arcadia if you don’t already have it and turn to 316.

  30

  She walks you into the main chamber of the observatory, built around an enormous telescope. Cupboards, bookshelves and models of planetary systems have been positioned haphazardly around the space and a large desk, covered in papers, empty cups and a half-eaten sandwich sits next to the contraption containing the telescope eyepiece.

  “Everyone says that Alpha Centauri could be a viable home,” she continues. “I don’t buy it. I’ve watched the orbit. It’s elliptical and irregular. But that’s not the problem. You could code a dome for that. But the risk of other planets is too great.” She pulls out some drawings that she has created, showing two planets colliding and a crowd of screaming people fleeing from a fire, talking the whole time.

  Then, suddenly, she stops. “Oh, and on top of that,” she says, “I should show you the timeline projection. Will you wait a moment?”

  David raises an eyebrow at you as if to say that time is running out. Will you say that you don’t mind waiting (turn to 141), or will you thank her for what she’s shown you so far but that you’d like to talk to her about something specific (turn to 196)?

  31

  You instinctively dive to the floor and feel the air whizz past the back of your neck as some sort of dart flies out of the wall at you. Puffing your cheeks out in relief, you note to yourself that you will have to be more careful in future!

  The rest of the room appears empty apart from the mound, so you prepare to leave. Will you go through the door opposite the one you came in by (turn to 218) or through the door on the right-hand wall (turn to 148)?

  32

  Pauline pulls out her weapon and points it at you.

  “What are you doing?” screams Catalina.

  Pauline stares directly at you and tightens her grip. You back away and hold your hands up, still holding the grenade tightly, wondering what’s happening. She shouts clearly at you: “You’ve been the traitor all along! Was James really no more than a pawn for you to sacrifice?”

  For a moment you feel regret climbing up your spine, and then return to your senses. You pull out the pin, and then slump to the floor as Pauline pulls the trigger.

  33

  You dive into the lift, turning back to just see your pursuer approaching as the doors glide closed, and it begins to descend. You stand, apologising to the lift’s other inhabitant and look for the button that says “ground”, noticing that the lowest it goes is to the third floor. You hit the button containing the number 3.

  A couple of seconds later your travelling companion has left the lift at the tenth floor, and a few seconds after that you are emerging on the third floor into a corridor looking not unlike the one you just left. Turn to 17.

  34

  Drifting off to sleep doesn’t take very long. Your dreams are bland and calming, and you wake sometime later feeling refreshed. Gain 3 SPIRIT points.

  As you sit up in bed you notice that your eyes feel a bit itchy. You rub them and look around the room. A vague haze surrounds your vision and you wonder if actually you do feel a bit odd.

  Roll one die. If the number rolled is 1-3, turn to 128. If it is 4-6, turn to 346.

  35

  You hurl yourself at the door, using as much power as you can muster. It doesn’t move at all, and you hurt your shoulder in the process. Lose 4 SPIRIT points.

  Realising there is nothing that can be done, you resign yourself to fiddling with the lock (turn to 105).

  36

  Searching the grounds in the darkness will be difficult. Make a MIND check at difficulty 14. If you succeed, turn to 235. If you fail, turn to 124.

  37

  The corridor bends round to the left and then continues for a long distance. Add 20 seconds to your TIME score.

  At the end of the corridor you run through a door on your right-hand side and find yourself in a large room, difficult to see in the now dim, red lighting. You traverse a poker table in front of you and run across the room. Add another 10 seconds to your TIME score.

  Will you go through the door in the left-hand corner (turn to 171) or the right-hand corner (turn to 244)?

  38

  You walk in to find a quiet area, making a nice change from the busyness of the corridor outside. People are sitting in neat rows, politely talking to one another or simply appreciating a moment of silence as they wait for their number to be called.

  “372” says the young man behind the desk, and someone stands and approaches, being sent behind a screen in the corner where you assume a doctor must be.

  Will you take a number and wait (turn to 179) or leave (turn to 322)?

  39

  You leave the city and head north in the direction of the farms. It doesn’t take long for you to arrive at the farms, and the three of you casually wander around the perimeter to decide what to do next.

  One particular farm, boasting a large sign declaring it to be Freedom Farm, appears slightly smaller than the others and stands out as being different thanks to the pair of armed guards on the gate. You think you may have discovered what you’ve been looking for!

  Night is steadily falling, so you are faced with three options. Will you approach the guards and try to convince them to let you in (turn to 156), attack them in an attempt to fight your way in (turn to 381), or will you wait half an hour until it’s darker and try to sneak in (turn to 202)?

  40

  You approach the observatory and press the buzzer as you did before. You wait several minutes and get no response.

  “She must not be here anymore,” says David. “What do you think we should do?”

  Will you suggest that you lead a team into orbit to see off the aliens before they reach the inner planets (turn to 77), that you should do nothing and trust that the aliens are actually coming in peace rather than to invad
e (turn to 91), or would you like to accuse a specific person of helping the aliens (turn to 300)?

  41

  You open the door to a small bedroom containing barely more than a wardrobe and a bed.

  You spend a few minutes searching the room, but the only item of any interest is the wardrobe itself. The clothes within are nondescript, and none of them are your size.

  You leave the bedroom and return to the landing.

  “Is this a worthy investment of your time?” asks Pauline.

  Go through a door you have not tried already. Will you go through the frosted glass door (turn to 97), the decorative door (turn to 22) or the other plain door in this wall (turn to 125)?

  42

  The bodies of the guards drop to the floor unceremoniously and you continue down the corridor to its end. You follow it round to the right to reveal a door on the left-hand wall, which the three of you go through (turn to 9).

  43

  At your finishing blow she falls back onto the chess table, sending pieces flying in every direction. Clutching at the wound that will prove the end of her, she flails an arm out and you only barely see something flying through the air at you and feel a sudden stinging sensation in the side of your neck.

  If you have the codeword Lacus, turn immediately to 83. If not, turn to 133.

  44

  The moment you walk into the base, David seems to change his stance and becomes a lot more commanding. He starts giving instructions and information to a stream of people who begin walking alongside him as he marches through a network of corridors, and you and Catalina find yourselves isolated at the back of the crowd.