Alien

by Steve Skidmore

  “Exactly! But that needs someone to travel through the wormhole, close it up at their end; but before it closes up, somehow get back here. Oh, yes, and rescue the kidnapped ALFs.”

  “Nothing too easy then,” replies Cranberry. “It could be done. If you set a timing device on a bomb, you could rescue the ALFs and get through the wormhole before it detonates and destroys the alien portal.”

  “How long would the timing device need to be set for?” you ask.

  “Interesting question. I don’t know the answer.”

  To close the Area 51 portal, go to 21.

  To head through the wormhole and destroy the alien portal, go to 27.

  25

  You clean off Cranberry’s gunge and head to the Ops room in the heart of Arcane Manor.

  But before you can assess your latest training session, the 3D comms console bursts into life. A holographic image of the Director General of G.H.O.S.T. appears.

  “Good afternoon, Agent. We have a Priority One case for you. I am sending over details of this mission via the encryption channel.

  Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

  To continue with the training debrief, go to 38.

  To look at the mission immediately, go to 4.

  26

  Before the ALFs can react, you blast them with the BAM. You wonder how they knew you were coming. Someone back at Area 51 must have told them! This makes things even harder, you think.

  To look for the captured ALFs, go to 18.

  To set the gamma ray bomb and head back to Earth, go to 39.

  27

  “We have to try and rescue the kidnapped ALFs and close the wormhole up on the alien side, no matter what the risk is,” you tell the doctor and general. “Take me to your wormhole portal.”

  You are taken through steel lined corridors to the huge vault containing the entrance to the wormhole.

  “Impressive,” you say. “So what sort of weapon will close up the portal on the alien side?”

  “A gamma bomb,” replies the general. “It’s small enough to carry but powerful enough to do the job.”

  “Can you fit a timing device to it?” you ask.

  The general nods. “Yes, I’ll have our people sort that out. It should be ready in an hour.”

  Go to 33.

  28

  “We’ll head to the command centre and get more information,” you say.

  You arrive to find General Walker waiting for you.

  “Why are you here and not at the weapons centre, Agent?” he snaps. “I thought you were going to take on the ALFs?”

  Before you can reply, a trooper rushes in.

  “Enemy forces have taken over the weapons centre. They have the total-destruction lasers!”

  “Then we’re finished!” roars the general. “Abandon the base!”

  Before you can react, there is a huge explosion that destroys the command centre and all within it. And that includes you!

  You should have attacked the ALFs, not talked about them! Go back to 1.

  29

  You know that you are doomed, but you can still make sure the portal closes. You press the gamma ray detonator.

  There is a flash of light as the chamber and the portal disintegrate.

  You’ve saved the world but at the ultimate cost. Go back to 1.

  30

  You tell the general and doctor about the captain.

  “Are there any more hostile aliens on the base?” you ask.

  The doctor shrugs. “The ALFs attacking the weapons centre were the only ones we know about. But if they managed to take control of the captain, then perhaps they have passed on some kind of alien virus. Anyone could have been contaminated.”

  The general stares at you. “Even you, Agent.”

  “And you too, General,” you reply.

  If you’ve already heard about Project Wormhole, go to 12.

  If you haven’t, go to 46.

  31

  You set the timer and step through the portal. Once again you feel as though you are being ripped apart. Then there is flash of light and a roaring noise. You realise the bomb has exploded.

  The wormhole begins to disintegrate around you. The delay wasn’t long enough, you think. It’s all over.

  Suddenly there is a flash of lightning, and you find yourself safely back in Area 51. General Walker and Dr Dekka are waiting for you.

  The portal implodes on itself, and the vault is filled with showers of stars and bursts of energy. Then there is silence. The wormhole is no more.

  You tell the general and Dr Dekka what happened.

  “Well done, Agent,” says the general.

  “Thanks. There’s just one thing bothering me,” you say. “The ALF I spoke to said that its master was already here on Earth… So I got thinking, who didn’t want me to destroy the portal? And why?”

  To use your stun gun on the general, go to 11.

  To use your MAAD, go to 50.

  32

  You blast at the monster on the right. It disappears in a blinding flash, but the monster on the left is still heading towards you at speed!

  Before you can react, the creature hits you and bursts wide open, covering you in a green, evil-smelling slime.

  Go to 47.

  33

  An hour later, you have the gamma bomb in your pack and you are ready to head into the wormhole.

  The general straps the timing device onto your wrist.

  “By how long will you delay the explosion?” he asks.

  You shrug. “Cranberry still has no answer. And I won’t be able to communicate with anyone once I go through the portal.”

  “Then you should take some troopers with you,” suggests Dr Dekka.

