New Gaia

by Samuel Isaacson

  “Right,” she says. “Chuck them in with Crazy Moira.” You see the world moving past you as you are carried along nondescript corridors and thrown into an empty room. Your destiny is to become a fierce, programmable opponent in an underground fight club, aware of what is happening yet without any control over your actions.

  If the alien invaders come to wipe out humanity you will count it a small mercy, as the number of people you will butcher in the ring against your will is too high for anyone to bear.

  308

  You feel your stomach convulsing and make no attempt to stop yourself being violently sick as your body rejects the poison. With bloodshot eyes, you look up at Catalina and Pauline and see that the same has happened to them. Lose 4 SPIRIT points.

  Stan grabs you. “Hey!” he says. “Are you ok?”

  “Not used to Martian booze?” asks Mike, a concerned expression on his face.

  “No worries,” says Catalina and you all manage a relieved laugh. You apologise to the bar staff for the mess on the floor and the three of you hurry out, grateful for the fresh air.

  “Someone actually wants us dead,” says Pauline, with an angry tone. “I know we knew that, but for crying out loud.”

  You all feel the need to get away from the bar. Will you go to the hospital (turn to 90), the farms (turn to 39) or to the bar on the top floor of the hotel (turn to 116)?

  309

  You thank Deppo for his offer and explain that you don’t believe he should be risking his life for this particular cause. His shoulders slump and he breathes out heavily.

  “You’re probably right,” he acknowledges. “Perhaps one day I will join you to make a difference.”

  Tomas shakes your hand, saying, “Thank you for caring about him. You know you are always welcome here.”

  “Come on,” says Catalina. “We should really be getting going.” You thank Tomas, his wife and Deppo, and promise to return, then leave with Catalina to be reunited with Pauline (turn to 152).

  310

  “Great choice!” says the colonel. From now on, while in combat you can add 2 to your rolls. Stuffing the twins into a harness Colonel Marlon provides to you, the four of you leave to plan your next steps. Turn to 354.

  311

  You are running through a crossroads filled with people walking in every direction, stopping unexpectedly to check their bearings and looking around to make the most of their time in this strange retail centre.

  The shuttle tubes that run throughout the city several storeys into the sky seem to merge at this point in an intricate web and are lit underneath in ever-changing coloured lights that make this central area seem to come alive all around you.

  Your three pursuers are still chasing you, and you’re aware of your need to aim towards Pauline and Catalina, who you think are in a north-westerly direction. Do you head to the north from this crossroads (turn to 224) or to the west (turn to 95)?

  312

  You press on down the street as fast as you can run, torn between wanting to move quickly on the right-hand side of the street where there are fewer people and hiding your position on the left-hand side.

  After several minutes of running you come to a T-junction. The Bank of New Gaia fills the large building directly in front of you, and you see three more people emerge and make their way directly for you. Do you follow the crowd round to your left (turn to 118) or do you make your way into the student quarter to your right (turn to 278)?

  313

  You recall the advice Anna Michaels gave you about the alien fleet potentially being on autopilot. You access the console easily and, after a quick scan of the messaging to understand its structure, you change some elements of it that look like coordinates and instructions for action.

  You explain to the others what you’re doing and say that you hope you’ve sent the fleet into empty space rather than anywhere populated and that the instructions you’ve given will be harmless.

  “Don’t worry,” says David, with a smile on his face, “almost all of space is empty! I’m sure you did the right thing.”

  Record the codeword Elysium and turn to 276.

  314

  You call out after her and she turns round, not closing the distance but seemingly willing to listen to what you have to say. You ask her to at least stop and explain what’s happening.

  “They’re coming!” she says. “I’m sending them a message of welcome right now!”

  She looks up to the sky, which currently looks the same as it did when you first arrived on Mars, holding out a small white box in her hand. If you didn’t know the truth of it you would think she was losing her mind, but the weight of what she’s said hits you.

  “May I see that transmitter?” you ask politely, and she seems excited to show you. She walks over and shows you the screen with an indecipherable message made up of what looks like coordinates and orders to be carried out.

  If you have the codeword Elysium, turn immediately to 400. If not, turn to 334.

  315

  The sight revealed by opening this door gives you an experience you were hoping to never have again. The peculiar shade of purple is identical to the creatures that were on board The Altimer, the Ildan, and the coloured hill that fills the room looks like it is breathing, subtly expanding and changing shape as you watch it.

  The mound is surrounded by several Ildan, which move forward to attack you in a strange crab-like movement you never saw on The Altimer due to the zero gravity, snapping their two mouths at you with ferocity. You will have to defend yourself against those closest to you. They are not very fast, so you will be able to fight them one at a time.

