Heavy Metal Thunder Read Online Free PDF Page B

death certificate?”
    “No, sir,” you say, shaking your head as a coughing
fit grips you. “God damn, no, sir.”
    One of the men in the rear says, “Man is a map
between dog and the superman. Much in this one is still dog-like.”
    “Let’s bring the dog along anyway,” says the
Commander. “Maybe we can teach him a few tricks.”
    “I don’t... need any paperwork?” you say, rising on
shaky knees.
    “Not if you can prove you’re human,” says the
Commander. “And, who knows? We might make something admirable of you yet.”
    “SIR!” you shout. “YES SIR!”
    Turn to section 58 .
     

38
    Commander Uther takes the lead, handgun in one hand
and charged mace in the other, while you and Sybel carry Marcus. “Captain!”
shouts Uther.
    Over the com-link, Numitor says, “Commander Uther -
the shield?”
    “Set to blow!”
    “Good job!” You catch a note of relief in the man’s
voice; it betrays the fact that he has many lives in his hands right now, and
he doesn’t want to sacrifice any of them. You do not envy him his position.
    “Give us three minutes, sir, three minutes.”
    “Okay. You’ve earned it, Commander.”
    A terrific explosion shakes the entire ship. The
floor creaks under your feet, and the dim lights in the near-black hallway
shudder off for a moment. Marcus groans, “There go your shields, assholes...
suck on it.”
    While Marcus seems to pass in and out of
consciousness muttering, “Suck, suck it...” Uther shouts into his radio, “ Heimdall ! We’re out of here!”
    “Hell!” cries a dim voice. “Damn! Fine! Okay!”
    “You alright? Heimdall , try to get back to where we came in. Can
you get back there?”
    “Hellfire, sir, I dunno, we’ll try, we’re under
major fire here.”
    You become lost in the labyrinthine halls. When
Uther falters at several intersections, Sybel shouts out directions. A minute
passes, then another then even Sybel hesitates before
giving directions.
    Marcus hangs like dead weight, making it impossible
to breathe, much less move another foot. It becomes obvious that you are all
lost in the black ship which is about to be blown to pieces by the Penelope’s
Vengeance .
    You hear gunfire and screaming at the next
intersection. “That’s Heimdall ,” says Uther, rushing
ahead. “Those bastards are right on his tail!”
    “We’ll all go down to Hell together!” growls Sybel,
unsheathing his wicked charged blade, a maniacal fatalistic doom-glow in his
grey eyes.
    “No!” shouts Uther. Into his com-link he shouts, “ Heimdall , set your beacon and throw it! Then fly like hell
- we’re at your right at the next intersection!” Uther mutters darkly, “We’re
getting out of here yet.”
    Beacon? you think. Just what is he planning?
    In a hail of gunfire from the far hall, you see
several human infantrymen fly around the corner at suicidal speed. The world
seems to slow down as some terrible feeling stomps in your guts.
    “Captain Numitor!” Uther shouts, his voice drawn out
in your mind. “We’ve set a beacon, a signal for you! I need you to blast the
tightest, thinnest laser shot you can right at that beacon!”
    Hell , you think. This
is the end .
    If you killed John Christian, turn to section 177 .
    If you let him live, turn to
section 104 .
     

39
    You draw your gun as quickly as you can but it is
impossible to get a lead on the fast-approaching Invader. You manage to fire
off one round before you have to scamper away as the horned Invader arcs by
your position, his gladius swinging out, boots nearly
scraping the ground and sending up a spray of icy dust.
    You curse the inadequacy of the gun in the depths of
space, then draw a hand-to-hand weapon and face your foe.
    Be sure to erase 1 bullet from your inventory.
    Turn to section 413 .
     

40
    You look through the rest of the equipment, finding
nothing of worth, while the canisters are filled with the precious fuel.
Suddenly you hear an arhythmic hum - then you float
free from the