  “That puts my men at risk as well,” growls the general.

  To head into the wormhole on your own, go to 16.

  To take the troopers with you, go to 3.

  34

  “Open fire,” you shout, and then suddenly realise that you’ve made a BIG mistake.

  The troops obey your order. Unfortunately, you are in their line of fire!

  The captain goes down under a hail of bullets, but so do you!

  That wasn’t clever! Go back to 1.

  35

  “Evasive action!” you order the computer. It obeys and spins in a series of spirals and loops.

  “INCOMING MISSILE!” screams the computer. You glance out of the window to see the alien still riding the missile and coming towards you. You can’t shake it off!

  To shoot at the missile, go to 13.

  To activate the jet’s defence shield, go to 6.

  36

  Using your TALK device you ask the alien where the captured ALFs are being held.

  “Tell me,” you say, “and I’ll let you live.”

  “They are in a secure unit awaiting trial. But you will never find it!”

  To deal with the ALF and look for the unit, go to 14.

  To tell the ALF about the gamma ray bomb, go to 41.

  37

  You take out your gun and point it at the captain.

  “Stop the car!”

  The captain ignores you. “Death to humans, death to humans.”

  You have no option. You pull the trigger and the captain slumps forward. You grab the steering wheel and put on the handbrake. The SUV comes to a screeching halt just metres from the fuel tank.

  That was close! You wonder how the captain came under the control of the ALFs and if there are any more personnel on the base that have been taken over. You decide to head to the command centre to tell General Walker what has happened.

  Go to 7.

  38

  “Let’s finish the debrief first,” you say to Cranberry.

  “Not a good idea, Agent,” replies the butler. “The director said it was a Priority One case. The clue is in the name. PRIORITY!”

  You realise that Cranberry is right. The director would not be contacting you if this wasn’t critical.

&
nbsp; Go to 4.

  39

  You take out the gamma ray bomb and place it by the portal. But before you can set the timing device, the chamber is suddenly filled with laser blasts and explosions. You spin round, weapon ready as another squad of ALF fighters storm in. You fire at them but there are too many to deal with.

  Go to 29.

  40

  You try to open the door, but it is locked!

  You lean across and grab hold of the steering wheel, but the captain seems to have superhuman strength. He fights you off, flinging you against the car door.

  “Death to humans, death to humans!”

  You reach for your gun, but it is too late! The SUV smashes into the fuel tank and explodes.

  Don’t get into cars with strangers! Go back to 1.

  41

  “I have a gamma ray bomb,” you tell the ALF. “And it’s powerful enough to blow this whole base up. Tell the guards to bring the prisoners to the portal. Or else…”

  “You wouldn’t use it,” replies the ALF. “You would die as well.”

  “Try me,” you say, taking out the bomb. “I just have to press this button…”

  The ALF backs down. He speaks into his wrist communicator to the guards, relaying your instructions.

  Go to 5.

  42

  Cranberry prepares and loads your weapons on board the Phantom Flyer, your specially equipped supersonic jet.

  You are soon in the air, flying at incredible speed towards Area 51.

  You radio back to Arcane Manor.

  “Any further news?”

  “I have been in touch with General Walker, the base commander,” says Cranberry. “Hostile ALFs are trying to take over the base’s weapons centre. Heaven knows what will happen if they manage to do it!”

  You are approaching Area 51 when the jet’s alarms sound. The computer’s voice fills the cabin. “INCOMING MISSILE!”

  You look out of the cabin and are amazed to see an ALF riding on top of a missile, coming straight for you! How is it doing that? you wonder!

  To shoot at the missile, go to 13.

  To take evasive action, go to 35.

  To activate the jet’s defence shield, go to 6.

  43

  “Don’t shoot! You’ll hit me!” you shout.

  The captain tightens his grip around your throat. You lash out with your foot and catch him. He staggers back and you attack using your jujutsu fighting skills.

  You hold him in a headlock. “Tell me who you are,” you say.

  “My master will win,” he rasps. “Death to humans!”

  You realise that somehow the captain has been taken over by the ALFs. Before you can ask him any more questions, he breaks free. One of the troops fires at the captain, taking him down.

  You stand over the captain’s lifeless body.

  “That’s a shame. We could have got some useful information from him.”

  You decide to head to the command centre to tell General Walker what has happened.

  Go to 7.

  44

  When you come to, you find yourself strapped to a metal table. Several ALFs are standing over you. One is holding some sort of laser drill.

  He points it at you and switches it on.

  The last sounds you hear are your own screams.

  Ouch! That hurt. Go back to 1.

  45

  You land the jet and taxi towards the main reception area.