  First Ildan

  BODY 5

  SPIRIT 8

  Second Ildan

  BODY 4

  SPIRIT 7

  If you win, you help Catalina and David finish of the remaining creatures and can then search the room (turn to 240), or leave immediately through either a door in the wall directly opposite the one you came in by (turn to 218) or through a door in the right-hand wall (turn to 148).

  316

  You are standing in a landing area that connects the ground floor to the second floor above you. If you have the codeword Arcadia, turn immediately to 129. If not, turn to 387.

  317

  You search for a minute or two and find nothing.

  “Never mind,” says Catalina, turning to walk out of the room. You sense that you’ve missed something. Will you spend some more time searching (turn to 113) or will you leave with her and go through the door by the poker table (turn to 160)?

  318

  While scrolling through the names you spot one name that you think is your own name at first, but when you look at it more closely you realise that the spelling is slightly different.

  Out of curiosity you open the record to reveal a file on someone who was born in New Cairo twenty-five years ago and has never left the city, let alone the planet. They now own a bakery called Leaven Up.

  Aware of time, you leave the room (turn to 213).

  319

  You step through the door to the stairwell and catch a breath as the hubbub from the busy corridor quietens. You start to make you way down the stairs.

  The first flight is simple; down, then a U-turn and down again to the second floor. The second follows a similar pattern, although you see a doctor taking the stairs two at a time. You try to make yourself look as uninteresting as possible so as to sneak past them.

  That strategy was never going to pay off though. As you reach the U-turn, they pull out a knife and lunge at you. You will have to defend yourself!

  “Doctor”

  BODY 6

  SPIRIT 7

  If you win, you sprint down the remaining stairs and push open the door on the ground floor, taking you out into the streets of New Gaia. Turn to 376.

  320

  You politely but firmly decline their offer and explain that you’re here to find out what’s been happening recently in New Gaia. Th
e man responds by trying to convince you to have the consultation, and after several minutes you realise that you won’t get anywhere here.

  You leave with Catalina, both of you feeling frustrated at your experience but pleased you didn’t waste more time there. Gain 1 HEART point and turn to 152 to be reunited with Pauline.

  321

  The room you have just entered looks like a research laboratory, full of benches and paraphernalia of different kinds. Posters on the walls are of a range of planetary systems.

  There is one other door leading out of this room, on the same wall as the door you came in by. Will you search through this room (turn to 23) or go through the door (turn to 342).

  322

  If you have the codeword Casius turn immediately to 159. If not, turn to 286.

  323

  You pick up the weapon and strap on its accompanying harness, getting comfortable with your new attachment.

  From now on, if you are faced with having to fight multiple enemies within one section, any damage you deal to the one that you are fighting will be dealt to all enemies listed in that section. Turn to 354.

  324

  “How dare you?” he barks, slamming his fist on his desk. “I show you hospitality and you respond with this? For crying out loud, learn some manners. You may leave.”

  With your tail between your legs, you make your way out. If you have not yet spoken to Lauren Tucs and would like to, you may do so now by turning to 114. Otherwise, you leave (turn to 185).

  325

  You access the console easily and delete the message, stopping it from being sent to the fleet at all. You explain to the others what you’re doing and say that you hope that stops things.

  “Don’t worry,” says David, with a smile on his face, “they were coming because of the message, and now the message is gone! I’m sure you did the right thing.”

  Record the codeword Syrtis and turn to 276.

  326

  You start down the road and see a shuttle station on your right-hand side. Perhaps that would be a good place to hide? You sidestep into the crowd queuing in its vicinity and hear an unfamiliar whoomph sound that you think must be the shuttle.

  Suddenly and without warning, you feel yourself being pulled by the arm away from the crowd and into a narrow alley between the station and the adjacent building. Your cries are drowned out by the crowd and the sound of the shuttle, and a punch to your face (lose 2 SPIRIT points) brings your attention to the problem at hand.

  The person facing you is dressed in a dark grey jumpsuit and slashes at you with a knife. You dodge out of the way and strike back. This will be a fight to the death!

  Mysterious assailant

  BODY 6

  SPIRIT 8

  If you win, turn to 351.

  327

  The area behind the door is a large cupboard. The three walls are covered in fitted shelves, each one full of cleaning materials and a variety of tools, and the centre of the room is filled with items too large to fit on them including a mop and bucket, some large gardening tools and a step ladder.

  As you open the door, you cause a chain reaction as a series of items relying on its presence begin to fall towards you, including the step ladder. You scramble to stop it. Make a BODY check at difficulty 11. If you succeed, turn to 4. If you fail, turn to 29.

  328

  Make a body check at difficulty 17. If you succeed, turn to 74. If you fail, turn to 220.

  329

  The microscope is easy to locate, and you push it, gently at first and then more confidently as you feel a mechanism being activated. The floor behind you begins to slide open quietly, revealing a wide staircase leading down into a basement beneath the observatory.

