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New Gaia

Page 16

by Samuel Isaacson


  Will you go in through the first doors to the dining area (turn to 119) or the second doors to the inhabited room (turn to 99)?

  392

  Your greatest efforts against the door make no difference, and you manage hurt yourself while making the attempt, twisting your ankle painfully (lose 1 BODY point).

  Frustrated, the three of you go back through the door and go through the other one (turn to 290).

  393

  You walk up to the gleaming white CDT tower, set apart from the rest of New Gaia through its colour – most of the buildings here are a light grey – as well as its build. On earth this would likely stand out as a tall building in most cities, the CDT headquarters is dwarfed by the rest of the city to the point that several shuttle tubes reach over its roof, 30 storeys above you.

  An attractive and perfectly groomed young couple looking like they’ve just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine greet you at the front door with perfect contagious smiles and lead you through the grand entrance hall to a room containing a few seats and a large screen. You try to explain the reason for your being here and they reply that you’ll be able to have that conversation after watching this brief introduction.

  You take your seats the couple leave and within seconds the film has begun.

  “Welcome to the Cryogenic Destiny Tribe!” booms the confident voice of another perfectly groomed lady, whose face and gleaming smile fills the screen. “You may have found yourself here for all sorts of reasons today, and I wonder if we could talk about just one. Most of us at some point or another find ourselves feeling stressed about life. Maybe you’re in a tough situation based on circumstances that feel outside of your control, other people pushing you out of the way, or your own mistakes. We all hit these sorts of problems and then carry worry around with us.

  “We worry about simply getting by, how we’ll manage for the next six months. We worry about reaching our full potential. We worry about how other people perceive us and we worry that others will get the success that we feel we deserve. We worry that the good things that happen to us won’t last and we worry that all of our hard work will be undone by a single stroke of bad luck.

  “And that worry comes down to one important and overwhelming factor: volatility. Our whole lives are unpredictable and every element of them feels linked in ways we can’t articulate. And yet that’s the solution to feeling at peace and dealing with that volatility. Simply dealing with each element one at a time is the beginning of a solution that will bring confidence and certainty, even in the midst of volatility. Did you know that you can become more effective, handle disruption better and gain more energy through CDT’s programmes? Implementing our simple principles brings you greater confidence and happiness.

  “You’re about to be offered a free, no obligation, personalised consultation that could give you exactly what you need to regain control of your life and get to know a growing community of like-minded people.”

  The screen fades out, and the man who greeted you at the door steps in.

  “Would you like to come with me for a free consultation?” he asks.

  You know that this is not what you came here to do, but you can’t help feeling compelled by what was shared and are tempted to take up their offer. Make a MIND check at difficulty 12. If you succeed, turn to 320. If you fail, turn to 10.

  394

  It doesn’t take you long to scour the rest of the bathroom. There is nothing very exciting in any of the drawers or cupboards, but you remove the cover from the toilet cistern and find that somebody has hidden a plain-looking package here.

  You pull it out and reveal its contents to be a high-security communications device. You try to switch it on but the battery has run out; if you find a battery you could access it and potentially see their full communications history, which you think could be very helpful.

  Returning to the landing, will you go through the decorative door (turn to 22) the plain door closest to the west wall (turn to 285) or the other door (turn to 125)?

  395

  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.

  396

  You say to the doctor that you would rather not leap into the surgery and he nods in understanding. He is just about to say something else when there’s a knock on the door and it opens slightly. The receptionist pokes her head around it.

  “Sorry for disturbing you,” she says, “but this is important I’m afraid.”

  She opens the door fully, and a police officer enters. You recognise him as one of the police officers who was present at your trial.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” he says, and looks at you. “You’re not the only one to be infected,” he says. “We had someone else in this morning. Do you mind if we have a private conversation please?” He indicates that the doctor along with Catalina and Pauline should leave the room, and they all comply. When the door has closed, he turns to you again.

  “Right, this is our only real chance,” he says. “Here’s a silenced rifle. I’ll bring them in, then you take out the blonde one and I’ll take the brunette and the doctor.”

  You nod at him, only half-realising what you’re doing, and ready your weapon. Within two minutes he has left the room, returned with your companions, and all three are lying dead on the floor.

  “There are more of us,” he explains, and takes you off to meet your new comrades in the war you are about to wage on the whole of humanity.