  You are greeted by a troop of soldiers and you introduce yourself to the captain.

  “Glad you’re here, Agent. We could do with some help. The ALFs are still laying siege to the weapons centre,” he tells you. “General Walker is in the command centre. Where do you want to go?”

  To go to the weapons centre, go to 22.

  To head to the command centre, go to 28.

  46

  “Tell me about the project,” you say.

  “We have been working with various friendly ALFs over the past few years,” replies Dr Dekka.

  “They crash-landed on Earth,” explains the general. “They were grateful to us for our kind treatment of them, so they agreed to help us develop our technology.”

  Dr Dekka continues. “One of the projects was to develop a way of visiting other planets, millions of light years away. This is impossible in spacecraft, but it could be done by using wormholes.”

  She clicks a button and a 3D model of a wormhole appears.

  “And you can use them to travel through time and space, as proposed by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity.”

  “I thought wormholes were just a theory,” you say.

  Dr Dekka smiles. “Not any more, we have one here on Area 51.”

  If you’ve already heard about the ALF situation on the base, go to 12.

  If you haven’t, go to 30.

  47

  The cellar lights flash on. You shield your eyes against the sudden glare as a voice booms out from loudspeakers. It is Cranberry, your butler and fellow G.H.O.S.T. agent.

  “Oh dear, Agent. You should have used the MAAD. That would have shown you which monster was real and which one was merely a virtual reality reflection.”

  “Sorry, Cranberry. I’ll remember to tell the MAAD to detect the monster next time.” You wipe the slime from your hair. “How do you make this stuff?”

  “My special top secret recipe. It’s been passed down the ages from Cranberry to Cranberry. Now it’s time for a debrief…”

  Go to 25.

  48

  You head towards a door in the wall of the corridor. It is locked, but a blast with your weapon soon opens it. However, the ALFs know where you are. The air fills with streams of laser bolts and blast grenades as you dive through the doorway. You look around — there is no way out!

  A grenade pops through the doorway and lands on the floor. There is a flash of light and afterwards, nothing…

  You got yourself trapped! Go back to 1.

  49

  You set the BAM to maximum power, aim at the centre of the group of ALFs and pull the trigger. A bolt of energy shoots from the BAM and instantly vaporises the attackers.

  “Secure this centre,” you tell the captain. “I need to talk to General Walker.”

  The captain stares at you.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he says.

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” you ask.

  “Er… no reason,” he replies. “I’ll take you to him.”

  You are puzzled by the captain’s manner.

  To get the captain to take you to the general, go to 10.

  To question the captain further, go to 17.

  50

  “Let’s see who the bad apple is. Detect!” You switch on the MAAD. It flashes a red laser beam, targeting Dr Dekka.

  “So, you found me!” she bellows. “Too bad you’re too late!” Her outer skin splits in half, revealing a slavering ALF. Her tongue shoots out towards you, but you dodge it and fire.

  The creature explodes in an instant, covering you with green slime. Not again, you think…

  The general looks dumbfounded.

  “I can’t believe Dr Dekka was an alien. How?”

  “I’m afraid we’ll probably never know the answer,” you reply.

  “Did you ever think the ALF was me?” asks the general.

  “Not really,” you say. “I wanted to put her, or rather, it, off guard for a moment.”

  Your comms link flashes. It is Cranberry.

  “I think that a two-minute delay would be a good time to set, Agent.”

  “Slow, but appreciated.” You laugh and tell him about the mission. “And get the hot water on,” you finish. “I need to get rid of some slime.”

  “It’s the least I can do,” he replies. “Well done, Agent. You’ve saved the planet. You’re a real hero!”

  Phantom Flyer: For fast international and intercontinental travel, you use the Phantom Flyer, a supersonic business jet crammed full of detection and communication
equipment and weaponry.

  Spook Trucks: For more local travel you use one of G.H.O.S.T.’s fleet of Spook Trucks — heavily armed and armoured SUVs you requisition from local agents.

  You are an agent of G.H.O.S.T. — Global Headquarters Opposing Supernatural Threats.

  Our world is under constant attack from supernatural horrors that lurk in the shadows. It’s your job to make sure they stay there.

  You are in the dining room. Your butler comes towards you carrying a covered silver dish. The dish is making bleeping noises.

  “Your phone, Agent.”

  “Thank you, Cranberry.” You check the screen. You have an email from the Director General of G.H.O.S.T.

  “I think she wants me to get a move on,” you say.

  To set off immediately for Beijing, go to 37.

  To research zombies first, go to 25.

  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 I HERO Immortals and iHorror series.

  About the illustrator: Paul Davidson