  You glance up and see that Ada hasn’t returned. Catalina and David hurry over.

  “Come on then,” says Catalina, running straight down the stairs. David shrugs at you and then follows her example, descending into the mountain.

  You pull the microscope back into position hesitantly and hear the floor beginning to close up again behind you. You think you catch a glimpse of Ada returning to the room so crouch down instinctively and crawl down the stairs, allowing the floor to close fully behind you before you stand up and quickly make your way further down the long staircase, which goes much deeper than you first thought.

  “What was that?” asks Catalina. You explain that you think you just saw Ada, and the three of you start to move a lot more quickly away from the entrance and deeper down the stairs. You lose track of exactly how deep you are by the time you reach the foot of the stairs and continue moving forwards down the well-lit corridor it leads onto.

  The corridor continues straight for some distance before it bends sharply to the left and ends after several yards. A vase of yellow and red flowers sits on a slim table here in-between two doors on opposite sides of the corridor, both of which look identical and neither of which has any sort of sign indicating what lies behind them. Aware that Ada is likely to be following, will you go through the door in the left wall (turn to 315) or the right wall (turn to 269).

  330

  You keep on looking at the screen but see nothing else there to suggest you even saw something in the first place. You turn to Catalina and ask her to have a look too. She leans in and then turns as if to say that she also sees nothing, but her face suddenly fills with dread.

  You never discover the reason why, because a crack on the back of your head knocks you unconscious. Before you come to, the underground complex you are in has self-destructed and your body is buried.

  331

  A large group of security officers and doctors run into the room and stare unbelieving at you as you stand over the body of the dead young lady.

  “What have you done?” yells one of them, and several security officers make light work of pinning you to the floor while the others hesitantly approach her body, now seeping blood in an expanding puddle.

  You feel a moment of guilt and shame at what you’ve done but then see one of the doctors’ eyes suddenly flash.

  “Hey!” you shout. “That guy’s been taken over by an alien!” You struggle against the firm grip of those holding you down.

  “Which guy?” asks one of the security officers, genuinely. You look, and he seems to have gone. Are you going mad?

  “But he was just there,” you say, and your voice trails off.

  The diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is not difficult to predict and by that evening you are in a prison cell, perhaps the only one on Mars who knows the truth of its impending doom.

  332

  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)?

  333

  You search around the empty corridor for anything that might seem out of place, still feeling a sense of confusion from having seen the painting.

  “What are you doing?” asks David, and you explain you’re looking for anything slightly out of the ordinary.

  “We’re in an empty corridor,” says Catalina, gripping you by the shoulders and staring directly into your eyes. “Get a grip, please.”

  Lose 1 MIND point and go through the door (turn to 194).

  334

  She suddenly freezes up, then starts to jump on the spot.

  “It’s happening!” she screams in jubilation. “You’re too late! Here they come!” She bends her head back and stares up at the sky, and you follow her gaze.

  The first thing you see is countless black shapes that end up looking like an entire city descending on New Gaia, sending beams of something towards the ground and ca
using explosions all around you. The size of each one of the approaching ships is enormous, and as they touch the edge of the dome you see the drones starting to shift around until the net is entirely broken and the air around you begins to disperse.

  You snatch the transmitter out of Ada’s hand and try to hit what you can on it to change the message but with no result. Powerless to do anything to stop it, the alien fleet continues its descent and your death becomes nothing more than a statistic in the extinction of the human race.

  335

  The corridor seems to last forever as you run along its endless blandness and round a corner to the right. You continue following it until it ends at a door on the left-hand side. You throw yourself through the door. Add 10 seconds to your TIME score and turn to 293.

  336

  You do a double take as you walk through the door and into a very convincing replica of the room Ada had left you in upstairs. You quickly glance around the room and the biggest difference you see is the desk. Where the microscope that opened the secret door would be is a computer terminal and you anticipate it accesses some important data.

  The door you entered by is one of two in one corner of the room. You imagine the one next to it will take you back the way you came, and a third door with a decorative stained-glass motif is located in the closest corner on your right-hand side.

  Will you attempt to hack the computer (turn to 219), search the room more thoroughly (turn to 201) or leave through the door with the stained-glass (turn to 64)?

  337

  You try to open your mouth to tell them, but the alien is trying to prevent you from saying it. Make a MIND check at difficulty 13. If you are successful, turn to 8. If you fail, turn to 375.

  338

  You run through the door, follow the corridor immediately to the left and then to the right, run down the corridor a fair distance, round a U-turn to the left and down the next stretch of corridor. Behind you, you hear a clattering as if someone has just dropped something, but you keep focussed on moving forwards. Add 10 seconds to your TIME score.