Authors: Steve Skidmore
Ice Strike (4 page)
He raises his Staff of Power and with a cry of victory plunges it into your heart.
You have failed! Earth is at the mercy of Arktos.
If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.
You begin to search for a pass through the mountains. You eventually see an opening in the side of the mountain range. Two huge ice columns guard the way into the pass. You stare ahead and see more tall columns lining the steep walls of the pass.
As you walk between the columns, they suddenly move and the sound of ice cracking fills the air. The columns are alive!
“ICE SNAKES!” warns the computer.
They begin to attack! They whip their tails round and you are sent spinning through the air. You smash into another snake’s rock-hard icy body and crash to the ground. You leap up and dodge as they spit streams of razor-sharp icicles at you. Quickly, you reply with a blast of swirling fire that melts the deadly missiles before they hit you.
The ice snakes continue their attack.
To try to fly away,
go to 44
.
To fight the creatures,
go to 15
.
“Super speed,” you order.
The DART suit fails to respond. You repeat your order, but nothing happens. Freezing cold ice is now forming inside the suit.
Arktos is upon you. Another salvo of ice bombs hits you. The explosion is the last thing you see.
You have failed. To start again,
go to 1
.
You spend some time flying around the palace trying to find a way in. Suddenly a great noise breaks out across the glacier. You quickly head towards the front of palace to see what is happening and give a cry of horror.
The gates of the palace are open and thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes are marching out. Frost bears, ice demons, glacier giants and other creatures you could not have imagined in your worst nightmares.
Then the noise stops and Arktos emerges from the palace, riding a battle mammoth. He is holding his Staff of Power!
He holds it up and his voice booms out across the icy waste. “The attack begins!” His army roars in approval.
Arktos’s forces are getting ready to invade Earth! You know that if you can capture Arktos’s Staff of Power, his army will not be able to invade.
You have to react immediately!.
If you have the gamma-ray laser,
go to 18
.
If you don’t,
go to 32
.
“So what’s the best way to turn up the heat on Arktos?” you ask.
QTee looks grim. “Arktos is very powerful. He is using his Staff of Power to break through the dimensions and create a world of ice here on Earth. Then he can unleash his forces of the cold: ice snakes, frost bears and snow demons are just some of the creatures you will have to defeat.”
“Where will I find him?”
Agent Lee looks grim. “We’re not sure. Our intel says that he has two ice palaces. One in the north of the planet, one in the south. We don’t know which one he is based in.”
“It doesn’t sound as though it’s going to be a fun day out!”
Agent Roberts nods. “You are going to have to take some very powerful weapons with you.”
QTee smiles. “And I’ve invented something very special for you!”
You set the NAV system with the co-ordinates to Arktos’s southern palace.
You set off, but the journey takes many hours.
Finally, you arrive at the palace. It is completely deserted! You know you have made the wrong choice.
At that moment, you receive a message from QTee back on Earth.
“Arktos has begun his invasion of Earth — you have failed! There is no point coming back home because Earth will…”
The transmission is cut off. You know that Earth is doomed and you can do nothing about it.
You have failed. Begin your adventure again by going
back to 1
.
You fly towards Arktos to get as close as possible.
The enemy forces open fire at you. Ice demons launch grenades at you which explode, firing diamond-hard iceflakes. You dodge them and launch missiles and fire your eGun — taking some enemies out. Arktos is now only fifty metres away!
“Target lock. Fire!” you order the suit.
The deadly laser beam shoots out, hitting Arktos in the chest. There is a moment’s pause, then the whole glacier erupts as everything around you is vaporised. Arktos is dead!
Your joy quickly turns to despair. Too late, you remember what QTee told you. The radiation blast from the gamma-ray gun hits you. The DART suit is ripped open and your body is atomised.
You have beaten Arktos, but lost your life. If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.
“We didn’t come here to make friends,” you say. “Launch missiles!”
The deadly missiles streak away into the air. The frost bears speed up and charge straight towards you.
Some frost bears are hit by the missiles, but as the others get closer they open their great jaws. Huge razor-sharp teeth glisten in the light. They howl as they move in for the attack.
You aim your eGun and take out the first creature with a volley of well-aimed shots.
You take down another frost bear, but the others keep coming — as they charge you realise that you are badly outnumbered.
If you wish to try to escape,
go to 19
.
To stand your ground and continue the fight,
go to 9
.
Before you can get airbourne, one of the snakes wraps its body around you, pinning your arms against your body. You try to escape, but the creature’s grip is too strong. You are trapped in the coils!
The creature smashes you against the wall of ice, practically knocking you out. You feel blood running down your face. The other snake moves in for the kill, with its mouth wide open and its fangs ready to strike.
If you wish to teleport back to Earth,
go to 14
.
If you wish to try to fight your way out of the situation,
go to 3
.
“Activate super speed,” you order.
You fly faster through the freezing gale, but ice continues to cover the DART suit, weighing it down.
The computer’s voice sounds weak. “S-y-s-te-m-s failing…”
You have to act immediately!
If you want to try to fly out of the cloud,
go to 7
.
If you decide to activate the suit’s fire system,
go to 28
.
You shake your head. “I don’t think I will waste any more energy on you.”
You turn, but as you do, the creature leaps up at you and its great jaws bite into your suit, ripping open a gaping hole.
You shoot the creature and it drops dead, but you are in trouble! You feel your body beginning to freeze with the cold.
“Systems failing,” warns the DART suit.
“Teleport to Earth,” you order.
“Teleport malfunction…”
You try to fly away, but the suit doesn’t respond.
The cold has destroyed the computer’s systems and is eating at your body. You sink to the ground and curse at the fact that you didn’t keep your word…
To give you time to mend the suit you know that you have to get away from Arktos.
“Super speed,” you order.
But before the suit can respond, you are hit by another ice bomb.
“Systems failing,” warns the suit.
You are helpless. Arktos sends more ice bombs towards you. They explode, sending you to oblivion.
If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.
Before the glacier giant can attack, you send a sheet of flame into his body.
He cries out in pain, and staggers away. You leap up and send a volley of energy blasts at your enemy. The giant has no defence against such an attack and he falls to the floor, dead.
You realise that more giants are in your way — you cannot head straight to the main entrance, you will have to find another way in.
You lie helpless on the frozen ground. Your suit is broken open and you feel the icy cold creeping through your veins, chilling your blood.
You try to get up, but it is hopeless. You know that you are going to freeze to death. You lie waiting for the end.
You have paid the ultimate price. If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.
There is a flash of light, a roaring sound and then you are back in the OPS room in Area 61, with QTee and the agents.
You hand over the power crystal from Arktos’s staff. This will now give you power over the elements of snow and ice.
You give an account of your adventures to QTee and agents Lee and Roberts.
“I wonder what Arktos meant about just being a diversion?” says Agent Roberts.
You shrug. “I’m sure that we will find out soon enough.”