  397

  The moment you open this door you regret it. The room you reveal is about twice as large as the one you were just in and is filled with guards, who surge forward with menace to attack you. You, Catalina and David instinctively move forward into the room and form a tight group to avoid hurting one another.

  Take care of these three while the others defend themselves. Any time one of the security guards does damage to you, the others will each add on a point of damage (i.e. if you have killed the first and the second does damage, you will take an extra point of damage from the third).

  First security guard

  BODY 7

  SPIRIT 8

  Second security guard

  BODY 7

  SPIRIT 6

  Third security guard

  BODY 6

  SPIRIT 7

  If you win, turn to 229.

  398

  You reach the top of the steps, open the trapdoor and run out, accompanied by your two companions.

  “Keep going!” David shouts, and as the three of you run out of the room and towards the exit of the observatory you all hear the explosion beneath your feet, feel the ground shake and quickly begin to feel the heat from a fire that begins to rage behind you.

  “Come on,” says David. “We should get out of here.”

  You follow the path out of the observatory quickly and carefully. Within a couple of minutes, you are outside and making your way to a safe distance from the observatory.

  If you have the codeword Palus, turn to 262. If not, turn to 350.

  399

  The more you look at the crack, the more convinced you become that it is in the shape of a door, and then you spot the slightest bulge to its right. When you push this, the crack opens to reveal a hidden door! Gain 3 SPIRIT points and record the codeword Tharsis.

  You go through the door, which clicks shut behind the three of you flush with the wall. Turn to 182.

  400

  The transmitter screen contains the message you programmed in, and you are filled with confidence as you look again
at the sky and see no invading ships and no threat.

  Catalina steps towards Ada and, in a stage whisper, says, “The humans have won.”

  Ada’s eyes flash, and David leaps forward and pins her down to the ground, joined within ten seconds by several police officers, who pin her arms behind her back and take her away.

  The rest of the day passes by with you as a passenger in your own life; humanity has been saved by your efforts and the combined forces of earth and Mars are quick to publicly recognise you and Catalina as the time-travelling saviours of the future. You are taken to a comfortable location to eat and rest, but the next day the public appearances begin across New Gaia, and the following evening you find yourself in a private waiting area at the port, waiting to board a ship to take you back to earth.

  “Ah, there you are,” says David, entering with a smile on his face. “There’s someone here who would like a conversation.”

  He passes you a communications unit and Pauline’s face fills the screen.

  “Did I miss all the fun?” she asks. You and Catalina laugh.

  “We’re getting used to it,” Catalina replies.

  “Well,” Pauline says, looking around herself secretively, “get here as soon as you can. Earth has…changed somewhat. Enjoy the flight – the views are better than we got the last time. See you when you get here.”

  Earth promises so much; your descendants are there, you long for the blue sky you remember from what feels like only a week ago and yet part of a different life, and Pauline’s message has intrigued you as well, despite your desperate desire to simply relax.

  One hour later you are safely on board and accelerating quickly towards earth, managing to take in the views of a rapidly receding Mars. You take one final glance at the smouldering remains of the observatory and lean back in your chair, looking forward to the longest forced time of inactivity you’ve had since waking up on The Altimer.

  As you close your eyes, you are overwhelmed by a sense of relief, and can’t help a tear escaping from your eye. And then tiredness takes over, gifting you with the sleep of the just, and you dream of the promise of earth greeting you when you wake up.

  To be concluded…

  For the latest news and his thoughts on gamebook creation, connect with Samuel on his website, https://thealtimer.wordpress.com.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  How many roles can one person have?

  Samuel Isaacson is a family man, living in London

  with his wife and four young boys, which

  takes up plenty of his time.

  He’s also a fan of collaborative storytelling;

  The Altimer was his first gamebook.

  He’s an active member of a local church in Ealing,

  playing in the band and leading small groups.

  And he spends the rest of his time working as an executive coach and business adviser to large and complex organisations in the UK and around the world.

  ABOUT THE map illustrator

  David Gillson discovered his enjoyment of mapping after picking up a Fighting Fantasy book

  for the first time in 40 years.

  He lives in the wilds of North Yorkshire with his wife,

  two daughters, two dogs and four chickens.

  He’s also a keen archer and home brewer (both essential skills for any adventurer) and is currently trying to

  build a pub in his back garden.

  David is currently writing and illustrating his first gamebook, Straight to Hell, which he hopes to publish early in 2020.

 

 

 


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